Antin Paplynsky (1870?- 1919-20?)

Kyivan musical instrument maker who crafted bandura

Bandura

Bandura refers to a Ukrainian plucked string folk instrument. It combines elements of a box zither and lute, as well as its lute-like predecessor, the kobza...

s from 1905-1918. Rumoured to have been shot by the Bolsheviks in 1919 or 1920. Paplynsky's instruments had 32-34 strings and were diatonically tuned. He was a popular bandura maker because of the quality of his instruments. In 1909 he received a Grand Prix award at the World Trade Exhibition held in Paris. His instruments were sought after not only in Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, but in Russia and Canada.

Instruments

Paplynsky's instruments were very well crafted. They were extremely light but produced a rich and bright sound. Unfortunately, few instruments have survived. Those instruments which have can fetch up to $5000 in private sales.

Sources

• Diakowsky, M. - A Note on the History of the Bandura. The Annals of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S. - 4, 3-4 №1419, N.Y. 1958 - С.21-22
• Diakowsky, M. J. - The Bandura. The Ukrainian Trend, 1958, №I, - С.18-36
• Diakowsky, M. – Anyone can make a bandura – I did. The Ukrainian Trend, Volume 6
• Haydamaka, L. – Kobza-bandura – National Ukrainian Musical Instrument. "Guitar Review" №33, Summer 1970 (С.13-18)
• Hornjatkevyč, A. – The book of Kodnia and the three Bandurists. Bandura, #11-12, 1985
• Hornjatkevyč A. J., Nichols T. R. - The Bandura. Canada crafts, April–May, 1979 p. 28-29
• Mishalow, V. - A Brief Description of the Zinkiv Method of Bandura Playing. Bandura, 1982, №2/6, - С.23-26
• Mishalow, V. - The Kharkiv style #1. Bandura 1982, №6, - С.15-22 #2 – Bandura 1985, №13-14, - С.20-23 #3 – Bandura 1988, №23-24, - С.31-34 #4 – Bandura 1987, №19-20, - С.31-34 #5 – Bandura 1987, №21-22, - С.34-35
• Mishalow, V. - A Short History of the Bandura. East European Meetings in Ethnomusicology 1999, Romanian Society for Ethnomusicology, Volume 6, - С.69-86
• Mizynec, V. - Folk Instruments of Ukraine. Bayda Books, Melbourne, Australia, 1987 - 48с.
• Cherkasky, L. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty. Tekhnika, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2003 - 262 pages. ISBN 966-575-111-5