A nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyvei 53. (Nyíregyháza, 2011)

Régészet - Csajághy György: Híradás a legújabban előkerült avar sípról

Híradás a legújabban előkerült avar sípról VARGYAS 1957. Vargyas Lajos: Francia párhuzam regösénekeinkhez. Néprajzi Közlemények 2: 1-2. 1957. 1-10. VARGYAS 1981. Vargyas Lajos: A magyarság népzenéje. Zeneműkiadó, Budapest 1981. VIKÁR 1993. Vikár László: A Volga-kámai finnugorok és törökök dallamai. MTA. Zenetudományi Intézet, Budapest 1993. ZOLNAY 1977. Zolnay László: A magyar muzsika régi századaiból. Magvető, Budapest 1977. CSAJÁGHY György e-mail: csajaghygy@invitel.hu Report about a recently uncovered Avar pipe Archaeological excavations preceding construction were conducted on a surface of 26 hectares on the territory of Mega business park on the outskirts of Nyíregyháza-Oros between April 22 and December 1, 2010. A large Avar settlement was uncovered in the eastern part of the territory. During the project directed by Eszter Istvánovits senior archaeologist of the Jósa András Museum, an interesting musical instrument was found at the excavation led by Zoltán Toldi. The musical instrument is an Avar pipe, which is an interesting find from various aspects. The specialty of the find came from the finding circumstances (not in a grave) and the fact that as opposed to other double pipes it is a single pipe, its length was also uncommon just like other features, from which various consequences can be drawn. The instrument probably broke in the middle while it was prepared and this can explain the single pipe, the rough finish and the uncommon length. The analysis of the pipe from Nyíregyháza suggests that the first sound-hole was bored in the middle. The same is implied by the fact that the terminals of the long bone were not finished and so it seems improbable that the holes were bored starting from the lower end. Owing to the careful restoration, the instrument can be sounded. The scale of the flute is an essentially recognisable major hexachord built on a keynote between c' and d' or a scale close to it, which is naturally influenced by the rough finish, the age and the condition of the instrument. The major hexachord scale of the Nyíregyháza instrument takes us significantly closer to the final resolution of the uncertainties regarding the scale variants of Avar pipes. The scale of the Nyíregyháza instrument seems to support the results outlined by the uncertain or incomplete scales showing in the direction of major hexachord in the case of a few similar musical instruments I have examined. All these naturally open a window into a certainly existing and probably partly cultic province of Avar music, which includes first of all the so-called tight scale tunes (heptatonic ones from bichord to hexachord). It should be added that among these tunes of a short ambit, not only heptatonic units but also the initial forms of the henitonal pentathony (bithon, trithon, tetrathon) can also be found. This certainly existing part of Avar tunes most probably matches the similar, partly cultic melodies of the ancient levels of Hungarian folk music. This very probable coincidence, which can be deduced from studies related to Avar pipes, makes the authentic analysis of instruments that will have been most probably discovered necessary. It is also a fact that only a few succint source and barely usable archaeological finds (apart from the bone 129