The kanklės (; ) is a Lithuanian plucked string instrument (chordophone) belonging to the Baltic box zither family known as the Baltic psaltery, along with the Latvian kokles, Estonian kannel, Finnish kantele, and Russian gusli.

Etymology

According to Finnish linguist Eino Nieminen, the name of the instrument, along with the names of most of its neighbouring counterparts (Latvian kokles, Finnish kantele, Estonian kannel and Livonian kāndla), possibly comes from the proto-Baltic form *kantlīs/*kantlēs, which originally meant 'the singing tree', most likely deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *qan- ('to sing, to sound'; cf. Latin "canto", Irish "can", English "chant, cantor").

A Lithuanian ethnologist Romualdas Apanavičius believes Kanklės could be derived from the Proto-European root *gan(dh)-, meaning 'a vessel; a haft (of a sword)', suggesting that it may be related to the Russian word gusli.

Construction

thumb|Samogitian kanklės made in 2002 by Egidijus Virbašius

Although kanklės vary both regionally and individually, there are some common characteristics in their construction.

Kanklės belong to the zither family, which means that their strings are parallel to the soundboard (not perpendicular, like in a harp) and do not extend beyond it (not like in e.g. a guitar, where they extend to the neck). The body of the kanklės is made from one trapezoidal piece of linden tree, ash tree, oak, maple or black alder, which is hollowed out to create a cavity. A thin sheet of softwood (usually spruce) is used to make a soundboard, which covers the body.

The word "kanklės" is first used in writing in 1580 by Jonas Bretkūnas in his Bible translation. Vincas Kudirka published two collections of folk songs adapted for choirs, titled Kanklės, in 1895 and 1898. In 1906, Pranas Puskunigis established an ensemble of kanklės players, mostly from the students at the Veiveriai Teachers' Seminary, in . This ensemble, known simply as "Kanklės" since 1984, continues to this day. A school for kanklės players was opened in 1930 in Kaunas. Kanklės are taught at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre since 1945. Concert kanklės were first constructed in 1964.

References

Bibliography

  • Lithuanian stringed instrument kanklės
  • Anthology of Lithuanian Ethnoculture