Brief Fujara Description

The fujara is a Slovakian folk instrument, a shepherd’s flute.
It first appeared in the 10th century, but the oldest fujaras preserved are from the second half of the 19th century only.
Modern fujara: wooden tube with a length of 165 – 190 cm and a diameter of 3-5 cm.with three holes in the lower part. The air is transported by a smaller wooden pipe of 50 – 70 cm tied to the large tube.

The tone is produced by a labium with an inserted block and a cleft (as in a recorder).
The nature of the sound: the sound is formed by harmonics (natural overtones, comparable to the alphorn).
Fujara melodies are mixolydic, melancholic, with radiantly strident sound clusters.
The fujara is commonly played as a solo instrument but also in groups of three to seven, sometimes also with a lead singer. Some contemporary written music for fujara even makes use of string orchestras.
The material used for the building of the instrument is semi-hard wood from indigenous trees. The choice of the wood, its storage (two to three years), treatment and decoration require a great deal of care. Each instrument is completely hand-made and individually finished and hence production is limited.