The Fujara, an extremely long flute made with three finger holes, is regarded as the most integral part of the traditional culture of Central Slovakia. Shepherds living in mountain huts located in remote regions, far from human settlements south of the Low Tatra Mountains, played these instruments to cope with their solitude. They used them to guide and signal their sheep, as well as to communicate with one another across the alpine slopes. For hundreds of years, Fujara music has been passed down through generations. The instrument has become more and more complex, becoming richer and deeper as it grows. From the 17th and 18th centuries, the instrument had become a symbol of resistance against the foreign rule by the nobility. Many songs portray the fight of the serfs against their oppressors.
Because of the specific construction of the instrument, the Fujara player can alter the blowing pressure of the instrument to produce various overtones and play notes using the three-tone holes. It has a wide range of sounds from the lowest low-level bass notes to high-intensity notes in the upper register. The Fujara is characterized by its deep and mumbling tones and has high overtones which can be achieved through the length of the instrument. This instrument consists of the main tube that stretches between 160 and 200 cm in length and a shorter tube that is 50 to 80 cm in length. The melody and sound can be melancholic or rhapsodic depending on the content of the songs, which are related to the shepherds' life and work. The repertoire consists of melodies that were determined by the technical features of the instruments and sounds that mimic nature.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Fujara became well known and appreciated outside of the shepherds' use. It was featured in several festivals throughout Slovakia, and musicians from the region, as well as a small number of shepherds, were performing their traditional music. The Fujara is played on various occasions throughout the year, but mainly from spring to autumn by professional musicians and performers at festivals.
Nowadays, the Fujara has moved from the fields to the stage, to folk festivals in Slovak towns like Vychodna and Detva. It has also left Slovakia and is being played throughout the world by aficionados of native flutes, especially those in western Europe and North America. However, it remains little known outside of Slovakia, even though it is becoming increasingly popular. As a result of the communist era and the political developments of the 1990s, significant changes have taken place in the social, cultural, and economic spheres. In particular, youth have become disengaged from traditional folk art. Yet individuals are striving to preserve the Fujara and its knowledge and skills.
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