Lirnyk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The lirnyk (pl:lirnyky) was a itinerant Ukrainian musician who performed religious, historical and epic songs to the accompaniment of a lira - the Ukrainian version of the hurdy-gurdy.
Lirnyky were similar to, and belonged to the same guilds as, the better known bandura players known as kobzars. However, the lirnyk played the lira, a kind of crank-driven hurdy-gurdy, while the kobzars played the lute-like banduras. Lirnyky were usually blind or had some major disability. They were active in all areas of Ukraine from at least the 1600s on.
The tradition were destroyed in Eastern/Central Ukraine in mid-1930s during a campaign against Ukrainian culture and intellectuals after Stalin's reversal of Ukrainization (see korenizatsiya, Russification) although some lirnyky were seen in the regions of Western Ukraine until 1970s and even 1980s.
Today their repertoire is performed by educated, sighted performers.
