Post by Dick Glasgow on Jul 17, 2007 13:21:19 GMT 1
The Tsimbl
While there are similarities in tuning between the Greek Sandouri, the now-seldom-used-southern-Romanian, the Galitsian-Jewish-and-Gypsy and the Ukrainian-Jewish tunings, there are some typical differences ..........
Tsimbls and Their Kin by Josh Horowitz
Tsimbls and Their Kin by Josh HorowitzThe Jewish tsimbl is played very rarely now.
How important was the tsimbl for klezmorim?
"In the regions of eastern Galicia, Poland, Bukovina and Belorussia, the tsimbl was extremely popular among Jews as early as the 16th Century.
The earliest available document of the presence of klezmorim in Moldavia is of a tsimblist: In 1744, Shlomo, the Jewish tsimbalist of Iasi, received a tax exemption as a result of having played for the Prince.
its obvious when you look at all the iconography and writings about Jewish music that the tsimbl was a very widespread instrument among the Jews from the 16th to the 20th Century.
The Romanian researcher, Filimon, wrote 140 years ago that the Jews brought the tsimbl into Romania.
Of course, Gypsies and Hungarians will tell you that they brought it there.
To avoid having that discussion escalate into another ethnic war, realize that the tsimbl has probably been around, in some form or another, longer than any of us have called ourselves Jews, Gypsies, Hungarians, or anything else.
Sometimes tsimblists were called klappzimmerer, which you could translate as "trap-thresher."
The term itself sounds like the striking of a tsimbl.
In the 18th Century, the slang expression, klaffzimmer meant piano, but klappzimmerer may also have come from the Rotwelsch term, klappsmann, meaning imbecile.
Even in Polish, you can still insult someone by saying, "ty cymbale!" (you idiot!).
No further comment.
The tsimbl is actually a very flexible instrument which is able to hold its own as a melodic or as an accompanying instrument.
Tsimbls used to be strung with thinner strings and less tension, in contrast to the Hungarian-Romanian cymbaloms of today, which use piano wire strung with a barbaric tension of 40-50 kilos per string.
That production tendency began in Hungary as an attempt to put the cymbalom on the concert stage in the 1870's.
Like the bass, small tsimbls were more often than not going mercilessly out of tune.
Tsimblists probably didn't even try to tune the 100-odd strings between pieces at a wedding, so I'm sure that the music then was hopelessly beyond the threshold of today's intonation standards."
Where does the construction of the Jewish tsimbl and its playing style come from?
"I designed my tuning on the basis of two 18th and19th Century historical models - Belorussian and Jewish-Ukrainian.
Alfred Pichlmaier did a wonderful job reconstructing an historical instrument for me, also based on earlier European models.
The finished product is the result of years of our combined research.
The string tension is only 8-10 Kilos per string, so the tremolos are less differentiated, and the stroking techniques are sometimes based on violin bowing techniques.
Those techniques have just developed through immersion in all kinds of Jewish music.
I don't simply restrict myself to the available materials, though - there just aren't enough of them. Lots of new ideas just naturally grow out of working with the music all the time."
Budowitz Interview
How important was the tsimbl for klezmorim?
"In the regions of eastern Galicia, Poland, Bukovina and Belorussia, the tsimbl was extremely popular among Jews as early as the 16th Century.
The earliest available document of the presence of klezmorim in Moldavia is of a tsimblist: In 1744, Shlomo, the Jewish tsimbalist of Iasi, received a tax exemption as a result of having played for the Prince.
its obvious when you look at all the iconography and writings about Jewish music that the tsimbl was a very widespread instrument among the Jews from the 16th to the 20th Century.
The Romanian researcher, Filimon, wrote 140 years ago that the Jews brought the tsimbl into Romania.
Of course, Gypsies and Hungarians will tell you that they brought it there.
To avoid having that discussion escalate into another ethnic war, realize that the tsimbl has probably been around, in some form or another, longer than any of us have called ourselves Jews, Gypsies, Hungarians, or anything else.
Sometimes tsimblists were called klappzimmerer, which you could translate as "trap-thresher."
The term itself sounds like the striking of a tsimbl.
In the 18th Century, the slang expression, klaffzimmer meant piano, but klappzimmerer may also have come from the Rotwelsch term, klappsmann, meaning imbecile.
Even in Polish, you can still insult someone by saying, "ty cymbale!" (you idiot!).
No further comment.
The tsimbl is actually a very flexible instrument which is able to hold its own as a melodic or as an accompanying instrument.
Tsimbls used to be strung with thinner strings and less tension, in contrast to the Hungarian-Romanian cymbaloms of today, which use piano wire strung with a barbaric tension of 40-50 kilos per string.
That production tendency began in Hungary as an attempt to put the cymbalom on the concert stage in the 1870's.
Like the bass, small tsimbls were more often than not going mercilessly out of tune.
Tsimblists probably didn't even try to tune the 100-odd strings between pieces at a wedding, so I'm sure that the music then was hopelessly beyond the threshold of today's intonation standards."
Where does the construction of the Jewish tsimbl and its playing style come from?
"I designed my tuning on the basis of two 18th and19th Century historical models - Belorussian and Jewish-Ukrainian.
Alfred Pichlmaier did a wonderful job reconstructing an historical instrument for me, also based on earlier European models.
The finished product is the result of years of our combined research.
The string tension is only 8-10 Kilos per string, so the tremolos are less differentiated, and the stroking techniques are sometimes based on violin bowing techniques.
Those techniques have just developed through immersion in all kinds of Jewish music.
I don't simply restrict myself to the available materials, though - there just aren't enough of them. Lots of new ideas just naturally grow out of working with the music all the time."
Budowitz InterviewBeverly Woods and I developed this relatively small Student version of the Chromatic Tsimbl to provide a less expensive alternative to my Custom models and limited availability of imported instruments.
James Jones Student Tsimbls
James Jones Student TsimblsTsimbls
The struck string is a marvel of complex interactions whose mechanisms are simple to describe.
Of course that's not what attracted me to them, but may explain why I listen to them, play them, build them.
tsimbl.net
The struck string is a marvel of complex interactions whose mechanisms are simple to describe.
Of course that's not what attracted me to them, but may explain why I listen to them, play them, build them.
tsimbl.netJewish Strings - An Introduction to the Klezmer Tsimbl
by Pete Rushefsky
When North American Jews think of klezmer music, jazzy brass bands led by clarinets usually come to mind. But in earlier times, the klezmer kapelyes (ensembles) in Eastern Europe were string bands led by violins and often accompanied by the tsimbl (cimbalom), or hammered dulcimer.
Jewish Strings - An Introduction to the Klezmer Tsimbl
by Pete Rushefsky
When North American Jews think of klezmer music, jazzy brass bands led by clarinets usually come to mind. But in earlier times, the klezmer kapelyes (ensembles) in Eastern Europe were string bands led by violins and often accompanied by the tsimbl (cimbalom), or hammered dulcimer.
Jewish Strings - An Introduction to the Klezmer TsimblTsimbler's Blog
This is the first one I've done with bracing attached to the soundboard, as in a guitar or piano. That doesn't seem to be done in tsimbali and dulcimers; but it works. The Western Cedar soundboard, which is extremely soft and flexible, now has a crisscross of Englemann Spruce braces, which then sit on a solid rim, and are clamped to that rim with a frame.
This gives a good balance between rigidity and flexibility, and keeps the board fairly flat.
Tsimbler's Blog
This is the first one I've done with bracing attached to the soundboard, as in a guitar or piano. That doesn't seem to be done in tsimbali and dulcimers; but it works. The Western Cedar soundboard, which is extremely soft and flexible, now has a crisscross of Englemann Spruce braces, which then sit on a solid rim, and are clamped to that rim with a frame.
This gives a good balance between rigidity and flexibility, and keeps the board fairly flat.
Tsimbler's BlogBudowitz - Klezmer Group
Our instrumentation has also expanded. Along with the tsimbl (Jewish dulcimer), 2 violins, 3-string viola, 19th Century C and Eb-clarinets, early bayan (button accordion from 1889) and shoulder-strapped cello, we now also perform with baraban (drum) and even occasionally koboz (Romanian lute).
The tsimbl (dulcimer, or cymbalom) formed the rhythmic and timbral backbone of Klezmer music from the 16th to the late 19th Century. It's ability to play accompaniment as well as melody made it a versatile and necessary member of Klezmer ensembles. The construction and tuning of the Tsimbl in Budowitz was only made possible after years of detailed research into the iconography, descriptions and early existing recordings of the instrument. The style of holding the sticks between the index and 3rd finger, as well as the various types of strokes, ornaments and asymmetric phrasings and rhythms used, points to an older, more refined approach.
Budowitz - Klezmer Group
Our instrumentation has also expanded. Along with the tsimbl (Jewish dulcimer), 2 violins, 3-string viola, 19th Century C and Eb-clarinets, early bayan (button accordion from 1889) and shoulder-strapped cello, we now also perform with baraban (drum) and even occasionally koboz (Romanian lute).
The tsimbl (dulcimer, or cymbalom) formed the rhythmic and timbral backbone of Klezmer music from the 16th to the late 19th Century. It's ability to play accompaniment as well as melody made it a versatile and necessary member of Klezmer ensembles. The construction and tuning of the Tsimbl in Budowitz was only made possible after years of detailed research into the iconography, descriptions and early existing recordings of the instrument. The style of holding the sticks between the index and 3rd finger, as well as the various types of strokes, ornaments and asymmetric phrasings and rhythms used, points to an older, more refined approach.
Budowitz - Klezmer Group
. The blades were put on layers of straw, hence the name. It was played also in germany and switzerland, but was lost a long while ago. Some makers are rebuilding it.: I saw one in Münich in 1990, at the Hackbrett Festival. Fun to play, and you don't have any problem with tuning or with sustain