Finnish soldier circa 1930-1940's.
https://static.sotasampo.fi/photographs ... 133087.jpg Full size link
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| 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10128&t=53436 |
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| Author: | diopter [ Tue Aug 18, 2020 4:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
Finnish soldier circa 1930-1940's. https://static.sotasampo.fi/photographs ... 133087.jpg Full size link
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| Author: | Chris Pile [ Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
Gee, it's too bad you didn't have a bigger photo... I have no idea. Looks interesting, though. |
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| Author: | J De Rocher [ Tue Aug 18, 2020 9:37 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
I gave up waiting for the photo to load. Way too big. |
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| Author: | Chris Pile [ Tue Aug 18, 2020 11:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
Thanks for resizing it for us. Welcome to the OLF. |
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| Author: | J De Rocher [ Wed Aug 19, 2020 12:42 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
Never seen one of those before, or anything similar. It looks like there are four string courses, but I can't tell for sure how many strings per course. I count 13 tuning posts in the larger photo. A round sound hole as wells as f-holes. I wonder if it has a fixed bridge or a floating bridge. |
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| Author: | diopter [ Wed Aug 19, 2020 7:31 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
That's why the large full size picture. 4 course of 4 strings. Cropped:  My apologies if you're on dial-up. |
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| Author: | Chris Pile [ Wed Aug 19, 2020 10:17 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
And of course, we'd love to know what it's called - and what tuning does it have? The box shape is certainly interesting. |
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| Author: | diopter [ Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:01 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
Don't know myself. I'm little grasshopper looking for enlightenment. |
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| Author: | Chris Pile [ Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:39 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
Have you posted about this elsewhere? |
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| Author: | bcombs510 [ Thu Aug 20, 2020 12:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
I talked to a friend in Sweden who forwarded to a friend in Finland. The link where the image shows up has a description but the translation sites I used are not quite correct. Here is the link (likely where you got the image I suppose): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... rument.jpg In the article is says: Kersantti Lempiäinen soittamassa mököfoniaan. which Google translated to "Sergeant Lempiäinen playing his cottage." which is apparently not correct. Bing translated it into "Sergeant Lovening playing his moth." which is also not correct. My friend confirmed the translation is not correct, and there may be not an English translation for that instrument. He said the instrument is called something like “universal guitar” or “universal zither”. He found an article (in Finnish) and the headline says “A fairy tale instrument” Attachment: 1.jpg Attachment: 2.jpg SATUMAISIA SOITIKKOJA 30 touko, 2007 | Lukekaapa oheinen Aamulehden ilmoitus! 119 vuotta sitten (8.5.1888) suomalaiset sanomalehdet ylistivät uutta soitikkoa, jota kutsuttiin ”uniwersaali-kitaraksi”, ”uniwersaali-sitraksi”, ”kitaraksi”, ”pedaalikanteleeksi” tai ”poljettawaksi kanteleeksi”. Valitettavasti vempeleestä ei ole kuvaa, mutta se oli ”jotenkin suomalaisen monikielisen kanteleen muotoinen, waan kielien poikki kulkee kolmeniwelinen pedaali”. Soittaminen tapahtui numeroiden ja kirjainten mukaan. ”Keksijä”, John Bertels Tukholmasta mainosti musiikki-instrumenttiaan näyttävästi ja esitteli sitä mm. Helsingissä, Turussa, Porissa, Tampereella ja Viipurissa. Hän soitti suomalaisia, ruotsalaisia, venäläisiä ja saksalaisia kansanlauluja ja opetti yleisölle ”kansansoitikon” käyttöä. Maaliskuussa 1888 porilaiset purisivat sanomalehdissä, etteivät olleet saaneet edellissyksynä tilaamiaan ”salonki-kanteleita”, vaikka ne oli luvattu toimittaa parissa viikossa. Bertels puolustautui, että soittimet oli lähetetty Saksasta jo tammikuussa Ukko-höyrylaivalla, joka jääesteiden vuoksi joutui palaamaan Kööpenhaminaan. Sieltä soitikot oli toimitettu toistamiseen taipaleelle Pietarin kautta mannermaata pitkin. Suomessa myytiin noin 600 ”pedaalikanteletta”. Oliko John Bertels ruotsalainen, joka möi soitonhaluisille suomalaisille saksalaisia sitroja ”salonkikanteleina”? Kotimaisempaa kehitelmää kuvaa Suomen Kuvalehti 38/1943. Laatokan puolustajiksi sattui suuri määrä musikantteja, jotka puhdetöinään rakensivat soittimia ja soittivat niillä orkesterissaan. Soittokojeet palkittiin puhdetyönäyttelyssä korkeimmalla tunnustuksella, ja tilauksia sateli lähes ”suurtuotannoksi” asti. Yksi erikoisimmista oli kanteleen ja mandoliinin välimuoto, jossa suuren kaikupohjansa ansiosta oli ”omalaatuisen mahtava ääni”. Keksintö sai nimekseen ”mököfooni”. Kieltolaki innoitti innovoimaan kanteleelle uusia käyttötapoja. Syyskuussa 1922 Oulun asemalle saapui etelästä juna, jonka Oulun poliisi ajan tavan mukaisesti tarkasti. Mitään epäilyttävää ei löytynyt. Poliisi oli jo poistumaisillaan, kun bongasi pimeimmältä ”pritsiltä” yksinäisen kanteleen. Hän halusi kuulla vanhan ja Oulun seudulla harvinaisen soittimen säveliä. Kun kukaan vaunussa olijoista ei tunnustautunut kanteleen omistajaksi tai soiton taitajaksi, poliisi päätti kokeilla itse ja nosti soittopelin syliinsä. Mutta kuinkas kävikään? Kanteleen kopasta kuuluva kolahtelu ja ”lystikäs lorahdus” sai hänet kurkistelemaan ääniaukosta ja kohottelemaan kannen lautoja. Sulosointujen sijasta virkavalta veteli kansallissoittimesta viisi kimaltelevaa kanisteria: 19 litraa pirtua, pisti kanteleen kainaloonsa ja vei sen poliisikamarille, tuntomerkeillä perittäväksi. Näin uutisoi iisalmelainen Salmetar-lehti, joka päätteli ko. soittimen jäävän iäksi Oulun poliisien näppäiltäväksi. Kanisterikanteleen kyselijä näet saisi kieltolain aikaan ”soitella” siitä itselleen oikeuden edessä puolisen vuotta vankeutta. Teksti: Anna-Liisa Tenhunen kuvalähde: Historiallinen sanomalehtiarkisto This translated by Bing says: Please read the morning newspaper announcement below! 119 years ago (8 May 1888), Finnish newspapers praised the new musician, called the "uniwersaali guitar", "uniwersaali-sitra", "guitar", "pedal kantele" or "poljettawaksi kantele". Unfortunately, there is no picture of the gadget, but it was "somehow shaped like a Finnish multilingual kantele, a three-line pedal runs across the Waa languages". The call was made by numbers and letters. "Inventor", John Bertels from Stockholm advertised his musical instrument in an impressive way and presented it in Helsinki, Turku, Pori, Tampere and Vyborg. He played Finnish, Swedish, Russian and German folk songs and taught the public about the use of a "folk musician". In March 1888, the Pori people were bitten in the newspapers to prevent the "salon kanteles" they ordered in the last autumn, even though they had been promised to be delivered in a couple of weeks. Bertels defended that the instruments had been broadcast from Germany as early as January on the Ukko steamer, which had to return to Copenhagen due to ice barriers. From there, the musicians had been delivered again to the journey through St. Petersburg along the mainland. Around 600 "pedal complaints" were sold in Finland. Was John Bertels Swedish who sold German sitrots as "salon canteles" to the finnish people who wanted to play? A more finnish development is illustrated by Suomen Kuvalehti 38/1943. Ladoga's defenders were the most important musicals who, with their cleanness, built musical instruments and played them in their orchestra. The playing instruments were awarded at the clean-up work exhibition with the highest recognition, and orders were almost "large production". One of the most extraordinary was the intermediate form of kantele and mandolin, where due to its large soundboard was "an eccentricly awesome sound". The invention was called "mököfoon". Prohibition law inspired new uses for kantele. In September 1922, a train arrived at oulu station, which was checked by the Oulu police in accordance with the custom. Nothing suspicious. Police were already about to leave when they spotted the darkest "prits" lone kantele. He wanted to hear the notes of an old and Oulu region. When none of the people in the wagon confessed to being the owner of the kantele or the caller, the police decided to try it themselves and lifted the playing game into their laps. But how'd it turn out? The rattling and "nice splash" of kantele's booth made him peek through the sound opening and lift the boards on the deck. Instead of the sulos, the authorities pulled five glittering canisters from the national instrument: 19 litres of milkshake, put the kantele under its arm and took it to the police chamber, with descriptions. This is how the Irish newspaper Salmetar was reported, which concluded that the the player will remain for the rest of the day to be keyed down by the Oulu police. A questioner of canens would be allowed to "call" himself in the face of the right for half a year in prison. Text: Anna-Liisa Tenhunen image source: Historical newspaper archive I don't know if we're any closer but it's interesting nonetheless.  Brad |
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| Author: | Chris Pile [ Thu Aug 20, 2020 12:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
Perhaps it's a one-off? Mighty short scale, similar to a uke. I'd love to hear one.... |
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| Author: | J De Rocher [ Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
I would like to hear what it sounds like too with four strings per course and the short scale. I'm guessing that the box sections parallel to the fretboard are hollow so it has a pretty big soundboard. Tuning it must be a pain. I think the phrase "kantele and mandolin" in the third paragraph provides a clue. The kantele is a traditional instrument of Finland in the zither family. It appears that someone may have made it is as a hybrid instrument. I wonder if it was a one-off for the orchestra mentioned above. |
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| Author: | diopter [ Mon Aug 24, 2020 1:39 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 1st Post. Anyone capable of identifying this instrument? |
Original site I found it on plus some pictures of other handiwork. https://www.sotasampo.fi/fi/times/page/ ... 1943-04-10       
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