List of musical instruments by Hornbostel–Sachs number: 321.33

This is a list of instruments by Hornbostel–Sachs number, covering those instruments that are classified under 321.33 under that system. These instruments are also known as semi-spike lutes, tanged lutes and internal spike lutes. These instruments are made of a resonator and string bearer that are physically united, with strings in parallel to the sound table and a handle which is also the string bearer and which passes through the resonator but does not pierce its tail end.[1][2]

West African griot lutes

Tanged lutes are common in East Africa, as are a closely related class of instrument called spike lutes. These are instruments in which the handle does extends all the way through the resonator. A hereditary class of West African musicians, griots, play tanged lutes, and no other form of stringed instrument; non-griot performers in West Africa play a mixture of both spike lutes and tanged lutes.[3] The term griot lute thus typically refers to these tanged lutes of East Africa.[4]

The resonator of East African lutes may be made of wood, metal (such as a discarded can) or a half-calabash gourd. Griot lutes are exclusively wood, while non-griot lutes occur in all three categories. Typically, calabash lutes have no more than two strings, while the wooden instruments generally have more.[4]

Griot lutes tend to be wooden troughs, either boat- (naviform) or figure-8-shaped. Lutes used by griots have a V- or fan-shaped bridge, a feature unique to East African lutes, while non-griot lutes use cylindrical bridges; a few use two-footed bridges in the shape of an upside-down "u", while the Hausa wase places the bridge under the head, creating a ridged lump upon which the strings rest.[3] Non-griot lutes are not restricted by heredity, and are used for many social purposes, most commonly hunting.[4] It likely that one or more of these instruments is the ancestor of the African American banjo.[3][5]

Classification

3: Instruments in which sound is produced by one or more vibrating strings (chordophones, string instruments).
32: Instruments in which the resonator and string bearer are physically united and can not be separated without destroying the instrument
321: Instruments in which the strings run in a plane parallel to the sound table (lutes)
321.3: Instruments in which the string bearer is a plain handle (handle lutes)
321.33: Instrument in which the handle extends into but does not pass completely through the resonator (tanged lutes)
321.331: Instrument whose body is shaped like a bowl (tanged bowl lutes)
321.332: Instrument whose body is shaped like a box (tanged box lutes)

These instruments may be classified with a suffix, based on how the strings are caused to vibrate.

  • 4: Hammers or beaters
  • 5: Bare hands and fingers
  • 6: Plectrum
  • 7: Bowing
    • 71: Using a bow
    • 72: Using a wheel
    • 73: Using a ribbon
  • 8: Keyboard
  • 9: Using a mechanical drive
Instrument Tradition Hornbostel–Sachs classification Description
gimbri
guinbri, guimbri, gimbri, ginibri 		Moroccan Arab 321.331

321.332

multiple styles considered same

half-spike or tanged bowl lute, bowl carved from wood, with tuning pegs, possibly teardrop shaped

half-spike or tanged box lute, constructed box or metal can

Xalam or khalam
bappe, diassare, gúlúm, gurmi, hoddu / kologo, Khalam/Xalam, komsa, koni, kontigi, konting, molo, ndere, 'ngonifola, ngoni, tidinit 		Music of West Africa 321.33


References

  • Coelho, Victor Anand (2003). The Cambridge Companion to the Guitar. Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-00040-8.
  • von Hornbostel, Erich M.; Curt Sachs (March 1961). "Classification of Musical Instruments: Translated from the Original German by Anthony Baines and Klaus P. Wachsmann". The Galpin Society Journal. 14. Galpin Society: 3–29. doi:10.2307/842168. JSTOR 842168.
  • Shlomo Pestcoe (2005). "Banjo Ancestors: The Lutes of West Africa". Griot Lutes. ShlomoMusic. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011.

Notes

  1. ^ Sachs and von Hornbostel, pg. 6-25
  2. ^ Charry, Eric (March 1996). "Plucked Lutes in West Africa: An Historical Overview". The Galpin Society Journal. 49. Galpin Society: 3–37. doi:10.2307/842390. JSTOR 842390. Charry cites Balfour, Wachsmann and Brown; see Further reading
  3. ^ a b c Pestcoe
  4. ^ a b c Charry, Eric (March 1996). "Plucked Lutes in West Africa: An Historical Overview". The Galpin Society Journal. 49. Galpin Society: 3–37. doi:10.2307/842390. JSTOR 842390.
  5. ^ Coelho, pg. 45

Further reading

  • Brown, Howard Mayer. "Chordophone". In Stanley Sadie (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Volume II. London: Macmillan. pp. 549–553.
  • Wachsmann, Klaus. "Lute 1: The Generic Term and Lute 2: Ancient Lutes". In Stanley Sadie (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, Volume II. London: Macmillan. pp. 549–553.