domra

{{Short description|Musical instrument}}

{{Distinguish|Dombra}}

{{Refimprove|date=April 2021}}

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{{Infobox instrument

| name = Domra

| image = Домра эксп. цеха фабрики Луначарского, 1970-е.JPG

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| background = string

| names =

| classification = Plucked string instrument

| hornbostel_sachs = 321.321

| hornbostel_sachs_desc = Composite chordophone

| inventors =

| developed =

| timbre =

| volume =

| attack =

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| range = center

| pitch =

| related = Balalaika, Mandolin

| musicians =

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}}

The domra (Cyrillic: до́мра, {{IPA|[ˈdɔmrɑ]}}) is a long-necked Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian folk string instrument of the lute family with a round body and three or four metal strings.

History

The first known mention of domra is in Admonitions of Metropolitan Daniel (1530).{{sfn|Imkhanitskii|2018|p=105}} This musical instrument gained great popularity in the 16th–17th centuries, replacing gusli.{{sfn|Imkhanitskii|2018|p=134}} There are numerous mentions of domra in historic documents of this period.{{sfn|Imkhanitskii|2018|p=135–136}} In addition, medieval Russian illuminated manuscripts of the Psalter contain images of musicians with necked plucked-string instruments, and some of those miniatures are clearly captioned «depiction of domras». Judging by those images, late medieval Russian domras can be divided into two types: lute-shaped, which had five to six strings, a large body and а pegbox angled back, and tanbur-shaped, which had three to four strings, a small body and a straight pegbox.{{sfn|Imkhanitskii|2018|p=139–153}}

After the pious Tsar Alexis of Russia issued an edict ordering the persecution of Russian folk musicians and destruction of their instruments (1648), domra gradually came into disuse and was replaced by balalaika, which was much easier to make and play.{{sfn|Imkhanitskii|2018|p=153–156}}

In 1896, a student of Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev found a broken instrument in a stable in rural Russia. It was thought that this instrument may have been an example of a domra, although at that time no illustrations or examples of the traditional domra were known to exist (the traditional domra was only known through numerous mentions in folklore, though examples existed of the dombra, a related Turkic instrument). A three-stringed version of this instrument was later redesigned in 1896, patented, and introduced into the orchestra of Russian folk instruments.{{cite web |title=Государственный академический русский оркестр им. В. В. Андреева |trans-title=State Academic Russian Orchestra. V. V. Andreeva |website=Andreyev Orchestra |place=Russia |url=http://www.andreyev-orchestra.ru |access-date=30 January 2021}}

Orchestral instruments

File:Soviet domra.jpg

Image:Domra and bandola.jpg

The basic domra is tuned as follows:

  • Three strings: EAD tuning.
  • Four strings: GDAE tuning (like the mandolin or the violin)

Instruments are made in various sizes including piccolo, prima, alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass.

  • Piccolo: b1 e2 a2{{cite web|url=http://www.balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com/en/instrumenter/domra-stemning-og-spillemade/tabulatur-for-piccolo-domra/|title=Tablature for piccolo domra |website=Balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com}}
  • Prima: e1 a1 d2{{cite web|url=http://www.balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com/en/instrumenter/domra-stemning-og-spillemade/tabulatur-for-prim-domra/|title=Tablature for prima domra |website=Balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com}}
  • Mezzo-Soprano: b e1 a1{{cite web|url=http://www.balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com/en/instrumenter/domra-stemning-og-spillemade/tabulatur-for-mezzosopran-domra/|title=Tablature for mezzosoprano domra |website=Balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com}}
  • Alto: e a d1{{cite web|url=http://www.balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com/en/instrumenter/domra-stemning-og-spillemade/tabulatur-for-alt-domra/|title=Tablature for alto domra |website=Balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com}}
  • Tenor: B e a{{cite web|url=http://www.balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com/en/instrumenter/domra-stemning-og-spillemade/tabulatur-for-tenor-domra/|title=Tablature for tenor domra |website=Balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com}}
  • Bass: E A d{{cite web|url=http://www.balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com/en/instrumenter/domra-stemning-og-spillemade/tabulatur-for-bas-domra/|title=Tablature for bass domra |website=Balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com}}
  • Contrabass (minor): 1E 1A D{{cite web|url=http://www.balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com/en/instrumenter/domra-stemning-og-spillemade/tabulatur-for-kontrabas-domra-den-hoje/|title=Tablature for contrabass domra (the minor) |website=Balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com}}
  • Contrabass (major): 1A D G{{cite web|url=http://www.balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com/en/instrumenter/domra-stemning-og-spillemade/tabulatur-for-kontrabas-domra-den-lave/|title=Tablature for contrabass domra (the major) |website=Balalajka.dk.linux20.unoeuro-server.com}}

Performers

Tamara Volskaya is considered to be one of the leading contemporary performers on the 4 string domra.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

Aleksandr Tsygankov is considered to be one of the leading contemporary performers, teachers, and composers of the 3 string domra.{{cite web|url=http://www.gragroup.com/alxtsgankov.html |title=Alexander Tsygankov and Inna Shevchenko |website=Gragroup.com |access-date=30 January 2021}}

See also

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

References

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

  • {{cite book | last = Imkhanitskii | first = Mikhail I. | date = 2018 | title = Istoriia ispolnitel'stva na russkikh narodnykh instrumentakh (The history of performance on Russian folk instruments) | location = Moscow | publisher = Gnessin State Musical College}}