“Proverb,” a new composition by Tom Gurin, was selected by the Sonus Foundation to be premiered in concert in Budapest along with seven other new works.
“Proverb” is composed for solo glissonic tárogató (glissotar) and was performed by Dániel Váczi, the inventor of the instrument. The piece was selected out of 75 total submissions from 63 composers.
Listen to an excerpt from the concert:
The concert “.reach.” took place at 19:00 CEST (1:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time) on 31 May 2021 in the Hold Street Reformed Church in Budapest, Hungary. See the Facebook event.
The Sonus Foundation for the Support of New Music and Contemporary Performing Arts advances Hungarian music and new international music.
What is a Tárogató?
Traditional tárogatós date back to the fifteenth century and, by some accounts, the ninth century. It is likely that the Turks introduced the instrument to Hungarians during the Middle Ages. The name likely derives from töröksip—”Turkish pipe.” Until the eighteenth century, the tárogató was a type of shawm with a single reed, a conical bore, and no keys.
Modern tárogatós have existed since the late-nineteenth century. József Schunda Vencel, who also developed the concert cimbalom, created the instrument in his Budapest workshop. It is a B-flat single-reed instrument with a conical bore, octave mechanism, and chromatic key work. The instrument’s unique timbre is often described as a combination of a saxophone, a clarinet, and an oboe. The tárogató quickly became popular and was soon produced by numerous instrument manufactories in the early 20th century. Although production temporarily halted due to World War II, in recent years, the instrument has rebounded and is now widely used in folk, jazz, and classical music all around the world. It is available with both traditional fingerings as well as Boehm System fingerings.
What is a Glissonic Tarogato, or Glissotar?
The glissotar is a new version of the tárogató. Instead of tone holes, the glissotar uses a longitudinal slot through the bore of the instrument. Magnetic foil covers the two sides of the slot, attracting a magnetized ribbon on top. Similar to a violin string, the ribbon is fixed on the upper end, stretched and lifted up from the lower end. When the ribbon is pushed down, it will seal up perfectly above it, which allows the instrument to produce any note in the pitch continuum. It can be played with eight fingers or by sliding one finger up and down.
About Tom Gurin
Tom Gurin is one of the first composers to have ever written for glissotar. He holds a degree in Music Composition from Yale University and was an Emerging Composer Fellow with the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival, the National Youth Orchestra of China, and more. For additional information on his music, please contact him online now.