View source for Gusle

{{Short description|Single-stringed musical instrument}}
{{For|the multi-string instrument|Gusli}}
{{Expand German|Lahuta|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox Instrument
| name           = {{Lang|sr|Gusle|italic=no}}
| names          = 
| image          = Serbian Gusle.jpg
| image_capt     = Typical {{Lang|sr|gusle}}
| developed      = 
| background     = string
| classification = [[Bowed string instrument]]
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = Bowl lyre sounded by a bow
| hornbostel_sachs = 321.321-71
| range          = 
| related        = * [[Byzantine lyra]] and its derivatives
* [[Masenqo]] (Horn of Africa)
* Other "''[[fiddle]]''s"
| sound sample   = {{listen
| embed    = yes
| filename=Gusle0001.ogg
| title= Serbian ''gusle''
| description=The sound of the Serbian {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}
| format=[[Vorbis]]}}
}}

The {{Lang|sr|'''gusle'''|italic=no}} ({{Lang-sh-Cyrl|гусле}}) or '''lahuta''' ({{langx|sq|lahutë}}; related to English ''[[lute]]'') is a [[bow (music)|bowed]] single-[[string instrument|stringed musical instrument]] (and musical style) traditionally used in the [[Dinarides]] region of [[Southeastern Europe]] (in the [[Balkans]]). The instrument is always accompanied by singing; musical folklore, specifically [[epic poetry]]. The {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} player ({{Lang-sh-Cyrl|гуслар|guslar}}; {{langx|sq|lahutar}}) holds the instrument vertically between the knees, with the left hand fingers on the string. The string is never pressed to the neck, giving a harmonic and unique sound.

Singing to the accompaniment of the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} as a part of [[Serbia]]'s [[intangible cultural heritage]] was inscribed in 2018 on the [[Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]] of [[UNESCO]].

==Etymology==
The Old Slavic root morpheme gǫdsli ({{Confer}}Russian ''gúsli'', {{Langx|sk|husle}}, {{Langx|cs|housle}}, {{Langx|sl|gósli}}) is associated with guditi/gósti, or gudalo/godalo, related to [[onomatopoeia]] for a low resonating sound; {{Confer}} ''gu(n)delj''/''гу(н)дељ'' = [[cockchafer]], which makes such sound when flying.

The exact origin of the nominations of the related concepts {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}, gadulka, gudok and gudalo, the latter as the name for the bow of the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} could also illuminate a more accurate assignment in the history of the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} after Walther Wünsch.

In the parlance of the South Slavs, in addition to the feminine [[plurale tantum]] {{Lang|sr|gusle}} that has prevailed as a lexeme, even the older ''"gusli"'', which is found in the area of the middle Drina River region to Arilje and throughout Montenegro. The use of the phonemes {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/i/}} is in the same language as the same speaker, or it can be used in lyrics or everyday speech.

The singular form {{Lang|sr|gusla}} is found only in Eastern Serbia, west of the [[Timok]], around [[Niš]], [[Ivanjica]], as well as in the area of [[Zlatibor]]. On [[Korčula]] only {{Lang|sr|gusla}} is in use.

The term {{Lang|sr|gusle}} by [[Alberto Fortis]] has been introduced into European literature. {{Lang|sr|Gusle}} is in Serbian linguistic usage, however, a feminine [[plurale tantum]] ({{Langx|sh|gusla}} or {{Lang|sr|gusle}}, {{Langx|sq|lahuta}} or {{Lang|sq|lahutë}}).

==Origin==
There is no consensus about the origin of the instrument.{{sfn|Bjeladinović-Jergić|2001|p=489}} 7th-century Byzantine Greek historian [[Theophylact Simocatta]] ({{floruit}} {{circa|630}}) wrote about "small [[Byzantine lyra|lyres]]" brought by the [[Slavic migrations to the Balkans|Slavs who settled in the Balkans]]; some researchers believe that this might have been the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}.{{sfn|Bjeladinović-Jergić|2001|p=489}} Others, such as F. Sachs, believe that the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} has an Oriental origin, brought to [[Europe]] in the 10th century via the [[Islamic contributions to Medieval Europe|Islamic cultural wave]].{{sfn|Bjeladinović-Jergić|2001|p=489}} Arab travellers report evidence that the Slavs used the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} in the 10th century.<ref name="Koljević1980">{{cite book|author=Svetozar Koljević|title=The Epic in the Making|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qliAAAAMAAJ|year=1980|publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn=978-0-19-815759-5|page=11}}</ref> [[Teodosije the Hilandarian]] (1246–1328) wrote that [[Stefan Nemanjić]] ({{Reign|1196|1228}}) often entertained the [[Medieval Serbian nobility|Serbian nobility]] with musicians with drums and "{{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}".{{sfn|Vlahović|2004|p=340}} Reliable written records about the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} appear only in the 15th century.{{sfn|Bjeladinović-Jergić|2001|p=489}} 16th-century travel memoirs mention the instrument in [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]] and [[Serbia]].{{sfn|Bjeladinović-Jergić|2001|p=489}} In the 19th and 20th centuries the instrument was mentioned in Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Albania (where it is called {{Lang|sq|lahuta}}, "[[lute]]").{{sfn|Bjeladinović-Jergić|2001|p=489}}

==Construction and use==
The {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} consists of a wooden [[sound box]], the maple being considered as the best material (therefore often the instrument is referred to as "{{Lang|sr|gusle javorove|italic=no}}" - maple {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}), covered with an animal skin and a neck with an intricately carved head. A [[bow (music)|bow]] is pulled over the string/s (made of [[horsetail]]), creating a dramatic and sharp sound, expressive and difficult to master. The string is made of thirty horsehairs.

The instrument is held vertically between the player's knees, with the left hand fingers on the neck.{{sfn|Ling|1997|p=87}} The strings are never pressed to the neck, giving a harmonic and unique sound.{{sfn|Ling|1997|p=87}} The most common and traditional version is single-stringed, while a much less-common version is the two-stringed found in [[Bosanska Krajina]] and in [[Lika]].

The varieties of {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} music are based on cultural basis; the content of the stories of each ethnic group is different, as different epic poems are used to accompany the instrument. There is minor differing characteristics of [[vocality]] in the regions of [[Southeast Europe]]. The design of the instrument is identical; only the design of the neck and head varies with ethnic or national motif.

The {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} instrumentally accompanies heroic songs (epic poetry) in the Balkans.{{sfn|Ling|1997|p=87}}

===Serbs===
{{See also|Serbian epic poetry}}
{{Infobox intangible heritage
| ICH = Singing to the accompaniment of the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}
| State Party = Serbia
| ID = 01377
| Year = 2018
| Region = ENA
| Session = 13th
| List = Representative
}}
[[File:Hercegovac pjeva uz gusle.JPG|left|thumb|upright|A [[Herzegovina|Herzegovinian]] sings to the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} (1823). Herzegovinian epic poems were often sung to the accompaniment of this instrument.]]
[[File:Filip Visnjic guslar.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Filip Višnjić]] (1767–1834), a blind Serbian {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}]]

The Serbian {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} is a one-stringed instrument that is usually made of [[maple]] wood. {{Anchor|Guslar}}A {{Lang|sr|'''guslar'''}} ({{Lang-sr-Cyrl|гуслар}}) is an individual capable of reproducing and composing poems about heroes and historical events to the accompaniment of this instrument, usually in the [[decasyllable]] [[Meter (poetry)|meter]]. There are records of an instrument named {{Lang|sr|gousli}} ({{Lang|sr|гоусли|italic=no}}) being played at the court of the 13th-century Serbian King [[Stefan Nemanjić]], but it is not certain whether the term was used in its present-day meaning or it denoted some other kind of string instrument. Polish poets of the 17th century mentioned the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} in their works. In a poem published in 1612, Kasper Miaskowski wrote that "the Serbian {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} and [[gaida]]s will overwhelm [[Shrove Tuesday]]" (''Serbskie skrzypki i dudy ostatek zagluszą'').<ref name=georgijevic>Krešimir Georgijević (2003). ''[https://www.rastko.rs/rastko-pl/umetnost/knjizevnost/studije/kgeorgijevic-pesma.php#uvod Српскохрватска народна песма у пољској књижевности]'' (in Serbian). [[Project Rastko]].</ref> In the [[idyll]] named ''Śpiewacy'', published in 1663, [[Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic]] used the phrase "to sing to the Serbian {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}" ({{Lang|pl|przy Serbskich gęślach śpiewać}}).<ref name=georgijevic/><ref>[[Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic]] (1857). "Śpiewacy" (in Polish). Kazimierz Józef Turowski, ed. ''Sielanki Józefa Bartłomieja i Syzmona Zimorowiczów''. The [[Internet Archive]]. [https://archive.org/stream/sielankijzefab00zimouoft#page/n42/mode/1up p.39]</ref> In some older Serbian books on literature it was stated that a Serbian {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}} performed at the court of [[Jogaila|Władysław II Jagiełło]] in 1415.<ref name=georgijevic/> The earliest known Serbian {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}} is referred to in 1551 by Hungarian historian Sebastian Tinody, saying, "There are many {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} players here in Hungary, but none is better at the Serbian style than Dimitrije Karaman". In addition Sebastian describes the performance, explaining that the {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}} would hold the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} between the knees and goes into a highly emotional artistic performance with a sad and dedicated expression on their face.<ref>Else Mundal (2008). ''Oral Art Forms and Their Passage into Writing''.</ref>

The {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} has played a significant role in the history of [[Serbian epic poetry]] because of its association with the centuries-old patriotic oral legacy. Most of the epics are about the era of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] occupation and the struggle for the liberation from it. With the efforts of ethnographer [[Vuk Stefanović Karadžić]], many of these epics have been collected and published in books in the first half of the 19th century. Serbian folk poetry was given a marvelous reception, as it appeared in Europe when [[Romanticism]] was in full bloom. This poetry, which appeared in Karadžić's anthological collections, met the "expectations" of the sophisticated European audience, becoming a living confirmation of [[Johann Gottfried Herder|Herder's]] and [[Jacob Grimm|Grimm's]] ideas about the oral tradition. [[Jacob Grimm]] began to learn [[Serbian language|Serbian]] so that he could read the poems in the original. He wrote minute analyses of each new volume of Serbian folk songs. He ranked them as being equal to the Song of Songs, as did Goethe somewhat later. Thanks to Grimm, moreover to the initiatives of Slovene [[Jernej Kopitar]] (the censor for Slavonic books in [[Vienna]], Karadžić's counselor and protector), Serbian folk literature found its place in the literature of the world.<ref>Nada Milošević-Đorđević, "The history of Serbian Culture", Porthill Publishers, Edgware, Middiesex, 1995.</ref>
[[File:Battle of Kosovo, Adam Stefanović, 1870.jpg|thumb|Poems about the [[Battle of Kosovo]] (1389) are among the most popular poems sung to the accompaniment of {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}.]]

[[Vuk Karadžić]] divided the epic songs he collected from {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}}s like [[Filip Višnjić]] and [[Tešan Podrugović]] into [[Serbian epic poetry|three cycles]].

The [[Serbian epic poetry#Corpus|first cycle]] includes songs from the earliest era of the [[Serbia in the Middle Ages|medieval Serbian state]] and the era of the [[Serbian Empire]]. Some of the most well-known poems from this cycle include ''The Wedding of Emperor Dušan'' (''Ženidba cara Dušana''), ''[[The Building of Skadar]]'' (''Ženidba Dušanova'') and ''Uroš and Mrnjavčevići'' (''Uroš i Mrnjavčevići'')<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maja |date=2013-11-18 |title=Pretkosovski ciklus – Najlepša poezija – najbolji pesnici |url=https://www.prelepapoezija.com/epska-poezija/pretkosovski-ciklus/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |language=sr-RS}}</ref>

The [[Serbian epic poetry#Corpus|next cycle]] includes songs about the [[Battle of Kosovo]] (1389) and the events related to it. The most famous song is the ''[[Lazar of Serbia#Cult|Prince's Curse]]'' (''Kneževa kletva''),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Кнежева клетва — Викизворник, слободна библиотека |url=https://sr.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B0_%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B0 |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=sr.wikisource.org |language=sr}}</ref> in which [[Miloš Obilić]] and [[Lazar of Serbia|Prince Lazar]] are main characters. The [[Battle of Kosovo|Kosovo Battle]] is probably the most important event in [[Serbian epic poetry]]. Singing songs about the Battle of Kosovo to {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} significantly influenced the birth of the [[Kosovo Myth]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Janić |first=Nikola |date=2021-06-25 |title=KOSOVSKI ZAVET I ŽARKO VIDOVIĆ {{!}} Koreni |url=https://www.koreni.rs/kosovski-zavet-i-zarko-vidovic/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |language=sr-RS}}</ref>

The [[Serbian epic poetry#Corpus|last cycle]] includes songs about the events after the Battle of Kosovo. They sing about the [[List of Serbian–Ottoman conflicts|first battles]] against the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] and conflicts between [[Medieval Serbian nobility|Serbian nobles]]. A famous poem from that era is the poem about [[Strahinja Banović]]. The greatest hero of this cycle is [[Prince Marko|Marko Kraljević]]. Poems about the chivalry of [[hajduk]]s and [[Uskoks|uskos]] who resisted the Ottomans also belong to that cycle.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-11-18 |title=Hajdučke i uskočke pesme – Najlepša poezija – najbolji pesnici |url=https://www.prelepapoezija.com/epska-poezija/hajducke-i-uskocke-pesme/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |language=sr-RS}}</ref> Some of them are [[Starina Novak]], [[Stanoje Glavaš]], Starac Vujadin, [[Stojan Janković|Janković Stojan]], Ilija Smiljanić, [[Bajo Pivljanin]] and [[Hajduk Veljko]]. Battles between [[Serbs of Montenegro|Montenegrins]] and the Ottomans ([[Battle of Vučji Do|Battle of Vučij Do]], [[Battle of Grahovo]], [[Battle of Fundina]]) were also sung, as well as the [[Serbian Revolution]] and its heroes: [[Karađorđe]], [[Hajduk Veljko]], [[Aleksa Nenadović]], [[Ilija Birčanin]], [[Tanasko Rajić]], [[Vasa Čarapić]] and [[Miloš Obrenović]].

More recent poems sing about recent battles and wars for the liberation of [[Serbia]] and [[Montenegro]], such as the [[Serbian–Ottoman Wars of 1876–1878]], the [[Herzegovina uprising (1875–1877)|Herzegovina Uprising]], the [[Balkan Wars]], the [[Siege of Scutari (1912–1913)|Siege of Skadar]], the [[World War I|First World War]], and the [[Battle of Mojkovac]]. One of the participants in the Battle of Mojkovac, Radovan Bećirović Trebješki, would become the most famous modern writer of Serbian epic poems.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-15 |title=Бесједе са сахране хаџи Радована Бећировића - Требјешког августа 1986. године • Радио ~ Светигора ~ |url=https://svetigora.com/besjede-sa-sahrane-hadzi-radovana-becirovica-trebjeskog-avgusta-1986-godine/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=svetigora.com |language=sr-RS}}</ref>{{multiple image 
|align=left 
|total_width=320 
|image1=Gusle na Cetinju.jpg
|caption1={{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} in the Ethnographic Museum of Montenegro in [[Cetinje]].
|image2=Gusle Montenegro 2.JPG
|caption2={{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} with the top part carved in the likeness of a goat.
}}

Although the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} was played throughout the entire former territory of the [[Serbian Empire]], and later in the areas to the north and west - in [[Serbian Vojvodina|Vojvodina]] and in the [[Military Frontier]], today the tradition of playing {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} is strongest in [[Herzegovina]] and [[Montenegro]], where Serbian medieval culture has been best preserved.<ref name="guslarvujovic">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOtLg2OnTBE |title=Емисија о гуслама |date=2012-01-11 |last=guslarvujovic |access-date=2025-02-21 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref name="User">{{Cite web |title=ZNAČAJ GUSALA U FORMIRANJU SRPSKE KULTURE |url=https://www.dijaspora.nu/index.php/lat/znacaj-gusala-u-formiranju-srpske-kulture |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=Dijaspora |language=sr-yu}}</ref> That is why {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} today are mostly decorated with details that remind of the heroic past of these areas. Many {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} are decorated with carved motifs depicting scenes from battles ([[Battle of Vučji Do]], [[Nevesinjska puška|Nevesinjska Puška]]), characters of famous [[Serbs]] ([[Saint Sava]], [[Petar II Petrović-Njegoš|Petar Petrović Njegoš]], [[Karađorđe]], [[Nicholas I of Montenegro]]) or famous places ([[Ostrog Monastery]], [[Cetinje Monastery]] and [[Lovćen|Lovćen Chapel]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sinisa |date=2024-09-10 |title=Kako Se Prave Gusle? Proces Izrade Kroz Ruke Majstora |url=https://www.gusle.rs/kako-se-prave-gusle-proces-izrade-kroz-ruke-majstora/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=gusle.rs |language=sr-RS}}</ref>

In all major cities, such as [[Belgrade]], [[Podgorica]], [[Istočno Sarajevo|East Sarajevo]], [[Banja Luka]], [[Cetinje]], [[Pljevlja]], [[Užice]], [[Novi Sad]], [[Niš]], [[Nikšić]] and [[Kraljevo]], there are {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}} societies that organize concerts and {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} evenings ({{Langx|sr|гусларске вечери|guslarske večeri|links=no}}). {{Lang|sr|Guslar|italic=no}} Society "Vuk Karadžić" is the oldest existing {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}} society in [[Belgrade]]. The societies are organized into three {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}} federations - in [[Serbia]], [[Montenegro]] and the [[Republika Srpska|Republic of Srpska]]. {{Lang|sr|Gusle|italic=no}} competitions called [[festival]]s are organized regularly. There are numerous youth competitions and festivals for seniors, but the biggest competition being the Federal Festival of {{Lang|sr|Gusle|italic=no}} ({{Langx|sr|Савезни фестивал гусала|Savezni festival gusala|links=no}}). Competitors are the highest-ranked {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}}s at festivals in [[Serbia]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sceklic |first=Zdravko |date=2022-04-05 |title=Предсједник савеза гуслара Србије: Слободарска свијећа се неће угасити, показао фестивал у Никшићу |url=https://pogled.me/predsjednik-saveza-guslara-srbije-slobodarska-svijeca-se-nece-ugasiti-pokazao-festival-u-niksicu/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=Pogled.me |language=sr-RS}}</ref> [[Montenegro]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=portal |first=D. A. N. |date=2022-09-05 |title=ДАН - Skupština guslara Crne Gore: Samo jedinstvo može sačuvati gusle i epsko pjesništvo |url=https://www.dan.co.me/kultura/skupstina-guslara-crne-gore-samo-jedinstvo-moze-sacuvati-gusle-i-epsko-pjesnistvo-5135181 |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=www.dan.co.me}}</ref> and [[Republika Srpska]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=47. Festival Saveza srpskih guslara 2024, ZR {{!}} SEEcult |url=https://www.seecult.org/dogadjaji/47-festival-saveza-srpskih-guslara-2024-zr-0/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |language=en-US}}</ref> The champion is considered the best Serbian {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}} that year.<ref name="guslarvujovic"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Guslarsko društvo "Vuk Karadžić" koncertom na Kolarcu 10. novembra obeležava pola veka rada |url=https://www.rts.rs/lat/magazin/Zanimljivosti/5567733/gusle-guslarsko-drustvo-vuk-karadzic-kolarac-pola-veka-postojanja.html |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=РТС |language=sr}}</ref> Most famous modern Serbian {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}}s are Branko Perović, Boško Vujačić, Đorđije Đoko Koprivica, [[Milomir Miljanić|Milomir Miljanić Miljan]], Saša Laketić and Maksim Vojvodić.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIpjdVpoBgM |title=Kvadratura kruga: Gusle |date=2018-05-05 |last=RTS Kvadratura kruga - Zvanični kanal |access-date=2025-02-21 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

Singing to the accompaniment of the {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} as a part of Serbia's tradition was inscribed in 2018 on the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists]] of [[UNESCO]] after years of Serbian {{Lang|sr|guslar|italic=no}}s' efforts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/singing-to-the-accompaniment-of-the-gusle-01377|website=UNESCO|title=Singing to the accompaniment of the Gusle}}</ref>

=== Bosniaks ===
{{See also|Bosniak epic poetry}}[[File:Ivana Kobilca - Bošnjak z goslimi.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|A Bosniak playing {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}}, painting by [[Ivana Kobilca]], {{Circa|1900}}]]

There are few active Bosniak {{Lang|sr|guslari|italic=no}} today, but there were many examples in history. {{Lang|sr|Guslari|italic=no}} were always guests at the Bosniak [[Bey|beg]]'s courtyards, and it was with {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} they performed Bosniak heroic songs about prominent figures or events. In these songs were [[Đerzelez Alija]], [[Hrnjica Brothers|Mujo Hrnjica]], [[Mustay-Bey of Lika]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Many Deaths of Mustaj Beg of Lika – Classics@ Journal |url=https://classics-at.chs.harvard.edu/classics14-kunic/ |access-date=2022-10-23 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Battle of Banja Luka|The Battle of Banja Luka]] or the [[Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739)|Battle at Očakov]].

[[Avdo Međedović]] was the most versatile and skillful {{Lang|sr|guslari|italic=no}} encountered by [[Milman Parry]] and [[Albert Lord]] during their research in the oral epic tradition of [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]], [[Herzegovina]] and [[Montenegro]] in the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=4. Avdo Međedović, Guslar |url=https://chs.harvard.edu/chapter/4-avdo-mededovic-guslar/ |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=The Center for Hellenic Studies |language=en-US}}</ref> At Parry's request, Avdo sang songs he already knew and some songs he heard in front of Parry, convincing him that someone Homer-like could produce a poem so long. Avdo dictated, over five days, a version of the well-known theme ''The Wedding of Meho Smailagić'' that was 12,323 lines long, saying on the fifth day to Nikola (Parry's assistant on the journey) that he knew even longer songs. On another occasion, he sang over several days an epic of 13,331 lines. He said he had several others of similar length in his repertoire. In Parry's first tour, over 80,000 lines were transcribed.<ref>{{Citation |title=FILM AVDO MEDJEDOVIC BALKANSKI HOMER | date=15 May 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpQZzcfXIt4 |language=sv-SE |access-date=2022-10-23}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

===Albanians===
{{See also|Albanian epic poetry}}{{multiple image
| align             = right
| total_width       = 320
| image_style       = border:none;
| image1            = Lahutari.jpg
| footer            = Gheg Albanians playing the {{Lang|sq|lahuta|italic=no}} while singing epic songs.
| image2            = Lahutare ne Peje.jpg
}}

The {{Lang|sq|lahuta|italic=no}} is used by [[Gheg Albanian]]s of [[Kosovo]], northern [[Albania]] and [[Montenegro]] ([[Malësia]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Elsie |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5xgxBY81S7IC&pg=PA371 |title=Songs of the Frontier Warriors |last2=Mathie-Heck |first2=Janice |date=2004 |publisher=Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers |isbn=978-0-86516-412-3 |language=en}}</ref>), for the singing of epic songs, in particular the [[Kângë Kreshnikësh]]. In Albanian types, the {{Lang|sq|lahuta|italic=no}}<nowiki/>'s head is often carved after a goat's, a ram's, or a horse's head, or a hawk, the latter representing the Albanian flag.

{{Anchor|lahutar}}It is played by a {{Lang|sq|'''lahutar'''}}, the Albanian equivalent to a [[rhapsode]] or [[bard]]. The songs are [[octosyllable]], in relation to the [[decasyllable]] Serbian.

The use of {{Lang|sq|lahuta|italic=no}} is traditionally mastered in the Highlands and [[Malësi e Madhe District]].
[[Gjergj Fishta]], the Albanian national poet and priest, wrote the book {{Lang|sq|[[Lahuta e Malcís]]}} which is often played with a {{Lang|sq|lahuta|italic=no}}. The famous Albanian song about [[Gjergj Elez Alia]], the Albanian mythological hero who slays a beast that rises from the sea, is also played with a {{Lang|sq|lahuta|italic=no}}.

A good number of Albanian epic singers ({{Langx|sq|lahutarë}} or {{Lang|sq|rapsodë}}) can be found today in [[Kosovo]] and [[northern Albania]], and some also in [[Montenegro]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dushi |first=Arbnora |url=https://journal.fi/ar/article/view/67535 |title=On Collecting and Publishing the Albanian Oral Epic |year=2014 |volume=4 |pages=37-44 |doi=10.30664/ar.67535}}</ref> The Albanian traditional singing of epic verse from memory is one of the last survivors of its kind in modern [[Europe]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Elsie |first=Robert |url=http://www.elsie.de/pdf/articles/A2014AlbanianEpicVerse.pdf |title=Paper Presented at the International Conference on the Albanian Epic of Legendary Songs in Five Balkan Countries: Albania, Kosova, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro |year=2014 |location=Pristina, Institute of Albanian studies}}</ref> and the last survivor of the Balkan traditions.<ref>Di Lellio, Anna; Dushi, Arbnora (2024). "Gender Performance and Gendered Warriors in Albanian Epic Poetry". In Lothspeich, Pamela (ed.). ''The Epic World''. Routledge Worlds. Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|9781000912203}}.</ref>
{{clear}}

== See also ==
* [[Berimbau]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|last=Bjeladinović-Jergić|first=Jasna|title=Зборник Етнографског музеја у Београду: 1901-2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EQcSAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA489|year=2001|publisher=Етнографски музеј|page=489<!-- |quote=Грчки хроничар Теофилакт Симоката наводи да су Словени приликом доласка на Балканско полуострво носили са собом „лири- це". Неки истраживачи мисле да би то могле би- ти гусле. Други мисле, као Ф. Сакс на примјер, да су гусле тековина источњачке културе и да су вјероватно посредством исламског културногта- ласа, у X вијеку, пренијете у Европу. Поузданији писани подаци о гуслама по- тичу тек из XV... -->|isbn=9788678910081 }}
*{{cite book|last=Ling|first=Jan|title=A History of European Folk Music|chapter=Narrative Song in the Balkans|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ul_IUuB4WSMC&pg=PA86|year=1997|publisher=University Rochester Press|isbn=978-1-878822-77-2|pages=86–90}}
*{{cite book|last=Vlahović|first=Petar|title=Serbia: the country, people, life, customs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dx4qAQAAMAAJ|year=2004|publisher=Ethnographic Museum|isbn=978-86-7891-031-9}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal |author=Stojisavljevic, M |year=2013 |title=The gusle - the sound of Serbian epic poetry: an examination of contemporary gusle performance practices and gusle instrument-making in Serbia and the Serbian-Australian diaspora community |journal=Doctor of Philosophy (PHD), Education, RMIT University |url=http://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:160594 |access-date=2016-04-15 |archive-date=2023-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418045042/http://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:160594 |url-status=dead}}
* Milošević-Đorđević, Nada, ''The History of Serbian Culture''. Porthill Publishers, Edgware, Middiesex, 1995.
* Kos, Koraljka,  Das Volksinstrument “gusle” in der bildenden Kunst des 19. Jahrhundert. Zum Wandel eines ikonographischen Motivs, Glazba, ideje i društvo / Music, Ideas, and Society. Svečani zbornik za Ivana Supičića / Essays in Honour of Ivan Supičić, ur. S. Tuksar, HMD, Zagreb 1993, 113–124.
* Kos, Koraljka,  Representations of the Gusle in Nineteenth-Century Visual Arts, RidIM/RCMI Newsletter XX/2 (New York 1995) 13–18.
* Milne Holton and Vasa D. Mihailovich. ''Serbian Poetry from the Beginnings to the Present. New Haven'': Yale Center for International and Area Studies, 1988.
* Beatrice L. Stevenson, ''The Gusle Singer and His Songs''. (with "Heroic Ballads of Serbia"), American Anthropologist 1915 Vol.17:58-68.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
{{EB1911 poster|Gusla}}
*[https://www.rastko.rs/isk/nmilosevic-oral_tradition.html The History of Serbian Culture], translated by ''Randall A. Major''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080316070843/http://guslarskepesme.com/ Guslarskepesme.com], repository of {{Lang|sr|gusle|italic=no}} song texts {{in lang|sr}}
*[http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afccchtml/0051.html Peter Boro performing Croatian music on the gusle and misnice, 1939], US Library of Congress

{{List of intangible cultural heritage of Serbia}}
{{Kosovo Myth}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:One-string fiddles]]
[[Category:Drumhead lutes]]
[[Category:Necked bowl lutes]]
[[Category:Bowed monochords]]
[[Category:Albanian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Croatian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Serbian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Bosnian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Montenegrin musical instruments]]