Chagane

It is four-stringed musical instrument played with bow. By the end of the XIX century it was existed in the territory of Azerbaijan. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the artist G. Gagarin visited Azerbaijan had described  chegane in Shamakhi dancers table. There is information about chegane in works of Gatran Tabrizi, Nasimi, Seid Azim Shirvani and many other classics.

This instrument caused an interest in symposium dedicated to history of stringed musical instruments, played by bow, held in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland in 2000.  Instrument consists of per shape body, arm and head. Oblong body of chegane consists of nine parts, and made of walnut, or beech wood or  sandalwood by assembly. The long iron bar acting as support passes through lower part of body and unites arm and body. The surface of body is covered with wooden cover made of 5 mm thick pine wood and hollows are made on it for sound resonators. Singer puts the bar on ground and keeps the instrument in vertical condition, and sounds it with bow in right hand.

Total length of the instrument is 820 mm, body’s length is 420 mm, width is 220 mm, height is 140 mm.

Its diapason is from big octave’s fa # sound to the second octave’s fa # sound. It may be used in ensemble and orchestra, as well as a solo instrument.