The oldest musical instrument, or What is zurna

Zurna is a musical instrument with a rich history. This word is found in many languages: Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish and even Persian. It is translated literally as a "holiday flute". This tool is very common in the countries of Asia Minor, the Middle and Middle East, Central Asia, India and the Caucasus. Instruments related to zurne existed practically in all countries of the world, beginning with Japan and China and ending with the Balkans.

What is zurna

It is a hollow tube made of wood with a fairly wide mouth and a few holes (usually 8-9). One of the holes is on the back side, like the recorder.

Armenian zurna is no different from Indian zurna. This is very interesting, usually musical instruments undergo changes in different countries, they are adjusted to the music of this or that people, but not in the case of zurna.

Range

But the cane of zurna is double, with it very similar to modern oboe canes, which not only makes them related tools, but also suggests that the zurna was the forerunner of the oboe. In addition, she has a bright and piercing timbre, which also puts her in line with instruments such as zhaleyka and English horn.

Zurna is a musical instrument with a range of one and a half octaves, and, importantly, both in the diatonic and in the chromatic scale. The bottom note, which can be played on a zurna, is the B-flat of the small octave, and the upper one is considered up to the third octave, but it is possible to extend the range by a few more tones. For this, special skill is required, and these notes are called "Sefir Seslar" beyond the usual range.

About the tree

If you ask about what zurna is, the music masters, they will say that this is a woodwind musical instrument. Therefore, the most important thing in it is wood. As a rule, they make a zurna made of mulberry, hazel or apricot. At the upper end (where the cane is attached), the tube has a diameter of 20 mm, and the bottom sharply expands to 60-65 mm. The total length usually ranges from 30 to 32 centimeters. Also in the design there is an essential detail - "masha". This sleeve, which is usually made of the same wood (however, a wild willow can be used) and inserted into the upper end of the tool, which allows you to adjust the plate. The mouthpiece is made of reeds and has a length of seven to ten millimeters, which is almost twice as short as that of the modern oboe.

History

What is zurna, one can judge by archaeological excavations. If you believe them, it existed already three thousand years ago: this age is the date of discovery in the territory of modern Mingechevir, the fourth largest city in Azerbaijan. Archeologists found four copies of zurna, but the material was not a tree, but a deer horn. There were also found copies of a related instrument - balaban.

The musician who plays the zurna is called zurnachi. "Usta" is zurnachi, playing melody in the ensemble. As a rule, the collective consists of three musicians, and the second zurnachi plays lingual, basic in harmony notes, which brings music from the Scottish and Irish, where the burdones of the bagpipes accompany the melody with the continuous monotonous sounds that create the chord. The third musician in the ensemble is a drummer, he creates a complex, intricate rhythm. In such ethnic ensembles archaic percussion instruments are used, for example, carbon or dol, which are large or medium drums. The drummer can beat the rhythm with one hand or use sticks.

Varieties

The question of what a zurna is, can not do without a story about its varieties. As a rule, the differences between the species are insignificant and do not affect the specificity of the sound production. Especially known are the Zura, Jura Zurna, Shehabi Zurna and some others.

Zurna was usually used to play outdoors, thanks to its piercing timbre and unpretentious weather. Zurnachi alone or in the ensemble played music for rhythmic, fast dances, but in the room preferred zurne balaban or duduk - related tongue woodwind instruments, but with a softer, velvety and bewitching sound. They differ somewhat from zurna: they do not have a wide mouth, the wood is more capricious, and the cane is much wider. However, all related tools have a similar technique of play, so skillful zurnachi can easily master several tools. In 2005, the music of the Armenian duduk was included in UNESCO's list as a masterpiece of the intangible cultural heritage.

Zurna is now used to perform folklore, for example, in mugamata - one of the genres of traditional Azerbaijani music, as well as during outdoor festivities, when dance melodies, for example, junga, are required. In such folklore musical samples zurna usually solo in an orchestra or ensemble.