Editing Cimbalom

{{Short description|Hammered dulcimer musical instrument}}
{{For|the chordophone instrument occasionally called a cembalo|Harpsichord}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2008}}
{{Infobox Instrument
| name           = Cimbalom
| background     = string
| image          = Cimbalom (from Emil Richards Collection).jpg
| image_capt     = Top view and playing area of a modern concert cimbalom
| classification = * [[String instrument]] (struck or [[pizzicato|plucked]])
* [[Chordophone]]
| range          = Various (see {{section link||The concert cimbalom}} below)
| related        = * [[hammered dulcimer]]
* [[Santoor (Persian instrument)|santoor]]
* [[tsymbaly]]
* [[yangqin]]
}}

[[File:Taraf_de_Akácfa_-_Geamparale_de_la_Clejani_-_2025-03-18_-_1080p.webm|300px|thumb|right|Taraf de Akácfa performing "Geamparale de la Clejani" on [[violin]], [[accordion]], [[double bass]], and [[cimbalom]].]]
The '''cimbalom''', '''cimbal''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɪ|m|b|ə|l|ə|m|,_|-|ˌ|l|ɒ|m}}; {{IPA|hu|ˈt͡simbɒlom|lang}}) or '''concert cimbalom''' is a type of [[chordophone]] composed of a large, trapezoidal box on legs with metal strings stretched across its top and a damping pedal underneath. It was designed and created by [[József Schunda|V. Josef Schunda]] in 1874 in [[Budapest]], based on his modifications to the existing [[hammered dulcimer]] instruments which were already present in Central and Eastern Europe.<ref name="Gifford 115-6">{{cite book |last1=Gifford |first1=Paul M. |title=The hammered dulcimer : a history |date=2001 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-4616-7290-6 |pages=115–6}}</ref>

Today the instrument is mainly played in [[Hungary]], [[Slovakia]], [[Moravia]], [[Belarus]], [[Romania]], [[Moldova]], and [[Ukraine]].<ref name="Gifford 115-6" />

The cimbalom is typically played by striking two sticks, often with cotton-wound tips, against the strings which are on the top of the instrument. The steel treble strings are arranged in groups of 4 and are tuned in unison. The bass strings which are over-spun with copper, are arranged in groups of 3 and are also tuned in unison. The [[Hornbostel–Sachs]] [[musical instrument classification]] system registers the cimbalom with the number 314.122-4,5.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baran |first=Taras |title=The Cimbalom World| publisher=Lviv: Svit |year=1999 |page=15 |isbn=5-7773-0425-7 }}</ref>

The name “cimbalom” is also sometimes used to describe other types of dulcimers, which may have different tuning systems and which may lack the dampers and heavy construction of the concert instrument.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} Additionally, "cimbal" has many alternate spellings; e.g., ''tsimbal'',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feldman |first1=Walter |title=Klezmer: music, history and memory |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-19-024451-4 |page=101}}</ref> {{lang|ro|țambal}} in [[Romanian language|Romanian]], or {{lang|uk|цимбали}} [<nowiki/>[[tsymbaly]]] in [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]).{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

==History==
{{See also|Hammered dulcimer}}
{{See also|Santur}}
  
The modern Hungarian concert cimbalom was designed and created by [[József Schunda|V. Josef Schunda]] in 1874 in [[Budapest]] based on his modifications to existing folk dulcimers.<ref name="Gifford 115-6" /> He demonstrated an early prototype with some improvements at the [[1873 Vienna World's Fair]], gaining praise from audiences and drawing the attention of highly-placed Hungarian politicians such as [[József Zichy]], [[Gyula Andrássy]], and [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|King Franz Joseph]].<ref name="Schunda 18-9">{{cite book |last1=Schunda |first1=V. József |title=A czimbalom: Története |date=1906 |publisher=Buschmann |location=Budapest |pages=18–9 |url=http://mek.oszk.hu/06100/06116/index.phtml |language=hu}}</ref> He then continued to work to modify and improve his design. He extended the length of the strings and redesigned the position of the bridges to improve the tone and musical range.<ref name="Schunda 17">{{cite book |last1=Schunda |first1=V. József |title=A czimbalom: Története |date=1906 |publisher=Buschmann |location=Budapest |page=17 |url=http://mek.oszk.hu/06100/06116/index.phtml |language=hu}}</ref> He added heavy dampers which would allow a greater degree of control over the ringing of the strings, and a metal brace inside the instrument which would increase its stability.<ref name="Gifford 115-6" /> Four detachable legs were added to support this much larger instrument; its folkloric predecessors had usually been played on a barrel or table.<ref name="Gifford 115-6" />

Schunda began serial production of his concert cimbalom in 1874, manufacturing them in a piano shop located on [[Hajós utca]], across the street from the [[Budapest Opera House]] in [[Pest, Hungary|Pest]].<ref name="Baran 1999 21">{{cite book |last=Baran |first=Taras |title=The Cimbalom World| publisher=Lviv: Svit |year=1999 |page=21 |isbn=5-7773-0425-7 }}</ref> He also started to develop a playing method and school to popularize his new instrument, eventually recruiting [[Géza Allaga]], a prominent musician and pedagogue, to publish method books.<ref name="Schunda 21-2">{{cite book |last1=Schunda |first1=V. József |title=A czimbalom: Története |date=1906 |publisher=Buschmann |location=Budapest |pages=21–2 |url=http://mek.oszk.hu/06100/06116/index.phtml |language=hu}}</ref><ref name="Gifford 115-6" /> Prominent Hungarian musicians such as [[Franz Liszt]] became increasingly interested in the instrument and its possibilities. The instrument quickly became popular among the [[Bourgeoisie]] as well as [[Hungarian Gypsies|Roma]] musicians, and by 1906 Schunda had produced over ten thousand instruments.<ref name="Gifford 115-6" />

Walter Zev Feldman took to reintroducing the instrument for Jewish folk music and derivatives in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feldman |first1=Walter |title=Klezmer: music, history and memory |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-19-024451-4 |page=101 |quote=The reintroduction of the cimbalom into klezmer music was the work of the present writer in the 1970s.}}</ref>

[[File:Cimbalom - Vencel József Schunda.JPG|250px|left|thumb |Concert cimbalom with a range of C to e′′′ made by [[József Schunda|Vencel József Schunda]].]]

==Characteristics==
Concert instruments from Schunda onward are fully chromatic. The Schunda tuning system established a standard pitch range of four [[octave]]s plus a major 3rd; extending from C to e′′′<ref>Tóth, Ida Tarjáni; Falka, Jószef. ''Cimbalomiskola 1.'' Editio Musica Budapest, Z. 2528, 1958, p. 101 (chart)</ref> ([[Helmholtz pitch notation]]). The cimbalom has continued its development and modern concert instruments are often further expanded and have numerous refinements beyond Schunda's design. These instruments can now have a pitch range that extends five fully chromatic octaves from AA to a′′′.

Contemporary cimbalom makers also create smaller instruments. These run the gamut from less weighty versions of Schunda's original concert layout to truly portable fully chromatic cimbaloms (which use Schunda's signature tuning pattern and note layout but with reduced range in the bass). Modern makers also continue to craft new and traditional folk style instruments.

A smaller more portable version of the concert cimbalom was produced in [[Ukraine]] from the 1950s to the 1980s that came with detachable legs and dampers, but could be carried more easily than the larger concert instrument. These instruments were produced by the [[Chernihiv]] factory and the Melnytso-Podilsk folk instruments workshop which also produced many types of other folk instruments.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Leach |first=John |date=1972 |title=The Cimbalom |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/733612 |journal=Music & Letters |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=134–142 |doi=10.1093/ml/LIII.2.134 |jstor=733612 |issn=0027-4224|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[File:Modern Concert cimbalom.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Modern concert cimbalom with a range of AA to a′′′ made by Kovács Balázs.]]

==Compositions for cimbalom==

===Classical and contemporary music===
Many composers have written for the cimbalom. [[Zoltán Kodály]] made extensive use of the instrument in his orchestral suite ''[[Háry János]]'' which helped make the cimbalom known outside [[Eastern Europe]]. [[Igor Stravinsky]] was also an enthusiast.<ref name=":0" /> He owned a cimbalom which he purchased after hearing Aladár Rácz perform on the instrument. He included the cimbalom in his ballet ''[[Renard (Stravinsky)|Renard]]'' (1915–16), his ''Ragtime'' for eleven instruments, his original (1917) scoring for ''[[Les Noces]]'', and his ''Four Russian Songs''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.schirmer.com/default.aspx?TabId=2419&State_2872=2&composerId_2872=1530 | title=Igor Stravinsky | access-date=2009-09-05}}</ref> [[Franz Liszt]] used the cimbalom in his ''Ungarischer Sturmmarsch'' (1876) and in the orchestral version of his ''[[Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6]]''. [[Béla Bartók]] used it in his ''[[Rhapsody No. 1 (Bartók)|Rhapsody No. 1]] for violin and orchestra'' (1928).

More recently, other composers including [[Pierre Boulez]], [[Peter Maxwell Davies]], [[Peter Eötvös]], [[György Kurtág]], [[Miklós Kocsár]], [[Richard Grimes]], [[Louis Andriessen]], and [[Peter Machajdík]] have made a great use of cimbalom in their works. [[Henri Dutilleux]] used it extensively in ''Mystère de l'Instant'' for chamber orchestra, and ''L'arbre des songes'' for violin & orchestra. [[Elvis Costello]]'s orchestral ballet score ''[[Il Sogno]]'' includes several extended cimbalom passages. [[Harrison Birtwistle]]'s operas ''[[Gawain (opera)|''Gawain'']]'' (1991) and ''[[The Minotaur (opera)|''The Minotaur'']]'' (2008) each utilize the cimbalom. [[John Adams (composer)|John Adams]] uses the instrument prominently in his large 2012 symphonic oratorio ''[[The Gospel According to the Other Mary]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.therestisnoise.com/2012/06/the-adams-passion.html | title=John Adams's The Other Mary "Sacred Dissonance" |author=Alex Ross|magazine=The New Yorker|date=June 18, 2012}}</ref> as well as in his 2014 dramatic symphony ''[[Scheherazade.2]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/arts/music/review-john-adams-unveils-scheherazade2-an-answer-to-male-brutality.html | title=Review: John Adams Unveils "Scheherazade.2", an Answer to Male Brutality |author=Anthony Tommasini|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 27, 2015}}</ref> Cimbalom is used in a popular arrangement of [[Debussy]]'s ''[[La plus que lente]]'' which the composer approved but did not actually score. (''La plus que lente'' with cimbalom saw renewed popularity with its inclusion in world tours of the [[Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra/100 Violins|Hundred Gypsy Violins]] starting in 1985.)

=== Film and television ===
The cimbalom has occasionally been used in film scores, especially to introduce a "foreign" feel. The cimbalom appears in ''[[Christmas in Connecticut]]'' (1945) in a scene in Felix's ([[S. Z. Sakall]]) Hungarian restaurant in [[Manhattan]]. It was also featured in the films ''[[Captain Blood (1935 film)|Captain Blood]]'' (1935), ''[[The Divorce of Lady X]]'' (1938), and ''[[Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon]]'' (1943).

The cimbalom was used in the film score for the movie ''[[In the Heat of the Night (film)|In the Heat of the Night]]'' (1967). Composer [[Carmine Coppola]] made heavy use of the cimbalom in his soundtrack for ''[[The Black Stallion (film)|The Black Stallion]]'' (1979) to accentuate the Arabian heritage of the majestic horse. [[Miklós Rózsa]] used the cimbalom in the main theme and throughout the score for the science-fiction thriller ''[[The Power (1968 film)|The Power]]'' (1968). [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] used it in the title theme for the film ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965), as well as in the main theme of the [[ITC Entertainment|ITC]] TV series ''[[The Persuaders!]]'' (1971); in both examples the performer was [[John Leach (musician)|John Leach]].<ref>Jon Burlingame [http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2014/071414.html "John Leach, English Cimbalom Player, Dead at 82"], Film Music Society, 14 July 2014</ref> [[James Horner]] made use of the instrument in his "Stealing the Enterprise" cue from ''[[Star Trek III: The Search for Spock]]'' (1984). In addition, [[John Williams]] has made less prominent use of the instrument in scores such as ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' (1981). [[Howard Shore]] used the cimbalom as well to express Gollum's sneaky nature in [[Peter Jackson]]'s film ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'' (2002). The cimbalom is also featured prominently in [[Hans Zimmer]]'s scoring of ''[[Sherlock Holmes (2009 film)|Sherlock Holmes]]'' (2009). [[Alexandre Desplat]] uses cimbalom in works such as ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]'' (2007), ''[[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)|The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]]'' (2008), and ''[[The Grand Budapest Hotel]]'' (2014).

In television, composer [[Lalo Schifrin]] made use of the cimbalom in several scores he wrote for the original ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' television series, from which several cues were regularly recycled throughout the series' run.

Composer [[Debbie Wiseman]] used the cimbalom, played by Greg Knowles, in her score for the BBC television series 'Dickensian' (2015–16).

The cimbalom, played by [[John Leach (musician)|John Leach]], features prominently in the score of the BBC television drama serial from 1988, 'Babylon Bypassed' by [[Gareth Glyn]]. 

[[File:Cimbalom (from Emil Richards Collection).jpg|thumb|right|Schunda Cimbalom, late 1800s, E2-E6, + D2 string (from [[Emil Richards Collection]])]]

===Rock===
The cimbalom was used by [[Alan Parsons]] on his "I Robot"<ref>Arista records ARCD 8040</ref> and ''Tales of Mystery and Imagination''<ref>PolyGram records 832 820-2</ref> albums and is included in the guest musician acknowledgments. The experimental rock group [[Mr. Bungle]] made use of the cimbalom on the ''Disco Volante''<ref>Warner Brothers 9 45963-2</ref> and ''California''<ref>Warner Brothers 9 47447-2</ref> albums. It is included in the guest musician acknowledgments. The experimental performance organization [[Blue Man Group]] has used a cimbalom in its productions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blueman.com/experience/instruments |title=Blue Man Group: Blue Man Instruments |access-date=2009-09-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330082213/http://www.blueman.com/experience/instruments |archive-date=March 30, 2009 }}</ref> American progressive chamber group, [[cordis (band)|cordis]], uses electric and acoustic cimbalom as a centerpiece in their music.<ref>Landspeed Records 9 47447-2</ref> Romanian rock group [[Spitalul de Urgență]] has frequently used cimbalom, including a full-time player in some line-ups of the band. New York multi-instrumentalist [[Rob Burger]] used a cimbalom on the album ''L'Entredeux'' (2008) by Tucson chanteuse [[Marianne Dissard]]. Alternative rock band [[Garbage (band)|Garbage]] incorporated cimbalom into their track "[[The Trick Is to Keep Breathing]]" from their 1998 album ''[[Version 2.0]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Talking Tech and Trash|publisher=Musician (magazine)|date=1998-10-01|first=Howard|last=Massey}}</ref> [[Portishead (band)|Portishead]] track Sour Times includes samples from Lalo Schifrin's Danube Incident that has cimbalom in its arrangement.

==Schools of performance==

===Belarus===
[[File:Cimbule u Muzeju Međimurja.jpg|thumb|Old ''cimbule'' exhibited in the [[Međimurje County Museum]] in [[Čakovec]], [[northern Croatia]]]]
[[File:Cymbały huculskie.webm|thumb|[[Hutsul]] [[tsymbaly]] (Ukraine)]]
In [[Belarus]] a cymbaly school was established in 1948 by J. Zynovych. The Belarusian cymbaly differs from the concert cimbalom in timbre and size—it is smaller and produces a sweeter, more mellow tone. Also, pedal dampers are not typically used. Instead, hands and fingers are used to damp the strings.

===Croatia===
The cimbal (or cimbule) today is a rare instrument found in folk groups ([[Međimurje (region)|Međimurje]], [[Hrvatsko Zagorje|Zagorje]] and [[Podravina]] regions - parts of northern Croatia near Hungarian border).
[[File:Roman Kumlyk, owner of Museum of Musical Instruments and Hutsuls Lifestyle in Verkhovyna, Western Ukraine.jpg|thumb|Roman Kumlyk - Hutsul musician, playing in the Museum of Musical Instruments and Hutsuls Lifestyle in Verkhovyna, Western Ukraine]]

===Moravia===
The instrument is used foremost in the [[Czech lands|historical region]] of Moravia as a basis for [[Moravian traditional music]] ensembles. Foremost in regions of [[Moravian Slovakia]] and [[Moravian Wallachia]].<ref name="Johnston2010">{{cite journal|last=Johnston|first=Jesse A.|journal=Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society|volume=36|date=2010|pages=78&ndash;117|title=The Cimbál (Cimbalom) and Folk Music in Moravian Slovakia and Valachia|hdl=2027.42/87955|url=http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/87955}}</ref>

===France===
[[Luigi Gaggero]] teaches since 2004 at the [[Conservatoire de Strasbourg]] and at the Académie Supérieure de Musique de Strasbourg. His teaching focuses on classical and on contemporary repertoire for cimbalom.<ref>[https://www.hear.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cymbalum.pdf Examen d’entrée 2021 / Cymbalum] (in French) hear.fr 2021</ref>

===Greece===
In Athens, a cimbalom school was established in 2004 by M. Papadeas. The Greek musicians play on small portable folk style instruments.

===Hungary===
Besides the main cimbalom centre in Budapest, there is a very strong school of performance in Debrecen in Hungary.

===Moldova===
In 1952, cimbalom classes were opened at the [[Chişinău]] conservatory in [[Moldova]].

===Romania===
A strong performance school was established in [[Bucharest]]. [[Toni Iordache]], a [[Romani people|Romani]]-Romanian ''[[Lăutari|lăutar]]'', was the most famous Romanian cimbalom player.

===Slovakia===
The cimbal is a very popular instrument found in all Slovak regions, as well as in the ethnically Slovak/Hungarian mixed southern regions and among Romani folk ensembles.<ref name="Johnston2010"/>

'''<big>Slovenia</big>'''

Used historically in the [[Prekmurje]] region. Cimbalom is traditionally played in musical groups called Banda, accompanied by two violins, a viola, violoncello and a double bass. Classes are held in town of [[Beltinci]].

===Ukraine===
{{main|Tsymbaly}}
In Ukraine, the concert Cimbalom was first formally used in the [[Orchestra of Ukrainian Folk Instruments]] organized and directed by [[Leonid Haydamaka]] from 1922 by [[Oleksandr Nezovybatko]]. In time it was replaced by 2 smaller-sized instruments in order to facilitate transportation. Music for the cimbalom has been published in Ukraine from 1930 on. With the serial manufacture of ''[[tsymbaly]]'' by the [[Chernihiv Musical Instrument Factory]] cimbalom playing became popular in Eastern Ukraine in the post war years. Textbooks for the ''tsymbaly'' were published in 1966 by O. Nezovybatko, and initially players played on semi-concert instruments manufactured by the Chernihiv Musical Instrument Factory. In recent times most professional performers have switched over to the Schunda system of playing on concert-size instruments. Classes for the instrument exist in the [[Lviv Conservatory|Lviv]], [[Kyiv Conservatory|Kyiv]] and [[Kharkiv Conservatory|Kharkiv]] conservatories. Currently most Ukraine folk instrument ensembles and orchestras such as the Orchestra of Ukrainian Folk instruments and the State Bandurist Capella usually have 2 concert cimbaloms. [[Roman Kumlyk]] was a famous player from Hutsul area. After his death, a museum was named for him and is now run by his family.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cimbalom}}

{{Zithers}}
{{Hungarian Folk Music}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hammered box zithers]]
[[Category:Hungarian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Slovak musical instruments]]
[[Category:Romanian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Moldovan musical instruments]]
[[Category:Ukrainian musical instruments]]