Lyre (musical instrument). Lyre: interesting facts, video, history, photo String instrument lyre

Lyre - this ancient string instrument came to us from Ancient Greece. It consists of a frame with stretched strings of various settings. Playing the lyre was part of the education of any ancient citizen. The very first examples of lyres were found in Ur.

There are several varieties: helis, forming, barbite, cithara. But the principle of playing is the same for everyone, it is similar to playing the guitar. The lyre was picked up at an angle of 45 degrees and the strings were plucked with a plectrum. The other hand muffled unnecessary chords. The seven-string lyre is classical and symbolically conveys the harmony of the world. Each of its strings is a modal function of the ancient fret. But there can be more strings: 11, 12 or even 18. And although Greek authors such as Virgil or Boethius often wrote about the lyre in their books, instructions on its precise tuning have not yet been found.

Lyra, of course, is mentioned in myths. According to legend, it was created by Hermes, the god of trade, from a tortoise shell, seven strings and two reed tubes. For this instrument, he received from Apollo his famous winged staff, with two snakes in the form of ribbons, power over animals, the gift of a seer and fifty cows.

This ancient Greek god is often represented wearing a laurel wreath and holding a golden lyre. When he started playing it, even wild animals came out of the forest to listen to these beautiful sounds. Once upon a time, Marsyas, who played the flute, challenged Apollo to a duel. But the shepherd was far from reaching the golden-haired god, and he lost the competition. For the insolence of a mortal, Apollo hung him on a tree and tore off his skin.

Belarus and Ukraine had their own version of the lyre, called the “ryle” or Hardi-gardi. It was a small box with three strings of different tunings stretched inside. On the side there were from 8 to 11 keys for changing the height of the middle string and a handle. Together with the handle, a special wheel rotated, extracting sounds from the strings.

hurdy-gurdy folk musical instrument, which is rightfully considered the predecessor of the nykelharpa. Under the name "ogranistrum" the hurdy-gurdy appeared in Europe about a thousand years ago. Its names are also known: hurdy-gurdy(hardy-hardy) in England, vielle a roue in France, lira korbowa in Poland, niněra kolovratec in the Czech Republic. Among Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians, the Western names for the instrument did not take root; they began to call it the snout, the lyre.

The instrument experienced an extraordinary rise about two hundred years ago in France, when professional musicians became interested in it. Many works were written specifically for the organistrum.

Now the instrument has practically disappeared from folk music, but not all musicians have consigned it to oblivion. In Belarus, the hurdy-gurdy is part of the State Orchestra and the orchestral group of the State Folk Choir of Belarus, and is used by musicians of the Pesnyary ensemble. In Russia it is played by: musician and composer Andrei Vinogradov, multi-instrumentalist Mitya Kuznetsov (“Ethno-Kuznya”), a group from Rybinsk “Raznotravie”, etc. Abroad, hardy-hardy can be heard, for example, at concerts of R. Blackmore in the project “ Blackmore's Night.

Descriptions of the hurdy-gurdy, available in our domestic instrumental literature, give the most complete idea of ​​the structure of this instrument and the methods of sound production when playing it.

Three articles about the hurdy-gurdy:

RSFSR (Instruments of the Russian People), “Lyre”, page 41

Page 41

The lyre (wheeled) is a three-stringed instrument with a deep, figure-eight-shaped wooden body. Both decks are flat, the sides are bent. Attached to the body is a short pegbox, dug out or assembled from separate boards, often ending in a curl. Inside the body, in its lower part, there is a wooden wheel (it is mounted on an axis passed through the shell and rotated by a handle), which acts as an “endless bow.” The wheel rim protrudes out through a slot in the deck. To protect it from damage, an arc-shaped fuse made of bast is installed above it. The top soundboard has resonator holes cut out in the form of brackets or “f-holes”; On it there is a longitudinally located key-nut mechanism, consisting of a box with 12-13 keys, which are narrow wooden strips with protrusions. When you press the keys, the protrusions, like the clavichord's tangents, touch the string, dividing it into two parts: the sounding part (the wheel is the protrusion) and the non-sounding part (the protrusion is the upper saddle). The protrusions are strengthened so that they can be rotated to move left and right and in this way align the scale when tuning it within a semitone.

The strings of the lyre are veined and are attached at one end to pins driven into the shell, and at the other to wooden pegs inserted into the head. The middle string runs inside the tuning box and is melodic, and the other 2 (bourdon) are located on either side of it. All 3 strings fit tightly to the wheel rim, but the bourdon strings - both or each separately - can be turned off at the request of the performer, for which they are hooked onto special protrusions.

When playing sitting, the instrument is held on the knees; when playing standing, it is hung on a belt over the shoulder, with the neck to the left and tilted, so that the keys, under the influence of their own gravity, move away from the melodic string with protrusions. Rotating the wheel with your right hand and pressing the fingers on the keys with your left hand, perform a melody; The bourdon strings sound continuously (unless they are muted). The sound of the lyre is buzzing, nasal. Its quality largely depends on the wheel: it must have precise alignment, a completely smooth rim and a well-rubbed resin (rosin). The lyre's scale is diatonic, its volume is about two octaves.

Written information about the existence of the hurdy-gurdy in Russia dates back to the 17th century. (Tales of contemporaries about Dm. the Pretender, part 5. St. Petersburg, 1834, p. 61). Perhaps it was brought here from Ukraine. Soon the lyre became quite widespread among the people, as well as in court and boyar musical life. The lyre was used mainly by wandering musicians-singers (most often walking kaliki), who sang folk songs, spiritual poems and performed dances to its accompaniment. Nowadays the lyre is rare.

Wheel lyre.

Page 58

Lyre, relya, rylya - an instrument with a mostly figure-eight body, related to the Russian lyre and Belarusian lera (see). The lower and upper decks are flat, the sides are curved and wide. At the top there is a head with wooden pegs for tuning the strings. A box with a keyboard mechanism is mounted on the deck. Below is a friction wheel (endless bow) with a handle for rotation. In order to protect the wheel rim from damage, a lubnik is installed above it - a bast arched shield.

The lyre has 3 vein strings: a melodic string, called spivanitsa (or melody), and 2 bourdon strings - bass and pidbass (or tenor and bajork). The melodic string passes through the box, the bourdon strings pass outside it. All strings are in close contact with the rim of the wheel, which is rubbed with resin (rosin) and, when rotated, makes them sound. In order for the sound to be even, the wheel must have a smooth surface and precise alignment. The melody is played using keys inserted into the side cutouts of the box. The keys have protrusions (tangents), which, when pressed against the string, change its length, and therefore the pitch of the sound. The number of keys on different lyres ranges from 9 to 12. The scale is diatonic. Bourdon strings are tuned like this: pidbass - an octave below the melodic strings, bass - a fifth below the pidbass. At the request of the performer, one or both bourdon strings can be turned off from the game. To do this, they are pulled away from the wheel and secured to pins.

Illustration 145148

When playing, the instrument is placed on the knees with the head to the left and tilted, due to which the keys, under the influence of their own gravity, fall away from the strings. To make the instrument easier to hold, the musician puts a strap around his neck, attached to the body of the lyre. Rotating the wheel with his right hand, he presses the keys with the fingers of his left hand. The lyre sounds strong, but somewhat nasal and buzzing.

The lyre was mainly distributed among wandering professional musicians, who sang spiritual poems, everyday and especially humorous songs, and sometimes thoughts to its accompaniment. Among the lyre players there were many blind men who walked with guides from village to village, from city to city, to market squares and wedding feasts. The lyre was considered a more suitable instrument for playing at weddings than the bandura, due to its loud sound and cheerful repertoire.

In Ukraine there were special schools of lyre players with a fairly large number of students. So, for example, in the 60s. XIX century in the village Up to thirty people at a time practiced braiding (in Podil) with the lyre player M. Kolesnichenko. The eldest of them underwent practice, playing in neighboring villages at bazaars and weddings, and they gave the money and food they earned to the mentor as payment for training and maintenance, since they were completely dependent on him. Having completed his studies, the young musician took an exam on his knowledge of the repertoire and proficiency in playing the lyre. The exam took place with the participation of “grandfathers” - old experienced lyre players. To those who passed the test, the teacher gave the instrument and the so-called “vizvilka” (obviously, from the word “vizvil” - “liberation”) - the right to play independently. Initiation into lyre players was accompanied by a special ritual: the teacher hung a lyre on himself, intended as a reward for the student, the student covered it with his scroll, after which the instrument’s strap was thrown from the teacher’s neck to the student’s neck, and the teacher dropped a coin into the resonator slot of the body - for good luck.

Page 59

The lyre workers united into groups (corporations), and each of them, headed by a tsekhmister (tsekhmeister), or nomad, had its own strictly defined territory of activity; playing in other places was prohibited. Violators of the order were subjected to severe punishment (including deprivation of the right to play), and their instrument was taken away.

Until the end of the last - beginning of this century, the lyre was so popular in Ukraine that N.V. Lysenko even suggested that it would eventually replace the bandura. However, this did not materialize: the bandura withstood the “competition” and received further development, and the lyre came to almost complete oblivion. The reason for this was the limitations of its musical, expressive and technical means and timbre specificity - nasality. But the most important reason, undoubtedly, is that during Soviet times the social environment in which the instrument existed disappeared.

During the Soviet years, the lyre was subjected to various improvements. A very original instrument was designed by I.M. Sklyar. It has 9 strings tuned to minor thirds and a button accordion type keyboard mechanism, thanks to which an accordion player can quickly and easily learn to play it. The wooden wheel has been replaced with a plastic transmission belt, providing a smoother sound. Using a special device, the degree of pressure of the tape on the string can be changed, thereby achieving a change in the sound strength of the instrument. Improved lyres occasionally find use in ensembles and orchestras of folk instruments.

Structure and scale of the lyre: (see original article)

Pages 9596

Lyra or hurdy-gurdy - a friction instrument consisting of an eight-shaped resonator body, a box with keys, a peg box with transverse wooden pegs, a friction wooden wheel with a handle for rotation and three vein strings. One string runs inside the keyboard box, the other two strings extend outside it on both sides. All the strings are in close contact with the wheel and when it rotates, they vibrate due to friction and begin to sound. For better adhesion of the wheel to the strings, it is lubricated with resin (rosin). The middle string is the melodic string. Changing the pitch of the sound on it is done using keys inserted into the box along the right side. The keys, when pushed inward, press the protrusions onto the string and shorten it. The remaining two strings produce bourdon sounds that do not change in pitch.

Before playing, the performer throws a strap attached to the body over his shoulders, places the instrument on his knees, with the peg box to the left and tilted away from himself, so that the free keys fall away from the string under their own weight. With his right hand, he rotates the wheel evenly, but not quickly, by the handle, and presses the keys with the fingers of his left hand. The nature of playing the lyre is similar to playing the bagpipes and whistle; all three have continuously sounding bourdons. The sound quality largely depends on the friction wheel: it must have precise alignment, a smooth smooth surface and good lubrication with resin, otherwise the sounds will “float” and “howl”.

The position of the lyre in Russian folk instrumental music is very uncertain. Written monuments of past Centuries keep complete Silence about it. A well-known exception is the dictionaries of the 16th-17th centuries. Thus, in the “Book of the Verb Alphabet of Foreign Speeches” of 1596, the term “kinir” is explained by the word “lyri”. However, whether in this case this name should really be understood as lyre or lyrya is difficult to say, since in the “Slavic Russian Lexicon” by P. Berynda, the first edition of which was published in 1627, the same term “kinira” is interpreted as “cytara” or “ garfa" (“on garfa bryankayuchi”), that is, classified as plucked string instruments. At the same time, in the “Alphabet of Foreign Speeches” of the late 17th century there is the term “lyre”, explained in both cases as “violin” - here there is reason to see a wheeled lyre, and not an ancient plucked lyre (M. 253).

To date, no image of the Russian hurdy-gurdy has been discovered. True, in D. Rovinsky’s “Russian Folk Pictures” there are popular prints with lyre musicians, but these popular prints are copies of foreign originals and the lyres depicted on them are of a typically French type 1 . There is absolutely no mention of the lyre in Russian folklore - epics, songs, fairy tales, proverbs, etc. Russian memoirists, ethnographers and musicologists of the late 18th - first half of the 19th centuries do not write about it - Tuchkov, Tereshchenko, Snegirev, Rezvoy, etc. ., as well as foreign authors of that time (including M. Guthrie), with the exception of S. Maskevich (M. 273), I. Georgi and J. Shtelin. From the materials of the latter one can judge the structure of the lyre. Comparing it with a whistle, he writes: the bourdon strings of the whistle sound just as strong, “creaky and intrusive as on a lyre” (M. 275). Since the bourdon accompaniment on the whistle and bagpipes was monophonic, it can be assumed that the two bourdon strings were probably tuned here in the same way, either in unison, or like a whistle in an octave. It seems that the words of S. Maskevich that the lyre is “played and chanted on only one note” can be interpreted as an indication of a monophonic bourdon. This is what distinguished the structure of the Russian lyre from similar instruments of other peoples and, in particular, the Ukrainian reli and the Belarusian lera with their fifth bourdon.

1 See, for example, D. Rovinsky. Russian folk pictures. Atlas, vol. 1, l. 101.

Lyre in antiquity

general characteristics

The body (resonator) of a round or quadrangular shape (among the Greeks and Romans - only round) is connected to the crossbar (transverse rod) by two handles. Strings (made from sheep intestines) of equal length are stretched between the body and the crossbar.

The technique of playing all ancient lyres is the same: the musician held the instrument at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the body, playing standing (especially the lyre) or sitting. The sound was produced by a bone plectrum. The fingers of his free hand muffled the unnecessary strings. There was no gender difference among lyre players, with the exception of the lyre, which was a male instrument. Learning to play the lyre was part of the basic education of a free citizen in Ancient Greece and Rome.

Accompanied by the lyre, poems were sung solo and by a choir (more precisely, by a vocal ensemble); hence the whole genus of ancient poetry received the name “lyric”, or lyric poetry.

Functional Descriptions varieties lyres in ancient literature are difficult to unify. Helis (apparently due to its light weight and simplicity of design) was considered a teaching and home instrument. The larger barbite (especially in late antique texts) was described as a favorite instrument of the lesbian poet-musicians Terpandra, Sappho and Alcaeus. The kithara is usually presented as an instrument for professionals, participants in public competitions (string competitions). The forminga, judging by literary descriptions (Homer, Pindar, Bacchylides, Homeric Hymns) and archaic and classical depictions, was an instrument functionally identical to the cithara; in later times, images and mentions of formings in literature almost completely disappear, apparently due to the development and widespread distribution of the kithara.

Other meanings of the term

The oldest plucked string instruments (2600-2400 BC, fragments) were found in Mesopotamia, in Sumerian Ur. Archaeologists call them either “Ur harps” or “Ur lyres”.

A number of musical instruments containing the word “lyre” in their name are not related to lyre-shaped ones. Among them is the instrument hurdy-gurdy, common in Ukraine and Belarus, varieties of the so-called “bowed” lyres - Pontic lyre, Cretan lyre, Byzantine lyre (English)Russian, lyra da braccio , lyra da gamba (English)Russian- all of them are predecessors of modern string instruments (violin, cello); This also includes the orchestral lyre, a percussion instrument (a type of bell), which is used mainly in marching brass bands.

Reception

In the modern world, the lyre serves as a symbol and attribute of poets, an emblem of military bands.

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Notes

Literature

• Maas M., Snyder J.M. Stringed instruments of Ancient Greece. New Haven, 1989 (with copious iconography; considers documentary evidence only up to and including the Classical era).
• Mathiesen T. Apollo's lyre. Lincoln, London, 1999.
• Lyra // Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 17. Moscow, 2010, pp. 560-561.

Excerpt characterizing the Lyre (musical instrument)

Externally similar to a violin case. This instrument is also known as an organistrum or hardy-hardy. When playing, the lyre must be held on the lap, and most of the strings are played simultaneously while playing. Popular since the 10th century, the musical instrument is not used so often today. But thanks to its amazing sound and original design, the lyre is still remembered today.

Sound features

The sound of the hurdy-gurdy is ensured by the work of most of the strings, when vibration occurs as a result of their friction against the wheel. It is noteworthy that most strings are responsible only for a monotonous hum, and the reproduction of the melody is ensured by the playing of one or two. The hurdy-gurdy sounds powerful, sad, monotonous, somewhat nasal. And to soften the sound, strings have long been wrapped with flax or wool fibers. Accurate alignment of the wheel also plays an important role - it must be smooth and rosin-coated.

Device

The three-string lyre has a deep wooden body in the shape of a figure eight, two flat soundboards that have bent sides. The upper part of the instrument is equipped with a head with wooden pegs, which allows you to tune the strings. The hurdy-gurdy has a short peg box that often ends in a scroll. Since the wheel rim protrudes somewhat outward, it is hidden under a special bast fuse in the shape of an arc.

The top deck has holes, and there is a key-saddle mechanism with keys on it. They, in turn, are simple wooden planks with protrusions. When a musician presses the keys, the protrusions come into contact with the strings, producing sounds. The protrusions are attached in such a way that they can be shifted in different directions, thereby leveling the sound range. The body of the instrument is designed in such a way as to enhance the string sound. The sound is enhanced by vibrations of the strings, which are caused by the movement of the wheel.

String Features

A hurdy-gurdy is an instrument with three gut strings:

• melodic, which is called spivanitsa, or melody;
• two bourdons, which are called bass and pidbasok.

If the melodic string, by design, passes through the inside of the box, then the bourdon strings pass on top of it. All strings are positioned so that they are in contact with the wheel rim. Before work, it is rubbed with resin, which makes the strings sound smooth and audible. The smoothness of the sound is ensured by the smooth surface of the wheel and its precise alignment. A melody is created or performed by pressing keys located in the side cutouts of the box.

Historically, strings were made from guts, although metal or nylon strings are increasingly popular today. To obtain the desired timbre and sound quality, musicians wrapped the strings with cotton wool or other fiber, and there should have been more coating on the bourdon strings. And if there is not enough cotton wool, the sound will be either too dull or too harsh, especially in the upper range.

How to play?

The hurdy-gurdy is a tool that is not particularly easy to use. Lyra is placed on her knees, and a belt is thrown over her shoulders. The tuning box should be located on the left side and slightly tilted, while the free keys should fall away from the string. With his right hand, the musician evenly and slowly rotates the wheel by the handle, pressing the keys with his left hand. In its sound, the lyre resembles a bagpipe or a whistle, since all three instruments sound bourdons. As for the sound quality, it depends primarily on the friction wheel, which is accurately centered and well lubricated. If the musician plays standing, the lyre is suspended from a strap on the shoulder with a slight tilt to distribute the weight of the instrument.

How did the lyre appear?

The wheeled lyre is a musical instrument that has been known since the 10th century. Most often it was used in monasteries to perform church music. By the 15th century, the instrument became less popular, but continued to be used by vagabonds, the blind, the crippled, who walked the streets and sang songs and fairy tales to the simple sound of the lyre.

In Rus', this musical instrument was known around the 17th century, and experts answer that it appeared in our country from Ukraine. It was here that there were even entire schools of lyre players who wandered from village to village, performed music and earned money. The lyre was also used at weddings, as it sounded loud, and the most cheerful repertoire could be chosen for it. The peculiarity of the hurdy-gurdy is that it was produced in different lengths. In some variations, even two people had to play music on it, since the instrument was up to one and a half meters long.

Brotherhood of Lyre Players

In Ukraine, entire classes of 30 people were taught to play the hurdy-gurdy. The elders got into practice, which involved visiting neighboring villages during bazaars and weddings, when the money they earned was given to the mentor as tuition fees. After graduation, the musicians took exams.

During the Soviet years, the hurdy-gurdy underwent several changes. The photo shows that even in appearance the instrument changed somewhat. Thanks to the improvement of the design, it became more original; there were 9 strings, and they were tuned by minor thirds. Instead of a wooden wheel, a plastic transmission belt was used, which made the sound more even. A special device was used to change the degree of pressure on the string, therefore the sound strength of the instrument was different. Note that improved samples of the lyre are still used in folk orchestras.

What today?

In Russia today the hurdy-gurdy is rarely used. The musical instrument (the photo shows all its colorfulness) remained part of the State Orchestra and the People's Choir of Belarus. It is noteworthy that hardy-hardy was also used among rockers: the groups Led Zeppelin and In Extremo chose the instrument due to its unusual sound. Today the instrument has been practically forgotten, but some orchestras, due to the unusual sound, retain the hardy-hardy as a highlight of their work.

So, there is very little normal information on the lyre on the Internet, and therefore I will express myself in the dry language of the well-known library - Wikipedia...

Lyra- a stringed musical instrument in the form of a curved frame with strings of various tunings stretched from the inside, well known in classical antiquity and later. The oldest samples were excavated by L. Woolley's expedition in Ur. It is a symbol and attribute of poets, an emblem of military bands.

In Ancient Greece, recitation was accompanied by playing the lyre. The lyre of classical antiquity was usually played by plucking the strings with a plectrum, like playing a guitar or zither, rather than plucking the strings, like playing a harp. The fingers of the free hand muffled the strings that were unnecessary for this chord.

In Ukraine and Belarus, the lyre is an ancient stringed folk instrument (XVII centuries) with a large elongated body, otherwise called a “snout”. In Europe this instrument is known as a hardi-gardi. Three strings of different tunings are stretched above the body, placed in a special box. A small keyboard with 8-11 keys is attached to the side of the drawer. The player presses the keys with his left hand, and with his right hand he turns the handle, which sets in motion a special wheel covered with hair, leather and rubbed with rosin. The wheel rubs against the strings and makes them sound. The middle string changes its height depending on the pressing of the keys and is used to play melodies. The outer strings do not change their height during playing. The sound of the lyre is strong, sharp, and somewhat nasal in tone.

According to Greek myth, the first lyre was invented by the infant Hermes. He took an empty turtle shell, attached cow horns and a crossbar to it on both sides, and pulled three strings. An adventurous continuation of this myth tells how Hermes kidnapped the herd being herded by Apollo, and then exchanged this herd for his invention, the lyre, to which Apollo added a fourth string. This myth is even retold in Leopold Mozart's Violin School, published in 1756!
Later, the lyre usually had seven strings, and it looked like this (on the left is a reconstruction of the remains of an instrument found during excavations in Attica; an exhibit from the British Museum; on the right is a young Apollo with a lyre; a kylix from Delphi):

In Crete, the lyre was already known around 1400 BC. (depicted on a fresco in the tomb of the Holy Trinity), but the instrument itself is apparently even older.
According to legend, the lyre was played by legendary Greek musicians of divine or semi-divine origin: Orpheus (who was supposedly given the lyre by Apollo himself) and Amphion, who built the walls of Thebes to the sounds of the lyre. The same legends echoed in ancient musical treatises even brought to us the structure of the so-called Orpheus lyre - in modern terms these are the notes “E, B, A, E”, taken from the first octave down.
However, Orpheus and Apollo were not always depicted playing the lyre, but this time we will pay attention only to it.
On the left is the death of Orpheus, who is apparently trying to save his lyre from the enraged bacchantes, exposing his defenseless chest to attack (vase, Louvre). In the center - Orpheus among the Thracians.
On the right is Apollo and, probably, Orpheus, the latter holding a lyre (Attica, 5th century BC).

The lyre was played either by plucking and plucking the strings with the fingers, or by striking them or plucking them with a bone plate - a plectrum (now called a mediator among guitarists). In the latter case, the sound was more sonorous, the resonance was longer, and the musician did not risk calluses or bloody fingertips. Orpheus in the central image plays exactly like this.
Eros, shown in the next picture, clearly approaches his work professionally and uses a plectrum (the lyre was usually played at weddings and other fun and joyful events). The plectrum, so that it does not fall at the wrong moment and is not lost, is attached to the lyre with a leather strap.

Although the lyre was used by many outstanding musicians, who increased the number of strings on it to 9 (Theophrastus of Pieria) and even to 12 (Melanippides), in the classical and Hellenistic eras it was mainly a “home” instrument, since its sound was not very loud. Beginners were taught on it - as in both pictures below. In the picture on the right, another stringed instrument, the forminga, is hanging on the wall.

Women also played the lyre, since it was not as heavy as the cithara and did not require great physical strength. Moreover, unlike the wind instrument aulos, or aul (about him some other time), playing the lyre was not considered an activity indecent for a decent woman, since some Muses were also depicted with a lyre.