Other instruments
Struck idiophone, hanging boards, village signal, death, communal work, rituals
well attested
boards, tabalas
What are tabalai?
Tabalai, also called lentos, are Lithuanian struck idiophones: horizontally hung wooden boards struck with sticks. They are primarily signal rather than melodic instruments, and their sound had to reach the whole village.
They show that Lithuanian sound culture included not only music but everyday and ritual communication: a particular board-beating rhythm could carry a different message to the community.
Construction and sound
Traditional tabalai consist of 1, 2, or 3 maple or ash boards of different sizes and pitches: 50-150 cm long, 15-25 cm wide, and 3-4 cm thick. They were hung under the eaves of farm buildings, bathhouses, cemetery or roadside chapels, near gates, in fields between two posts, or in a tree.
They are struck with two sticks. The sound is ringing, dry, and short, and carries well in open space. Boards of different sizes give different pitches, so tabalai can transmit a clear signal and support rhythm.
History and tradition
Until the first half of the twentieth century, tabalai were signal instruments. They called people to work, gatherings, the bathhouse, or prayers; announced death and funerals, fire, or other misfortunes; and had a ritual role at weddings, Christmas and New Year rites, and post-work gatherings. In yards they could also accompany dances.
Tabalai were first mentioned by Pilypas Ruigys in 1747, then described by Jurgis Ambraziejus Pabrėža in 1818, Simonas Daukantas in 1845, Motiejus Valančius in 1866, and Jonas Švedas in 1952. In the early twenty-first century G. Vilys studied them, showing a long and consistent source record.
Tabalai today
From 1978, Algirdas Karaška reconstructed traditional tabalai for folklore ensembles and museums. Some folklore ensembles use traditional tabalai, while folk-instrument orchestras use xylophone-like modified tabalai by P. Kupčikas from 1966 and 1980 and A. Butkus from 1984.
Tabalai help explain how village sound-notification systems worked before bells and clocks became widespread. Other peoples also have similar hanging signal boards.