Gusle

[Текст на српском] Gusle are a popular musical instrument from the Balkans. This instrument has one, or possibly two strings. They are mostly made of maple wood. As a single string instrument, gusle are found in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Dalmatia. Gusle from Lika and Bosanska Krajina generally have two strings.

The name “gusle” comes from the old slavic word “gǫdsli” which means a "wire" or a “string”. The strings are made of thirty interveawed horse hairs, as is the case with a string on a strand. Gusle belong to instruments that require a lot of playing skills.

Gusle played an important role in the history of Serbian epic poetry, as the musicians — folk singers, were singing of events from national history for centuries, until these lyrics were finally recorded. Most of the poems speak of the times of Ottoman rule and the national struggle for independence. By the efforts of Vuk Karadžić many Serbian epic poems have been written, recorded and preserved in the early 19^th century.

In some books and publications, it is mentioned that the Serbian gusle have greeted Friedrich Barbarosa when he met Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja in Niš in the 12^th century, when Nemanja offered him the help of the Serbian state during the Crusade. They say that Barbarosa was amazed by the sound of the instrument and accompanied singing, so he was very interested in details about the gusle.