The kalatalo (Ukrainian: калатало) (also known as kalatailo, kalatalka, torokhkalo, stukalo, stukalka, torokhkavka, klepalo, bovkalo^[1]) is a Ukrainian folk instrument used in folk ensembles whenever a drum or tambourine is not available. It was also used by night guards to scare away intruders. In Galicia, the kalatalo is used instead of bells during Good Friday.^[2]

The instrument is made from a piece of wood with a handle. A second piece of wood shorter than the first is joined to the original piece by metal rings near from the handle. A hole is drilled through both pieces at one end and a wooden bolt is placed through the hole so that the additional piece can move a small distance. When the instrument is spun around it produces a very loud sound amplified by the stillness of the night.

A variant of the torokhkalo is the klepach that consists of a wooden hammer on an axis which is swung from one side to the other.

See also

• Ukrainian folk music

Sources

• Humeniuk, A. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty - Kyiv: Naukova dumka, 1967
• Mizynec, V. - Ukrainian Folk Instruments - Melbourne: Bayda books, 1984
• Cherkaskyi, L. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty // Tekhnika, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2003 - 262 pages. ISBN 966-575-111-5

References