Post by Dick Glasgow on Jun 21, 2007 1:23:17 GMT 1
The Cymbalum
The small cymbalum usually is carried by the musician, using a strap around the player's neck and leaning one edge of the instrument against the player's waist.
The cymbalum is played by striking two beaters against the strings.
In Hungary, the larger, concert cimbalom, comparable in pitch range (and weight) to a small piano—but still normally played with beaters—was first developed by József Schunda in the 1870s. It stands on four legs, has many more strings, and the later models had a damping pedal; before this, the player damped the strings using his coat sleeves. This instrument eventually found its way to districts of Romania, because they were part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. In Romania, this large cymbalum is known as the Tambal mare (literally "great cymbalum"). These instruments are fully chromatic and have a range of four full octaves.
A small cymbalum was also later produced in Ukraine during the 1950s that came with attachable legs and dampers, but could be carried more easily than a concert instrument. These instruments were produced by the Chernihiv factory which produced many types of folk instruments.
The Cymbalum