Kuvytsi
Encyclopedia
The kuvytsi Rebro, (Svyryli, Naj) are the Ukrainian variant of pan pipes. Pan pipes have been found in archeological excavations in Ukraine
that date back some 5,000 years. The instrument consists of several pipes each of which, when blown endwise, produces one sound. Various versions of the kuvytsi exist in Ukraine, such as the one-sided kuvytsi, which consist of a system of pipes from great to small in one lode or two-sided kuvytsi, which have their greatest pipe in the center.
These instruments were used by ensembles in Chernihiv
Province and also widely in the Western Ukraine
. These instruments allow chromatic notes to be readily obtained, a semitone lower than the primary sound of the pipe. This is done by bending the angle of the pipes with relation to the player's lips. The air stream is thus broken on the far end of the pipe, rather than the end closest the lips.
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...
that date back some 5,000 years. The instrument consists of several pipes each of which, when blown endwise, produces one sound. Various versions of the kuvytsi exist in Ukraine, such as the one-sided kuvytsi, which consist of a system of pipes from great to small in one lode or two-sided kuvytsi, which have their greatest pipe in the center.
These instruments were used by ensembles in Chernihiv
Chernihiv
Chernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...
Province and also widely in the Western 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...
. These instruments allow chromatic notes to be readily obtained, a semitone lower than the primary sound of the pipe. This is done by bending the angle of the pipes with relation to the player's lips. The air stream is thus broken on the far end of the pipe, rather than the end closest the lips.
Sources
- Humeniuk, A., Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty, Kiev: Naukova dumkaNaukova DumkaNaukova Dumka is a publishing house in Kiev, Ukraine.It was established by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 1922, and is one of the oldest scientific and academic publishing houses in the former USSR...
, 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