Our Lady - New messages
Gunjac or Bajs
Parent Category: Croatian national treasure Category: Croatian musical instruments Hits: 2344User Rating: 5 / 5
Gunjac or Bajs
Gunjac or Bajs is a viloncelo like instrument, but with only two strings. The players of gunjci are called Bajsisti.
Legendary Gunjac builder and player - Ottavio Štokavac (1921-2006), from the village of Kolari, near Buje.
"Bajsi u Draguću", 2005: Ottavio Štokavac (violin) and Marko Tončić (gunjac)
in a beautiful glagolitic town of Draguć, Istria, Croatia
Source: Puna je Istra bajsista, 16th Festival "Bajsi u Draguću", 2005
Women are also playing gunjac! A family orchestra Fameja from Roč,
playing on 16th Festival "Bajsi u Draguću", 2005 (the same source)
The strančica, or fajfa, is an old traditional instrument once used in the northwestern area of Croatia (Croatian Zagorje, Podravina and Bilogora). The name itself indicates a specific way of playing – on the side like the flute. The strančica is a forerunner of today's flutes. It is made of wood, usually of elder wood. Besides the glasnica (a blow hole), it can have six or seven holes for playing. The strančica sometimes had tin-inlay decorations. Although the flute is a more perfect instrument, the strančica is much more interesting because its warm, soft sound comes from live, warm wood and not from cold metal.
