The Veliki Tabor castle is one of the best preserved late-medieval and Renaissance fortresses in northwest Croatia. Seven musical instruments are kept in its museum fundus. Although it is a relatively modest number, it includes not only interesting, but also unusual objects. Most numerous are the plucked instruments: two zithers, one mandolin, and two Jew’s harps. Keyboard instruments are represented by the square piano, and brass instruments (conditionally) by the post horn. The preservation quality of the instruments varies widely. The zithers were partially restored before 1989; the mandolin is damaged; the square piano and the post horn are well preserved; and the Jew’s harps are incomplete. Although carefully stored in the museum, none of them is publicly accessible. This paper illuminates this invisible part of the museum’s treasure by providing the instruments’ organological description and their cultural and historical context. Even though quite simple, Jew’s harps made in the late 16th or early 17th century represent the earliest instruments registered so far in Croatian museums. It was determined that the mandolin was built by the prominent Zagreb guitar maker Ernest Köröskényi in 1947. Previous owners of the square piano have been discovered: Juraj Andrassy and Hubert Andrassy (born Igalffy); it most likely belonged in the inventory of the Trnovec castle in Gornja Pačetina in Hrvatsko zagorje region. With the exception of the square piano, in the past these instruments did not belong to the inventory of the castle and thus do not provide any details of making music by the nobility. With the exception of the Jew’s harp, they were acquired from other sources, and are kept at present in Veliki Tabor Castle. Nevertheless, they bear witness to the music (the zithers, the mandolin, the square piano) and culture of everyday life (the post horn, the Jew’s harp) of one geographical area and, being kept in the museum, they are protected from being lost and forgotten.

Plemićki grad Veliki Tabor jedan je od najbolje sačuvanih kasnosrednjovjekovnih i renesansnih utvrđenih gradova na području sjeverozapadne Hrvatske. U njegovu fundusu čuva se sedam glazbenih instrumenata. Premda je to relativno skromna brojka, zastupljeni su ne samo zanimljivi nego i naoko neobični primjerci. Najviše je trzalačkih instrumenata: dvije citre, mandolina i dvije drombulje. Instrumente s tipkama predstavlja stolni klavir, a puhačke (uvjetno rečeno) poštanski rog. Instrumenti se čuvaju unutar triju muzejskih zbirki: Kulturno-povijesne, Etnografske i Srednjovjekovne arheološke zbirke. Rad donosi njihov organološki opis kao i pokušaj smještanja u kulturnopovijesni kontekst. Za mandolinu koju je izradio istaknuti zagrebački graditelj Ernest Köröskényi određena je točna godina nastanka. Za stolni klavir otkriveno je tko su mu bili prijašnji vlasnici te kojem je inventaru najvjerojatnije pripadao.

Musical Instruments from the Fundus of the Veliki Tabor Castle

Glazbeni instrumenti iz fundusa dvora Veliki Tabor

Dvor Veliki Tabor; glazbeni instrumenti; citra; mandolina; drombulja; stolni klavir; poštanski rog

Veliki Tabor Castle; music instruments; zither; mandolin; Jew’s harp; square piano; post horn

Abstract