Kinnari Veena

The ''kinnari vina'' (Sanskrit: किन्नरी वीणा) is a historical veena, a tube zither with gourds attached to act as resonators and frets. It was played in India into the late 19th century and was documented by two European artists. The instrument dates back into medieval times (documented in the 13th century) and possibly as far back as 500 C.E. It is closely related to the Alapini Vina and Eka-tantri Vina, the instruments having coexisted in medieval times.

Along with the ''alapini vina'' and ''eka-tantri vina'', the ''kinnari vina'' was mentioned by Śārṅgadeva in his Sangita Ratnakara (written 1210 - 1247 C.E.) By the late 19th century, the ''kinnari vina'' survived as a "folk instrument," in South Kanara and Mysore, India, and in the modern ''bīn'' or ''rudra vina''.

The instrument shares its name with the kinnara, Buddhist and Hindu mythological creatures that are pictured playing stick zithers or tube zithers. The kinnari vina is traditionally carved with a bird emblem on one end.

File:Stick zither and flute, KITLV 28029 - Kassian Céphas - Relief of the hidden base of Borobudur - 1890-1891 stick zither kinnara.jpg, 9th century C.E. Stick zither and flute played by kinnaras, from the relief of the hidden base of Borobudur - 1890-1891. The kinnara is pressing the gourd resonator into his chest. The end of the stick zither resembles a bird.

File:Sarasvati with fretted Eka-tantri vina.jpg, Sarasvati with a fretted ''kinnari vina'', with an apparent ''makara'' or '' yali'' on the top. Fretted tube-zither vinas are mentioned in literature by 800 C.E., coexisting with the non-fretted vinas. The rudra veena descends from the kinnari veena.
Madurai si0687.jpg, Statue of a musician playing a ''kinnari vina'' at the ''Airakkal Mandapa'' (Thousand Pillar Hall) in the Meenakshi Temple, Madurai.

File:Kinnari vina, from a Vasant Ragini painting, V&A Museum.jpg, Mewar, ca. 1630-1640 C.E. A kinnari vina played by a prince
File:Woman playing kinnari vina, from painting by Rahim Deccani.png, Woman playing kinnari vina, from painting by Rahim Deccani, late 17th century C.E.
File:A 19th century strolling singer musician playing Tingadee instrument, Madras.jpg, Madras, 1876. ''Kinnari vina'' labeled "tingadee." The spike is a bridge, directing string energy to resonator.
File:Kinnari vina, 19th century C.E., from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg, Kinnari vina, 19th century C.E., from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instrument has a bird (left) and an animal (right).
File:Kinnari vina, from Government Museum exhibit, Egmore, Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu.jpg, Kinnari vina, 1903.
File:One type of Veena, cithare sur tube "Bin" at Musée de la musique, Philharmonie de Paris.jpg, Bīn or rudra veena, Musée de la Musique (Paris). Instrument has a bird (right side).

Comparison of ''kinnari, alapini and eka-tantri vinas''

The center gourd on a three gourd ''kinnari vina'' had the bottom cut off, which was pressed into the musician's chest while the isntrument was being played. This created a "closed resonance chamber". The instrument shared this feature with the ''ālāpiṇī vīṇā'' stick zither and tube zither. The ''alapini vina'' had a single gourd, while the ''eka-tantri vina'' and ''kinnari vina'' might have a second gourd. The ''kinnari vina'' often had a third resonance gourd.

As music developed in India to include a 12-tone scale, ca. 700-800, the tube zithers developed frets. Pictures show both long (''eka-tantri''-style) and short (''alapini''-style) tube zithers. Some of these may also be called ''kinnari vinas''. In 1400, the frets on the ''kinnari vina'' were attributed to Matanga (800 A.D.) the author of Brhad-desi.

In the early Mughal Empire, the ''kinarri vina'' had two strings, the ''bīn'' had three and the ''yantra'' or ''jantar'' had 5 or 6.

The instrument in modern times has a notched or carved stick mounted vertically on the tube, similar to the African mvet zither. On that instrument, the stick allows a musician to make quick minor modifications to the string's pitch, raising and lowering the pitch as it is placed higher and lower on the stick. In Indian music, this would help the musician switch quickly between tunings for different songs.

Medieval kinnari vina

The ''kinnari vina'' was documented by Śārṅgadeva (1175-1247). Versions of the Kinnara vina, according to him, included the Bruhati kinnara, Madhyama kinnara, and Laghvee Kinnara.

The differences were in the length of the ''dandum'' (tube), and its thickness. The tubes evidently were not round, as a basic ''kinnari'' could be 2.5 inches tall and 5.5 inches wide. The height increased with the addition of frets.

According to Sarngadeva, the ''bruhati kinnari'' vina had a ''dandam'' 50 inches long, with a width of 6.5 inches. The ''madhyama kinnara vina'' had a ''dandam'' is 43 inches, with a width "in proportion." The ''laghvi kinnari'' vina was 35 inches in length, with a width of 5 inches.

Ancient Tamil ''kinnari'' (''kinnaram'' , கின்னாரம் )

The ''kinnaram'' is a version of the kinnari found in Tamil. The Tamil instrument is a one-stringed pierced-lute, made from a calabash or ''sorakkai'' gourd. The gourd is pierced with a bamboo rod so that it sticks out on both sides of the calabash and forms a neck. Traditionally, it was strung with fiber from the ''Saccharum spontaneum'' plant, but in recent years, metal stings have been used. The instrument may be on the edge of extinction, as a news article has reported that only one experienced player is now living.

External links

Kinnari veena with a yahli monster head, as well as a carved bird. Before 1879.
Yali heads adorn modern Saraswati veenas.
Multiple photos of above Kinnari veena.

Preserved kinnari vina in Cité de la Musique Philharmonie de Paris

References

{{Indian musical instruments

Indian musical instruments
Tube zithers
Chordophones