Basolia
Encyclopedia
The basolia is a Ukrainian folk instrument of the bowed string family similar to the cello
although slightly larger and not as sophisticated in construction. The basolia was usually homemade and of very rough construction. Sometimes the soundboard was sewn to the body rather than glued. The strings are tuned in fifths.
Three different types are found in Ukraine:
The basolia is used in Ukrainian folk music
ensembles known as Troyista muzyky (literally Trio music). It has now rarely found having been almost totally replaced by the standard cello.
The basolia was an instrument that was often ridiculed for its quality of sound and the skill of the player. All the same, wedding music without it was unthinkable. The basolia was introduced into Ukraine from the West after the fiddle
had established itself, however, there are mentions which date back to the 17th century in descriptions of the wedding of Bohdan Khmelnytsky
's son Yuri, where an orchestra using this instrument entertained the guests.
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
although slightly larger and not as sophisticated in construction. The basolia was usually homemade and of very rough construction. Sometimes the soundboard was sewn to the body rather than glued. The strings are tuned in fifths.
Three different types are found in Ukraine:
- 1) 3 string found in Boiko ethnic area. The strings are usually plucked.
- 2) 4 string in central Ukraine. The strings are usually played with a bow.
- 3) 5 string from TranscarpathiaCarpathian RutheniaCarpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
. The strings are usually hit with a stick.
The basolia is used in Ukrainian folk music
Ukrainian folk music
Ukrainian folk music includes a number of varieties of ethnic , folkloric, folk inspired popular and folk inspired classical traditions....
ensembles known as Troyista muzyky (literally Trio music). It has now rarely found having been almost totally replaced by the standard cello.
The basolia was an instrument that was often ridiculed for its quality of sound and the skill of the player. All the same, wedding music without it was unthinkable. The basolia was introduced into Ukraine from the West after the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
had established itself, however, there are mentions which date back to the 17th century in descriptions of the wedding of Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state...
's son Yuri, where an orchestra using this instrument entertained the guests.
Sources
- Humeniuk, A. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty - Kiev: Naukova dumka, 1967
- Mizynec, V. - Ukrainian Folk Instruments - Melbourne: Bayda books, 1984
- Cherkasky, L. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty // Tekhnika, Kiev, Ukraine, 2003 - 262 pages. ISBN 966-575-111-5