The surma is the voice of Ukrainian military history. Cossacks used the surma as a signal instrument: one call meant “to arms,” another “retreat,” a third “attack.” Its sound carried for kilometers over a battlefield.
Construction: a conical wooden tube with a flared bell, 5–7 finger holes and a double reed (like an oboe), producing a sharp, ringing timbre. The surma is related to the Middle Eastern zurna and the Balkan zurla. In the modern Ukrainian Armed Forces, the surma tradition lives on in honor guards and ceremonies. Ethno-bands and Cossack-culture reenactors are actively returning the surma to live performance.
