Balalaika
A Russin Instrument.
Born and raised in Ukraine, I have heard many musical compositions on the balalaika, and saw dozens of children’s movies with the instrument in it. However, I have always wondered about origins of the balalaika, and if it has similar roots as domra, another Eastern European stringed instrument. Although popularity of both of the instruments has not faded through time in Eastern European countries, they are rarely heard or studied outside of the former USSR countries. As I was writing this paper, my goal was to find out more about the appearance of the balalaika. Naturally, his paper is going to review history of appearance and development of the balalaika, a Russian folk instrument. Main points are going to be: the instrument’s origin, construction, function, and modern repertoire and performance techniques.
According to Martin Kiszko, first appearance of the balalaika record was found in literature dating 1688 [1]. This article indicates the use of the balalaika in the streets, merely for entertainment purposes. Another document states that the two-stringed triangular instrument was highly admired and well known by all classes of the Kiev-Rus society 2. Yet another document supports the fact that street folk, as well as noble people in Kiev – Rus were highly acquainted and fond of the balalaika in the early eighteenth century. At that time balalaikas were used for entertainment at different kinds of social gatherings such as weddings, traditional holiday celebration, and important Czar (Peter the Great) events 3.
It is important to note that although all research puts the balalaika in the chordophone family of musical instruments, there are several disagreeing theories behind the origin and development of this instrument. Some speculate that the balalaika is one of guitar kinds, others point out its close relationship to the triangular psaltery. Nevertheless, most support a theory that the long-necked lute (pandora) was the pre-existing instrument, which later developed into balalaika. Such a relationship is supported by similar strumming techniques, same number of strings (two or three), and general body structure4. The same source proposes that use of the third string has developed by the late eighteenth century, however two-stringed balalaikas were still in wide use in some regions of Eastern Europe long after that transition.
Construction and function of the balalaika also varied some through time. The instrument usually came in six sizes; piccolo, prime, alto, bass, and contra-bass. The original size was the prime, and even today it is the most known and used size of the balalaika family5. Shape of the instrument was triangular. Some research proposes that this shape was chosen by people because of simplicity of in-home construction; stating that a pear-shaped or round instrument would be more complicated to build5. We must remember, however, that there was a change in architecture construction in the sixteenth century that led round structures to acquire triangular-shaped roofs; so triangular shape of the balalaika might simply be a visual preference of makers and/or performers. Body of the balalaika was usually made out of pinewood, while pegs were ivory. All sizes had different tuning pitches, where pegs tune the strings similar to the modern violin tuning system.
Early in its existence the balalaika was used as an accompanying instrument for dance; later though, it became a solo and ensemble instrument as well6. As the instrument developed from diatonic to chromatic tuning, during late eighteenth century, versatility of the balalaika became apparent. According to Kizsko, first person that took the balalaika from the streets and court entertainment into a concert hall was Andreyev. Andreyev also get credit for putting the balalaika as the principal section of one of the greatest Russian orchestras in the verge of the nineteenth century; while Troyanovsky (another admirer of the balalaika) led a mass balalaika production workshop around the same time7.
The usual performing technique on the balalaika is strumming or plucking of the strings, however a pick may be used as well. Repertoire for the balalaika is wide- starting from old folk songs and dances, and ending with modern and popular songs either written for the instrument, or employing it for parts of musical pieces. Also, a lot of the repertoire is comprised of transcriptions of pieces by Mozart, Lizst, and Glinka, as well a large volume of new repertoire8.
The balalaika is now considered a traditional folk instrument, and as the research shows- there is no accurate trace of the relationship between the balalaika and domra. The instrument came a long way from in-home made prime sized balalaikas to instruments of six sizes, comprising ensembles and sections of orchestras. Therefore, people may consider that the instrument developed well; as its history is not only in books and journals, but it is still being built as we listen to great virtuoso balalaika players in some of the greatest halls of the world performing on what used to be a simple two-stringed folk instrument.
[1] Marin Kiszko, “The Balalaika – a Reappraisal,” The Galpin Society Journal 48, (1995): 132 http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/view.
2 Ibid, 130.
3 Ibid, 133.
4 Ibid, 136.
5 Ibid, 140.
6 Martin Kiszko, “Balalaika”, Grove Music Online.
7 Martin Kiszko, “The Balalaika – a Reappraisal,” The Galpin Society Journal 48, (1995): 132 http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/view.
8 http://www.barynya.com/balalaika.htm
Bibliography
Http://www.barynya.com/balalaika.htm
Kiszko, Martin. “The Balalaika- A Reappraisal.” The Galpin Society Journal 48, (1995):
130-146. http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/view/00720127/ap030048/03a00100/0?fra me=noframe&userID=80ba06b0@fsu.edu/01cce4405e2ad051153a78f480&dpi=3&config=jstor
Kiszko, Martin: “Balalaika”, Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed November 25, 2007),
<http://www.grovemusic. proxy.lib.fsu.edu>
