Pathetic paw. Zhaleika is an ancient Russian folk wind instrument. Listen to the sound of pity

Zhaleika- an ancient Russian folk wind wooden musical instrument - a wooden, reed or cattail pipe with a bell made of horn or birch bark.

Zhaleika is also known as zhalomeika. Russian folk wind instruments are an important part of the national musical culture. Scientists date the appearance of the first musical instruments to the 13th century BC. Percussion instruments appeared first. Then the wind instruments appeared: pipes, whistles, whistles. Horns, pity pipes, and pipes became widespread among buffoons and shepherds.

During the era of Kievan Rus, they were used in military formations and on special occasions at princely courts. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible and Patriarch Nikon, instruments and performers were persecuted. Russian national musical culture suffered significant damage. True, the people themselves have always loved their musicians. This love saved both the instruments and the traditions of performing them from complete oblivion.

At the end of the 19th century, the increased interest of Russian society in its national history and culture contributed to the appearance of the first research works on folk instruments by A. Famintsyn, N. Privalov, E. Lineva. In time, this coincided with the activities of V.V. Andreev to revive and improve Russian folk instruments. Along with the reconstruction work of balalaikas and domras, Andreev V.V. Attempts were also made to improve wind instruments, such as the keychain and flute.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a Russian musician-nugget Pskov peasant

OU. Smolensky designed stingers of various sizes and created a quartet of stingers, which performed for a number of years in St. Petersburg. Then M.E. Pyatnitsky introduced the pity song into his choir.

Shepherds-horn players themselves made horns of various sizes, which they played in the so-called “choirs” of horn players. At the beginning of the last century, the “choir” of horn players under the direction of the hereditary shepherd N.V. enjoyed wide popularity. Kondratieva.

Due to the difficulty of mastering the horns and their diatonic scale, the use of horns in folk instrument orchestras is limited.

Folk wind instruments differ in their design features and sound production method. According to the classification, folk wind instruments are divided into reed, flute (whistling) and mouthpiece (embouchure).

Origin, history of the pity

The word “zhaleika” is not found in any ancient Russian written monument. The first mention of pity is in the notes of A. Tuchkov, dating back to the end of the 18th century. There is reason to believe that the pity was present before this in the form of another instrument.

In a number of regions, the zhaleika, like the Vladimir horn, is called the “shepherd’s horn.” As a result, when a written source speaks of a “shepherd’s horn,” we cannot know exactly what kind of instrument we are talking about.

The origin of the word "pity" is unknown. Some researchers associate it with “jelly” or “zhalie”, a funeral rite that in some localities includes playing the jellie.

The zhaleika was used as a shepherd's instrument; tunes of different genres were played on it alone, in duets, and in ensembles.

Design and types of pity

There are two types of zhaleika - single and double (double-barrel) steam room.

Single pity It is a small tube made of willow or elderberry, 10 to 20 cm long, into the upper end of which a squeak with a single tongue made of reeds or goose feather is inserted, and at the lower end there is a bell made of cow horn or birch bark. The tongue is sometimes cut on the tube itself. There are from 3 to 7 playing holes on the barrel, thanks to which you can change the pitch of the sound.

The pity scale is diatonic. The range depends on the number of playing holes. The timbre of the pitiful woman is shrill and nasal, sad and pitiful. The range of the instrument is one octave; The scale is diatonic, but it can also be chromatic.

According to the range of regrets there are:

a) piccolo - from the notes of the II octave “sol”, “mi”, “do”;

b) soprano - from the notes of the 1st octave “A”, “G”;

c) alto - from the notes of the I octave “fa”, “mi”, “re”, “do”;

d) bass - from the notes of the small octave “la”, “sol”, “fa”, “mi”;

e) paired or double sopranos - from the note “A” and the note “G” of the I octave.

Double (double-barreled) or paired sting consists of two tubes of equal length with playing holes, folded side by side and inserted into one common bell. The number of playing holes for paired stingers is different. As a rule, there are more playing holes on the melodic pipe than on the echoing pipe.

They play both pipes at the same time, extracting sound either from both at once, or from each pipe separately in turn. Paired zhaleiki are used for one-voice and two-voice playing. Single stingers are common mainly in the northern regions of Russia, and double ones - in the southern regions.

Zhaleika is a reed wind instrument that for centuries was used mainly among shepherds and was well distributed in Rus', Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania. This is a small pipe ending in a cow horn bell. The sound of pity is sharp, nasal.

Zhaleika is the most common musical instrument, widely used in folk orchestras. The bagpipes are to blame. Paired zhaleiki are very reminiscent of the sound of bagpipes - the lower voice of the zhaleyka performs the function of a bourdon (it sounds at the same pitch). The origin of the pity from the bagpipe confirms its similarity to the design of the melodic tube of the bagpipe and the nature of the sound. Among the Belarusians, the melodic pipe from the bagpipe itself was called zhaleika. The pity consists of a small cylindrical tube (wooden or ebonite), a mouthpiece with a single tongue - a squeaker made of reed or plastic. The reed tongue is soaked before playing, but the use of a plastic tongue does not require soaking. The bell - the pity's resonator is made from a cow's horn, which is put on the lower end of the tube.

Famous bands and performers on the stage

Orchestra of the M. Pyatnitsky Choir soloist V. Voronkov (1950-1960s), Orchestra of soloists “Russian Patterns” soloists M. Vakhutinsky, S. Butushin, S. Mishin, K. Buyanov, I. Buyanova, E. Krasovskaya. Ensembles: “Bylina” directed by S. Moldovanov (1980s), “Buffoons” directed by A. Solovyov (Kemerovo), “Buffoons” directed by V. Akulovich (St. Petersburg), “Zabava” directed by N. Osipov (Ulan-Ude), ensemble “Zhaleika” directed by V. Nazarov, ensemble of folk instruments “Sadko” artistic director M. Sery

Masters of making pity:

Astakhov Anatoly (Moscow)

Butushin Sergey Ivanovich (Moscow)

Krasnobaev Vyacheslav (Moscow)

Mishin Sergey (Moscow)

Solovyov Alexander (Kemerovo)

Tkachenko Yuri Mikhailovich (Kemerovo)

Selling tools: where to buy/order?!

The zhaleika can be ordered from a craftsman who makes ancient folk wind instruments or purchased from a chain of musical instrument stores, as well as from the Musical Instruments Production Plant of the P.I. Foundation. Tchaikovsky, at the Muzprom Concern.

Listen to the sound of pity

We invite you to listen to the sound of pities performed by a professional master. Vladimir horns, a pipe, and a nightingale (a water toy) sound against the background of pity.

Zhaleika Piccolo MI

Zhaleika soprano for master Sergei Ivanovich Butushin

Paired pity SALT by master Sergei Ivanovich Butushin

The zhaleika is one of the simple musical instruments. Learning to play the penny is accessible to everyone; you just need to make some effort to master the technique of producing sound on the instrument.

Sound production on a penny requires stronger air pressure than, for example, on a recorder, where the principle of sound formation is completely different. In order to understand the necessary air pressure for the harmonious sound of the pity, you should play notes on the instrument from bottom to top with a button accordion or piano “legato” (connected), then two notes each “legato”. After you have achieved a clean, harmonious sound, you need to play intervals, starting from the bottom note from the second onwards (example: Do-Re, Do-Mi, Do-Fa, etc.). Then you can combine intervals from top to bottom. You can also start the exercise with “legato”, then you can move on to “non-legato” and “staccato” (abruptly).

Below is the fingering. The diagram will help you understand the correct position of your hands and fingers when playing the instrument using the example of the C Major penny.

Please familiarize yourself with the diagram of the arrangement of notes on the instrument using the example of the pathetic C Major. Please note that the holes must be closed tightly.

It is advisable not to remove the cap from the pity unless absolutely necessary, so as not to bend the reed and disrupt the structure of the instrument. If it is necessary to adjust the instrument, the upper ring (which is located on the instrument’s squeak and holds the reed), depending on whether the squeak is high or low, should be moved up (if it is low) or down (if it is high) carefully by fractions of a millimeter.

To my article yesterday “ Magic duduk"The first comment came from Sergei: “Leonid, who told you what this is?In my opinion more looks like space pop.A “Armenian dUduk” or as you call it “magic duduk”, cannot be compared with a simple Russian “pity”. And no one ever called her divine.“Pity” is simple Russian folk instrument».

To call this music pop and compare it with another instrument... Well, excuse me...

It seems to me that Sergei simply did not listen to her carefully. Instruments have completely different sound timbres and, accordingly, should evoke completely different perceptions.

I had no plans to write about pity, but as a response to this comment I decided to write.

Russian folk musical instrument Zhaleika

In various sources it is called Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and even Lithuanian. It would be more correct to call it a general name - an instrument of the Eastern Slavs.
The word does not appear in ancient Russian manuscripts. A. Tuchkov first wrote about it in his notes at the end of the 18th century. Maybe this instrument was previously called something else, for example, a shepherd's horn. The name is associated with “jelly” or “zhalie” – funeral rites that include playing the pity.

They cut a sting from willow or elderberry. A tongue made of reeds or a goose feather is inserted into the upper end, and a bell made of birch bark or cow horn is inserted into the lower end. 3-7 holes are made on the trunk itself. The range of the sound range depends on the number of holes. The timbre turns out to be shrill and nasal, sad and pitiful.

Now the pity is found only in some ensembles Russian folk instruments.
And to finally form your opinion about the pity, listen to its sound. And to make it easier to compare and understand, at the end of the article I have given a few more duduk melodies. Listen and enjoy the playing of instruments that are completely different in sound.

Magic duduk(continuation)

ZHALEIKA, Russian wind reed musical instrument, wooden or reed pipe with a bell made of horn or birch bark... Modern encyclopedia

Russian wind reed musical instrument, wooden, reed, cattail tube with a bell made of horn or birch bark... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Pity, pity, wives. (region). Russian peasant musical instrument, consisting of a cow horn with two reed pipes inserted into it and with several holes; a reed pipe made from a hollowed-out thin tree. Intelligent... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Pity, and, female. Folk wind reed musical instrument - a wooden tube with a bell made of cow horn or birch bark. Play for pity. | adj. pathetic, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Pity- a wind musical instrument among the Eastern Slavs, a wooden or reed pipe with a bell made of cow horn or birch bark... Ethnographic Dictionary

Zhaleika- ZHALEIKA, Russian wind reed musical instrument, a wooden or reed pipe with a bell made of horn or birch bark. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

pathetic- zhaleika, a wind musical instrument among the Eastern Slavs a wooden or reed pipe with a bell made of cow horn or birch bark... Encyclopedia "Peoples and Religions of the World"

Nowadays the zhaleika (otherwise called the keychain) can be seen, perhaps, only in the orchestra of Russian folk instruments. And once upon a time it was widespread throughout Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania. Like her closest relative, the shepherd... ... Musical dictionary

AND; pl. genus. leek, dat. watering cans; and. Russian folk wind musical instrument in the form of a pipe (also common in Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania). ● The zhaleika is a wooden or reed tube with holes on the side (for... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

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Musical instrument: Zhaleika ========================= At one time in our country, Grigory Alexandrov’s wonderful comedy “Jolly Guys” about the funny adventures of a talented and the cheerful shepherd Konstantin Potekhin. There are comical sequences in the film that made the audience laugh uncontrollably. Kostya's pets: cows, sheep and piglets, hearing the familiar sounds of their shepherd's instrument, who was asked to play a little music during a dinner party, burst into the main hall and committed a grandiose pogrom there. Animals, even those that belong to livestock, are quite intelligent creatures, distinguish well and always follow a familiar sound, so many shepherds used to skillfully play folk wind instruments, as this greatly helped them in their work. The shepherds held special respect for the pipe, horn and zhaleika - an ancient Russian folk instrument.

Zhaleika is an ancient Russian folk wind wooden musical instrument - a wooden, reed or cattail tube with a bell made of horn or birch bark. HISTORY Today, unfortunately, we cannot trace the history of the pity from the very beginning of its occurrence. Wind instruments have existed on Russian soil since time immemorial. In the era of Kievan Rus, they were used without fail in military affairs: they notified of danger by making so-called protective sounds, and also pleased the princes at feasts and amused the common people at festive festivities. Unfortunately, no one gives us an accurate description of the instruments played by our ancestors, and even in ancient chronicles there is almost no mention of them. We also know very little about the pity; we have only received information that she was an indispensable participant in funeral rites called “pity.” Perhaps it is because of this everyday custom that the instrument has such a strange name. Also, the pity was very loved by shepherds, who used it not only in their direct work, but also to amuse people at various holidays. In addition, the instrument was in demand among amusing people popular in Rus' in the 15-17th centuries - buffoons, whose performances were very loved by the common people. However, the performances of these traveling artists often contained caustic attacks on secular and ecclesiastical authorities, causing them serious discontent. As a result, buffoons in the mid-17th century during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov were subjected to disgrace and persecution, and their instruments were mercilessly destroyed as the product of demonic forces. Russian national musical culture was then dealt a strong blow, and it suffered great losses. But, nevertheless, the shepherd's pity continued to sound and traditionally greeted the first rays of the rising sun with its sound.

The era of revival of interest in national culture occurred at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Thanks to real patriots, including V. Andreev, N. Privalov, O. Smolensky, G. Lyubimov and other enthusiasts, many Russian folk instruments received a second life. They were not only restored, but significantly improved, and then included in the first orchestra of Russian folk instruments under the direction of V. Andreev. The zhaleika, or, to be more precise, its variety, the keychain, has also undergone some changes and has also found its rightful place in the orchestra. The keychain, unlike the zhaleika, had a softer sound, since it was made entirely of bredina, a type of willow tree, hence the name of the instrument. The improvement of the pity continued; in the workshops of musical instruments created in Moscow by G.P. Lyubimov, an ethnographer, musician, performer and conductor, an attempt was made to create an instrument with a chromatic tuning. Later he became a soloist of the Great Russian Orchestra under the direction of V. Andreev O.U. Smolensky, a guslar and a psaltist, designed instruments of various sizes: piccolo, soprano, alto and bass, which were subsequently used in the psaltery quartet, and then in the famous “horn-player choirs.” Once upon a time, pity was widespread throughout Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania. Today, the pity is used very rarely as a solo instrument; its sound is mainly used in orchestras of Russian folk instruments, as well as ensembles performing folk music.

DEVICE AND VARIETIES OF ZHALEIKA There are two varieties of Zhaleika - single and double (double-barrel). A single sting is a small tube made of willow or elderberry, 10 to 20 cm long, into the upper end of which is inserted a squeak with a single tongue made of reeds or goose feathers, and a bell made of cow horn or birch bark is put on the lower end. The tongue is sometimes cut on the tube itself. There are from 3 to 7 playing holes on the barrel, thanks to which you can change the pitch of the sound. The pity scale is diatonic. The range depends on the number of playing holes. The timbre of the pitiful woman is shrill and nasal, sad and pitiful. The zhaleika was used as a shepherd's instrument; tunes of different genres were played on it alone, in duets, and in ensembles. A double (double-barrel) sting consists of two tubes of equal length with playing holes, folded side by side and inserted into one common bell. The number of playing holes for paired pity pipes is different; as a rule, there are more of them on the melodic pipe than on the echoing one. They play both pipes at the same time, extracting sound either from both at once, or from each pipe separately in turn. Paired zhaleiki are used for one-voice and two-voice playing. Single stingers are common mainly in the northern regions of Russia, and double ones - in the southern regions. In the Tver province, shepherds made zhaleiki from willow, locally called nonsense, which is why zhaleyki there began to be called trinkets. The entire body of the keychain consisted of wood, which is why its sound was softer. In 1900, V.V. Andreev introduced an improved type of pity into his orchestra, which he called a keychain. In its appearance, this pity is similar to the folk one; it has a double oboe-type reed. In addition to the usual playing holes, it has additional ones with valves that allow you to obtain a chromatic scale.

Interesting facts ➣ Zhaleika is probably the only instrument that has so many names in one country. It is called a duda, a fletta, a pishelka, a keychain, a sipovka, a zhalomeyka, a pishik, a ladushka, or simply a horn. ➣ The sound of the pity is so loud that it can be heard six kilometers away. ➣ In Rus', a shepherd in a village was considered a very important person, whom everyone respected. He got up before everyone else at first light and played the wake-up call on his instrument. Passing by a house, the shepherd performed a certain tune, the hostess, hearing him, knew that it was time for her to drive out the cow. ➣ The best performers on the pity in Russia were not professional musicians, but shepherds. ➣ The shepherd, having played his instrument, could easily gather the animals. Even a lost cow could find its way back to the herd by the sound of a familiar instrument. ➣ A whole generation of Soviet pop fans remembers well the name of the wonderful singer Valentina Vasilievna Tolkunova. In the artist’s very diverse repertoire there were two very popular songs in which the ancient Russian instrument zhaleika was depicted in a very poetic way.