It may seem impossible, in these times of musical progress and emulation, that a family of instruments possessing unusual musical attributes should be in vogue in a large portion of Europe and yet be unknown to musicians generally. Nevertheless, such is the fact. Outside Russia the peculiar charm of the balalaïka (pronounced bàl-a-like-ka) is unknown. In our standard works on orchestration it is not mentioned, although its claims for association with the modern orchestra for special effects are as great as those of the mandoline, guitar, saxophone, surrusophone, or ophicleide.