cimbalom

[k.swafford@genie.com]

>Caleb-- You are correct. The cimbalom is a hammer dulcimer-type
>folk instrument from Hungary. In fact, Kodaly scored for the use of
>one (with some playful solo passages included) in his Hary Janos
>Suite. I believe the man that is usually called to play the part when
>the suite is performed is a former Oberlin percussionist, Larry
>Kaptain, who owns a Cimbalom and learned to play it by studying (I
>believe with a Gypsy master) in Hungary. He came to Oberlin when the
>Cleveland Orchestra played the suite here and I tuned the instrument
>for him. I had no manual or instruction beforehand, but it was
>easy enough to figure out.
>
>If you want to get in touch with Kaptain, he teaches at the University
>of Kansas. I don't know what campus, but it's whichever one has the
>conservatory.
>
>Ken Sloane,
>Oberlin Conservatory

     There is a percussionist, Larry Kaptain, at the Conservatory of
Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.      @8^)>

     FWIW, no less a composer than Igor Stravinsky also wrote for
cimbalom, scoring two versions of Les Noces to include one or two[!]
cimbaloms.  I've heard Robert Craft, the conductor, claim that
Stravinsky was good enough to go "on the road" as a cimbalom player.