Krar (
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
: ክራር) is a five-or-six stringed bowl-shaped
lyre
The lyre () is a stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it is a lute in which the strings are attached to a yoke ...
from
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
. It is tuned to a
pentatonic scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale).
Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancien ...
. A modern ''Krar'' may be
amplified, much in the same way as an
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...
or
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
. The ''Krar'', along with ''
Masenqo
The
Masenqo ( am, ማሲንቆ; Tigrinya: ጭራ-ዋጣ (ዋጣ) is a single-stringed bowed lute commonly found in the musical traditions of Ethiopia. As with the krar, this instrument is used by Ethiopian minstrels called '' azmaris'' ("singer ...
'' and the ''
Washint
Washint (Amharic: ዋሽንት) is an end-blown wooden flute originally used in Ethiopia. Traditionally, Amharic musicians would pass on their oral history through song accompanied by the ''washint'' as well as the krar, a six stringed lyre, and ...
'', is one of the most widespread musical instruments of the
Amhara ethnic group.
Role in Amhara society
Historical
In
Amhara society the ''krar'' was viewed as an instrument inspired by the
Devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
and was therefore inferior, whereas the ''
Begena'' was for praising God and seen as sacred. The ''krar'' was used to adulate feminine beauty, to create sexual arousal and to eulogize carnal love.
The instrument has been associated with brigands, outlaws and
wanderers. Wanderers played the ''krar'' to solicit food, and outlaws played it to sing an Amhara war song called ''Fano''.
Contemporary
Today, the ''krar'' which used to be the plaything of the
Amharas
Amharas ( am, አማራ, Āmara; gez, ዐምሐራ, ʾÄməḥära) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group which is indigenous to Ethiopia, traditionally inhabiting parts of the northwest Highlands of Ethiopia, particularly inhabiting the Amhara ...
, has become one of the most popular Ethiopian stringed instruments.
The ''krar'' is and was always used to accompany and perform
secular song,
love song
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
s and (''vulgar'') poetry. The instrument are often played by Poet-musicians called the
Azmari
Features
A
chordophone
String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner.
Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the st ...
, the krar is usually decorated with wood, cloth and
bead
A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...
s. Its five or six strings determine the available
pitches. The instrument's
tone depends on the musician's playing technique: bowing, strumming or plucking. If plucked, the instrument will produce a soft tone.
Strum
In music, strumming is a way of playing a stringed instrument such as a guitar, ukulele, or mandolin. A strum or stroke is a sweeping action where a finger or plectrum brushes over several strings to generate sound. On most stringed instrument ...
ming, on the other hand, will yield a
harmonious pulsation
A pulse, in physiology, is the throbbing of arteries resulting from heartbeat.
Pulse, The Pulse or Pulses may also refer to:
Botany
* Pulse (legume), any agriculturally significant annual leguminous food crop, such as peas, beans, lentils, and ...
.
Resources
*
Asnakech Worku, ''
Ethiopiques 16: The Lady with the Krar'' (compact disc). Buda Musique 822652, 2003.
* ''Ethiopie, chants d'amour'' (Ethiopia, Love Songs). Fantahun Shewankochew, vocals and krar (compact disc). INEDIT/Maison des Cultures du Monde W260080, 1998.
Films
*''HELP! – Musikalische Geschichten aus Äthiopien''. Directed by Daniel Schulz.
See also
*
dull
Dull may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places
* Dull, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, United Kingdom, a village
* Dull, Ohio, United States, an unincorporated community
* Dull, Texas, United States, a ghost town
People
* Jack Dull (1930–1995), American prof ...
References
Eritrean musical instruments
Ethiopian musical instruments
Lyres
{{Lyre-stub