EncyclopediaJew?s harp

The tronpa or jew’s harp is a plucked and flexible idiophone.

Description of the instrument

The jew’s harp that has been played in Euskal Herria has the shape of an old metal key. It consists of an unclosed semicircular ring, from which two arms parallel to the outside emerge. these two arms is the steel tongue that vibrates when operated with the finger.

Way of playing

The two arms of the instrument are placed the lips, against the teeth. By activating the reed of the instrument, using the mouth as a resonance box and changing its interior space, different tones are obtained.

History

It is called tronpa, mosugitarra or mosumusika in Basque, mouth harp or guimbarda in Spanish, this instrument widely spread throughout the world.

In some places it is metallic and in others made of bamboo. Although in Galicia it is called birimbao, in Italy scacciapensieri, in Russia truba, in Catalonia zanfonya etc., in Europe it is known mainly as guimbarda and throughout the world as jew's harp (Jewish harp).

This small and simple sound instrument was played a lot in Euskal Herria until the 20th century. At the beginning of this century, some musicians remained in Gipuzkoa and in the Durangaldea county in Biscay.

Father Donostia (1952) offers some details:

TROMPERRIKO.- Nick given to the inhabitants of Durango, where, they say, these guimbardas were made.

Around 1890-1895 these instruments were sold in the stores of Durango. There were those around 1906-1910 who played this instrument and did it very well. Both from Durango.

This instrument was also known in Ataun (Guipúzcoa) some fifty years ago, and it was danced to its son, according to what my friend the Rev. Mr. José Miguel Barandiarán. (pp. 288-289).

In the San Telmo Museum in Donostia we have found more information about this instrument. There are many news about the Durango trunk, as well as about Ataun and Ikaztegieta in Gipuzkoa. From this last town they preserve one of the two horns that entered the museum in 1916 (Beltrán, 1997, pp. 37-38, 81-85).

Jew’s harps from Ikaztegieta that were kept in the San Telmo Museum (of which one has disappeared).

J. Caro Baroja (1971) tells us another curiosity about this instrument:

“In the Duranguesado county, in the 15th century, the religious Fray Alonso Mella, from a famous family in the area, organized and carried out a heretical movement. The participants of that movement played the jew’s harp placed on the street corners to call their meetings. For this story the people of Durango were mocked 400 years later and they did not like that nick of "tronperriko" ”(pp. 287 to 289).

In the information collected directly by us (Beltran, 1996) it is found that it was played in taverns, cider houses and home kitchens.

The mother of the late txistulari J. A. Sarasola, from Bedaio, played a small tronpa (jew’s harp) in the kitchen of the house in the evening for others to sing and dance.

Félix Izagirre, from Idiazabal (1916-1995), told us that when he was a child, in winter, they met in the kitchen of the house at nightfall, and the children said; "Aita, jo musika!", And the father played the tronpa.

In the Sarobe farmhouse in the San Martín neighbourhood in Orio we have collected the news of José Peña about the last horn player we have met. When he was a child, a great man from Aretxabaleta, Nicolás Garmendia, came to his house. In smuggling, he claimed to fix the shotguns, sell the guns, and so on. He stayed to in the Sarobe farmhouse. He played a lot in the kitchen and very well, all kinds of songs and dances. He had a large, yellow trunk. "What a noise it made!" Once finished, he kept it in a cork case or box.

In that area, cider was sold in many places and in those places Nicolás played the horn, the fandango to dance, the porrusalda and the march, and he also played to accompany while the people sang (pp. 49 to 56).

José gave us singing the melodies played by Nicolás (they can be seen and heard in: Beltrán, 2017).

SOURCES

Bibliography

BELTRAN ARGIÑENA, Juan Mari. (1996). Soinutresnak euskal herri musikan. Hernani: Orain.

(1997). San Telmo Museoko soinu eta hots tresnak. Cuadernos de Sección. Folklore.- 6. Zk. Donostia: Eusko Ikaskuntza.

CARO BAROJA, Julio. (1971). Los vascos. Madrid: Ediciones Istmo.

DONOSTIA, Aita. (1952). Instrumentos Musicales Populares Vascos. Obras Completas del P. Donostia. (Tomo II, 257-309). Bilbo: Ed. La Gran Enciclopedia Vasca, 1983.

Discography

BELTRAN ARGIÑENA, Juan Mari. (2017). Soinu-tresnak Euskal Herri Musikan. 1985-2010. Elkar-Soinuenea Fundazioa. KD DVD-E 968.

(1998). J. Goikoetxea - J.M. Beltran. Beti ttun ttun. NO-CD. CDNO21.

Filmography

BELTRAN ARGIÑENA, Juan Mari. (2017). Soinu-tresnak Euskal Herri Musikan. 1985-2010. Elkar-Soinuenea Fundazioa. KD DVD-E 968.

LARRUKERT, Fernando. (1978). Euskal herri-musika. Euskadiko Filmategia.