The valiha is a

tube zither The tube zither is a stringed musical instrument in which a tube functions both as an instrument's neck and its soundbox. As the neck, it holds strings taut and allows them to vibrate. As a soundbox, it acoustic resonance, modifies the sound and ...

from

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

made from a species of local bamboo; it is considered the " national instrument" of Madagascar. The term is also used to describe a number of related zithers of differing shapes and materials. The instrument has been held in high regard among the Malagasy particularly in the Merina rule over the island that having long fingernails ideal for plucking its strings were marks "distinguishing the aristocracy from the labourers". Aside from recreational music, the valiha is also used for ritual music to summon spirits. It is commonly believed in Madagascar that the valiha is "inherited from

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

", as part of a larger origin myth of Jewish provenance of Malagasy people.

Construction

Historically the instrument was made of the bamboo ''

Valiha diffusa ''Valiha diffusa'' is a bamboo species in the genus ''Valiha'' found in Madagascar. ''Valiha diffusa'' is a locally useful wild source of construction material. The Madagascan valiha is a stringed tube zither The tube zither is a stringed mus ...

'', but in the modern day "bamboo species with longer internodes" are used. The bamboo poles used for building the valiha are chosen between diameters of 5 to 10 cm and preferably cut within a length of 35 to 180 cm. The valiha generally has 21-24 strings. Historically these were formed of strips of the bamboo body, prised up and raised by small

calabash Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, New Guinea butter bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvest ...

or wooden bridges that also act as movable tuners, but in the modern day the strings are often made of unwound bicycle brake cable tied through nails, though serious players may use standard guitar or piano strings used for churches and folk bands. A variant instrument, the

marovany The marovany (formerly spelled marouvane) is a suitcase shaped, wooden, type of box zither from Madagascar, used in Malagasy music. It is strung on both sides with metal strings. The player plucks the strings with both hands, often with rapid alte ...

, is similar in concept but boxlike rather than tubular, and made of wood or sheet metal.

Players

One of the most celebrated ''valiha'' players of the twentieth century is Rakotozafy (born 1938). The majority of Rakotozafy's few recorded performances were made live at the central studio of

Malagasy Radio Malagasy may refer to: *Someone or something from Madagascar *Malagasy people *Malagasy language *Malagasy Republic *Related to the culture of Madagascar See also *Madagascar (disambiguation) Madagascar is an island country located off the east ...

. Sylvestre Randafison is another celebrated valiha artist considered a cultural icon in Madagascar.''Sylvestre Randafison Obituary''
''The Independent'', 20 August 2003

Bibliography

* Adams, Rashid Epstein. "The Making of a National Instrument: Imagery, Symbolism and the Social Function of the Malagasy Valiha", ''Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography'' XLIII/1-2 (2018), 141–157.

References

External links

A traditional Valiha
Museum of Art and Archeology of the

University of Antananarivo University of Antananarivo () is the primary public university of Madagascar, located in the capital Antananarivo. History The university traces its founding to 16 December 1955 and the formation of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Antan ...

, Madagascar
A Valiha on-line course by Bana Rahalahy
{{Authority control Malagasy musical instruments Tube zithers Bamboo musical instruments