Although the fujara became the national symbol of the Slovak Republic, it was not a typical instrument widespread throughout Slovakia. Originally, it was found only in a limited pastoral zone in the regions called Podpoľanie, Horehronie, Hont and Gemer in the central part of the country. In general, musical instruments typical for pastoral culture are mainly flutes - overtone flutes, three-hole flutes, six-hole flutes and double flutes. Fujara was created gradually and went through a long journey, during which its acoustic properties, repertoire, method of production and decoration and its musical use changed. Fujara probably got its current form in the 17th century. The mastery of making fujara and playing the fujara was traditionally handed down orally and personally.

 

Individuals - soloists - played the fujara. Each player put his own special elements into the playing, and some of the songs were improvised. It was an exclusively male affair, women did not play the fujara. Mostly slow melancholic, pensive, sometimes even sad melodies were accompanied by typical emotional singing and individualized vocal expression. Fujara also imitated some sounds of nature. The original fujara compositions are dominated by shepherd and outlaws motifs. At the same time, otlaw songs often depict bandits and outlaws as heroes or liberators from oppression. That is why fujara compositions were often used to strengthen patriotic feelings in times of national revival. In the beginning, the fujara stood as a tool of shepherds and outlaws, and gradually it became one of the most famous symbols of Slovak culture and the state itself.

 

In the last decades of the 20th century, the connection of the fujara to the pastoral status gradually weakened, and at the same time, the fujara significantly began to penetrate all social strata across society. Nowadays, producers and players of fujara are also people with completed high school or university education, professional musicians, computer experts, DJs, managers, etc. Especially in the period after the establishment of the independent Slovak Republic, it is clear that fujara is experiencing a kind of rebirth or renaissance. The use of the fujara has recently expanded significantly thanks to exports to abroad, where the fujara quickly gained popularity, as it also brings interesting possibilities when experimenting within different musical genres.

 

Today, the fujara is described as an approximately 180 cm long cylindrical flute with three tone holes. It is traditionally made from elder wood, but maple, locust tree or ash wood is also used. The tool consists of two parts: an auxiliary supply channel, which is connected to the main long pipe. The air flow reaches the edge through the auxiliary supply channel and upon impacting the edge, the air flow breaks and splits into a part that remains inside the channel, where it becomes a source of sound. The remaining unnecessary part of the air comes out of the tool. The specific construction of the fujara allows the player to create aliquot tones by changing the pressure of exhaled air and to change the tones by covering the three tone holes in the bottom of the instrument. Mastering the game of fujara requires determination and patience.