For single-stringed instrument see Gusle.

Gusli (Russian: Гусли) is the oldest Russian multi-string plucked instrument. Its exact history is unknown, but it may have derived from a Byzantine form of the Greek kythare, which in turn derived from the ancient lyre. It has its relatives throughout the world - kantele in Finland, kannel in Estonia, kankles and kokle in Lithuania and Latvia. Furthermore, we can find kanun in Arabic countries and the autoharp in the USA. It is also related to such ancient instruments as Chinese gu zheng which has a thousand year history and its Japanese relative koto.

Etymology[link]

"Gusli musicians" by Viktor Vasnetsov, 1899

In the times of Kievan Rus’, the term gusli is thought to simply refer to any generic stringed instrument. The root of the term comes from the word to make sound in the wind. The term was eventually associated with the trapezoidal gusli-psaltyry (which may have originated in Byzantium).

History[link]

Boyan playing a gusli, by Nicholas Roerich

The gusli is one of the oldest musical instruments that have played an important role in the Russian music culture. The Greek historians Theophylact Simocatta and Theophan were the first to mention the gusli: Under the war in the end of the 6th Century, the Greeks took Slavonic prisoners and found a musical instrument named the gusli. This corresponds to what the Arabic authors Al-Masudi and Ibn-Dasta told in the 10th Century AD.^[1]

Vertkov states that the first mentions of the Gusli date back to 591AD to a treatise by the Greek historian Theophylact Simocatta which describes the instrument being used by Slavs from the area of the later Kievan Rus' kingdom.

The gusli are thought to have been the instrument used by the legendary Boyan (a singer of tales) described in the Lay of Igor's campaign.

The instruments were used by the wandering Skomorokh musicians and entertainers. Preserved instruments discovered by archaeologists in various digs have between five and nine strings with one example having twelve strings.

The first notated piece of music for the gusli was a Ukrainian song "Oi pid Vyshneyu" (Ukrainian: Ой пiд вишнею)^[2] which was recorded in St. Petersburg in 1803 by the French composer F. Bualde.^{[citation needed]}

Types of Gusli[link]

Folk Gusli have from eleven to thirty-six gut or metal strings, tuned diatonically. There were two main forms: helmet-shaped (Shlemovidnye gusli - Russian: Шлемовидные гусли) and wing-shaped (Krylovidnye gusli).

[edit] Shlemovidnye gusli

Shlemovidnye (helmet-shaped) Gusli

Shlemovidnye gusli (Helmet-shaped gusli; Russian: Шлемовидные гусли) is a variety of gusli held by the musician on his knees, so that strings were horizontal, resonator body under them. He uses his left hand to mute unnecessary strings and thus forming chords, while passing all the strings with his right hand. The instrument was spread in southern and western regions of Kievan Rus’.

[edit] Krylovidnye gusli

Krylovidnye (wing-shaped) gusli

Krylovidnye gusli ("wing-shaped gusli"; Russian: Крыловидные гусли) is much smaller, and had more resemblance to Scandinavian folk psalteries such as the kantele. They were held much more like modern guitars (although strings were still muted by the left hand through a special opening in the instrument's body). This modification was more prevalent in northern parts of Russia, especially Novgorod and Pskov.

[edit] Clavichord Gusli

The Clavichord Gusli ["Claviaturno-obraznie Gusli" | (Russian: Клавирообразные гусли)] are a nineteenth century derivative with an iron frame and metal strings tuned chromatically. It stood on a stand or table legs. The instrument had a keyboard. Pressing the keys of the keyboard would raise the dampers on specific strings and allow the player to play glissandi and arpeggios over the range of the strings. This instrument is used primarily in Russian Folk Instrument orchestras.

Related instruments[link]

Gusli players. Illustration from a Bible dating back to 1648AD

A number of Slavic folk music instruments have names which are related to Gusli such as the Czech violin housle, the Balkan one-stringed fiddle gusle. In western Ukraine and Belarus, husli can also refer to a fiddle or even a ducted flute. The violin-like variant of the instrument is also related to the Southern Slavic gusle.

The psaltery variant is related to the Zither. It is also related to the Latvian kokle, the Lithuanian kanklės and the Finnish kantele. Together these instruments make up the family known as Baltic Psalteries.

A related instrument is the tsymbaly, a hammered dulcimer.

In Ukraine, it is thought that the gusli may have influenced the development of the multi-stringed bandura, which largely replaced it in the nineteenth century.

List of other related instruments[link]

• Bandura
• Kobza
• Kantele
• Psaltery
• zither
• kokle
• kanklės

See also[link]

Ethnic Russian music

External links[link]

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gusla". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

References[link]