Description, tool features and interesting facts. What is gusli? Gusli keyboards

A report on music about the harp will briefly help you prepare for the lesson, and you will learn a lot of useful information about this ancient instrument. The report about the harp can be supplemented with interesting facts.

A short message about the harp

What is gusli?

Gusli is the oldest plucked stringed musical instrument. In Russia, they mean a kind of recumbent harp. They existed on the territory of Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Finland and other European countries (where they had their original name). And in each country they had their own characteristics. Between themselves, they were similar to a fan of strings, a string holder, a peg row and a resonator under the strings along the entire length.

Gusli: a story for children

It is impossible to say exactly who invented the harp, and when it happened. In the history of the Finnish kantele, Slavic gusli, Latvian kokle, Estonian kannel, Lithuanian kankles, there are only guesses and assumptions. There are opinions that this stringed instrument came to us from China, where the guqin stringed instrument was known long before the birth of Christ. According to another version, lyre-like instruments were brought to their colonies by the Romans.

The Finns claim that the first kantele gusli were made by Weimemeinen, in Russia and Belarus, that the harp is a modernized "musical bow". Therefore, the confusion with assumptions is incredible.

In the Old Russian manuscript “The Tale of a Belarusian Man and Monasticism”, the author depicted in the letter “D” the figure of a king who played the harp. The shape of the body resembles a helmet. Subsequently, the shape of the resonator flat box changed: a trapezoidal shape appeared. With a decrease in the number of strings, wing-shaped harps also developed.

Back in the 9th century, they were made from dugout dry boards of maple or spruce. With the advent of metallic strings, the harp rang. Craftsmen have passed down the secret of tool making to their apprentices for centuries. Goose tunes and songs were loved to listen not only to ordinary residents, peasants, but also kings. However, the harp often spoke unflatteringly about the rulers in their songs. Therefore, there were persecutions of the harpists. Over time, this plucked instrument has evolved from an archaic instrument into a stage professional instrument with a unique sound.

To date, every orchestra of folk instruments has plucked harp in its composition: keyboards and table-shaped ones. Their sound gives the orchestra the flavor of ancient chimes.

Gusli: types of instruments

There are such types of gusli:

• voiced. These are the simplest and most ancient harps. A trapezoidal or triangular box was placed on the knees when playing. The number of strings varied from 7 to 13. When the sonorous harp became part of the symphony orchestra, their shortcomings are immediately visible to the flock: a small range. Then it was decided to build a harp of different sizes.
• Plucked. Equipped with 60 strings that cover 5 full octaves. The musician plays the harp with both hands, simultaneously leading the melody on thin and bass strings. They can reproduce complex polyphonic works.
• Keyboards. This is the youngest type of harp that appeared in the twentieth century. They are created in 4 sizes: piccolo, prima, alto, bass. They produce a full, rich, pleasant sound.

How do harps sound?

This original instrument can produce a melodious and gentle voice, can convey the murmur of a stream and bird singing, portray a bell chime. The sound source is flexible stretched strings. Each of them is tuned to the desired sound pitch. It is removed with a mediator or fingertips. Different harps use their own sound extraction techniques: arpeggio, rattling, pizzicato, glissando, tremolo.

Gusli interesting facts

• The performer on the harp is called the harpist.
• Tsar Ivan the Terrible had an ensemble of guslists at court, which amused him.
• Patriarch of All Russia Nikon ordered in 1654 to burn all the psaltery in the state.
• The first song that was recorded with notes for the gusli was the Ukrainian folk song "Oh, pid cherries." It was recorded in St. Petersburg by the French composer F. Boilde in 1803.
• In May 1945, the Guslist Ensemble performed on the steps of the defeated Reichstag in Berlin with a concert in honor of the victory.

In the article we will analyze the meaning of the word gusli, and also talk about the features of this instrument. The term has Old Slavic roots. It is associated with the word "hum". This is a Russian folk stringed plucked musical instrument of the zither type. The name is found already in the sources of the XI century. It could historically refer to a variety of musical instruments.

It should be said separately about the modern use of this term. Now the gusli is a musical instrument that is stringed, plucked and has a trapezoidal shape. Similar to citrus. Musicians who play such a musical instrument are called harpists. Details below.

Story

To understand what a harp is, you should know that it is a musical instrument, the varieties of which include zhetygen, psaltery, lyre, kithara, harp. The Iranian santur and the Armenian canon also have similarities with it. The musical harp was used by the heroes of the epic Russian epic: Nightingale Budimirovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, Sadko.

Researchers of the early twentieth century drew attention to an amazing detail. They noted the similarity of the Mari and Chuvash gusli with the drawings of the instrument we are considering on the pages of medieval Russian manuscripts. In these images, the performers hook the strings with their fingers. They hold the instrument itself on their knees. The Mari and Chuvash played in the same way at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The number of strings was not always the same. Psalter-shaped harp, according to researchers, was brought to Russia by the Greeks. The Mari and Chuvashs borrowed this instrument from the Russians. Clavier-shaped gusli were found at the beginning of the twentieth century mainly among the Russian clergy.

This instrument consists of a special rectangular resonant box, complete with a lid, which is placed on a table. A number of round cuts are made on the board - voices. A pair of concave wooden bars is attached to it. Iron pegs are screwed into one of these elements. Metal strings are wound on them.

The other bar serves to attach the strings. Clavier-shaped harps have a piano system. In this case, the strings that correspond to the black keys are placed below those that correspond to the white ones.

Notes were created for clavier-shaped harps. There was also a school, which at the beginning of the twentieth century was founded by Fyodor Kushenov-Dmitrevsky. This person is also the author of a tutorial dedicated to this instrument.

Pterygoid

Considering the question of what a harp is, it should be noted that they are yarovchatye. Historically, this type of musical instrument is the first. As a rule, such harps accompany the singer's voice or solo. They have a diatonic scale.

The winged harp is an instrument that was widespread in the 19th-20th centuries in the northwestern territories of Russia, bordering Finland, Karelia and the Baltic states. Related instruments are found there: cannel, kantele, kokles, kankles. The largest number of instruments was found by researchers in the Novgorod and Pskov regions.

Winged gusli have a variety of shapes. The strings are stretched fan-shaped and taper towards the “heel”. You can select tools that have a beveled body. It narrows as it approaches the tailpiece. The thickness of the tool varies between 4-6 centimeters, and the length does not exceed 800 mm.

A special feature here is a thin postcard - about 6-11 mm. During the game, it is used to support the left hand. After all, she quickly gets tired of hanging over the strings. This type of harp has 5-17 strings. More often they are from 6 to 9. They are tuned in accordance with the steps of the diatonic scale.

The top or bottom end strings can be tuned as bourdon strings, which constantly sound during playing. There are about twelve different methods for tuning the harp. On winged instruments, as a rule, they play by touching all the strings at once. This technique is called "rattling". Unnecessary strings are muted with the fingers of the left hand.

This is achieved by placing three or four (rarely) fingers between the strings. This approach allows you to change chords with particular speed. The blow usually comes from top to bottom. Also here you can achieve greater smoothness of the sound. To do this, strikes from the bottom up are added, equal in strength to the first. Melodies can also be played on this instrument. Sometimes techniques are used to pluck sounds with the fingers of the left hand. As a rule, it is large and unnamed.

Helmet-shaped

For a long time, historiography was dominated by the idea of ​​the ancient Russian origin of this instrument. Later, an assumption arose about borrowing this design from the peoples of the Volga region. Modern researchers who are wondering what a gusli is, and what are the features of this particular species, take a more cautious view.

At the same time, they point to a possible relationship between this instrument and the Western European psaltery. Attention should be paid to the point of view of the historian A. A. Novoselsky. In his opinion, this type of harp used in music was borrowed from Western European peoples. This is indicated by the name and resemblance to the psalterium.

Helmet-shaped harp originated in Russia in the nineteenth century. Five images of musical instruments were found in Veliky Novgorod. All depict a musician with an instrument similar to a helmet-shaped harp. Such a performer was called a buzzard.

Lyre-shaped

In music, this type of harp is also called a playing window. They were common in Ancient Russia, as well as in Poland in the XI-XIII centuries. The earliest finds came from Novgorod and the Polish city of Opole. They date back to the 11th century. Such harps in the upper part have an opening. This feature makes such finds related to other lyre-shaped structures.

Stationary

Answering the question of what a harp is, it should be noted that they are table-shaped, rectangular and clavier-like. All of them are also called stationary. They have a chromatic scale. The instrument was developed in the 16th-17th centuries on the basis of helmet-shaped and voiced harps. It also existed as a portable instrument, which was horizontally placed on the musician's knees.

Plucked

Such harps, together with keyboards, can also be called concert or academic. The range and structure here does not have pronounced features. It is the same as that of the keyboard harp. This assumes a more complex technique of the game. The strings are plucked with both hands. The left one creates the accompaniment, the melody is played by the right one.

Keyboards

Such a harp was created in 1905 by N. P. Fomin on the basis of rectangular ones. They are used by orchestras of folk instruments, mainly for playing chords, as an accompanying instrument. The performer presses the keys with his left hand, plucks the strings with a leather pick with his right hand, less often without it. The main technique of the game is arpeggio - the transition to the upper sound from the lower one.

Data

The musical instrument gusli, in essence, is a purely Russian phenomenon (if we talk about the form that we talked about above). Various Slavic peoples have instruments that have similar names. This applies to Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs. These tools are varied. They are often bowed.

In 1980-1990, in the course of frontal work by the folklore expeditions of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory, headed by Anatoly Mikhailovich Mekhnetsov, the remains of an archaic type of gusel game were revealed in the Pskov and Novgorod regions. By the way, when the Bible was translated into Russian, kinnor was called gusli.

Gusli- a stringed musical instrument, the most common in Russia.

The harp is a flat resonator box with strings stretched over it. Under various names - kannel, kankles, kok-le, kantele, kyusle, kosle - this multi-stringed plucked instrument is known among the peoples of the Baltic and Volga regions.

In Russia, the harp has been known since the 11th century. Pterygoid gusli, also called voiced or yarovchaty, and helmet-shaped, differed in shape. Both of them were kept on their knees when playing, but on the first strings they plucked with a special thin plate - a plectrum, and on the second - with the fingers of both hands. At the end of the XVI - beginning of the XVII century. in Russia, rectangular harps were created. They had a table-like body with a lid, up to 66 strings were stretched inside it. When playing, the strings were plucked with the fingers of both hands, the sounds were loud, not fading for a long time.

Three types of gusli are now common: voiced, plucked and keyboard. Voiced gusli are the direct heirs of the ancient pterygoid gusli. They are usually trapezoid in shape. When playing, the performer keeps them on his knees, extracting sound in several ways: he plucks the strings with the fingers of both hands or only with his right hand, and muffles the strings with his left; uses a plectrum, then the sound becomes especially sonorous. They play these harps and rattling, like a balalaika. At the beginning of the XX century. musician-ethnographer, conductor N.I. Privalov and gusliar O.U. Smolensky reconstructed this type of harp: they gave them a triangular shape, increased the number of strings - from 5-9 to 13, created ensemble harps - piccolo, prima, viola and bass. Currently, only prima is used predominantly. The Soviet performer D. Lok-shin designed a chromatic sonorous harp, which greatly expanded the artistic possibilities of the instrument.

Plucked harp- improved rectangular harp. They consist of a metal frame on wooden legs with strings stretched over it. Their scale is chromatic, it is possible to play chords and even various polyphonic pieces on them. Numerous strings are placed on two levels: on the top there are strings tuned diatonically, on the bottom - strings that give the missing chromatic sounds.

Keyboard harp designed by the closest associate of V. V. Andreev - N. P. Fomin. The device, appearance and range of them is similar to the plucked harp, but all the strings are located in the same plane, and above the strings there is a box with a system of mufflers - dampers. This whole system is controlled by 12 keys of one octave of the piano keyboard located on the edge of the damper box. When a key is pressed, the damper associated with it rises and opens the strings corresponding to the given sound in all octaves at once. Most often, arpeggiated chords are played on the keyboard harp. With his right hand, the performer runs a mediator (a thin plate with a pointed end) along the strings, and with his left hand presses the necessary keys. With the help of a pedal located at the keys, all dampers immediately rise. When the pedal is depressed, the keyboard harp can be used as a plucked harp.

In the modern Russian folk orchestra, this type of gusli is used; in professional groups there is a duet of plucked and keyboard gusli.

History of the harp

Gusli- a musical instrument, the name of which in Russia refers to several varieties of recumbent harps. The psalted harp is similar to the Greek psalter and the Jewish kinnor; these include: the Chuvash harp, the Cheremis harp, the clavier-shaped harp and the harp, resembling the Finnish kantele, the Latvian kukles and the Lithuanian kankles.

The Chuvash and Cheremis harps have a striking resemblance to the images of this instrument, preserved in the monuments of our antiquity, for example, in a handwritten service book of the 14th century, where a person playing the harp is represented in the capital letter D, in Makarievskaya Chetye-Mineya of 1542, etc.

In all these images, the performers hold the harp on their knees and hook the strings with their fingers. Chuvash and Cheremis play the harp in exactly the same way. The strings of their harp are intestinal; their number is not always the same. Psalter-shaped harp was brought to Russia by the Greeks; Chuvash and Cheremis borrowed this instrument from the Russians.

The clavier-shaped harp, which is still found, mainly among the Russian clergy, is nothing more than an improved type of psalter-shaped harp. This instrument consists of a rectangular resonant box with a lid, which rests on a table. Several round cutouts (voices) were made on the resonance board, and two concave wooden bars were attached to it.

Iron pegs are screwed on one of them, on which metal strings are wound; the other beam plays the role of a stringer, that is, it serves to attach the strings. The clavier-shaped harps have a pianoforte, with the strings corresponding to the black keys placed below those corresponding to the white keys.

For clavier-shaped harp, there are notes and a school compiled by Kushenov-Dmitrevsky. In addition to the psalter-shaped gusli, there are kantele similar to the Finnish instrument. This type of harp has almost completely disappeared. It is very likely that it was borrowed by the Russians from the Finns. The Old Slavic word means kifaru, that is, at the beginning of the Middle Ages it expressed the general concept of stringed instruments.

Modern names originated from this word: gusle - among the Serbs and Bulgarians, gusle, guzla, gusli - among the Croats, gosle - among the Slovenes, guslic - among the Poles, housle ("violin") from the Czechs and the gusli from the Russians. These instruments are quite diverse and many of them are bowed, for example. guzla, which has only one horsehair string.

Musical instrument: Gusli

"In a certain kingdom, in a certain state ...". This is how many Russian folk tales begin, which we loved to listen to in childhood with great pleasure. Here we met good and evil heroes, as well as a lot of different wonderful magical things, such as a self-assembled tablecloth, an invisibility hat and a gusli-self-guy that make you dance tirelessly. Gusli is a traditional Russian folk musical instrument that has been played in Russia since time immemorial and which was mentioned not only in fairy tales and epic epics, but also in other types of folk art, such as songs and sayings.

A joking folk saying: "And to the feast, and to the world, and to good people" - fits this glorious instrument in the best possible way. Princely and boyar feasts, rural and urban brethren, weddings and commemorations, pagan games and buffoon performances - in ancient times, everything was accompanied by the sound of the harp, which is now rightfully considered a symbol of our great country and an exponent of the national character of the Russian people. Poets sing of them in their poems, and artists reflect them in their paintings. In cinematography, the sound of the gusli is very often used for the musical arrangement of the enchanting beauty of Russian nature.

Read the history of the harp and many interesting facts about this musical instrument on our page.

Sound

The sound of the harp - this original instrument captivates listeners from the first notes. His sonorous, but at the same time gentle and melodious voice in the skillful hands of the performer can portray the chime of bells, the murmur of a stream, and birdsong. Soft, rich and iridescent timbre of the instrument creates a feeling of peace and tranquility.

The sound source on the harp is stretched flexible strings, each of which is tuned to the desired pitch. The sound is extracted with fingertips or a mediator.

The harp, which has a wide variety of species, differ in shape, number of strings, size and tuning. Some instruments are tuned according to chromaticism, others have a diatonic scale, which can be changed at the request of the performer. The tighter the string is stretched, the higher the sound produced.

On different types of harp, various sound extraction techniques are used, such as a pinch (pizzicato), arpeggio, rattling, glissando, tremolo and others.

A photo:

Interesting Facts

• Different peoples have instruments very similar in design to the harp, but with different names. In Lithuania - kankles, in Latvia - kokle, in Finland - kantele. In Iran - santur, in Armenia - canon, in China - guqin.
• The performer on the harp is correctly called the harpist, and not the harpman, as many people think.
• The Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible had an ensemble of guslists at his court for his personal amusement.
• In 1654, by special order of the Patriarch of All Russia Nikon, five large loaded carts with buffoon instruments, including harp, were brought to the banks of the Moscow River and burned there in front of all the people. The huge fire blazed for several days.
• At the court of Empress Catherine II, V. Trutovsky, a virtuoso performer, composer and collector of folk songs, served as a cameraman.

• In May 1945, an ensemble of harpists performed in Berlin on the steps of the defeated Reichstag. And also at a concert in Moscow dedicated to the Victory Parade.
• The first song recorded with notes for performance on the harp was the Ukrainian folk song "Oh, pid cherries." It was recorded by the French composer F. Boilde in St. Petersburg in 1803.
• In 2006, in the city of St. Petersburg, which is considered the world capital of the gusli culture, the "Petersburg Guslar Club" was formed. The main goal of this organization is the active promotion of the instrument, the study, preservation and development of performing skills on the harp.

Design

Gusli currently have several varieties that differ in shape, tuning and number of strings, but they all have characteristic design features that include three main parts: body, tailpiece and tuning pegs.

Frame pterygoid gusli includes upper and lower decks, which are interconnected by a shell (frame).

On the top deck, which is usually made using resonant spruce, there are a resonator hole, a metal plate with pins, a stand and a nut.

A sound hole or rosette increases the duration and strength of the sound.

On the pins, which are located on a metal plate, the strings are fixed.

The pegs used to tension the strings are made of metal and have the shape of a cylinder with a diameter of 0.7 cm and a length of 5 or 6 cm.

The bridge and nut, on which the height of the strings depends, are made of harder wood species. A brass or copper fret plate is inserted into the center of the stand and the nut.

The lower deck is made of maple, birch, walnut, mountain ash.

Inside, wooden bars called springs are glued to the upper and lower decks to increase resistance and evenly distribute sound vibrations.

Varieties

Gusli in the course of its evolution have undergone significant modifications. To date, they are divided into four types: wing-shaped, helmet-shaped, lyre-shaped and stationary, which in turn are of two types: keyboard and plucked.

• Pterygoid harp- in the people they are often called syllables or voiced, are currently the most popular. The number of strings of the instrument varies from five to seventeen, the middle strings of which are tuned according to the sounds of the diatonic mode, and the extreme upper and lower ones can sound like bourdon ones. Currently, twelve options for setting this type of harp are known. The main method of sound extraction, which is used to perform chord accompaniment, is the rattling performed by the right hand. The fingers of the left hand at the same time muffle unclaimed strings. To draw melodic lines, the technique of plucking individual strings or tremolo is used. Pterygoid harp has four subspecies, which differ in size and pitch, these are piccolo, prima, alto and bass.
• helmet-shaped e harp - have the second name of the psalter, in their appearance they resemble a helmet. The number of strings is from ten to twenty-six. The instrument is played with both hands, the right hand performs the melody, the left harmonic accompaniment. The main playing techniques are string plucking and tremolo.
• Lyre-shaped harp - the main difference between this type of harp is the presence of the so-called playing window, with the help of which the performer manipulates the strings: muffles unnecessary sounds or plucks additional sounds.
• Stationary keyboard and plucked harps, which are also called academic or concert, have a chromatic scale.

Keyboard harp have a range that is from 4 to 6 octaves, the strings are stretched in one plane and their number can be from 49 to 66. A mechanical system with twelve keys is installed on this instrument, like a piano, when you press them, only those strings that should be opened open. sound. The main technique of performance is arpeggio from the lower sounds to the upper ones.

Shipkovye gusli represent a metal frame with strings stretched on it, located in two levels. The frame is housed in a case standing on wooden legs.The range of sounds of this instrument is equal to the range of keyboard gusli. The rather difficult sound production on these harps, carried out by the right and left hands, allows you to perform works of varying complexity.

Application

Today, many represent the harp as an archaic instrument of buffoons. However, this is not at all the case, the harp has long become a professional stage instrument with a luxurious unique sound. At the present time, every folk orchestra has a set of gusli: keyboards and table-shaped plucked ones.

In addition to orchestral practice, the instrument is actively used as a solo, ensemble, as well as in musical groups of various styles, among them: folk, jazz and even rock. Groups in which musicians play only the harp are very popular with listeners. Academic music, melodic recitation, spiritual verses, folk tunes and songs - this is a small list of musical genres that are performed on the instrument. Unfortunately, the harp for playing music in everyday life is now almost never used.

The repertoire plan for the instrument is very diverse. On the harp, musical numbers of a folklore nature sound very interesting, as well as transcriptions of works by the greatest composers of foreign and Russian classics: G. Purcell, G. Telemann, A. Vivaldi,G. Handel, A. Corelli, K. Gluck, I.S. Bach, W. Mozart, J. Haydn, L. Couperin, K. Debussy, M.I. Glinka, A. Borodina, P.I. Tchaikovsky, A. Lyadova, ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov, M. Mussorgsky, I. Stravinsky and others.

Among modern composers who composed specifically for the harp and left many wonderful original works, I would like to especially note V. Gorodovskaya, E. Derbenko A. Dunaevskaya, V. Malyarov, O. Meremkulov, D. Lokshin and V. Boyashov, E. Sinodskaya and K. Shakhanova.

Performers

The performers on the harp in Ancient Russia were very revered, they were treated with great respect. At the present time, due to the surge of interest in the origins of Russian national musical culture, the work of harp musicians is again of great interest. This is evidenced by the fact that the popularity of the harp is growing every year, and with it the occupancy of concert halls, in which a unique old Russian instrument sounds.

There are quite a lot of performers who captivate the hearts of listeners today, here are the names of some of them:

L. Muravieva, G. Malyarova, D. Volkov, N. Dyachenko, T. Kostyuchkova, T. Kiseleva, E. Kostina, M. Belyaeva, P. Lukoyanov, I. Akhromeev, A. Baikalets, V. Ivanov, D. Paramonov, E. Strelnikov, K. Shakhanov, S. Starostin and many others.

Speaking of harp musicians, who at the present time conquer not only domestic, but also foreign listeners with their work, one cannot fail to note the real enthusiasts who laid the foundation for the modern school of harp performance, V. Povetkin and O. Smolensky. N. Golosov, F. Artamonov, A. Prokhorov, P. Shalimov, S. Golovoshkin, M. Vasiliev, A. Belova, V. Kononov, V. Tikhonov , D. Lokshin, V. Trifonov, V. Surikov, V. Belyavsky, L. Basurmanova, Yu. Strelnikov, E. Komarnitskaya, Vladimir Povetkin and many others who, through their work and students, spread the love of the harp throughout our vast Motherland .

Story

The history of the gusli, one of the most ancient instruments, goes back to ancient times. The beginning of their origin, like all stringed instruments, was associated with the bowstring of a hunting bow, which, when pulled hard, made a sound pleasant to the human ear. Then the bowstring, which acted as a string, was attached to the body, which had a cavity inside and served as a resonator. Thus, the simplest musical instrument was obtained, which, undoubtedly, subsequently evolved and changed accordingly. An instrument similar to the harp is found among many nationalities and has a variety of names. There is an assumption that among the Slavs the name of the instrument is associated with the very sounding bowstring, which in the old days was called "gusla".

There is no doubt that the harp has been known in Russia since time immemorial, but one of the first, indirect sources that contain images of the instrument are manuscripts dating back to the second century AD, as well as drawings in ancient temples. Then we learn more reliably about the harp in the writings of the Byzantines dating from the end of the sixth millennium, in which they express their surprise at the skillful play of the Russians on instruments similar to citharas. And only since the middle of the 20th century, thanks to the findings of scientific archaeological expeditions conducted in the area of ​​​​the ancient Russian cities of Novgorod and Pskov, we began to have an idea about the harp on which our distant ancestors played music.

The instrument in Russia was extremely in demand and loved. Tales were told to its sounds, they sang songs, danced round dances, danced and even fought, because fisticuffs are a very popular pastime among the Russian people. Gusli sounded everywhere: in peasant huts, in market squares and in the royal chambers. The secrets of making and the art of performing on them have been passed down from generation to generation. Among the variety of instrument types, the most common were pterygoid, helmet-shaped and trapezoid-shaped.

The gusli was often called "springy" and "voiced". They were made from tree species that had the best resonator properties: spruce or sycamore maple. And the strings, the number of which also varied greatly, were pulled by metal ones, it was they who gave the harp a special bright sound.

From the 15th to the 17th centuries, funny buffoons enjoyed great popularity among the population on Russian soil. They made money by entertaining the people, arranging various entertainment performances, traveling through villages and cities. To dub their performances, they used various folk musical instruments, including the harp. In the middle of the 17th century, hard times came for buffoons, who often ridiculed secular and church authorities. They were sent into exile and even executed, and their tools, including the harp, were collected and destroyed. Only after some time, when Peter I came to power, the persecution ended and the bans were lifted. However, transformations began in Russia in a new European way, including in the field of music making. In noble circles, European instruments come into fashion: the harp, then the harpsichord. Only the lower class of townspeople and peasants continue to have fun under the familiar sound of their favorite harp. And the fans of the instrument did not concede, constantly transforming the instrument. During the reign of Catherine II, craftsmen designed table-shaped harps, which sounded better than the harpsichord that was fashionable at that time. The performers improved the technique of performance, allowing them to perform the works of Italian composers on the harp: opera arias and partitas.

Gusli in its various forms continue to actively exist until the middle of the 19th century and, after a slight lull, are reborn again. At the initiative and convincing request of the Russian enthusiast, the creator of the "Great Russian Orchestra" of folk instruments V. Andreev, as well as his associates N. Privalov and O. Smolensky, the musical master Fomin designed chromatic keyboard harps, and then a whole family of plucked harps, consisting of piccolo , prima, alto and bass. These instruments, which became part of the orchestra, adorned it with the unique color of the gusel sound.

Gusli- a unique ancient instrument, symbolizing our Fatherland, the harmony of the world and Being. Gusli has always been an integral part of Russian culture, interest in which has been very actively observed recently. The beautiful iridescent voice of the harp gathers full concert halls and causes sincere admiration of listeners of all ages, which indicates the growing popularity of this native, but unfairly forgotten instrument.

Video: listen to the harp

Over the past few years, there has been a clear tendency in society to return to the roots, to the origins. People are tired of the foreign culture that flooded into Russia in the 90s of the last century. It seems that everyone has had enough of American films, Chinese goods, foreign music, unusual exotic food. Restaurants of Russian cuisine come into fashion, high-quality Russian cinema appears, interest in the native country, its culture, art, and history is revived. Children are given original Russian, Slavic names.
Interest in Slavic and Old Russian painting, literature and music is being revived. Such a musical genre as folk, folk-rock, performance of folk songs is gaining popularity, in every city there are many folk groups that successfully perform at various public events. Involuntarily, associations with ancient Russian culture are born, where musicians were honored and welcome guests at any holiday.

In Russian culture since ancient times, music has accompanied a person in all spheres of his life. Musical instruments were diverse and had not only entertaining, but also sacred significance, they were used in various rituals and religious events, as well as for applied purposes - for example, shepherds blew their horns, gathering the flock. You can divide the most popular and favorite musical instruments into several groups according to the method of extracting sounds - percussion (rattles, mallets, spoons, shepherd's drum), wind instruments (pipes, whistles, flute, zhaleyka, horn), and strings (psaltery, balalaika).

One of the most beloved and famous instruments, of course, the harp

The gusli is the most ancient Russian plucked stringed musical instrument - the first mention of the gusli was found in the sources of the 5th century AD. A more modern version of the harp is the harp. A musician who plays the harp is called a harpist. They played the harp both solo and in an ensemble, independently and as an accompaniment to singing. The repertoire performed on the harp is very diverse and was used in all spheres of life - spiritual, festive, ritual. Pterygoid, or sonorous, harps have from 5 to 14 strings, you need to play them, sorting through all the strings, “rattling”, and muffling unnecessary sounds with the fingers of the other hand. They played such harps “to the songs”, “to the dance” and even “to the fight”, this variety is considered simple, “folk”, such harps were even in poor houses. On a helmet-shaped harp, all 10-25 strings are plucked with the fingers of both hands when playing. Such an instrument is more suitable for performing song melodies, they were played by singer-storytellers and professional musicians. Epics, legends and more epic things, for example, "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", were performed and are still being performed to the gusel accompaniment.

According to one version, the ancient Greek cithara is the ancestor of the Russian gusli, but still this sonorous stringed instrument invariably evokes associations with Russian legends and epics. Favorite epic heroes played the harp - Dobrynya Nikitich, Boyan, and the Novgorod merchant Sadko. A harp of the 12th century with the inscription "SLOVISHA" was found in Novgorod. According to scientists, this is the name of the master who made the harp, probably he also played them.

There was an ambiguous attitude towards the gusli in Russia. For a long time, these were guests of honor at any gathering. They entertained the people with music and singing, told different stories, talked about the days of the past, and sometimes looked into the future - according to the beliefs of the ancient Russians, the guslars owned a special, poetic magic. Not a single event in a rich house, whether it was a wedding or a funeral, was complete without a harpist. It was believed that any business that required good luck - a military campaign, matchmaking or something else - would certainly be decided in the best way if, before starting it, you listen to the song of the harpist about this event.

However, after the baptism of Russia, the gusli fell out of favor with the Christian church. According to some reports, the gusli were considered sorcerers, and the harp was considered a "demonic instrument." But the version that looks most plausible is that the negative attitude of the church towards Russian instrumental music is caused by the desire of Christian priests to fight drunkenness, debauchery and other obscene deeds that took place in various amusement sites, of which gusli musicians were an integral part. Later, the harp was rehabilitated and used in church ritual music.

In 1914, P. Fomin invented a new kind of instrument - a keyboard harp. Currently, the harp is becoming popular again and is available in almost every folk orchestra. Small private workshops have appeared that make this wonderful instrument, stylized ensembles of harp players, and even gusli storytellers who are trying to restore the tradition of singing to the gusli accompaniment. One of the famous instrumental musicians of our time is Yegor Strelnikov and his ensemble of guslars "Living Water". They play mainly Orthodox music, perform epics and legends of Ancient Russia to goose accompaniment, take part in various festivals and competitions of spiritual and folk music. In 2005, Yegor Strelnikov visited Serbia with a cultural mission to call the Serbian and Russian people to unity and peace.

Gusli has always been and remains an integral part of Russian culture, their beautiful iridescent sound is associated with the Motherland, peace, tranquility, something infinitely familiar and familiar. Russian folk music is distinguished by a variety of genres, melodies and performance options. At present, folklore groups are very popular, they actively perform at festivals, combined concerts, city events and cause sincere admiration of spectators of all ages. This indicates a revival of interest in Russian national culture and an unconditional increase in the general cultural level - only people who know and love their roots can be a strong, united and invincible people.