The trembita (from the old Germanic ''trumba'', "to trumpet") is an alpine horn made of wood. It is common among Ukrainian highlanders Hutsuls who live in western Ukraine, eastern Poland, Slovakia, and northern Romania. In Poland it is known as a trombita (in the south), a bazuna (in the north), or a ligawka (in central Poland).

Description

A trembita was used primarily by mountain dwellers known as Hutsuls and Gorals in the Carpathians, it was used as a signaling device to announce deaths, funerals, weddings. The tube is made from a long straight piece of pine or

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

(preferably one that has been struck by lightning) which is split in two in order to carve out the core. The halves are once again joined together and then wrapped in birch bark or osier rings. It is also used by shepherds for signaling and communication in the forested mountains and for guiding sheep and dogs. The ''trembita'' has a timbre that is much brighter than that of the alpenhorn due to its narrow bore and very minor flare. The trembita has no lateral openings and therefore gives the pure natural harmonic series of the open pipe. The upper harmonics are the more readily obtained by reason of the small diameter of the bore in relation to the length. The notes of the natural harmonic series overlap, but do not exactly correspond, to notes found in the familiar chromatic scale in standard Western

equal temperament An equal temperament is a musical temperament or tuning system, which approximates just intervals by dividing an octave (or other interval) into equal steps. This means the ratio of the frequencies of any adjacent pair of notes is the same, wh ...

. Most prominently within the trembita's range, the 7th and 11th harmonics are particularly noticeable because they fall between adjacent notes in the chromatic scale. Harmonic Series

In the hands of a skilled composer or arranger, the natural harmonics can be used to haunting melancholy effect or, by contrast, to create a charming pastoral flavor. ZESPÓŁ

Modern use

Today trembita is often used in Ukrainian ethnographic ensembles and as an episodic instrument in the Ukrainian folk instrument orchestra. Trembita was shown on

2004 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey, following the country's victory at the with the song "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener. Organised by the European Broa ...

by the Ukrainian winner of the contest Ruslana during her performance of the song " Wild Dances". Hutsuls - trembitas

Trembita is also used by Ukrainian band ONUKA. The longest trombita (8,35 m) was made by Polish folk musician Józef Chmiel, located in the Czech Republic.

Similar instruments

* Alphorn, used by mountain dwellers in Switzerland and elsewhere * Erke, a similar instrument of the Argentine Northwest * Birch trumpet, a similar instrument used in Norway, Sweden and the

Baltic region The terms Baltic Sea Region, Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, mainly in Northern Europe. ...

* Lur, native Scandinavian term for Birch trumpet * Trâmbiță or Bucium, a type of alphorn used by mountain dwellers and by shepherds in Romania and Moldova

References

Sources

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Demonstration of trembita performance

Mr Plyushko explains about trembita to students

Christmas call by trembitas

External links