Kurdish music refers to music performed in the

Kurdish languages Kurdish (, ) is a language or a group of languages spoken by Kurds in the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan and the Kurdish diaspora. Kurdish constitutes a dialect continuum, belonging to Western Iranian languages in the Indo-European langua ...

and Zaza-Gorani languages. The earliest study of Kurdish music was initiated by the renowned

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

priest and composer Komitas in 1903, when he published his work ''" Chansons kurdes transcrites par le pere Komitas"'' which consisted of twelve Kurdish melodies which he had collected. The Armenian

Karapetê Xaço Karapetê Xaço or Karabêtê Xaço or Gerabêtê Xaço ( hy, Կարապետ Խաչո) (September 3, 1900 Salihe Kevirbiri, ''Bir Çığlığın Yüzyılı: Karapetê Xaço'', Si Yayınları, İstanbul, 2002, p. 66. or 1903 or 1908 - January 15, 200 ...

also preserved many traditional Kurdish melodies throughout the 20th century by recording and performing them. In 1909, Scholar Isya Joseph published the work "''Yezidi works''" in which he documented the musical practice of the Yazidis including the role of the musician-like qawâl figures and the instruments used by the minority. Kurdish music appeared in phonographs in the late 1920s, when music companies in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

began recording songs performed by Kurdish artists. Despite being secondary to vocals, Kurds use many instruments in traditional music. Musical instruments include the tembûr (see

kurdish tanbur Kurdish tanbur ( ku, ته‌مبوور, translit=Tembûr) or tanbour a fretted string instrument, is an initial and main form of the tanbūr instrument family, used by the Kurds. It is highly associated with the Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq) religion in ...

bağlama The ''bağlama'' or ''saz'' is a family of plucked string instruments, long-necked lutes used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, Turkish Arabesque music, Azerbaijani music, Kurdish music, Armenian music and in parts of Syria, Iraq ...

, qernête,

daf Daf ( fa, دف) also known as Dâyere and Riq is a Middle Eastern (mainly Iranian) frame drum musical instrument, used in popular and classical music in South and Central Asia. It is also used in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbe ...

, duduk, kaval, long flute (şimşal),

kemenche Kemenche ( tr, kemençe) or Lyra is a name used for various types of stringed bowed musical instruments originating in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Armenia, Greece, Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. and regions adjacent to the Black ...

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

(zirne) and drum (dahol).

Definition

Traditional Kurdish music is very distinctive from

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

and

Turkish music The music of Turkey includes mainly Turkic and Byzantine elements as well as partial influences ranging from Ottoman music, Middle Eastern music and Music of Southeastern Europe, as well as references to more modern European and American popu ...

, and mostly composed by people who remained anonymous. Thematically, the music were of

melancholic Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly de ...

and

elegiac The adjective ''elegiac'' has two possible meanings. First, it can refer to something of, relating to, or involving, an elegy or something that expresses similar mournfulness or sorrow. Second, it can refer more specifically to poetry composed in ...

character, but has since then incorporated more upbeat and joyous melodies. Kurdish folklore consists of three genres: the

storytellers Storyteller, story teller, or story-teller may refer to: * A person who does storytelling Arts and entertainment Film *'' Oidhche Sheanchais'', also called ''The Storyteller''; 1935 Irish short film * '' Narradores de Javé'' (''Storytellers'' ...

(çîrokbêj), bards (

dengbêj Dengbêj is a Kurdish music genre and/or a singer of the music genre Dengbêj. Dengbêjs are singing storytellers. There have been many terms to describe Dengbêjs throughout history, but today Dengbêj is the best known, and also several singing ...

) and

popular singer Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Funk ...

s (stranbêj). Moreover, there are religious-themed songs (lawje) seasonal musical topics, for example "payizok" that are songs about the return to the summer pastures performed in autumn. Kurdish improvisations are called teqsîm. Hassan Zirak, Kurdish folk Singer

Prohibition

However, the tolerance for Kurdish music ceased with the Saddam regime (from 1979 to 2003) which put in place restrictions against Kurdish culture. Between 1982 and 1991 the performance and recording of songs in Kurdish was also banned in Turkey.

References

External links

* (Kurdish music sample) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurdish Music Kurdish culture Kurdish folklore

Definition

Prohibition

References

Further reading

External links