Folk Instruments of Carpatho-Rusyns — Viktor Sostak

by Viktor Sostak, translated by Margarita S. Mikhalyova and Jerry Jumba

Viktor Sostak, a specialist on Carpatho-Rusyn folk instruments and a
curator at the Uzhhorod Historical Museum, wrote this three-part
series on traditional instruments -- the sopilka (a wooden folk
flute), the trembita (the long alpine horn of the Hutsuls), and the
cymbaly (hammered dulcimer) -- translated by Margarita S. Mikhalyova
and Jerry Jumba.

The Trembita

duplication or use is prohibited and in violation of international copyright
law.

The author of this article. Victor Sostak, is a specialist on Carpatho-Rusyn
folk instruments. A graduate of the University of Uzhhorod, he is now a
curator at the Uzhhorod Historical Museum. This article is the first in
a series on folk instruments and was translated by Margarita S. Mikhalyova
and Jerry Jumba.

Night was drawing near. We were sitting around the bonfire, from time
to time throwing on a few dry branches. Suddenly, in the distance, we heard
faint fluttering sounds. Then the fluttering changed to resonant, accented
bursts that spread like a wave over the highlands. it rolled over the tops
of the fir trees to every hut and down into the meadows. The sound was
everywhere, bouncing from the high rocks and continuing outward a great
distance.

"That is the trembita," said our old guide smiling, "the
shepherds are calling their flocks." We listened to the melody of
the trembita with great interest. The sound expanded to its full intensity,
was sustained for a time, then rolled into the distance. We still felt
among us the subtle vibration of its presence. "The people have an
interesting tale about the word trembita." said the old guide. Seeing
that we impatiently waited for his story, he slowly lit his pipe and began
in a low voice

Once upon a time in the Hutsul region there lived a magic craftsman.
He was a very old man with flowing grey hair like the highlands covered
with snow, a wrinkled face like the furrows in the field, and a great curved
back with a peak like the Hoverla mountain, the highest in the Carpathians.
He had no wife or children. He made many unusual, finely-crafted musical
instruments, such as the ***cymbaly ***(a stringed instrument struck
with mallets), the piscalka (whistle), the ***flojar ***(whistle),
***husly ***(violin), ***maly basy ***(stringed bass),
and the ***berbenycja ***(drum).

One autumn, three brothers traveled from the distant highlands to visit
the magic craftsman. They needed a special musical pipe made from the birch
tree. They called it a berezivka and asked the craftsman if he could make
such a pipe for them. The old man was surprised that the three brothers
asked for only one pipe. They explained that they were three orphans who
worked as shepherds. They could not afford to buy three birch pipes. They
would take turns playing and hope that this special instrument would frighten
the wild animals away from the flocks.

"Alright," answered the craftsman, "I will make a pipe
during the springtime, a pipe which no person has ever had." So the
old craftsman went into the forest and selected a certain tree that had
been struck by lightning. He cut it into two even pieces and hollowed out
the inside. He covered the inside and outside with sheep fat for ninety-nine
days. This sealed the wood, protected it from cracking, and kept each piece
perfectly straight. He glued the halves with resin from the tree and then
wrapped it with rings of birch bark. From the heart of a maple tree he
carved a mouthpiece and set it in just the right position. Finally. one
evening the craftsman began to play the new pipe behind his mountain cottage.
A beautiful, powerful sound shook the mountains, so that people ran out
of their homes and listened in amazement to the enchanting music.

The three brothers returned to the magic craftsman and he gave them
the tremendous wooden pipe on which he had burned a special inscription:
Trem bratam -- "To three brothers." The brothers
returned to their village playing their magical instrument. Everywhere
they went people were astonished to hear such music. News of the magical
pipe spread throughout the Carpathians. Because it was the three brothers
who played such an instrument, the people began to call the wooden pipe
a trembita.

In Transcarpathia (Subcarpathian Rus'), there are several kinds of trembitas,
each with its own special function. The small koljadnyc'ka trembita,
less than three meters in length, is used to signal that Christmas carolers
are coming. The vivcars'ka trembita, three meters in length,
is used by shepherds to signal their location in the mountains, to call
the sheep in at dusk, and to signal if the herd is attacked by bears or
wolves. Finally, the third type, the ***pochorona ***or funeral
trembita, is longer than three meters and its main function is to play
outside the house where the body is laid out for.viewing. There are special
funeral melodies to help express the grief of the village, an age-old ritual
that is vividly portrayed in the motion picture, Shadows of Forgotten
Ancestors, based on a short novel by Mychajlo Kocjubns'kyj.

The large trembita is also played on happy occasions, such as festivals
and weddings. The wedding procession and the home of the bride and groom
are surrounded with joyful trembita calls in a major key. They sound out
so happily that other shepherds across the mountains answer the joyous
calls. Another happy occasion is in the spring when farewell calls are
played to the residents of the mountains. The people in the valley hear
these most cheerful trembita calls as the shepherds signal the return to
their native villages.

It is dark now. The ancient fir trees stand in the shadow of the moonlit
night and touch the sky. One last time we hear the trembita sound. It is
a sorrowful melody of departure, a shepherd leaving a loved one.

***U trembiton'ku zahraju, zahraju, zahudu,

Z svojim mylym ridnym krajem rozmovu povedu. . .***

I will play my trembita,

and Thereby speak with my dear native land.

It is very difficult to imagine the Carpathian forests and highlands
without the magic song of the trembita.

Victor Sostak Uzhhorod

The Cymbaly

Originally published and copyright 1985. C-RA Vol VIII
copyright law.

This article, written by Victor Sostak, specialist on Carpatho-Rusyn
folk instruments and a curator at the Uzhhorod Historical Museum, is the
second in a series an folk instruments.

A large gray tempestuous cloud covered the sky. The mountain, covered
by a forest of fir-trees, was still, waiting for the storm. A few sporadic
raindrops fell out of the gray sky, pounding the rooftops of the Verchovyna
village. Suddenly the sky was illuminated by lightning and a loud clap
of thunder was heard.

"Hurry up," Petro said to himself as he put on his cap and
rubber boots. He quickly grabbed his axe and went to the mountain.

The old master craftsman went through the forest looking for the wood
that was to become his cymbaly. He was hunting for a tree
with resonant wood - a white maple, beech, or hazelnut that had matured
while standing in the path of the wind and had been warmed by the sun.
A tree that had been struck by lightning (hromovicja) was
considered to be the best choice.

He was in a hurry to find the tree. Streams of rainwater covered his
face. The soft ground clung to his boots, making them very heavy. Climbing
up the hill was difficult. He had worked in the lowlands and had seen the
misfortune and suffering of his people. He had always dreamed of making
the instrument that could help make a difficult life happier. He made his
first ***cymbaly ***when he was a boy. He always smiled when he
remembered that cymbaly. Now he was a well-known craftsman. Many musicians
and ensembles wished to own a ***cymbaly ***made by his hands.
He had made so many ***cymbaly ***-- the Verchovyna harmonic
and rhythmic cymbaly, the Hutsul cymbaly, and the
large chromatic cymbaly.

The Verchovyna cymbaly is very popular in the Mizhirja
and Volovec' districts. This trapezoid-shaped instrument, measuring 50
to 70 centimeters in length and 25 to 30 centimeters in width, is light,
portable, and produces a resonant sound. A group of three strings is called
a bunt. There are six bunts on each side of the cymbaly.
Each bunt is divided in the middle and supported by a specially carved
wooden bridge called a kobylka. The bass strings do not have
a kobylka. The sound is produced by striking the open strings
with ***balcaty ***(mallets made of maple or thornwood). In the
popular musical trio Trojisty Muzyky, the Verchovyna ***cymbaly ***adds
harmony and rhythm to the musical sound, and sits between the ***husly
***(violin) and the ***baraban ***(drum).

The Hutsul cymbaly, popular in Transcarpathia, comes in
two sizes -- large and small. The small Hutsul ***cymbaly ***has
ten bunts with three strings each. The bass strings, having two or three
bunts with two strings each, are tuned in octaves. The other strings have
a diatonic, or major scale order, and are limited in their tonal possibilities.
The large Hutsul ***cymbaly ***is capable of performing all of
the musical functions in the orchestra. It can play melody, rhythm, or
harmony, and gives the best tonal foundation for the orchestral sound.

The Verchovyna and Hutsul cymbaly are used at a number
of special occasions, such as the traditional wedding procession and the
farewell to the shepherds as they leave for the ***polonyna ***(high
pasture lands). On these occasions, the cymbalist stands while playing.
A belt is connected to each side of the ***cymbaly ***and rests
across the player's neck and shoulders. During a dance or a concert, the
***cymbaly ***rests on the player's knees. The cymbalist uses the
palm of his hand to stop the strings from ringing at the end of the musical
phrase.

The Hungarian chromatic cymbaly (sundivs'kyj cymbaly)
is larger than the other two types. Each bunt has groupings of either two,
three, or four strings that have the same pitch. This ***cymbaly ***has
35 bunts. The strings progress chromatically for three octaves.

The variety of cymbaly, the long tradition of folk performance,
and the degree of craftsmanship needed to make the ***cymbaly ***all
attest to the high musical culture of our Carpatho-Rusyn people. Yet, there
was a time when folk instruments were not allowed at public performances.
Now, the ***cymbaly ***is played throughout Transcarpathia in folk
orchestras, and there are classes at musical colleges and schools for those
who wish to learn how to play this instrument.

The tree which Petro had sought for so long suddenly came into view.
The lightning bolt had split the tree from top to bottom. Petro touched
the middle of the tree; it was still warm. With a feeling of anticipation,
he tapped the tree with the handle of his axe and was thrilled by the results.
The tree came back to life and the tapping sound resonated from the wood.
He began to chop at the tree with his axe, but it would not be cut from
the side. He had to pull the pieces toward himself, following the fibrous
pattern of the wood.

On the table, there rested a new ***cymbaly ***whose color was
a beautiful orangebrown hue. The sun's rays entered the room and were reflected
from the polished surface of the wood. Petro, the craftsman, took his mallets
and struck the silver strings and a charming melody resonated from the
instrument.

Victor Sostak - Uzhhorod

The Sopilka

The author of this article, Viktor Sostak is a specialist on Carpatho-Rusyn
folk instruments and a curator at the Uzhhorod Historical Museum. This
article is the conclusion of a series on folk instruments and was translated
by Margarita S. Mikhalyova and Jerry Jumba. - Editor.

A young boy from the village of Klenova in Zemplyn county playing
the sopilka.

Did you hear how a sopilka plays? If not, you can hear this in Transcarpathia.
Go where the bright colors and wonderful sounds create a musical magic
all their own. Among the rustling of the pines and gurgling of mountain
streams, many musicians are born. Under sensitive fingers, not only violins,
cymbali, and trembity play, but the leaf of the periwinkle and the skin
of an ordinary fish also have a musical life in the musician's hands. But
certainly the most unusual voice is that of the sopilka.

***Oj chto toto v polonyni hraje na sopilci?

To mij ljubko soloden'kij dozyraje vivci.***

***Sopilocka javorova skrypocka z horicha,

Jak zahrajut', zascebecut to moja uticha.***

***Veselen'ko zaspivaju, v sopilku poduju.

Spivanocok dosta znaju, rota ne Skoduju.***

Oh, who plays the sopilka on the high meadowland?

It is my sweet boyfriend who is watching over the sheep.

The little sopilka made of maple, and the violin of walnut,

How they play like birds, chirping for my enjoyment.

I will sing happily and play the sopilka,

I know many songs and will not wear out my lips.

In a sincere way and with great love the Rusyn people sing about this
expressive instrument which they call the pyscalka, dudka, or sopilka.

The dence and copyk

The sound of the ***sopilka ***depends on the strength of the
wind flowing through the opening. The upper section, called the dence,
or svistok, meaning "whistle", contains and inserted
piece of wood called the copyk. In the dence,
the friction of the air column against the ***copyk ***speeds the
air to create the necessary vibration that will resonate in the body of
the ***sopilka ***and give us the ***sopilka ***sound.

In Subcarpathian Rus', there were two kinds of ***sopilky ***-
one with and one without the whistle mechanism. The type of ***sopilka
***containing the whistle mechanism is sometimes referred to as the
dencivka. It is made of elder wood. It should be mentioned
that in the Hutsul, Bojko, and Verchovyna regions of Transcarpathia, all
***sopilky ***and ***dencivky ***are called ***pyscalky
***from ***pyscaty ***(to peep).

The pitch of the sopilka's sound depends on the length
and width of the pipe. The longer and wider pipe has the lower sound, the
short and thin pipe has the higher sound. With the help of six uncovered
holes made with a hot iron or a carving knife, a player produces different
pitches.

If you want to make a fine-sounding sopilka, it is a complicated
process. It is important to select the proper wood with a sturdy, even
structure that has a regular distance between the tree's growth rings.
In order to have ***sopilky ***for a folk orchestra, you must make
the instruments alike to play in tune with one another. It is difficult
to find perfectly matched pieces of wood. The ***sopilka ***maker
must carve and drill precise measurements into like pieces of wood. For
this reason, a ***sopilka ***that is made without the whistle mechanism
is used by most folk orchestras in Subcarpathian Rus'. It is known as the
sopilka bezdencivka. Because it has no whistle mechanism
the proper sounding of this instrument demands special training and constant
attention from the performer. In the hands of a good musician, it will
make a fine sound.

In the Verchovyna, the mountainous central area, one can find the skosivka.
The ***skosivka ***has a diagonal mouthpiece that is cut at approximately
a 45' angle, with no finger holes on the body. With the help of the fingers
at the bottom of the pipe one can change the pitch. The more open the hole
at the bottom, the lower the pitch will be. The finger covers the hole
at 1/4. 1/3 and 1/2 its size. The length of the ***sopilka ***is
usually 60 centimeters.

Two very interesting ***sopilky ***of the ***bezdencivka
***type are the ***flojara ***and the frylka.
These are very popular among the Hutsuls of Transcarpathia.

The ***flojara ***is mentioned in this ancient kolomyjka verse:

***Oj zenu ja polonyno ovecok otaru,

ta zahudu ta zahraju v vivcars'ku flojaru.***

***Jak hucula ne ljubyty koly hucul hraje,

Na flojari, na sopilci i na trembiti znaje.***

Oh, I drive my sheep into the high meadow

and I play my shepherd's flojara.

How could you not love a Hutsul who knows

how to play the flojara, sopilka and even the trembita?

The length of the ***flojara ***is one meter (about 39 inches).
One can change its sound with the help of six holes on its body. In addition,
the performer gives a specific color to the ***flojara ***sound
by humming a bass pitch that resonates in the chest. The ***flojara
***is a solo instrument, and is sometimes called the Dido's
Flojara (grandfather's flojara) because of its quiet nature.

The frylka, like the flojara, has six holes
and no whistle mechanism. The mouthpiece tip is cut in a shape similar
to the top of a volcano. One can produce a diatonic scale and play loudly
or softly. ***Frylky ***are used in ensembles and play the main
melody along with the violins. The musicians classify the ***frylka
***according to the instrument it will accompany. There is the ***frylka
***for violin. It is 20 centimeters long and sounds like a piccolo.
The ***frylka ***for ***cymbaly ***is 30 centimeters long
and sounds like the upper register of the flute. The ***holyhonka ***is
40 centimeters and sounds like the middle register of the flute.

In the mountain districts among the Hutsuls, one will find some interesting
members of the sopilka dencivka family:

The dvodencivka, the kuvycja, and the telynka.

The dvodencivka, or dzurun'kalka is the
carving of two ***dencivky ***from one piece of wood. It is rectangular
in shape and one side has a row of six holes, the other side has no holes.
It will drone a constant pitch while the six-holed side is active with
a melody.

In the mountain districts among the Hutsuls, one will find some interesting
members of the sopilka dencivka family:

The dvodencivka, the kuvycja, and the telynka.

The ***kuvycja ***- so called because it imitates the cuckoo

is known to us as the Pan pipes. It consists of eight to ten short pipes
of different lengths from the largest to the shortest. They are tied together
or glued with sap or resin. A few of these are made entirely of one piece
of wood. With the help of a mouthpiece having the ***dence ***and
the copyk, a diatonic scale from do to do can be produced.

In the Verchovyna region, one can still find the telynka.
It is 70 centimeters in length and has a mouthpiece but no finger holes.
One can change the pitch with the index finger closing the bottom hole
at 1/4, 1/2, or 1/3 its size. This is a solo instrument that does not play
loudly.

The sounds of the ***sopilka ***family express an artistic spectrum
of human emotions in Transcarpathia. The most prevalent of these is heard
in the vitality of happy music. These verses sung about the ***sopilka
***reflect this feeling:

***Oj pozenu vivci pasty u zeleni bory,

Na sopilci lys zahraju, obizvutsja hory.***

***Hraj, sopilko, cile lito, skrypka dopomoze,

Teper vilna Verchovyna i zyrtja zamozne.***

***Ljetsja holos sopilocky, jak voda zvoramy,

Chaj na viky mir i druzba kripne mezy namy.***

Oh when I drive my sheep to pasture in the green forest.

I play my sopilka, and the mountains answer it.

Play, sopilka, all summer long, the violins will help you,

Now the Verchovyna is free and our life is full.

The voice of the sopilka pours like water through the gorges,

Let there forever be peace and friendship among us all.

***Viktor Sostak Uzhhorod ***

Colophon

Viktor Sostak's three-part series on Carpatho-Rusyn folk instruments,
translated by Margarita S. Mikhalyova and Jerry Jumba, is hosted at
carpatho-rusyn.org (Carpatho-Rusyn Knowledge Base). Captured 2026-08-05
from http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/instru/trem.html, cymbaly.html,
and sopilka.html. Published here under permission held by the New
Tianmu Anglican Church for this material, recorded 2026-08-05; all
rights remain with the original author, Viktor Sostak, and the Uzhhorod
Historical Museum. A third-party translation reprint (translated by
Mikhalyova and Jumba), not a Good Works Translation prepared by this
library. The sopilka essay is presented last, as the source's own text
describes it as "the conclusion of a series."

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