Balalaika

The earliest mention of the term balalaika dates back to a 1688 arrest document.{{Cite book |last=Averin |first=V. A. |title=Балалаечное исполнительство в Сибири: Опыт монографического исследования. |publisher=Yenisei Annals |publication-date=2013 |pages=31–33 |language=ru |trans-title=Balalaika performance in Siberia: Experience of monographic research}}{{Cite journal |last=Chlebak |first=Nicolas |date=2015-01-01 |title=The 'Adaptability' of the Balalaika: An Ethnomusicological Investigation of the Russian Traditional Folk Instrument |url=https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/castheses/14/ |journal=UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses |pages= |quote= |ref=Chlebak |via=ScholarWorks}}{{Rp|pages=16–17|quote=A record from the year 1688 documents the arrest of two peasants, Savka Fyodorov, son of Selevnev, and Ivashko Dmitriev, who rode up to Yausky gate and antagonized the guard stationed there whilst singing and playing the balalaika [Fig. 2]. Not only does this event capture the first concrete glimpse of the balalaika, but exemplifies its initial role as an instrument of rebellion, defying the oppression of the heirarchy.}} Another appearance of the word is found in a claim dated October 1700 in what is now the Verkhotursky district of Russia.{{Cite web |last=Ivanov |first=Alexander V. |date=2015-02-17 |title=Балалайка. История балалайки. Русская балалайка и русские музыкальные традиции. |trans-title=History of the balalaika: The Russian balalaika and Russian musical traditions |url=http://www.2-capital.ru/balalajka.html |website=Политический клуб две столицы |language=ru}}{{Rp|page=18|quote=On a similar note to the arrest record, another incident from a few decades later in October of 1700 calls attention to the balalaika’s aggressive beginnings. Pronka and Alexey Bayanovy, two coachmen from Verkhotursky county, claim that they were chased by L. Pashkov, the domestic servant of the magistrate K.P.Kozlov, and beaten with a balalaika.}} Peter the Great requested balalaika performers to play at the wedding celebrations of N.M. Zotov in Saint Petersburg.{{Rp|page=21|quote=However, contrary to the concerns that the balalaika would die out, balalaika performers were present at the celebration that Peter the Great organized for the prince-pope’s mock wedding in 1715.}}

In the Ukrainian language, the word was first documented in the 18th century as "balabaika"; this form is also present in South Russian dialects and the Belarusian language, as well as in Siberian Russia.[http://izbornyk.org.ua/djvu/tymchenko_slovnyk.htm Історичний словник українського язика] (tr. "Historical dictionary of the Ukrainian language ") Під ред. Є. Тимченка; укл.: Є. Тимченко, Є. Волошин, К. Лазаревська, Г. Петренко. — К.-Х., 1930–32. — Т. 1. — XXIV + 948 с. Зошит 1: А — Глу. — С. 52.{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/revelationssibe01felgoog|title=Revelations of Siberia.|last1=Felinska|first1=Ewa|last2=Lach-Szyrma|first2=Krystyn|date=1852|publisher=London, Colburn and co.|others=University of Michigan}}

It made its way into literature in the 18th century, first appearing in "Elysei", a 1771 poem by V. Maykov.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} "Balalaika" also appears in Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls, written between 1837 and 1842.{{Cite book |last=Gogol |first=Nikolai |title=Dead Souls—A Poem |publisher=CHATTO & WINDUS |year=1922 |edition=Wikisource |location=London |language=en |translator-last=Garnett |translator-first=Constance |chapter=CHAPTER V |quote=As he drove up to the steps he observed two faces peeping out of the window almost at the same moment: a woman's face in a cap as long and narrow as a cucumber, and a man's as full and round as the Moldavian pumpkins called gorlyankas out of which the Russians make balalaikas, light two-stringed balalaikas, the adornment and delight of the jaunty twenty-year-old peasant lad, the saucy dandy winking and whistling to the white-bosomed, white-throated maidens who gather round to listen to the tinkle of his thrumming. |access-date=2024-09-13 |orig-date=1842 |chapter-url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dead_Souls%E2%80%94A_Poem/Book_One/Chapter_V}}

File:Isfl secunda balalaika.png

File:Contrabassbalalaika.jpg

File:A prima balalaika and a bass balalaika.jpg

The most common solo instrument is the prima, which is tuned E₄–E₄–A₄ (thus the two lower strings are tuned to the same pitch). Sometimes the balalaika is tuned "guitar style" by folk musicians to G₃–B₃–D₄ (mimicking the three highest strings of the Russian guitar), whereby it is easier to play for Russian guitar players, although classically trained balalaika purists avoid this tuning. It can also be tuned to E₄–A₄–D₅, like its cousin, the domra, to make it easier for those trained on the domra to play the instrument, and still have a balalaika sound.[http://www.get-tuned.com/balalaika.php How to tune a Balalaika] www.get-tuned.com accessed 30 January 2021 The folk (pre-Andreev) tunings D₄–F{{music|sharp}}₄–A₄ and C₄–E₄–G₄ were very popular, as this makes it easier to play certain riffs.{{cite web|url=http://balalaikafr.free.fr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=61&lang=us|title=Balalaika.fr – Origins of balalaika|author=Micha Tcherkassky |website=balalaikafr.free.fr}}

Balalaikas have been made in the following sizes:Ekkel, Bibs; The Complete Balalaika Book; Mel Bay Publications; Pacific, Missouri: 1997. pg. 90–92. {{ISBN|0-7866-2475-2}}

:

{{notelist|refs=

{{efn|name=a|Obsolete}}

{{efn|name=b|Rare}}

{{efn|name=c|Members of the modern balalaika orchestra}}

{{efn|name=d|Secundas are often the same instrument as primas, just tuned to a lower pitch range}}

}}

Factory-made six-string prima balalaikas with three sets of double courses are also common. These have three double courses similar to the stringing of the mandolin and often use a "guitar" tuning.[http://www.mandolinluthier.com/balalaika_page.htm What is a balalaika?] www.mandolinluthier.com accessed 30 January 2021

Four-string alto balalaikas are also encountered and are used in the orchestra of the Piatnistky Folk Choir.

The piccolo, prima, and secunda balalaikas were originally strung with gut with the thinnest melody string made of stainless steel. Today, nylon strings are commonly used in place of gut.[http://www.balalajka.com/info.html Basic Information] www.balalajka.com accessed 30 January 2021

Amateur and/or souvenir-style prima balalaikas usually have a total of 16 frets, while in professional orchestra-like ones that number raises to 24.

An important part of balalaika technique is the use of the left thumb to fret notes on the lower string, particularly on the prima, where it is used to form chords. Traditionally, the side of the index finger of the right hand is used to sound notes on the prima, while a plectrum is used on the larger sizes.

Because of the large size of the contrabass's strings, it is not uncommon to see players using a plectrum made from a leather shoe or boot heel. Bass and contrabass balalaikas rest on the ground, on a wooden or metal pin that is drilled into one of its corners.

File:Stamp-russia2014-musical-instruments-block.png

It is possible that the emergence and evolution of the balalaika was a product of interaction with Asian-Oriental cultures. In addition to European culture, early Russian states, also called Rus' or Rusi, were also influenced by Oriental-Asian cultures.{{Cite book|title=The Huns|last=Kim, Hyun Jin, 1982-|isbn=9781317340904|location=Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon|pages=157|oclc=930082848|date = 19 November 2015}}{{Cite journal|last=Chamberlin|first=William Henry|date=1960|title=Russia between East and West|journal=The Russian Review|volume=19|issue=4|pages=309–315|doi=10.2307/126474|issn=0036-0341|jstor=126474}} Some theories say that the instrument is descended from the domra, an instrument from the East Slavs. In the Caucasus, similar instruments such as the Mongolian topshur, used in Kalmykia, and the Panduri used in Georgia are played. It is also similar to the Kazakh dombra, which has two strings.

Findeizen, Nikolai. History of Music in Russia from Antiquity to 1800. Ed. Miloš Velimirović

and Claudia Jensen. Vol. 1. Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 2008. P. 172. Variants of the dombra played by the Bashkirs often have 3 strings and may represent an instrument related to both the dombra and the balalaika.

Early representations of the balalaika show it with anywhere from two to six strings. Similarly, frets on earlier balalaikas were made of animal gut and tied to the neck so that they could be moved around by the player at will (as is the case with the modern saz, which allows for the playing distinctive to Turkish and Central Asian music).

The first known document mentioning the instrument dates back to 1688. A guard's logbook from the Moscow Kremlin records that two commoners were stopped from playing the Balalaika whilst drunk.{{cite news|title=Balalaika orchestra offers glimpse of instruments, music|url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/entertainment/article_3bd28b46-7c32-5f5d-aa33-fd7d73a5a781.html|access-date=18 December 2012|newspaper=The Daily Progress|date=28 September 2012}} Further documents from 1700 and 1714 also mention the instrument. In the early 18th century the term appeared in Ukrainian documents, where it sounded like "Balabaika". Balalaika appeared in "Elysei", a 1771 poem by V. Maikov.Аверин, В. А. Балалаечное исполнительство в Сибири: Опыт монографического исследования. (tr. "Balalaika Performance in Siberia: Experience monographic research.") Енисейский летописец (2013). pp. 31-33. In the 19th century, the balalaika evolved into a triangular instrument with a neck that was substantially shorter than that of its Asian counterparts. It was popular as a village instrument for centuries, particularly with the skomorokhs, sort of free-lance musical jesters whose tunes ridiculed the Tsar, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Russian society in general.Шанский Н. М., Иванов В. В., Шанская Т. В. Скоморох // Краткий этимологический словарь русского языка. Пособие для учителя (tr." Brief etymological dictionary of the Russian language. A guide for teachers") / Под ред. чл.-кор. АН СССР С. Г. Бархударова. — М.: Просвещение, 1971. p. 412

File:Balalaïka "Москва 80".jpg in Moscow]]

In the 1880s, Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev, who was then a professional violinist in the music salons of St Petersburg, developed what became the standardized balalaika, with the assistance of violin maker V. Ivanov. The instrument began to be used in his concert performances. A few years later, St. Petersburg craftsman Paserbsky further refined the instruments by adding a fully chromatic set of frets and also a number of balalaikas in orchestral sizes with the tunings now found in modern instruments. One of the reasons why the instruments were not standardised, was because people in the outlying areas built their own instruments because there was so little communication for them. There were no roads and weather conditions were generally bad. Andreyev patented the design and arranged numerous traditional Russian folk melodies for the orchestra. He also composed a body of concert pieces for the instrument.Прохоров, А. М., ed. Большая Советская Энциклопедия. (tr. "Great Soviet Encyclopedia ") 3rd ed. Vol. 2. Москва: Советская Энциклопедия, 1970. pp. 16-17.

File:Balalaika.jpg

The result of Andreyev's labours was the establishment of an orchestral folk tradition in Tsarist Russia, which later grew into a movement within the Soviet Union.Smith, Susannah L. "Folk Music." Encyclopedia of Russian History. Ed. James R. Millar.

Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. p. 510. The balalaika orchestra in its full form consists of balalaikas, domras, gusli, bayan, Vladimir Shepherd's Horns, garmoshkas, and several types of percussion instruments.

With the establishment of the Soviet system and the entrenchment of a proletarian cultural direction, the culture of the working classes (which included that of village labourers) was actively supported by the Soviet establishment. The concept of the balalaika orchestra was adopted wholeheartedly by the Soviet government as something distinctively proletarian (that is, from the working classes) and was also deemed progressive. Significant amounts of energy and time were devoted to support and foster the formal study of the balalaika, from which highly skilled ensemble groups such as the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra emerged. Balalaika virtuosi such as Boris Feoktistov and Pavel Necheporenko became stars both inside and outside the Soviet Union. The movement was so powerful that even the renowned Red Army Choir, which initially used a normal symphonic orchestra, changed its instrumentation, replacing violins, violas, and violoncellos with orchestral balalaikas and domras.Schwarz, Boris. Music and Musical Life in Soviet Russia. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1983. p. 495.

File:Петров Смотрины-невесты 1861.jpg in 1861. The scene portrays the old Russian tradition of the bride-show while a balalaika is played.]]

Often musicians perform solo on the balalaika. In particular, Alexey Arkhipovsky is well known for his solo performances.{{Cite web|url=http://www.arkhipovskiy.com/|title=Алексей Архиповский |trans-title=Alexey Arkhipovsky |website=Алексей Архиповский|language=ru-RU|access-date=2018-10-16}} In particular, he was invited to play at the opening ceremony of the second semi final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow because the organizers wanted to give a "more Russian appearance" to the contest.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsmusic.ru/news_4_18413.htm |script-title=ru:Алексей Архиповский: Выступлением на "Евровидении" я недоволен! |trans-title=Alexey Arkhipovsky: I'm not happy with my performance at Eurovision! |publisher=NEWSmusic.Ru |language=ru |access-date=5 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102110204/http://newsmusic.ru/news_4_18413.htm |archive-date=2 January 2011 }}

{{Expand section|date=July 2020}}

See Category: Russian balalaika players (English Wikipedia) and a larger one in Russian

• {{ill|Shaukat Sabirovich Amirov|lt=Shaukat Amirov|ru|Амиров, Шаукат Сабирович}}
• Vasily Andreyev
• {{ill|Evgeniy Grigoryevich Avksentyev|lt=Evgeniy Avksentyev|ru|Авксентьев, Евгений Григорьевич}}
• {{ill|Vasiliy Evgenyevich Avksentyev|lt=Vasiliy Avksentyev|ru|Авксентьев, Василий Евгениевич}}
• {{ill|Grigoriy Evgenyevich Avksentyev|lt=Grigoriy Avksentyev|ru|Авксентьев, Григорий Евгениевич}}
• Alexey Arkhipovsky
• Elina Karokhina
• Pavel Necheporenko
• {{ill|Boris Sergeyevich Troyanovskiy|lt=Boris Troyanovskiy|ru|Трояновский, Борис Сергеевич}}

File: Imperial Russian Balilika Court Orchestra.jpg]]

Through the 20th century, interest in Russian folk instruments grew outside of Russia, likely as a result of western tours by Andreyev and other balalaika virtuosi early in the century. Significant balalaika associations are found in Washington, D.C.,{{cite web|url=http://absorchestra.org/|title=The American Balalaika Symphony: Experience It!|work=absorchestra.org|access-date=23 February 2016}} Los Angeles,{{cite web|url=http://www.russianstrings.com/|title=Los Angeles Balalaika Orchestra|work=russianstrings.com|access-date=23 February 2016}} New York,{{cite web|url=http://www.barynya.com/orchestra.htm|title=New York Russian Balalaika Orchestra|work=barynya.com|access-date=23 February 2016}} Atlanta{{cite web|url=http://www.atlantabalalaika.com/|title=Atlanta Balalaika Society|work=atlantabalalaika.com|access-date=23 February 2016}} and Seattle.{{cite web|url=http://www.balalaika.org/|title=Washington Balalaika Society – Home|work=balalaika.org|access-date=23 February 2016}}

• Ian Anderson plays balalaika on two songs from the 1969 Jethro Tull album Stand Up: "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" and "Fat Man".{{cite web|url=http://jethrotull.com/?portfolio=stand-up|title=Stand Up – Jethro Tull|work=jethrotull.com|access-date=23 February 2016}}
• Wes Anderson's 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel (winner of the 87th Academy Award for Best Original Score){{cite web | url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2015 | title=THE 87TH ACADEMY AWARDS 2015 | date=10 March 2015 }} employs many balalaikas in both Alexandre Desplat's original score and several sound-track recordings by the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}
• Oleg Bernov of the Russian-American rock band the Red Elvises played a red electrified contrabass balalaika during the band's North American tours.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} Dejah Sandoval currently tours with the Red Elvises and plays the bass balalaika.{{Cite web|last1=Jagernauth|first1=Kevin|date=2014-06-19|title=Exclusive: Pics Of Recording Sessions For 'Grand Budapest Hotel,' Randall Poster Talks Score, Wes Anderson & More|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/06/exclusive-pics-of-recording-sessions-for-grand-budapest-hotel-randall-poster-talks-score-wes-anderson-more-84671/|access-date=2020-10-30|website=IndieWire|language=en}}
• Kate Bush featured the balalaika (played by her brother Paddy Bush) in two of her Top-40 singles, "Babooshka" and "Running Up That Hill".[http://www.katebushencyclopedia.com/running-up-that-hill Running Up That Hill]
• Katzenjammer, the Norwegian all-girl pop band, uses two contrabass balalaikas, both of which have cat faces painted on the front. They are named Børge and Akerø.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/AkeroKatzenjammersCatFacedContraBassBalalaika|title=Security Check Required|work=facebook.com|access-date=23 February 2016}}{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dq5F2gm2Xw| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211123/7Dq5F2gm2Xw| archive-date=2021-11-23 | url-status=live|title=Akero – Its All About the Bass – Katzenjammer|date=29 September 2015|access-date=23 February 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}
• David Lean's 1965 film Doctor Zhivago features balalaika prominently in the score and the plot.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/filmmusic00russ|url-access=registration|quote=Zhivago balalaika music.|title=Film Music|last1=Russell|first1=Mark|last2=Young|first2=James Edward|date=2000|publisher=Focal Press|isbn=9780240804415|pages=[https://archive.org/details/filmmusic00russ/page/48 48]–51|language=en}}{{Cite journal|last=Brassard|first=Jeffrey|date=2017|title=Slavophilism, nostalgia and the curse of Western ideas: Reflections on Russia's past in Alexander Proshkin's 2006 adaptation of Doctor Zhivago|url=http://historicalfictionsjournal.org/pdf/JHF%202017-111.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://historicalfictionsjournal.org/pdf/JHF%202017-111.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|journal=Journal of Historical Fictions|volume=1|pages=111–129|via=Google Scholar}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z8eQAgAAQBAJ&q=zhivago&pg=PA77|title=Narrative Comprehension, Causality, and Coherence: Essays in Honor of Tom Trabasso|last1=Goldman|first1=Susan R.|last2=Graesser|first2=Arthur C.|last3=Broek|first3=Paul van den|date=August 1999|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135666071|pages=89|language=en}}
• VulgarGrad, an Australian band fronted by actor Jacek Koman, plays songs of the Russian criminal underground, and uses a contrabass balalaika.{{cite web|url=http://vulgargrad.com/biography/|title=Band|work=Vulgargrad|date=7 June 2010 |access-date=23 February 2016}}
• RebbeSoul plays the balalaika on numerous songs on the RebbeSoul albums Fringe Of Blue, RebbeSoul-O, Change The World With A Sound, and From Another World. He also plays the balalaika on the Common Tongue album Step Into My Word and on the Shlomit & RebbeSoul album The Seal Of Solomon.
• The instrument is featured in the episode "The Secret War" of the 2019 Netflix series Love, Death & Robots.
• The instrument is used alongside a piano and a bayan (a type of Russian accordion) in the piece "A Journey" from the soundtrack of the 2013 Japanese animated film The Wind Rises.
• Selo i Ludy, a Ukrainian folk band, utilises the balalaika.
• The instrument makes a brief appearance in Charlie Chaplin's 1931 film City Lights.
• The Beatles' song "Back in the U.S.S.R." includes the lyric "let me hear your balalaikas ringing out".
• "Wind of Change" by Scorpions includes the lyric "let your balalaika sing what my guitar wants to say ".
• The balalaika is played in "Boris the Blade Theme" from the 2000 comedy crime film Snatch directed by Guy Ritchie.
• It is featured in the soundtrack of Furious (2017 film)
• The Vampire Weekend song "Pravda" includes the lyric "I took the family balalaika".
• Featured in B. B. Gabor song "Moscow Drug Club" with the lyrics "You don't hear balalaikas, Because they're playing saxophone".

{{Portal|Music|Russia}}

{{See also|Lute#History and evolution of the lute}}

• Domra
• Gibson Flying V
• Timeline of Russian innovation

{{Reflist|30em}}

• Блок В. Оркестр русских народных инструментов. Москва, 1986.
• Имханицкий М. В. В. Андреев – Материалы и документы. Москва, 1986.
• Имханицкий М. У истоков русской народной оркестровой культуры. Москва, 1987.
• Имханицкий М. История исполнительства на русских народных инструментах. Москва, 2002.
• Пересада А. Балалайка. Москва, 1990.
• Попонов В. Оркестр хора имени Пятницкого. Москва, 1979.
• Попонов В. Русская народная инструментальная музыка. Москва, 1984.
• Вертков К. Русские народные музыкальные инструменты. Музыка, Ленинград, 1975.

{{Commons category|Balalaika}}

{{EB1911 poster|Balalaïka}}

• [https://ibalalaika.com/balalaika-setup-lesson-1/ Balalaika Part Names And Setup – Balalaika Lesson 1] on ibalalaika.com
• (en) [http://www.skaz1.com/balalaika.engl.html "Balalaika"]—article by Dmitry Belinskiy from the newspaper Krymskaya Pravda. Balalaika music, video
• [http://goshabagpiper.narod.ru/history.htm Russian site about balalaika. History of balalaika], by Georgy Nefyodov
• [http://www.andreaslehmann.com/files/andreaslehmann/downloads/chord-reference-for-balalaika.pdf Chord reference for Prima-Balalaika]
• (rus) [https://balalaika.org.ru/ balalaika.org.ru]: music sheets, video, forum, etc.
• {{YouTube|F6pPP2kfHzU|An example of balalaika playing}}
• (de) [http://www.russische-balalaika.de/ russische-balalaika.de – informative Website]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MTZd6lsd4k An example of a reconstructed pre-Andreyev balalaika with two strings] on YouTube
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y_-HNU5qag An example of a Bessarabian tune on balalaika, Dieter and Ally Hauptmann] on YouTube.
• [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c5T41iRVDrc# The magic] of Alexey Arkhipovsky. Sharmanka ("Hurdy-gurdy"). YouTube.

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