About the plucked instrument on the Nyári cup

Fajcsák, Attila (2012) About the plucked instrument on the Nyári cup. Acta Ethnographica Hungarica, 57 (2). pp. 285-311. ISSN 1216-9803

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Abstract

The study examines the short-necked lute-type instrument held by a musical angel in one of the Gothic niches in the node of a 15th century gilded silver chalice made in Transylvania. It gives a brief survey of the history of the Hungarian kobza in the Middle Ages and later. It is thought that the modern kobza still in use among Moldavian Hungarians up to the end of the 20th century was born in the course of the 18th century, but in reality the instrument and its old name of Turkish origin can be identified only from the 1870s. The author has reached the conclusion that this short-necked lute-type instrument with a staved body was probably developed from an earlier, more primitive instrument hewn from a single block of wood (neck + body) and with a weaker resonance. And he discovers this instrument in the hands of the musical angel on the Nyári chalice.Hungarian and international researchers have long been aware that the name kobza was once used to describe a wide variety of instruments, mainly in Asia. However, in future it must also be taken into account that there are a number of instruments that, although they have different names, are essentially the same as the kobza in structure and proportions, or do not differ substantially. Evidence of this can be found in mediaeval portrayals from Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East. All data collection and comparative investigations in these regions can give new impetus to future Hungarian and international research on this short-necked lute.

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