Description:
The bandurria is a plucked short-necked lute and a member of the
chordophone family of musical instruments. It has its origins in the
Iberian peninsular in Spain and its close relatives are the cittern,
mandolin and the laud. The term bandurria comes from the text "Libro De
Buen Amor [the book of good love] a manuscript by Juan Ruiz [b. 1283 –
d. 1350 ]. The bandurria often accompanied a dance called the "zapateo"
that made its way from Spain to Cuba to Latin America. During colonial
times the bandurria occupied a predominant role in the Afro-Peruvian
communities in Lima, and near by Coastal Peru. Today in Peru the
bandurria has a strong presence in Cusco and in Apurimac regions of
Peru. The bandurria was widely distributed from Latin America, South
America and to the Philippines. The closest relatives of the bandurria
are the Colombian bandolla and the Ecuadorian bandolin.Origins of the Bandurria: In Medieval Spain the original instrument was constructed from a body covered by animal, neck and it had three or more strings. A Renaissance era book published by Fray Juan Bermudo [b. Ecija 1520 to d. 1565 in Andalusia]. Frey documented the following changes made to the bandurria. Tunings for this early form of bandurria were B-G-B or B-A-B in single strings. During the 15th century the use of a plectrum was abandoned. In its current form the bandurria has a much shorter length measured in total from the bottom to the head stock. The body of the Spanish bandurria is slighter wider and has a more present tear drop profile. Up to 12 to 16 frets are installed on the fingerboard and usually is complete with 12 strings. The bandurria is constructed from walnut, maple or ebony for the fingerboard, cedar or sycamore. A family of bandurria exists from the soprano, alto, tenor to bass. The tenor bandurria is based off the modern Spanish lute of the 19th century. The laudon a bass lute that was designed by Paco Aguilar [a member of the Aguilar Quartet] and built Domingo Esteso in 1924 in Madrid. Rather then having 6 double strings the laudon has 7 courses of strings or up to 14 strings. The arrangement of the strings for the laudon has 6 double strings and a single 7th strings. Another contribution by the Aguilar Quartet was a much smaller size bandurria called a Laudete during the 1930s.
The Bandurria in Peru: In Peru one would find the bandurria to have the strings arranged in 12, 14, 16 or 20 courses. During the 1800s the bandurria was played in the coast of Peru. Soon the bandurria started migrating inwards to the Andean mountains particularly in Cusco. A much larger type of bandurria called a marimacho bandurria it is found only in the city of Cusco and its department. In Spanish the word “marimacho” translates into “hermaphrodite”. The marimacho bandurria is tuned a fifth below from the prima bandurrias and it is considered a soloists instrument.
| Spain, Standard | G-D-E-A-B |
| Spain, Boroque | G#-C#-F#-B-E |
| Spain, Renaissance | B-G-B or B-A-B |
| Spain, Renaissance (5 course) | C-F-B-A-E |
| Spain, Laudon (Paco Aguilar) | G-D-A-E-B-F# |
| Peru, Apurimac | A-E-C-G |
| Peru, Ayacucho | E-A-E-C |
| Peru, Cusqueño | E-B-G-D |
| Peru, Carnival | E-C-G-E |
About My Specimen: The bandurria in this case maybe played with a pick a guitar pick. If
you own a similar specimen be very careful when you tune it since the
string guages are quite thin in diameter they can be prone to frequent
snapping and the tention can be too much on the neck. One should also
have a sensitive guitar tuner since the thinner strings sometimes do go
out of tune on these instruments.
Citations: Bibliography -The New Grove Dictionary of Music Page. 148 by Stanley Sadie. Online Resources > pacoweb.net > altlasofpluckedinstruments.com / western Europe > Trio Assai (Spanish bandurria ensemble) > Los Instrumentos De Plectro Espanol [in Spanish].