What is it about the flute that captivates our being? The legendary Sufi thinker Hazrat Inayat Khan, who wrote extensively on ‘Brahma Naad’ or ‘Sawt Surmad,’ the primordial sound, explained that it was the inexplicable magnetism of Krishna’s flute that drew souls personified as gopis towards him.
Among the great flutes of the world stands the gentle ‘Fujara’, (pronounced ‘Fuyara’), Slovakia’s national instrument.
Originally a shepherd’s flute, the piercing, sweet strains of this instrument resound with a simplicity, a yearning and a spirit of liberation. The melody, which resembles north and south Indian folk tunes, make the listener realise the beauty in simplicity, especially in contrast to complex sounds from instruments of different countries.
The fujara’s music is therapeutic as it relaxes the nerves of the listener, often creating a gentle, sleepy trance. The fairytale expanse of Slovak’s corn fields, the quaint village scapes and the lush vineyards offer silent accompaniment to the fujara.
A rich, soft, drone-like cascade of overtones envelopes you before progressing into the high tone that resembles the South Indian ‘Venu’ (flute). The fujara is known to have a good range which touches nearly two and-a-half octaves. Lilting melodies embody simple tremolos. A tall flute measuring around 200 cm, the fujara is held vertically as players usually stand during recitals, often punctuating their playing with singing.
Commonly known as an ‘overtone fipple flute,’ the kind that contains a constricted mouthpiece called ‘fipple’ found in end-blown flutes, the fujara is tuned in either A, G or F. It has three finger-holes located in the lower part. Air blown into the fipple at the upper end of the main body produces the sound. A parallel pipe or ‘Vzduchovod’ mounted on the instrument’s main body leads the air to the fipple.
The two main types of ornamentations are ‘prefuk’ or the rapid overblowing of a single note, and ‘rozfuk’ or a descending scatter of overtones. Among Slovakia’s other folk flutes like the Koncova and the Dvojaka, the fujara ranks the highest in importance. In many regions of the country, one can find players who construct their own instruments, like the famed Michal Filo of Banska Bystrica, a colourful town in the heart of Slovakia.
The fujara is not just a musical instrument but a one-of-its kind artefact with intricate indigenous designs and colours decorating its exterior. Apart from the innumerable solo folk masters of this instrument and even ensembles that perform at village festivals and cities such as the capital Bratislava and Kosice, the fujara has also entered Slovakia’s concert scene and even some popular bands. It was put on the UNESCO list of ‘Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’ in 2005.
The writer, a multi-linguist, is an international performer and composer
