Kobza
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Kobza (Ukrainian: кобза)
- 1 - a traditional Ukrainian stringed musical instrument, from the lute family, and more specifically a relative of the Central European mandora.
- 2 - The cobza is also a type of four-course folk lute found primarilly in Romania and Moldova and was in the 1920-30's also played in Bukovyna, Ukraine. The instrument is approximately the size of a mandolin. Some courses had 3 strings. the instrument was tuned in 5ths. In Hungary and Transylvania the same instrument is known as the koboz. Both are now increasingly rare, as traditional music is being superseded by popular.
- 3 - The Kobza was also a term for any regional lute-like instrument used by court musicians in Central-Eastern Europe, which might not have been a kobza proper.
- 4 - A term used for bagpipes and occasionally for the hurdy-gurdy in Eastern Poland, Byelorus and Volyn.
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[edit] Etymology
The term kobza is first mentioned in 1331, but lute-like instruments are known to have existed in the territories now known as Ukraine even earlier, either from the sixth century, brought there by Bulgars, or possibly somewhat later by Polovetsians and Khazars. The term has a Turkic origin: "kobyz" or "khomus". It acquired widespread popularity in the 16th century, with the advent of the Hetmanate (Cossack state).
A kobza was usually played by a bard or minstrel called kobzar (earlier kobeznik), to accompany the recitation of a Ukrainian sung epic called duma.
The kobza became extinct early in the 20th century, but currently there is a revival of kobza playing in Ukraine, due to the efforts of the "Kobzar Guild" in Kiev and Kharkiv.
The kobza was often referred to in historical sources as bandura (from Latin Pandura, via medieval Polish Barduny, i.e. a lute). The terms were interchangeable until about 1800. Eventually the unfretted "starosvitska" bandura (developed ca. 1800) appropriated the bandura name, but still was often referred to as kobza among the common folk, because of the name's historical cachet.
[edit] Types of Ukrainian Kobzas
- 1 - Veresai kobza - (often referred to as authentic traditional kobza) with six treble strings strung along the treble side of the instrument. The instrument is played with the left hand pressing doen on the strings strung along the neck, however there are no frets.
- 2 - Orchestral kobza - with 4 strings tuned in fifths using tunings that parallel the violin family. The instruments are made in Prima, alto and tenor and contrabass sizes.
- 3 - Accompaniment kobza - usually having 6 or 7 strings and a fretted neck. The six string version uses a classical guitar tuning. The 7 string version uses a Russian guitar (open g chord) tuning.
The kobza revival is impeded by the complete absence of the museum specimens. All evidence is entirely iconographic.
[edit] See also
