Sopele - Sopile

Sopele is traditional Croatian wind instrument played
in the region of Istria, on Islands of Krk, Cres, Rab,
and also in the region from Rijeka till Novi. Two instruments are
played simultenaously (na tanko i debelo, high voice and deep voice),
using the famous Istrian Scale. Thanks to efforts of several enthusiasts
on the island of Krk, the instrument is again in use more and more.
For example, mr. Svetko Usalj prepares these wooden instruments for
serous players, but also as a souvenir. He is known to be very active
in promoting Croatian Glagolitic Script among young people, and
the glagolitic is a part of some very beautiful souvenirs carved in wood.
Thanks to his efforts, after centuries of male players of
SOPILE or
SOPELE
(called SOPCI), there are also female players - young girls (SOPCHICE)
playing this instrument! Mr. Svetko Usalj is also coauthor of an
intersting web page devoted to the history of
Glagolitic
quickscript.
Also specialists (linguists and historians) are using his transliterations
from old glagolitic church documents into the Latin script.
He teaches children the secrets of this old Croatian
script in the following way: having learned the basics of the alphabet,
children read a copy of text in the Glagolitic which is three or
four centuries old, written in the same area, containing the name of some
of  predecessors of the
child. You can imagine amazement of a 10 or 12 years old
boy or girl when, reading the text aloud, he or she finds his or her
own second name in the text which is three of four hundred years old.
Mr. Svetko Usalj is a wonderful person, very gifted, retired
whom children simply adore. He lives with his family in a lovely village
of Gabonjin near Dobrinj on the island of Krk. Mr. Usalj (Ushalj) also
organized (and completed!) an interesting glagolitic alley of glagolitic
monuments and inscriptions, connecting the village with the nearby church
on the top of the hill, with a beautiful view on the Rijeka bay. He
appeared many times in newspapers, and also on the TV. He is honorable
member of the www.croatianhistory.net/glagoljica/dpg.html 

Society of Lovers of the Glagolitic Script in Zagreb.

Those interested in his souvenirs and other activities,  may
contact Mr Svetko directly:

Mr. Svetko Usalj
Gabonjin 103
51511 Malinska
Croatia

tel. +385 51 868 593

Many greetings from Zagreb,

Darko Zubrinic

former president of Society of Lovers of the Glagolitic Script in Zagreb;
honorable member of the Cultural Society of St. Peter from the village of
Gabonjin on the island of Krk; author of www.croatianhistory.net