Editing Balalaika (section)

== History ==
[[File:Stamp-russia2014-musical-instruments-block.png|thumb|300px|right|Balalaika postal stamps]]

It is possible that the emergence and evolution of the balalaika was a product of interaction with Asian-Oriental cultures. In addition to European culture, early Russian states, also called [[Rus' (region)|Rus' or Rusi]], were also influenced by Oriental-Asian cultures.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Huns|last=Kim, Hyun Jin, 1982-|isbn=9781317340904|location=Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon|pages=157|oclc=930082848|date = 19 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Chamberlin|first=William Henry|date=1960|title=Russia between East and West|journal=The Russian Review|volume=19|issue=4|pages=309–315|doi=10.2307/126474|issn=0036-0341|jstor=126474}}</ref> Some theories say that the instrument is descended from the [[domra]], an instrument from the [[East Slavs]]. In the [[Caucasus]], similar instruments such as the Mongolian [[topshur]], used in [[Kalmykia]], and the [[Panduri]] used in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] are played. It is also similar to the Kazakh [[dombra]], which has two strings.<ref>
Findeizen, Nikolai. ''History of Music in Russia from Antiquity to 1800.'' Ed. Miloš Velimirović
 and Claudia Jensen. Vol. 1. Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 2008. P. 172.</ref> Variants of the dombra played by the [[Bashkirs]] often have 3 strings and may represent an instrument related to both the dombra and the balalaika.

=== The pre-Andreyev period ===
Early representations of the balalaika show it with anywhere from two to six strings. Similarly, [[fret]]s on earlier balalaikas were made of animal gut and tied to the neck so that they could be moved around by the player at will (as is the case with the modern [[baglama|saz]], which allows for the playing distinctive to Turkish and Central Asian music).

The first known document mentioning the instrument dates back to 1688. A guard's logbook from the [[Moscow Kremlin]] records that two [[commoners]] were stopped from playing the Balalaika whilst drunk.<ref>{{cite news|title=Balalaika orchestra offers glimpse of instruments, music|url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/entertainment/article_3bd28b46-7c32-5f5d-aa33-fd7d73a5a781.html|access-date=18 December 2012|newspaper=The Daily Progress|date=28 September 2012}}</ref> Further documents from 1700 and 1714 also mention the instrument. In the early 18th century the term appeared in Ukrainian documents, where it sounded like "Balabaika". Balalaika appeared in "Elysei", a 1771 poem by V. Maikov.<ref>Аверин, В. А. ''Балалаечное исполнительство в Сибири: Опыт монографического исследования.'' (''tr. "Balalaika Performance in Siberia: Experience monographic research."'') Енисейский летописец (2013). pp. 31-33.</ref> In the 19th century, the balalaika evolved into a triangular instrument with a neck that was substantially shorter than that of its Asian counterparts. It was popular as a village instrument for centuries, particularly with the ''[[skomorokh]]s'', sort of free-lance musical [[jester]]s whose tunes ridiculed the [[Tsar]], the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], and Russian society in general.<ref>Шанский Н. М., Иванов В. В., Шанская Т. В. ''Скоморох // Краткий этимологический словарь русского языка. Пособие для учителя (''tr." Brief etymological dictionary of the Russian language. A guide for teachers"'') / Под ред. чл.-кор''. АН СССР С. Г. Бархударова. — М.: Просвещение, 1971. p. 412</ref>
[[File:Balalaïka "Москва 80".jpg|left|thumb|250x250px|Balalaika model of 1980 made for the [[1980 Summer Olympics]] in [[Moscow]]]]

=== The Andreyev period ===
In the 1880s, [[Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev]], who was then a professional violinist in the music salons of St Petersburg, developed what became the standardized balalaika, with the assistance of violin maker V. Ivanov. The instrument began to be used in his concert performances. A few years later, St. Petersburg craftsman Paserbsky further refined the instruments by adding a fully chromatic set of frets and also a number of balalaikas in orchestral sizes with the tunings now found in modern instruments. One of the reasons why the instruments were not standardised, was because people in the outlying areas built their own instruments because there was so little communication for them. There were no roads and weather conditions were generally bad. Andreyev patented the design and arranged numerous traditional Russian folk melodies for the orchestra. He also composed a body of concert pieces for the instrument.<ref>Прохоров, А. М., ed. ''Большая Советская Энциклопедия.'' (''tr. "Great Soviet Encyclopedia "'') 3rd ed. Vol. 2. Москва: Советская Энциклопедия, 1970. pp. 16-17.</ref>