INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES

A wealth of traditional and imported instruments in Lithuania created many opportunities for the creation of instrumental ensembles.

Ensembles can be classified into single-instrument and mixed groups.

Single-instrument ensembles were popular in northeastern Lithuania, for example, in groups of skuduciai, dandytes, ragai, lamzdeliai, birbynes, sekminiu rageliai, svilpa.  Kankles ensembles were popular throughout Lithuania.  Written sources contain reports of mixed ensembles as well.  J. Zilevicius has described various combinations of instruments, for example, pipes accompanied by kankles, fiddle and birbyne accompanied by kankles, trimitai accompanied by drums, fiddles with kankles accompanied by a bass, ozragiai and trumpets accompanied by kankles, ozragiai accompanied by kankles, and fiddle accompanied by kankles.

The notes published in the folk music collection of S.Paliulis include various ensembles, for example: one person sings or plays the lamzdelis and two play the skuduciai; one singer or lamzdelis and three skuduciai; one singer, three skuduciai; two women sing and two men play lamzdeliai; one singer, one lamzdelis, three skuduciai; one lamzdelis, four skuduciai.  Traditional Lithuanian folk music instrumental ensembles are most popular in Aukstaitija; these are single-instrument groups of kankles, skuduciai, dandytes, or lamzdeliai.  In the Uznemune region, single-instrument kankles ensembles are popular, as well as mixed-instrument groups with kankles, bagpipes, ozragiai, drums, and fiddles.  In Dzukija, a popular ensemble combination includes the fiddle, bugnelis, cimbolai, and basetle.  In Zemaitija, birbynes, lamzdelis, ozragis, skrabalai, and tabalai are a popular combination.  

Village ensembles, like the mixed ensembles, appeared in Lithuania as early as in the 16th century.  From the historical point of view, one can distinguish the ensembles which existed up to the beginning of the 19th century from those which originated after the mid-1800s.  The older ensemble in northeastern Aukstaitija contained the birbyne, lamzdelis, ozragis, dambrelis, tosele, sukos and bugnelis.  In western Aukstaitija, the typical ensemble had one or two fiddles, a lamzdelis, basetle and bugnas.  In Dzukija, a group would have one or two fiddles, cimbolai and basetle.  In Suvalkija, one, two or three kankles, a fiddle and bugnas or bugnelis.  In Lithuania Minor during the 16th-17th century, a written source describes a group made up of a fiddle, cimbolai, zyther, lamzdelis, bagpipes, transverse flute, and bugnas.

The newer groups in Aukstaitija typically have a fiddle, a Petersburg armonika, basetle, bugnas, and sometimes a clarinet or coronet.  In Dzukija, one or two fiddles, a German or Vienna armonika, bugnelis, sometimes cimbolai and basetle; other combinations might be one or two fiddles and bugnelis; one or two fiddles and cimbolai; armonika and cimbolai; two fiddles and basetle; a fiddle, armonika and cimbolai.  In Suvalkija: one or two fiddles, a German or Vienna armonika, bugnas, sometimes cimbolai, clarinet, coronet and basetle; fiddle and bugnelis is also a popular combination.  In Zemaitija, one or two fiddles with a bandonija or concertina, basetle, clarinet, coronet and bugnas.  

After the middle of the 20th century, string ensembles and bagpipe ensembles were also popular in Lithuania.  

CONTENT

 NEXT