Çifteli
 Albanian man playing a çifteli. | |
| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Çiftetelli saz |
| Classification | Plucked string instrument; fretted lute |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 321.321-5 (Fretted pear-shaped bowl lute with a neck, played by plucking.) |
| Developed | Balkans |
The çifteli, çiftetelli saz (Turkish: "doubled", "double stringed saz", Albanian: çiftelia, qifteli) is a plucked string instrument, with only two strings, played in the Balkans mainly in the Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo Greece, Bulgaria and Türkiye.[1]
The çifteli is a common folk instrument played in weddings and at concerts similar to the related instruments like bağlama or cura. It is used folk music in particular Albanian folk music as well as in various musical styles such as the performances of Nikollë Nikprelaj. It is also used to accompany Albanian epics and ballads.[2]
Construction
Çifteli vary in size, but are most often tuned to B3 and E4 (comparable to the top two strings of a guitar, which is classically tuned as "E2 A2 D3 G3 B3 E4"). Usually the lower string is played as a drone, with the melody played on the higher string.[3] The çifteli is a fretted instrument, but unlike most, it is not fretted in a chromatic scale (one fret per semitone), but rather in a diatonic scale, with seven notes to the octave.
The çifteli is a microtonal instrument, with makam Hüseyni being used on some çiftelis.[4]
Etymology
The term çifteli is derived from Albanian "çift" ("double, pair") and "tel" ("wire, string"), so it takes the name from the number of strings used.[1][5]
History
The çifteli originates from Albanian territories. It delivers a unique sound, melody and accompanies singing.[6] The çifteli has an origin distinct from that of the instrument called "bağlama" (or "saz").
See also
- Tzouras
- Dutar, a Central Asian instrument, whose name means "two strings" in Persian
- Baglama
- Šargija, a baglama-like Balkan instrument
- Tanbur
- Setar
References
- ^ a b Koço, Eno (2004). Albanian Urban Lyric Song in the 1930s. Europea: Ethnomusicologies and Modernities. Vol. 2. Scarecrow Press. p. 265. ISBN 9780810848900.
- ^ Sherer, Stan; Senechal, Marjorie (1997). Long Lif tyesto Your Children!: A Portrait of High Albania. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 19.
- ^ Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; Trillo, Richard (1999). World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Rough Guides. p. 2. ISBN 9781858286358.
- ^ Rice, Timothy; Porter, James; Goertzen, Chris (2017-09-25). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Europe. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-54426-9.
- ^ Elsie, Robert (2010). Historical Dictionary of Albania (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 83. ISBN 9780810873803.
- ^ Buchanan, Donna (2007). Balkan Popular Culture and the Ottoman Ecumene: Music, Image, and Regional Political Discourse. London: Scarecrow Press. pp. 194–224. ISBN 9780810860216.