The Marfa is a form of celebratory rhythmic music and dance from
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
, India, among the
Hyderabadi Muslims
Hyderabadi Muslims, also referred to as Hyderabadis are a community of Deccani people, who are part of a larger ethnic group of Urdu-speaking Muslims, from the area that used to be the princely state of Hyderabad in the regions of Marathwad ...
, adapted from Afro-Arab music of
Hadhramawt in
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
.
It is played at a high tempo using instruments such as
marfa Marfa may refer to:
Music
* Marfa (instrument), an African percussion instrument
* Marfa (music), celebratory music of the Hyderabadi Muslims Places
* Márfa, a village in Baranya county, Hungary
* Marfa, Chad
* Marfa, Texas, a city in the hi ...
, ''
daff'', ''
dhol
Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes nort ...
'', ''
sticks'',
steel pots and wooden strips called ''thapi''.
The
chorus effect
Chorus (or chorusing, choruser or chorused effect) is an audio effect that occurs when individual sounds with approximately the same time, and very similar pitches, converge. While similar sounds coming from multiple sources can occur naturally, ...
s and vocal
meter
The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...
are set according to beats.
It was introduced during 18th century in
Hyderabad State by the East African
Siddi community, who used to serve as
cavalry guards in
Asaf Jahi Nizams irregular army. Asaf Jahi Nizams patronized ''marfa'' music and it was performed during official celebrations and ceremonies as they also claimed Arab ancestry from the first Caliph
Abu Bakr Siddique through the Bayafandi Clan of
Asir province in
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...
. It became popular in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, particularly in
Hyderabad state. It was brought there by the diaspora of
Siddis and
Hadhramis.
The associated marfa dance is typically performed with
janbiya
A jambiya, also spelled janbiya, jambya, jambia and janbia ( ar, جنۢبية ''janbīyah''), is a specific type of dagger with a short curved blade with a medial ridge that originated from the Hadhramaut region of Yemen. They have spread all ov ...
daggers and/or
talwars (swords) and latts (canes), and is likely to have been derived from the ''Bar'a'' ( ar, برع) dance of Yemen.
Origin
''Marfa'' is a
Yemeni Arabic
Yemeni Arabic is a cluster of varieties of Arabic spoken in Yemen, southwestern Saudi Arabia and the Horn of Africa. It is generally considered a very conservative dialect cluster, having many classical features not found across most of the Ara ...
word used for the
kettledrum
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...
.
Due to the
Hadhrami people's influence on the culture of the
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
n
Siddis, the word ''marfa'' became a symbol of the music played using the kettledrum. Kettledrums are replaced with
Handi
A handi (Hindi: हांड़ी) is a cooking basin made from copper or clay (pot) originating in the Indian subcontinent. It is utilised primarily in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cooking.
This vessel is deep and has a broad mouth ...
kettledrums
in the
Siddi form of ''marfa'' music played in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Forms
''Marfa'' music is created from three different musical rhythmic beats also called ''teen maar taal''.
A typical dance involves jiggling with
swords and
sticks based on the music's tempo and rhythm. The music is performed only by men, whereas dances and jiggling are common among both men and women.
Popular marfa rhythms include:
* ''sewari''
* ''bamb sheklah''
* ''ya abu bakar-ya abu salah''
* ''salaam almukallah''
* ''jumbali zimbali''
* ''benazeer benazeer''
* ''ahlan wasahlan''
Popularity
Playing ''marfa'' has become popular in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
and it is considered a traditional sign of welcome.
Since 1951, it is performed officially by the
government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
as part of the annual celebration on the occasions of
Independence Day and
Republic Day
Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.
List
January 1 January in Slovak Republic
The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially cal ...
at
Red Fort
The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift ...
,
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
It is also played at
Hyderabadi Muslim
Hyderabadi Muslims, also referred to as Hyderabadis are a community of Deccani people, who are part of a larger ethnic group of Urdu-speaking Muslims, from the area that used to be the princely state of Hyderabad in the regions of Marathwada ...
weddings, with great fervour.
See also
*
Marfa (instrument)
Marfa ( ar, مرفع, ur, مرفع) also Timki is a single hemispherical drum or percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclo ...
*
Hyderabadi Muslim
Hyderabadi Muslims, also referred to as Hyderabadis are a community of Deccani people, who are part of a larger ethnic group of Urdu-speaking Muslims, from the area that used to be the princely state of Hyderabad in the regions of Marathwada ...
*
Chaush
External Links
Old Original marfa in Hyderabad India
References
{{reflist
Culture of Hyderabad, India
Arabic music
Classical and art music traditions
Indian music
Indian styles of music