{"id":60,"date":"2022-08-11T15:39:47","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T15:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mischdesign.hu\/miklosimuzeum\/?page_id=60"},"modified":"2023-03-25T08:51:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T08:51:21","slug":"molnar-imre-citeragyujtemeny","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/miklosimuzeum.hu\/en\/molnar-imre-citeragyujtemeny\/","title":{"rendered":"Imre Moln\u00e1r Zither Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Since 1998, the unique collection of zithers has been on display in the building of the City Library and Community Centre (V\u00e1rosi K\u00f6nyvt\u00e1r \u00e9s K\u00f6z\u00f6ss\u00e9gi H\u00e1z) in Szigetszentmikl\u00f3s. The pieces were donated to the town by the renowned zither maker Imre Moln\u00e1r. The exhibition, consisting of more than a hundred pieces, which is constantly expanding, showcases the development of the traditional Hungarian instrument and its foreign relatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imre Moln\u00e1r comes from Hajd\u00fa-Bihar county, the stronghold of zither playing in Hungary, and his love for the instrument was instilled in him by his father when he was a child. After moving to Szigetszentmikl\u00f3s in 1943, he worked at the Danube Aircraft Factory and later at the Csepel Automotive Factory. Alongside his engineering work, he began collecting and making zithers, resulting in a private collection of several hundred pieces that gained international recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to traditional Hungarian zithers, he also developed his own new zither called the 'MOLCI,' which became well-known at various instrument demonstrations from Japan to the United States. The main innovation of his custom-made zithers was that he added multiple fretboards of different sizes to a single instrument in order to achieve an orchestral sound. During a performance or concert, the musician was free to switch between the fretboards to highlight either the bass or treble tones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imre Moln\u00e1r summarizes his knowledge about the zither in his book 'A citer\u00e1r\u00f3l mindenkinek' ('About the Zither for Everyone'), <\/em>published in 2000. The book provides a comprehensive look at the instrument's construction, viewed through an engineering perspective, as well as its history and detailed, analytical comparisons of different types of the instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hungarian zither is a rectangular, stringed instrument that belongs to the zither family and has been with us since ancient times. The Hungarian people have been familiar with it for centuries. The earliest zithers, which depict the instrument's current appearance and playing technique, date back to the 17th century and originated from the eastern part of the Alps. Strings stretched over the rectangular box-shaped instrument were played tremolo-style by scraping them. Later, the instrument's shape was modified so that it had a hump on the side opposite to the fingerboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hungarian folk zither (also known as the tambura in other sources) is considered to be a descendant of the Alpine zithers. The simpler, folk-style zither, called the 'single-course' or 'monochord,' plays a diatonic scale, whereas later versions used as orchestral instruments employed a chromatic scale. Traditionally, the zither was part of the music played at festivities and weddings, and it only became a more significant instrument in orchestral music after World War II. This, however, changed the way the instrument was played: while previously it mainly fulfilled the role of a rhythm instrument, now it is essential that the musician plays it with proper tuning and melody, which is a more challenging task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition offers visitors a glimpse into the diverse world of this traditional Hungarian instrument. Alongside valuable folk art pieces featuring ornate carvings such as horse heads or pigeon motifs, modern and simple zithers are also on display, as well as related instruments from all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n