Zurna is a musical instrument with a rich history. This word is found in many languages: Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish and even Persian. It literally translates as "festive flute." This tool is very common in the countries of Asia Minor, the Middle and Middle East, Central Asia, India and the Caucasus. Zurn-related instruments existed in almost all countries of the world, from Japan and China to the Balkans.
What is zurna
It is a hollow tube made of wood with a fairly wide bell and several holes (usually 8-9). One of the holes is on the back side, like a recorder.
Zurna Armenian is no different from Indian. This is very interesting, usually musical instruments undergo changes in different countries, they are tuned to the music of one or another people, but not in the case of zurna.
Range
But the zurna’s cane is double, modern oboe canes are very similar to it, which not only makes them related tools, but also suggests that the zurna became the predecessor of the oboe. In addition, she has a bright and piercing timbre, which also puts her in a row with tools such as a pity and an English horn.
Zurna is a musical instrument with a range of one and a half octaves, moreover, which is important, both in diatonic and in chromatic scale. The bottom note that can be played on the zurn is the B-flat of a small octave, and the top is considered to be the third octave, however, the range can be extended by a few more tones. For this, special skill is required, and these notes, beyond the usual range, are called by the performers “Sephir Seslyar”.
About tree
If you ask about what zurna is from musical masters, they will say that it is a woodwind musical instrument. Therefore, the most important thing in it is wood. As a rule, zurna is made of mulberry, hazel or apricot. At the upper end (where the cane is attached) the tube has a diameter of 20 mm, and at the bottom it expands sharply to 60-65 mm. In this case, the total length usually ranges from 30 to 32 centimeters. Also in the design there is an essential detail - “Masha”. This is a sleeve that is usually made of the same wood (however, wild willow can be used) and is inserted into the upper end of the tool, which allows you to customize the plate. The mouthpiece is made of reed and has a length of seven to ten millimeters, which is almost half the length of a modern oboe.
Story
What is zurna can be judged by archaeological excavations. If you believe them, then it already existed three thousand years ago: the find in the territory of modern Mingechevir, the fourth largest city in Azerbaijan, dates from this age. Four specimens of zurna were found by archaeologists, but the material was not a tree, but a deer horn. There were also found copies of a related instrument - balaban.
The musician playing the zurn is called the zurnachi. “Mouth” is a zurnachi playing a tune in an ensemble. As a rule, the collective consists of three musicians, and the second zurnachi plays long, basic notes in harmony, which makes music similar to Scottish and Irish, where bagpipe bourdons accompany the melody with continuous monotonous sounds that create a chord. The third musician in the ensemble is a drummer, he creates a complex, intricate rhythm. Such ethnic ensembles use archaic percussion instruments, such as nagara or dhol, which are large or medium drums. The drummer can beat the rhythm with one hand or use sticks.
Varieties
The question of what zurna cannot do without a story about its varieties. As a rule, differences between species are insignificant and do not affect the specifics of sound production. Especially known are Gara Zurna, Jura Zurna, Shehabi Zurna and some others.
Zurna was usually used for outdoor games, thanks to its piercing timbre and unpretentiousness in relation to the weather. Zurnachi alone or in the ensemble played music for rhythmic, fast dances, but indoors they preferred zurna balaban or duduk - related reed wooden wind instruments, but with a softer, velvety and bewitching sound. They are somewhat different from zurna: they do not have a wide bell, the wood is more capricious, and the cane is much wider. However, all related instruments have a similar playing technique, so it is not difficult for a skillful zurnachi to master several instruments. In 2005, the music of the Armenian duduk was included in the UNESCO list as a masterpiece of intangible cultural heritage.
Now zurna is used to perform folklore, for example, in mugamat - one of the genres of traditional Azerbaijani music, as well as during folk festivals in the open air, when dancing melodies, such as janges, are required. In such folklore musical samples, zurna usually soloists in an orchestra or ensemble.