Su Trimpanu, A Sardinian Musical Instrument 0 Comments

The musical instrument Su Trimpanu, a friction membranophone, belongs to the ancient Sardinian tradition. Born in an agro-pastoral environment, probably as a hollo for men and animals to help in grazing.  Other names of Su Trimpanu are: scrolliu, moliaghe, òrriu, tunciu, zumbu zumbu. As happens with everything ancient and poorly documented, many legends hover around this instrument.

Shepherds build it using a cylinder, in ancient times made of cork, later replaced by more convenient large tin cans. On the upper part of the cylinder, they fix a tightly stretched leather membrane blocked by a tightly tied string. This skin must be thin and fat-free. There was a rumour that it belonged to a dog that died of starvation, but this was debunked after laboratory analyses revealed that it was goatskin. In fact, as shepherds know very well, nothing is better than goatskin.

From inside the cylinder, in the centre of the membrane, they fix a cord, often a braid of horsehair, covered with pitch to make it waterproof, secured with two leather disks to prevent it from tearing.  By sliding the string tightly stretched between the fingers through the membrane, sometimes with the help of a flap of Orbàce, the vibration produces a gloomy low-frequency sound, which propagates into the distance, partly audible to the human ear but partly audible only to animals, for whom it is an unbearable ultrasound. For this reason, shepherds used it to herd their flocks but above all to ward off predatory animals.

But it seems it was also used by fleeing criminals to unseat the carabinieri who were following them, as the sound made the horses go wild and rear up. So much so that, at the end of the 19th century, the authorities prohibited its use by royal decree. 

An original Trimpanu from the times of Sardinian banditry, seized by the Carabinieri, is kept in the museum of the Carabinieri Legion in Cagliari, in via Sonnino, but also in the "MuSPoS" Museum of Sardinian Popular Instruments, recently opened in Pula (CA).

Today you can admire Su Trimpanu in traditional and Carnival parades.

"Shepherds know many mysterious languages; they speak the language of sheep and dogs, language of stars and skies, flowers and herbs". (Mehmet Murat Ildan)

Written by Daniela Toti