Multi-Barrel Flutes in Russian Villages of the North-Western Kama Region. From Unpublished Expedition Materials

This article publishes previously unknown information about the existence of herbal multi-barrel flutes in one of the small local groups of Russians of the Gaynsky district of the Perm Territory. Based on field materials, the author examines the flute’s composition, methods of making these ancient instruments, the features of its design and structure, as well as its repertoire, the way it was played and the interaction of the parties in the ensemble. She also analyzes the flute’s functions and touches on folk musicians’ perception of the instrumental tradition. Special attention is paid to the autochthonous terminology (the names of the instrument and its parts, tunes, motifs, memorization techniques and games), as well as to the similarities and differences between Russian “Bazuev” pipes and Komi-Permian “pelian” pipes. The extensive data presented allows the author to pose the question of the ethnocultural specificity of this local instrumental tradition. The material and conclusions presented are important for national ethno-instrumentology, since among other things they radically change our understanding of the territorial distribution of Pan flutes among Russians.