Bandura (Ukrainian Zither-Lute)
Plucked string instrument of Ukraine combining a lute's neck with a zither-like soundboard holding up to several dozen strings, played by folk singers called bandurysts and kobzars. The kobzar tradition of singing epic dumy to the bandura is among Ukraine's most distinctive musical heritage; the instrument descends from the older kobza and spread across Ukraine from at least the 18th century. In performance the player fingers the melody on the neck while sweeping across the accompaniment strings on the soundboard, producing a resonant, harp-like texture. The blind kobzars who wandered the vill