Domra 3 or 4 strings. Domra: history, video, interesting facts, listen. What does domra consist of?

From the history of musical instruments: domra

Something we haven't heard for a long time

The sound of a string

They say they are out of fashion

Songs of Russian antiquity!

Like a flock of vagrant birds

Fashion rushes with the wind

Don't be sad balalaika,

Domra, don't cry, don't cry

With a daring people's heart

You are related for a reason!

In the golden hands of craftsmen

You will never be silent!

“What is domra?” - this is a question people often ask when they hear about an instrument with that name. Others happily rush to demonstrate their enlightenment and clarify: “We know, this is a kind of balalaika, only round.” And only a few imagine the domra really as a musical instrument with with its own specific sound and unique timbre.

How does this happen? After all, the domra is a Russian folk instrument! For example, everyone knows the balalaika. Even children know the violin, but not every Russian can name it domra. To clarify the reason for this paradox, we must turn to history.

And the history of the emergence and development of domra is perhaps one of the most interesting, confusing and dramatic. For the first time, an instrument with this name was mentioned in documents of the 16th century. But, probably, even earlier in Rus' there were tanbur-shaped instruments that came to us from the East. They were especially popular among the people. Images of musicians playing these instruments are found in many manuscripts of the time. Such musicians were called buffoons and were, essentially, professional artists. At the beginning of the 16th century, at the court of Tsar Ivan the Terrible there was an Amusement Chamber, which consisted of musicians playing domra, harp, and whistles. There is even a saying that has been preserved: “I’m glad to scoff at my domras.” Folk holidays and festivities were accompanied by performances of cheerful traveling buffoons, just as they are now accompanied by performances of famous pop stars.

But it was precisely the popularity and love of the people for domra that did it a disservice. The main enemy of buffoonery was the church. The clergy was indignant: “The games are trampled down, and the churches are empty.” In addition, the buffoons did not hesitate to raise social problems in their speeches, which they ridiculed in a fairly free satirical form. Naturally, the authorities could not like all this. This is how the decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich of 1648 appeared, the famous phrase from which reads: “And where domras, and surnas, and whistles, and harps, and all sorts of fortune-telling vessels appear, order them to be confiscated and, having broken those demonic games, order them to be burned.”

It is unlikely that any other musical instrument in the history of mankind has been subjected to such monstrous destruction. Domras were burned, broken, destroyed. She was forgotten for more than two centuries.

The domra was “resurrected” only at the end of the 19th century thanks to the talented musician V.V. Andreev.

Name Vasily Vasilievich Andreev- the creator of the first Great Russian orchestra, composer and conductor - enjoys great and well-deserved love of millions of music connoisseurs.

The father was a rich merchant. The composer's mother, a representative of a noble family, strove to provide an excellent education and upbringing. But the boy strove for the people from childhood. He loved to be in the people's room, where ancient songs sang over needlework, one of the lackeys took an accordion from the shelf, and, famously stretching the accordion, started folk dances. On such evenings the boy's joy knew no bounds.

And then one day a five-year-old boy was found in an empty common room with an accordion in his hands. The tool was confiscated and the boy was punished. So soon a music teacher appeared in the Andreevs’ mansion.

While studying at the gymnasium, Vasya intensively practiced playing the violin. And, who knows, maybe the talented young man would have become a professional violinist, if he had not encountered a common handicraft balalaika on his way. One thing becomes clear to him: he must continue to study Russian folk instruments.

This is how Andreev writes about one random circumstance that turned his whole life upside down: “It was a quiet June evening. I was sitting on the terrace and enjoying the silence of the village evening... And suddenly I heard sounds that were still unknown to me... I distinguished very clearly that they were playing a string instrument. The player played a dance song, at first quite slowly, and then faster and faster. The sounds flared up, the melody flowed uncontrollably, pushing me to dance... I jumped out of my seat and ran to the outbuilding, where the sounds were coming from. A peasant was sitting on the steps and playing the balalaika... I was amazed at the rhythmicity and originality of the playing techniques, and I could not understand how such a poor-looking, imperfect instrument, only stirred with strings, could produce so many sounds.” “I remember what was burned into my brain then, like a hot iron: to play myself and bring the game to perfection.”

Andreev persistently hones his performing skills, at the same time dreaming of a balalaika that could be performed in any salon in the capital.

But none of the masters agrees to make this instrument. One of the best violin makers, Ivanov, agreed to make a balalaika on the condition that no one would find out.

Andreev begins his teaching career. Takes up the task of organizing a new musical ensemble.

In 1896, in the Vyatka province, a small stringed instrument with a rounded body was accidentally found, which soon fell into the hands of Andreev. By comparing the found instrument with images in ancient popular prints and engravings, as well as from the description, Andreev suggested that it contained the long-wanted domra. It was according to his instructions that a family of domras of different sizes was created - piccolo, small, viola, bass and double bass. Thus, the rehabilitated domra was included in the balalaika ensemble. And then - to the famous Great Russian Orchestra of Folk Instruments V. Andreev. Moreover, as the main orchestral instrument. The domra group was entrusted with the melodic function.

The Great Russian Folk Instruments Orchestra won recognition on academic stages not only in Russia, but also around the world (it toured brilliantly in France, England, and America). The great musicians A. G. Rubinstein and P. I. Tchaikovsky spoke very warmly about the performances of this group.

The creative life of Semyon Ivanovich Nalimov is firmly connected with Andreev’s activities. Today, few people are familiar with this name. Meanwhile, it occupies a prominent place in the history of Russian musical culture. “Russian balalaika Stradivarius” was called by Soviet musicologists. Thanks to the collaboration of two talented people, Russian plucked musical instruments were improved. The domra was reconstructed into 4 strings with a fifth scale, thanks to which we have the richest violin literature in our artistic arsenal and the opportunity to perform world-class works. This domra has taken root in Ukraine and Belarus.

T.I. Volskaya is one of the most brilliant domra players. Volskaya's unusual musical talent, combined with great emotional depth, exceptional musicality, impeccable taste and virtuoso control of the instrument, made her an unsurpassed performer in her genre.

T.I. Volskaya graduated from the Kyiv Conservatory (class of M.M. Gelis), and completed an assistantship at the Ural Conservatory (class of E.G. Blinov). In 1972 she became a laureate of the 1st All-Russian Competition of Folk Instrument Performers, sharing 1st prize with A. Tsygankov.

Tamara Volskaya's performances have always been distinguished by the depth and scale of thought and technical perfection. She finds the finest colors in both large-scale works and modest-sized miniatures, skillfully coloring the musical fabric with an unmistakable insight into the style of the era and especially the genre.

But let's return to the domra. Until 1945 it was used primarily as an orchestral instrument. However, there was no original repertoire. Individual works appeared, but they did not leave a significant trace in the future. Therefore, it is generally accepted that the history of solo performance on the domra began in 1945, when N. Budashkin wrote the first domra concert - a concert for domra with an orchestra of Russian folk instruments g-moll. It was Budashkin who, for the first time at a high professional level, managed to emphasize the rich technical and expressive capabilities of the instrument, brilliant virtuosity and at the same time lyricism, sincerity of timbre in the unique sound of the domra tremolo.

From this moment, Domra begins her “solo career”, a new stage in development, and moves forward very successfully. Following Budashkin's, other concerts appear - by Yu. Zaritsky, B. Kravchenko, Yu. Shishakov, N. Peiko, V. Pozhidaev, G. Shenderev, L. Balay, I. Tamarin, etc., increasingly more complex in terms of technical and musical tasks.

And how many brilliant performers the history of domra already includes: A. Alexandrov, V. Nikulin, V. Yakovlev, M. Sheinkman, R. Belov, A. Tsygankov, T. Volskaya, V. Kruglov, N. Maretsky, V. Ivko, V. Mikheev, I. Erokhina, I. Akulinina, S. Lukin, M. Gorobtsov and many others

Alexander Tsygankov is a virtuoso musician. Composer's activity is inextricably linked with performing. She thoroughly knows the capabilities of the domra and uses in her compositions the passage technique, chords, double notes, three-voice polyphonic texture, left-hand pizzicato, single and double harmonics, as well as various combinations of these techniques. Author's collections published in the largest publishing houses in Russia have become a “School of highest performing skills, which has trained more than one generation of domra performers.”

Alexander Tsygankov's spectacular concert pieces are performed at competitions for young performers, in programs as soloists, ensembles and orchestras throughout Russia and abroad.

F Shushenkov is a laureate of international and all-Russian competitions. In 1997, from the first round of the International Competition of Folk Instrument Performers, the “Cup of the North” made a very serious bid for laureateship. The youth of this performer is compensated by his extensive experience of victories in various competitions. I would like to note the high level of performing skills, culture of attitude towards sound and interesting repertoire

In my opinion, domra has long gone beyond the criteria and definitions, and even just the term “folk”. These boundaries are becoming too narrow. She is ready to stand in the row occupied by solo academic instruments. In just a few decades, the domra has covered a huge path from musical primitiveness to the highest phenomena of chamber instrumental culture, which took many “classical” instruments a number of centuries.

And the words of Professor F. Lips, an outstanding musician of our time, can be fully attributed to it: “Once upon a time, almost all musical instruments were folk instruments. With the advent of major composers and outstanding performers, the musical performing arts took their rightful place among the highest cultural values ​​of human civilization. A similar process is happening today with Russian folk instruments, which are moving from folk to the rank of academic. Our task is to contribute in every possible way to this process, carefully preserving the traditions and people’s love for their musical culture.”

It’s great that now Domra can perform in different roles. Should I play the classics? Yes, but only those arrangements that are able to convey the composer’s idea to the listener most fully. Do I need to play treatments? It is necessary, but only highly artistic ones. And, of course, we need to play as much modern music of different styles as possible.

The future of domra is in the 21st century, along with new music, new ideas in art. And who knows, perhaps she will soon gain worldwide recognition. After all, it is already played in America (there is an Association of Lovers of Playing Russian Folk Instruments), in Japan (Tokyo Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments, individual amateur musicians).

Today, the domra sounds both as a solo instrument and in ensembles, orchestras, and also from the stages of theater halls. The sound of domra opens up the wonderful world of music for all of us.

Where did folk music originate?

Either in an open field or in a hazy forest

Is it in joy or pain? Or in a bird whistle?

Tell me, where does your sadness and daring come from?

Whose heart did you beat in? How did you come?

How did you sound? Ducks flew by and dropped their pipes

The geese flew by and dropped the harp

Sometimes they were found in the spring, we were not surprised

With dancing and song here, we were born!

Domra is a Russian folk stringed musical instrument with four strings. Domra consists of three parts: a wooden hemispherical oval body, a neck and a head. A mediator is used to produce sound.

Figure 1 - Four-string domra

A mediator is a device for plucking strings when playing some stringed plucked musical instruments (such as domra, lute, zither, mandolin, guitar); a bone, plastic, metal plate, quill feather or ring with a “claw” worn on a finger.

Figure 2 - Mediator for domra

History of domra

The history of domra is tragic. In medieval Rus' it was the main instrument of folk musicians and buffoon actors. Buffoons walked around villages and cities and staged funny performances, in which they often allowed themselves harmless jokes at the expense of the boyars and the church. This angered both secular and ecclesiastical authorities, and in the 17th century they began to be exiled or executed. Domra was executed in the same way. She disappeared.

In the 19th century, no one knew about its existence. Only at the end of the century, the director of the first orchestra of folk instruments, musician-researcher Vasily Andreev, did the most difficult and painstaking work to restore and improve Russian folk instruments. Together with Semyon Nalimov, they developed the design of the domra, based on the shape of an unknown instrument with a hemispherical body found by Andreev in 1896 in the Vyatka province. Historians are still arguing about whether the instrument Andreev found was really an ancient domra. However, the instrument, reconstructed in 1896, was given the name “domra”. Later, thanks to Vasily Andreev’s closest associate, pianist and composer Nikolai Fomin, a family of domras was created, which became part of the Russian orchestra - piccolo, small, alto, bass, double bass.

Figure 3 – The founder of the modern domra, the creator of the first orchestra of folk instruments

Domra device

The body of the domra has a body, a soundboard that covers the body from above and is edged along the edges with a shell, buttons for securing the strings and a bottom sill that protects the soundboard from the pressure of the stretched strings. In the middle of the soundboard there is a round hole - a voice box with a figured rosette. Above the soundboard, near the fingerboard, there is a hinged shell that protects the soundboard from scratches when playing. A stand - an armrest - is sometimes attached above the strings and the lower sill.

The neck is inserted into the body and secured in it. A fingerboard is glued to the top of the fingerboard, and a nut is attached at the junction of the head and neck of the fingerboard. Thin transverse cuts are applied to the trim, into which metal thresholds are inserted. The spaces between the metal saddles are called frets. Their ordinal count begins from the top threshold. On the headstock there are peg rollers for securing the strings. Their tension is adjusted by rotating the pegs.

The height of the strings above the fingerboard depends on the location of the stand and the nut. Strings raised too high above the fretboard make the instrument difficult to play and are difficult to press down on the frets. Recesses (slots) for the strings are made on the stand and on the top sill. The stand is installed on the deck in a precisely positioned location. Domra strings are traditionally more elastic for the fingers than, say, balalaika strings.

Figure 4 – Construction of a domra

My attitude towards the instrument

1.Wikipedia [Electronic resource]. - Access mode.

Domra is an ancient Slavic stringed musical instrument. His fate is amazing and unique. The first mentions of domra were found in sources of the 16th century. They speak of the domra as a fairly common instrument even at that time.

Domra traces its ancestry to the merger of two cultures.

The first branch of the family tree has eastern roots. Similar instruments still exist in the musical cultures of Eastern countries. Kazakh dombra, Turkish baglama or Tajik rubab have much in common. All these instruments had one ancestor - the eastern tanbur. dombra

baglama

rubab

tanbur

Another branch of the family tree comes from the European lute.

The lute, in turn, also originated from an eastern instrument - the Arabic al-ud.

The appearance and design of the domra was influenced by Western, European, and Slavic instruments, for example, the Polish-Ukrainian kobza and its improved version - the bandura.

kobza

bandura

This is how it turned out that domra combined both European and Asian features.

It is well established that an instrument with this name was an important part of culture in the 16th-17th centuries. Buffoon musicians played on it. domra performers - buffoons and "domrachei" - were very popular.

All kinds of celebrations, festivities and folk festivals at all times and among all peoples were accompanied by songs and playing musical instruments.

On domras, like a bandura, they accompanied folk epics, epics, tales,

At the royal court there was an entire “Amusement Chamber” - a musical and entertainment group, the basis of which was buffoons with their domras.

But here comes the most dramatic moment in the history of the domra.

Church ministers considered the performances of buffoons to be “demonic games.” In 1648, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree on the mass extermination of innocent instruments. According to the testimony of the 17th century German traveler Adam Olearius, the Russians were banned from instrumental music in general, and several carts loaded with instruments taken from the population were taken across the Moscow River and burned there. The domra players were ordered to “beat the batogs.” It was mainly the buffoons who were persecuted, but punishment threatened not only them, but any person who played the domra. Such a truly tragic turn of fate has never happened to any musical instrument in the world. The history of the domra ends here, but... The domra was destined to literally be reborn from the ashes!

It was revived by an outstanding researcher and musician, an extremely talented person - Vasily Vasilyevich Andreev.

In 1896, in the Vyatka province, he discovered an unknown instrument with a hemispherical body. Assuming from its appearance that this was the domra, he went to the famous master Semyon Ivanovich Nalimov.

Reconstructed in 1896, the instrument received three strings and the name “domra”.

In 1908, at the suggestion of conductor G. Lyubimov

master S. Burov created a four-string domra with fifth scale. “The Four-String” received the violin range and the opportunity to perform all European chamber music.

So, since then, there are two types of domra: a three-string (Russian) domra with a fourth tuning, traditionally used in Russia, and a four-string domra with a fifth tuning, which is most widespread in Belarus and Ukraine.

In Ukraine, the four-string domra is firmly entrenched in the system of music education. At the first All-Union Competition of Folk Instrument Performers (1939), performers on the four-string domra won all the prizes among domra players.

In the post-war period, domra classes were opened in most conservatories.

To the galaxy of famous domrists of the best Ukrainian domrists B.A. Mikheev, Honored Artist of Ukraine Valery Ivanovich Ivko Thanks to the activities of two outstanding modern domrists - Tamara Ilyinichna Volskaya and Alexander Andreevich Tsygankov - the domra received a “second wind” in its development, became recognized everywhere and by everyone as an academic concert instrument.

Domra is a famous plucked musical instrument, which is considered a “folk instrument” in a number of countries. , in particular in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. It has an oval body, a short neck and 3-4 strings (quart or fifth tuning; the three-string modification is widespread only in Russia). Notes of a 3-string domra: D (second octave); A, E (first octave), and 4 strings: E (second octave); A, D (first octave); G (small octave).

Sound, as a rule, is produced using a mediator, less often with the pads of the fingers. The most characteristic technique for domra is tremolo, fast and rhythmic “rattling”, “trembling”. If we talk about relatedness, then it is closest to and. The principle of their design is similar, but there are some differences - both structural and in structure.

For a number of reasons, the domra was not used for a long time, and only at the end of the 19th century was it reconstructed and recreated on the basis of the “Vyatka balalaika”, then the concept of “orchestral domra” appeared, this type of instrument has survived to this day. Children entering a music school can choose a domra class and practice on this instrument: it is light, relatively inexpensive, can be taken home, and will not disturb the neighbors; For these reasons, many parents send their young musicians to study this particular musical instrument.

Brief history of origin

The origin of the word “domra” is very simple: in Turkic “dumbra” is a balalaika, but these instruments are very similar in design and sound. Initially, they were played by buffoons (free jesters), around the 16th-17th centuries, ensembles consisted of several musicians, which often included bagpipes, tambourines, etc. It is interesting that earlier the emphasis was placed on the last syllable, resulting in “domra?” The instrument was not only ensemble, but also solo, which indicates high practicality and applicability.

The persecution of buffoons began in the 17th century, when they began to be imprisoned or executed for bold jokes on the boyars and clergy. Along with the class of free jesters, their instruments were also exterminated, since they began to be perceived by the people as something seditious, dangerous, forbidden; no one wanted to keep a domra at home. At the same time, the harp existed perfectly at all times and was not affected by any reprisals or reprisals. Domra mysteriously disappeared completely and remained only in popular prints and frescoes. The instrument acquired its modern appearance only in the 20th century, this was mentioned above

What does domra consist of?

Like many plucked string instruments, the domra consists of a body and a neck, a hole is made in the body for sound to enter, and on the neck there are frets; the strings are tensioned using a pegs system that uses a “worm gear”. The body has two main structural parts - the body (lower bowl-shaped part) and the deck (upper part). Elements are often made from wooden strips that are glued together in a special way, less often from so-called “solid wood”, when they try to use fragments where there are no breaks or cracks. This is believed to give the sound its characteristic strength and depth. The "holes" in the soundboard are called sound holes

To protect the body from hand impacts when playing, a “protective shell” is used, which is most often made in black and is a hard plastic or vinyl plate. There is also a saddle system that supports and guides the strings. A stand is installed behind the lower sill, the purpose of which is to support the strings in a certain state from the body; this element plays a vital role, since without it it is completely impossible to play the instrument. It is usually not secured and can be moved by hand; this should not be done. In addition to tensioning the strings, the nut is responsible for transmitting the vibration of the strings to the body, which is also important.

The fretboard is covered with metal strips called frets. Each domra is special in its own way and has a peculiar number of frets - from 18 to 30. The strings are attached at the top with peg rollers: to tune the string, you need to rotate the handle in one direction or another depending on what sound is needed: if it is higher, the string is tightened, for a low sound, it is “released.” The strings can be installed differently, depending on the purpose of the instrument and the preferences of the musician - either plastic (soft and pliable, but quiet and unsharp) or metal (hard, difficult to play, but very sonorous, “bright”).

Small domra

Probably everyone who has had any contact with music has come across such a concept as “small domra”. In fact, it's not a matter of size, but of purpose. Small is called primu , that is, a solo domra playing the main role in one or another musical composition at a concert. Yes, it differs from the others in scale, frets, length, but there are other types:

• piccolo;
• prima (small);
• alto;
• tenor;
• double bass

Video

And from time immemorial, the Russian people have sought to express their thoughts, aspirations, and emotional experiences with the help of instrumental music. A wide variety of musical instruments were created and improved from generation to generation in order to better express the worldview of the people, their aesthetic and ethical ideas.

The attitude of the clergy towards Russian instruments was ambivalent and was largely determined by their social role. The guardians of Orthodoxy called folk instruments nothing more than “destroying demonic vessels”, instruments of “satanic songs”, “ungodly games”, etc. only in the hands of wandering buffoons who performed pagan rituals.

However, in the hands of the guardians of Orthodoxy themselves, folk instruments could become a means of “chanting divine wisdom and raising prayer to heaven.”

And it is no coincidence that we find the first mention of domra in Rus' that has come down to us in the “Teachings of Metropolitan Daniel.” The Metropolitan states that the ministers of Orthodoxy themselves play music on it, among other Russian instruments. Even “presbyters, and deacons, and subdeacones... play the harp, the domra, the bow.”

The name “domra” itself became known only in the 16th century, but the first information about plucked instruments with a fingerboard (“tanbur-shaped”) in Rus' dates back to the 10th century. “Tanbur”, among the Russian musical instruments, was described by the 10th century Arab traveler Ibn Dasta, who visited Kyiv (Kuyab) between 903 and 912. A noteworthy observation belongs to Ahmed ibn Fadlan, secretary of the embassy of the Baghdad Caliph, who left an interesting and detailed description of his journey along the Volga. Having witnessed the funeral rites of the “Rus” in 921, he noted that, along with food and drink, a “tunbur” was also placed in the grave of the deceased.

Thus, the first information about such instruments among the Slavic tribes dates back to the period preceding the heyday of Kievan Rus. This fundamentally contradicts the judgments of some scientists about the domra as an instrument, the type of which was allegedly borrowed from the eastern peoples only in the 13th-14th centuries, during the Tatar-Mongol invasion.

The Old Russian domra was an instrument intended primarily for collective music-making, and existed in various tessitura varieties.

Russian folk musical instruments could not develop in isolation from the instruments of other peoples living in the neighborhood. Indeed, among many eastern peoples who were part of the Russian Empire, it is not difficult to find a number of instruments extremely similar to the domra. This is dombra among the Kazakhs, domra among the Kalmyks, dumbyra among the Bashkirs, tanbur among the Uzbeks, dumbra among the Kyrgyz, etc. The connection, for example, between the Russian domra and the Kazakh dombra is not accidentally manifested even in the name; they are so related that even today many musicians often confuse the terms “domra” and “dombra”!

In 1648, the “highest” decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich “On the correction of morals and the destruction of superstitions” followed. This document, unprecedented in its cruelty, was aimed at the complete extermination of buffoonery. The royal decree was sent to the governors of all Russian cities. Alexei Mikhailovich's instructions were diligently implemented in practice. Russian folk instruments were mercilessly destroyed. A well-known fact: at the behest of Patriarch Nikon, five loaded carts with musical instruments were taken to the Moscow River and publicly burned there.

With the eradication of wandering buffoonery, the tools in people's life also change. By the end of the 17th century, domra completely fell out of use; in fact, even the mention of it disappeared. The professional performance of domra musicians is disappearing, and the production of domras is ending. However, the people still needed a plucked string instrument, similar to a domra, and, most importantly, as simple as possible to manufacture. This is exactly how a new version of the domra, the balalaika, was made by handicraft.

Domra was revived in 1896. The model for its revival was an instrument found in the Vyatka province. The details of this find were described by S. A. Martynov, a member of the St. Andrew’s Orchestra, in a letter dated May 15, 1914.

Based on the instrument found in the Vyatka province, according to the drawings of V. Andreev, the founder of the first Russian orchestra, and with the participation of Nikolai Petrovich Fomin, by the end of 1896, the first revived domra was made by music master Semyon Ivanovich Nalimov. They called her little domra. The layout of the frets on the neck was given by Fomin, but the constructive solution as a whole belonged to Nalimov.

Following the small domra, Nalimov made an alto domra with a tuning an octave lower, and then a bass domra - two octaves lower than the small domra. Outwardly, both instruments were not much different from the small domra, but were, accordingly, larger in size. Subsequently, the instruments of the domra group changed.

All varieties of domra had a single quart system. The range of the small domra was a little more than two octaves from E of the first octave to F of the third. Twelve years later, the Moscow musician Grigory Pavlovich Lyubimov expanded the capabilities of the Andreev domra by increasing the range, changing the fourth scale to fifths, increasing the body and adding strings. Today, the range of the modern three-string domra has been increased by another octave from E first to F fourth, which has significantly expanded the capabilities of performers.

Occupying an important place in the Russian folk orchestra, the domra has long been considered an instrument intended exclusively for orchestral performance. Only a few years later, a domra quartet began to function under the Great Russian Orchestra.

The first professional domrist was P.P. Karkin. It is to him that we owe the development of basic sound production techniques. Karkin made the first editions for domra at the beginning of the century. These were mainly transcriptions of works by foreign performers. In 1909, the domra player's first solo performance took place.

In 1926, at the workers' faculty of the Moscow Conservatory, along with classes of other folk instruments, a domra class was opened, and at the end of the 20s, a three-string domra class was opened at the Music College. October Revolution, which began to train specialists for professional orchestras of Russian folk instruments.

In the 30s, domra classes were opened in some conservatories of Ukraine, in music technical schools, in children's and evening music schools in most regional centers of the country. If in the 20s the domra was mainly aimed at the working class, then by the end of the 30s it was classical music that put the domra (so far only four-stringed) among the modern solo instruments and brought it to the concert stage.

The main techniques of virtuoso technique that have found application in performing practice on classical string instruments - fast and difficult passages, harmonics, complex rhythmic figures, a variety of strokes and techniques, playing double and triple notes - all this was brilliantly demonstrated by performers on Russian instruments.

The possibilities of the solo domra truly opened up in the mid-40s, when original compositions were created for it. And the first of them should rightfully be called “Concerto for three-string domra and orchestra” by Nikolai Pavlovich Budashkin, written and first performed in 1945. We can safely say that with this work a new period in the history of domra performance begins, since the concert served as the beginning of the creation of original literature.

In 1951, Yu. Shishakov wrote the one-movement “Concerto No. 1 for three-string domra with Russian folk orchestra,” which became a new stage in the development of her artistic capabilities. In the early 60s, domra literature was replenished with a concert by B. Kravchenko, as well as a slightly earlier concert by Yu. Zaritsky. In the late 50s and early 60s, a number of other excellent domrists appeared (V. Nikulin, F. Korovay, M. Vasiliev).

Now domra performers take to the stages of large philharmonic halls with solo concerts in one or two sections. The first person to whom the USSR Ministry of Culture granted the official right to solo philharmonic concerts in two sections was Rudolf Vasilyevich Belov in the 1990s. He, like other best domrista performers, laureates of all-Union and all-Russian competitions V. Yakovlev, V. Nikulin, V. Krasnoyartsev, and a little later - T. Volskaya, V. Kruglov, A. Tsygankov, S. Lukin, B. Mikheev , V. Ivko, elevated the solo domra to the rank of full-fledged academic instruments. In the domra repertoire, for example, transcriptions of sonatas for violin and cymbal, violin concertos by I.S. turned out to be artistically valuable. Bach, waltz-scherzo P.I. Tchaikovsky, fantasies by G. Wieniawski, samples of flute music - scherzo from the B-moll Suite by I.S. Bach, sonatas by F. Poulenc, vocalise by M.I. Glinka or “Zapateado” by P. Sarasate.

Since the 70s, the work of Alexander Andreevich Tsygankov has received wide public recognition. Thanks to his original playing, the authority of the three-string domra became even higher in the eyes of the musical community and a wide variety of audiences of listeners. It was he who managed, in transcriptions and in his own plays, concert arrangements and fantasies on the themes of folk songs, to introduce a whole range of new playing techniques into domra performance, such as double harmonics, a combination of harmonics with pizzicato with the right and left hands, etc.

Associate Professor of the Department of Folk Instruments of the Russian Academy of Music named after. Gnesinykh Natalya Iosifovna Lips: – The domra is a fairly eclectic instrument; the keyboard sonatas of A. Scarlatti and the romantic violin works of P. Sarasate, C. Saint-Saens, G. Wieniawski and many other authors can sound well on it. The arrangements of melodies of the peoples of the world sound wonderful - these include Russian, Cuban, Gypsy and Serbian melodies. Transcriptions by D. Gershwin, A. Piazzolla, jazz compositions, and compositions of an ethnic nature are played on the domra. But, of course, only an original repertoire can contribute to the development of domra and move it forward. We must attract composers to create a new repertoire, find an author who would hear domra and write for it. That’s why I tell my students: “Look for your composer, go to exams for student composers.” Now the domra is played by works by A. Tsygankov, Yu. Semashko, V. Pozhidaev, E. Podgaits, N. Khondo and many other authors - these are new original works for our instrument. Also in the repertoire of domrists there is a huge corpus of transcriptions of works for violin, flute, clarinet, piano - this is the finale of the concert for violin by D.D. Shostakovich, sonatas by S.S. Prokofiev, concerts and sonatas by N. Paganini, works by S.V. Rachmaninov, P.I. Tchaikovsky, transcriptions of modern works by A. Rosenblatt, E. Podgaits. The list goes on and on. Now composers have paid attention to the instrument and noted that the domra can sound very interesting in an ensemble. The combinations can be very different. Domra sounds good in an ensemble with flute, harpsichord, guitar, piano, as well as with its own homogeneous varieties. Very rarely, major composers working in other genres turn to domra. I am very pleased that three cycles of 5 plays based on Tatar folklore by Sofia Gubaidulina were performed for the first time in my class. One of my students subsequently played all three cycles at a contemporary music festival in Switzerland and received high praise from the author present in the audience.

Thus, starting from the mid-40s of the last century, domra appeared as a professional and academic instrument. Today, domra performers are ready to present solo programs in two sections, including works of various genres and styles, impressing listeners with a deep sense of style, virtuosity of performance, warmth and nobility of sound. The level of execution has increased significantly in recent years. Domra can be heard in many large concert halls in Russia and abroad. Domrists perform accompanied by Russian folk and symphony orchestras. Every year, many competitions are held among performers of folk instruments, both children's and professional, identifying a number of talented musicians. All this allows us to widely promote modern domra performance not only in our country, but also in many countries around the world.

Soloist of the National
academic folk orchestra
instruments of Russia named after. N.P. Osipova
Anastasia Shcheglina