Origins of the Gusle?

[The Journeyman]

The Gusle plays an especially unique role in Serbian culture, more so than in the surrounding Balkan countries. Also the sound and style of the Serbian Guslar is very different from those of other countries. Was it brought to the balkans by the Slavs or does it have roots within the balkans?

http://m1.ikiwq.com/img/xl/78yhHbws29WX3h4GRym8ub.JPG

[Panopticon]

The Gusle is by no means Serbian exclusively, actually in Serbia itself the Gusla never was that common and it has been used in Croatia, Bulgaria and Crete even. The Gusle however was always the most common in Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina. It derived from the Byzantine Lyra most likely.

Among Albanians we have the equivalent of the Gusle in the Lahuta, basically the same instrument although two different names. The Lahuta is more commonly used in the Dinaric alp area among the Malesors and the areas more immediately around it. It is basically a highlander instrument for the most part.

The Lahuta/Gusle is always accompanied by musical folklore, mostly epic poetry. It was a way for the highlanders to pass on history, customs and traditions as they didn't write it down; it was part of the Balkan highlander oral tradition. It was a very important part of the Dinaric highlander culture. The laws of the Kanun of Lek Dukagjini was never passed through litterature or any form of writing but through lahutars and through other people but always in an oral form.

http://chs119.chs.harvard.edu/mpc/photos/lord_album/fig29.jpg
Avdo Medjedovic, probably the greatest Guslar/Lahutar in Bosnia at his time; note that the hat he is wearing is an Albanian plis however.

Many of the Guslars/Lahutars of Bosnia/Sandzak were Albanian actually and this highlander oral tradition is Albanian more than anything else.

http://cc.joensuu.fi/~loristi/1_03/dus103.html
http://www.elsie.de/en/books/b35.html

[Panopticon]

Some examples of Albanian lahutar epic songs.

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[mymy]

It's interesting that in Czech language "husle" is name for some kind of violin. And in Czech language letter h is often on same place like letter g in South Slavic languages, so basically they use name "gusle" for violin.

[Panopticon]

It's interesting that in Czech language "husle" is name for some kind of violin. And in Czech language letter h is often on same place like letter g in South Slavic languages, so basically they use name "gusle" for violin.

The Gusle and the Violin are different instruments however and they don't basically use the name 'gusle' for violin because husle/housle is different, you're talking about cognates.

[mymy]

The Gusle and the Violin are different instruments however and they don't basically use the name 'gusle' for violin because husle/housle is different, you're talking about cognates.

You don't understand what i want to say. I'm talking about root of words. Those 2 instruments are of course different, and they of course can't be same because "gusle" is not violin, but root of the world is same. I don't speak about origin of instrument, i speak about word, term used for it, and in South Slavic languages, term comes from old Slavic languages.


The term gusle/gusli/husli/husla is common term to all Slavic languages and denotes a musical instrument with strings.

In Serbian, all instruments with string are also called here "gudački instrumenti".

[Osweo]

All the Slavonic languages have this word. It's an old one, going back to the times of Slavonic unity.

The name has been given to two sorts of instrument, however. I'm more familiar with the Russian variety which has several strings, and is sometimes therefore called gusli - a plural noun;
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/%D0%93%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8F%D1%80%D1%8B.jpg/800px-%D0%93%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8F%D1%80%D1%8B.jpg


Гусла е музикален инструмент от групата на струнните инструменти. Тя е с една струна, на който се свири с лък. Изработва се изцяло от дърво, а формата ѝ е крушовидна, но с дълъг и тънък гриф. Опъната животинска кIожа служи вместо резонаторна дъска. Струната представлява сноп от здраво усукани косми от конска опашка.[1]
Гуслата има старославянски произход. Миниатюри от края на 8 или началото на 9 век доказват, че в онези времена на гусла се е свирело, като инструментът се е държал, както и днес, изправен и опрян на коляното. Арехологически находки на гусли са правени на територията на Полша и датирани към 12 век.[2]
Вижте също [редактиране]
LoL, I got about halfway thru that before I realised it was in Bulgarian instead of Russian! :D

Anyway, it attributes a Common Slavonic origin to the instrument, mentions depictions in manuscripts of the Eighth Century, and 12th Century archaeological finds from Poland.

This Ukrainian page links it with the Kantele of the Baltic Litorral;
http://storinka-m.kiev.ua/article.php?id=1226

УСЛІ (гусла) - давньоруський цитроподібний щипковий інструмент ґрупи народних хордофонів (класифікаційний індекс за систематикою Е.Горнбостля -К.Закса -314.122 -5). Численні фольклорні й писемні джерела свідчать про побутування цього інструмента на територіях, заселених давніми слов'янськими племенами ще задовго до часів Київської Русі. Існує думка про зв'язок гусельної традиції з прибалтійсько-скандинавською культурою канклес (кантеле). Крім цитроподібних гусель, у деяких народних традиціях така сама назва закріпилась також за смичковими інструментами (наприклад, так називають народну скрипку на Лемківщині та Закарпатті - класиф. індекс за систематикою Е.Горнбостля-К.Закса - 321.322).
http://storinka-m.kiev.ua/uploaded/epos/87.jpg

English Wiki for the Eastern Slavonic complex version;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gusli
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Bayan.jpg
A good Russian page;
http://www.spbtur.ru/o_nashey_strane_russia/273-gusli-zvonchatye.html

The single string version is obviously going to be found all over the world in various forms.

[Guapo]

I don't think any ethnicity has a trademark on an instrument, including the bagpipes.

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