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... and Istria
When singing and dancing are accompanied by music, it often comes from the sopila, a traditional woodwind instrument with a very distinct tone.
Detail of sopileCroatian National Tourist Board
The sound of sopile, shrill and very characteristic
Sopila / Sopile
Sopile (plural of sopila) are small wooden horns most closely identified with the Croatian island of Krk but used throughout the Kvarner region, comprised of the islands and shorelines of the Gulf of Kvarner, the body of water between the Istrian peninsula and the mainland Croatian littoral.
Roženice
Sopile, called roženice in Istria, are similar in form to the oboe, in that they are double-reeded and have a long stem that flares out to a bell shape. Unlike the oboe, which has more than 20 holes, the sopila has six holes and is played on the Istrian scale—the six tone scale developed on the Istrian peninsula.
Sopila close upCroatian National Tourist Board
To ears accustomed to traditional Western music, sopile music — and that of other instruments and singing in the Istrian scale — can sound shrill and off-key.
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Sounds of Croatian Littoral
In Kvarner, Istria and the Croatian littoral, sopile are always played in pairs. The two sopile — a larger, fatter "male" instrument with a deeper tone and a smaller, thinner "female" instrument with a higher tone — are played together and to the same melody, except at high and low keys.
Men starting to playCroatian National Tourist Board
Sopile playing is an integral component of two-part singing and playing of music in the Istrian scale. This unique folk music form is so distinct to Istria and the Croatian littoral that it is inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Musicians in the olive fieldCroatian National Tourist Board
Soplia musiciansCroatian National Tourist Board
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On Krk Island
On Krk and surrounding islands, sopile were traditionally played during informal gatherings, often in the evenings when townspeople gathered together after mass. They were also played at weddings, masses and religious processions.
Man playing the instrument, sitting on stoneCroatian National Tourist Board
Close up of a man playing the instrument, sitting on stoneCroatian National Tourist Board
Two sopila players from the distanceCroatian National Tourist Board
On the island of Krk, the annual Krk Music Fest always devotes a section of the festival lineup to traditional folk music, with several performances by sopile musicians.
Carved wooden sopile can also be purchased as souvenirs of the island.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopila
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/5120/1/E-Sopele---Sopile.html
http://www.spa-time.hr/island-krk/
https://www.gajde.com/en/instrumenti/sopile-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvarner_Gulf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawm
http://www.kvarner.hr/kultura/english/musical.html
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/503449
https://www.istrapedia.hr/hr/natuknice/932/rozenice-sopele-sopile-supiele-tororo
