(Fr. tambour à cordes; Ger. Löwengebrull; It. rugghio di leone).
A membranophone in the form of a friction drum, consisting of a cylindrical or bucket-shaped vessel with one end open and the other closed with a membrane. A length of cord or gut is fastened through a hole in the centre of the membrane; the cord is resined and rubbed with coarse fabric or a glove, producing a passable imitation of a lion's roar. In the past this was always a two-handed operation – one hand held the cord taut, the other gripped and slid up the cord, but in the late 20th century Kolberg produced a mounted model, with the cord held taut, requiring only one hand. In another version of the instrument, the end of the string is loosely secured to a wooden handle to form a whirled friction drum.
The first described string drum was originally known in England as the ‘jackdaw’. An instrument of this type, the bika, is still used by the Csángó, a Hungarian ethnic group living in Romania; as the buhai it is used by others in Romania at Christmas and New Year festivals. In southern Turkey a string drum is used to scare away wild animals. In Germany a whirled friction drum in the form of a child's toy is known as the Waldteufel. Similar instruments are known in India, including the nar hunkarnio of the Bhil people in Rajasthan and the baghrā of Orissa.
Composers have made occasional use of the string drum. Varèse included it as tambour à corde in Hyperprism (1922–3) and Ionisation (1929–31). Alexander Goehr specified ‘lion's roar’ in his Romanza for cello and orchestra (1968). Carl Orff wrote for a whirled friction drum in his score for Ein Sommernachtstraum (1917–64). Friedrich Cerha included a Waldteufel in Eine Art Chansons (1985–7) and Eine letzte Art Chansons (1989). A similar effect, but less loud, is created by the Brazilian cuíca (see Drum).
The Tambourin de Béarn or tambourin à cordes of southern France is a box zither.
JAMES BLADES/JAMES HOLLAND