The bayan (Russian: баян, IPA: [bɐˈjan]) is a kind of accordion with buttons that can play all the notes in a musical scale. It was created in Russia during the early 1900s and is named after Boyan, a famous poet from the 11th century.

Characteristics

The bayan has several differences in construction compared to Western chromatic button accordions:

• The reeds are wider and shaped like rectangles (not trapezoids).
• Reeds are often grouped together on a single plate (not attached in pairs). These plates are fastened to the reed block using screws (not wax).
• The melody-side keyboard is located near the center of the instrument (not at the back).
• Reeds are usually not tuned to create a trembling sound (tremolo).
• On larger models, some bayans use a switch operated by the chin (similar to some larger European button accordions).
• The arrangement of diminished chords is different. For example, the diminished G chord is placed where the diminished C chord would be in the Stradella bass system.
• Larger bayans often have switches that allow players to switch between preset chords and free bass (individual bass notes). Unlike Western instruments, free bass notes on bayans are usually arranged with low notes at the bottom and high notes at the top.
• Some newer bayans include a register where each note played produces a perfect fifth.

These construction differences give the bayan a unique sound compared to Western accordions. The bayan’s bass section has a richer, fuller tone. Because of its wide range and clear sound, bayans are often used by skilled accordion players who perform classical and modern classical music. Notable composers who wrote for the bayan include Vladislav Zolotaryov and Sofia Gubaidulina from the Soviet Union. Slovak composer Peter Machajdík wrote a piece called Concerto for Two Bayans and Orchestra, which was first performed by Acco Duo (Miran Vaupotić and Ivana Levak-Vaupotić) with the Symphony Orchestra of the Pomeranian Philharmonic, conducted by Alexander Gref, at the Paderewski Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on June 4, 2009. Russian bayan virtuoso Stas Venglevski has also performed new works composed for the bayan by Yehuda Yannay, Anthony Galla-Rini, and William Susman.

General and cited references

• Cherkaskyi, L. (2003). Ukrainian folk musical instruments. Kyiv, Ukraine: Tekhnika. ISBN 978-966-575-111-3.