Kaluka - Old Russian flute of harvesters and shepherds

Musical instruments have accompanied man since ancient times. The innate sensitivity to the sounds of nature and the desire to imitate them led our ancestors to invent instruments that produce similar sounds. It is musical instruments, their ingenious design and use, that are a common feature of all peoples of the world. The Slavs, but also their Scandinavian neighbors, probably inspired by the wind howling in the cracks, learned to make various kinds of pipes from the stems of common plants. Such a wind instrument, a kind of oblong flute without side holes, is the Old Russian "kaluka."

Origin of the name

Because of its clear and bright sound, this instrument was most often made from the stem of the ash, a thorny plant growing up to two meters high. Less frequently, angelica, scabious, cordial, or hogweed were used for this purpose. Since the material for the kalukka was usually common ash, bearing the Russian name "koluchiy tatarnik" (Татарник колючий), this is where the name of the musical instrument comes from - "kaluka", i.e. "prickly".

Construction and workmanship of the kaluka

Kaluka consisted of a piece of stem of various plants with dimensions depending on the length of the player's hands. For children it was from 25 cm to 30 cm, and for adults - from 72 cm to 86 cm. The length of the kaluka was considered appropriate if the hand, or fingers, could plug the lower opening of the flute. The shape of the instrument was due to the structure of the stem and was slightly conical. The inner hole was 15-25 mm in diameter.

Making such a long hollow cylinder from solid wood would require both skill and the right tools. Therefore, the makers of the kaluka preferred the dried, hollow stems of tall plants. It was a seasonal instrument; the kaluka was played from mid-June until the autumn chill.

A number of rules had to be followed when making the kaluka. The cut stalk was carefully cleaned of leaves and thorny wings (in the case of a popsicle), and the inner partitions were pierced, being careful not to perforate the wall. Small leaks in the stem were sealed with wax. The stronger, lower part of the stalk was the upper part of the instrument, at the end of which a mouthpiece was created - an oblique cut (at an angle of 45 degrees) and a window. The quality of the instrument's sound depended on the correct location of the cut (window).

Playing technique

Playing the kaluka involves closing and opening the mouthpiece with a finger, as well as changing the force of the air blown into the instrument. While playing, the instrument is held vertically with two hands so that the air outlet can be closed and opened with the fingertip of the index finger. The player blows into the mouthpiece, and the air in the resonation chamber is split into two streams, one of which leaves the instrument through a slot, and the other is subjected to vibration flows through a straight tube. It is possible to play two kalukas at the same time - the musician puts one to his lips and rhythmically blows on the two kalukas.

Varieties of kaluka

The variety of this type of musical instruments was primarily due to the type of material used in their manufacture.

Meadow kaluka - it was made from various meadow plants of the celery family (scabious, hogweed, ribwort, etc.), and sometimes from the stalk of a pumpkin. Such kalukas, as a rule, were disposable.

Spiked kaluka - was made from the stem of the afterglow (a spiky plant similar to the thistle). Due to the bright and clear sound of this flute, it was kept for a long time and was always taken on a trip to shorten it with music.

Kaluka made of phloem - was a whimsical and troublesome instrument to make. To make it, it was necessary to twist a wide strip of bast to get the right length, convergence and diameter of the roll.

In the past

This type of flute was considered an exclusively male musical instrument, but without any age or professional restrictions. The kaluka was played by boys, grown men and old men. They played in the fields and meadows when they watched over the horses at night, or when they returned home from distant mowing. They played where they grazed the cattle and where they mowed the grass for them, but also in front of the house, sitting outside the door on a bench. Playing the kalukka was often accompanied by such a percussion instrument as a scythe, on which they tapped out a rhythm.

The flute called "kalukka" in Russia was also widespread in other Slavic countries, as well as in Siberia and Scandinavia - for example, the Swedes called it "sälgflöjt" and the Norwegians called it "seljefløyte." In our country it was "fujarka", also called "quill".