The rozhok (russian: рожок) is an ancient

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, a relative of the cornett, which has remained in continuous use until the present day. It is also known as Vladimirskiy rozhok, (russian: Владимирский рожок, meaning "Vladimir horn").

Names

The origins of the instrument date to before AD 1600. The tradition of playing the ''rozhok'' in an

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probably dates to a much earlier time. It is possible that the name ''rozhok'' was used for the instrument later, and that in the earliest written sources it was simply called a pipe. A rozhok can be called be various names: shepherd's horn (russian: пастуший рожок), Russian horn (russian: Русский рожок), or song horn (russian: песенный рожок). At the end of the 19th century, the name ''Vladimir'' was added to this instrument's name (russian: Владимирский рожок, ''Vladimirskiy rozhok'', "Vladimir horn"), due to the success of a chorus of rozhok players under the leadership of Nikolai Vasilyevich Kondratyev from the

Vladimir Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukra ...

region.

Structure

A rozhok is a conical straight tube with the six playing holes: five on top and one underneath. The total length of a rozhok ranges from 320 to 830 mm (13" to 33"). A

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is cut in the form of a small cup, and the lower end of the tube is shaped like a conical bell. A rozhok is usually made of

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

, or

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. Musicians say that rozhoks of juniper have the best sound. In the past they were made in the same manner as a shepherd's rozhok, in which two halves are fastened together with birch bark; today they are turned. The sound of a rozhok is strong, but mellow, having a range of about an

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

, or a little more. There are several types of rozhoks: the shortest one, having the highest sound is called ''vizgunok'' (squeaker), typically in F# or G; the longest and thus the lowest one is called ''bas'' (bass), in F# or G an octave below, while a mid-size instrument is called a ''polubasok'' (half-bass), typically in C. It is ''polubasok'' instruments that are most frequently used for solo playing. Rozhok ensembles usually consist of just ''vizgunok'' and ''bas'' instruments in the ratio 2:1 (twice as many high-pitched horns).

Varieties

Rozhok's folk tunes are divided into four stylistic varieties: signal, song, dancing, and dance, with a large number of songs in all styles. There are several types of shepherd's signals and more of others. The main repertoire is song folk-tunes. As of 2015, rozhok ensembles exist in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and Nerekhta.Народный коллектив фольклорный ансамбль "Нерехтские рожечники"
/ref> In addition, rozhoks can sometimes be heard in Russian folk orchestra concerts.

References

External links

Sound sampleA video documentary about Vladimirskiy Rozhok
- from a series "Странствия музыканта" by

Sergey Starostin Sergey may refer to: * Sergey (name), a Russian given name (including a list of people with the name) * Sergey, Switzerland Sergey is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Sergey is ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vladimirskiy Rozhok Russian musical instruments Russian inventions Russian folk music Woodwind instruments ru:Рожок

Names

Structure

Varieties

See also

References

External links