Study Guide
Tamburitzans
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 10:15 a.m.
Show lasts one hour…geared for Grades 2 - 8
presented at
Eissey Campus Theatre
Palm Beach State College
11051 Campus Drive, Palm Beach Gardens
561-207-5900
SHOW:
The Tamburitzans will present a one hour performance of song and dance that will showcase their Eastern European heritage.
Wherever the Tamburitzans perform, their stage becomes a kaleidoscope of sight and sound. Songs are sung in many languages and dialects. Footwork is articulated in hundreds of styles. Folk instruments such as the bandura, tambura, gadulka and cimbalom are plucked, picked, bowed and hammered. Costuming alone is a great reason to see a Tamburitzans show. During the course of a single performance, over 400 original and authentically reproduced costumes are worn by the performers. Each costume design is meticulously researched for authenticity, then created for the stage. The result is a carousel of style and color from the first note to the final stomp.
ARTISTS:
America's longest-running multicultural song and dance company, the Duquesne University Tamburitzans is a unique ensemble of talented young folk artists dedicated to the performance and preservation of the music, songs, and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring folk cultures.
The performers are full-time students who receive substantial scholarship awards from Duquesne University, with additional financial aid provided by Tamburitzans Scholarship Endowment Funds. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., the Tamburitzans houses one of the world's finest museum collections of international folk artifacts and library resources.
The Tamburitzans began in 1937 as a musical group of twelve young men who played the tamburitza. Intrigued by the culture surrounding this traditional East European stringed instrument (similar to a mandolin), the group's founder, Dr. A. Lester Pierce brought his "Slavonic Tamburitza Orchestra" from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he garnered support for his ensemble from the multitude of ethnic communities and fraternal societies residing in the culturally diverse city. Equipped with this affirmation of the viability of his ensemble in Pittsburgh, Dr. Pierce negotiated a work scholarship arrangement with Duquesne University, and the Tamburitzans began a spirited tradition heralded as "unique in all the world." Today, these young men and women perform the music, songs, and dances of Eastern Europe and neighboring cultures under the direction of Managing Director Paul G. Stafura.
The Tamburitzans' numbers have tripled since those early days. The students who comprise the Tamburitzans performing ensemble come from across the country, across the border, and across the sea. Contrary to popular supposition, Tamburitzans performers are not professional; they are college students who receive grant consideration for their participation in the ensemble.
Each Tamburitzans performer is concurrently a full-time student at Duquesne University, studying in the academic field of his or her choice. Tamburitzans students at Duquesne major in everything from Accounting and International Business to Pharmacy and Nursing. Attending classes during the week and performing an average of eighty shows from coast to coast on most weekends and breaks during the academic year is a hectic schedule which many college students would find impossible to keep. Yet, the Tamburitzans accomplish this feat with the bravura of seasoned professionals, despite the fact that no performer has tenure with the ensemble for more than four years. And, most admirable, Tamburitzans also achieve academic excellence, placing on the dean's list often during their unconventionally busy college careers.
PRE-PERFORMAMCE DISCUSSION:
1.Prior to attending the performance, students should discuss audience etiquette.
Common etiquette rules include:
a)Turning off cellphones or electronic devices;
b)No video or other recordings are allowed inside the theatre;
c)Audience members should remain seated and should not leave or enter the auditorium during the performance;
d)There is no talking during the performance; and
e)Clapping should be polite and appropriate.
Discuss why these rules exist. Consider a short role-playing exercise during which students can experience what it is like if an audience is disruptive during class time.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:
- Through discussion or written response, reflect on the following:
a)What are some live theatre productions you have seen?
b)How do you think a stage performance of music and dance will compare to other productions you have seen?
c) The Tamburitzans use folk instruments such as the bandura, tambura, gadulka and cimbalom (definitions below). Compare and contrast these instruments to modern instruments such as the violin, cello, bass, piano, and guitar.
Bandura - a Ukrainian plucked string folk instrument. It combines elements of a box zither and lute, as well as its lute-like predecessor, the kobza. It typically has 30 to 68 strings.
Tambura - The tambura, tanpura, tamboura or taanpura is a long-necked plucked lute (a stringed instrument found in different forms and in many places). The body shape of the tambura somewhat resembles that of the sitar, but it has no frets – and the strings are played open. One or more tamburas may accompany other musicians or vocalists. It has four or five (rarely six) wire strings, which are plucked one after another in a regular pattern to create a harmonic resonance on the basic note (bourdon or drone function).
Gadulka - The gadulka (Bulgarian: Гъдулка) is a traditional Bulgarian bowed string instrument. The gadulka is an integral part of Bulgarian traditional instrumental ensembles, commonly played in the context of dance music.
The gadulka commonly has three (occasionally four) main strings with up to ten sympathetic resonating strings underneath. Only the main melodic strings are touched by the player's fingers and the strings are never pressed all the way down to touch the neck. The gadulka is held vertically, with the bow held perpendicular in an under-hand hold.
Cimbalom - The cimbalom is a concert hammered dulcimer: a type of chordophone composed of a large, trapezoidal box with metal strings stretched across its top. It is a musical instrument popularized in Hungary and commonly found throughout the group of Central-Eastern European nations and cultures. The cimbalom is (typically) played by striking two beaters against the strings. The steel treble strings are arranged in groups of 4 and are tuned in unison. The bass strings which are over-spun with copper, are arranged in groups of 3 and are also tuned in unison.
- Introduce the class to video of the Tamburitzans so that they can become familiar with what they will be seeing and hearing in the theatre. Below are two samples.
- The Tamburitzans use music and folklore based in Eastern Europe. Choose an Eastern European country and explore its culture (food, music, art, language, traditions) Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and the Ukraine.
- Have the students choose something inherent in their culture (food, music, dance, tradition) and have them share it with the class.
- Discuss the costuming of the Tamburitizans and the importance of choosing authentic costuming when representing a particular culture. Have the students choose a type of music (jazz, opera, classical, rock, folk, country, etc.) and create a costume for a musician performing that type of music.
- Discuss other styles of music. Choose a style, such as jazz, classical, country, rock, folk, etc., and explore its history.
- Explore the foods associated with Eastern Europe and have a sampling party.
POST-PERFORMANCE DISCUSSIONS:
- Have a dialogue about the performance. What did the students like about the program? What didn’t they like about it? What surprised them?
- Discuss the types of instruments the students heard. What did they like? What didn’t they like? What did they find interesting about these instruments?
- Discuss the cultural aspect of the performance. Do any of the students come from Eastern Europe or have family from those countries? What did they find most exciting about the cultural aspect?
- Have the students choose their favorite type of dance from the production and learn it in class, giving a mini performance for themselves or other classes.
INTERACTIVE LINKS
To learn more about the Tamburitzans, visit their website at
Find out more about Tamburitzan music in America at - the official web site of the Tamburitzans Association of America (TAA)
Visit for the latest on popular tambura music and culture.
A 30 minute video that follows the group on tour
An 11 minute history of the group