Duduk

The duduk ( ; hy, դուդուկ ) or tsiranapogh ( hy, ծիրանափող, meaning “apricot-made wind instrument”), is an ancient Armenian double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood. It is indigenous to Armenia. Variations of the Armenian duduk appear throughout the Caucasus and the Middle East, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Duduk, Balaban, and Mey are almost identical, except for historical and geographical differences.A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE MEY, BALABAN AND DUDUK AS ORGANOLOGICAL PHENOMENA
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It is commonly played in pairs: while the first player plays the melody, the second plays a steady drone called ''dum'', and the sound of the two instruments together creates a richer, more haunting sound. The unflattened reed and cylindrical body produce a sound closer to the English horn than the oboe or bassoon. Unlike other double reed instruments like the oboe or shawm, the duduk has a very large reed proportional to its size.

UNESCO proclaimed the Armenian duduk and its music as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005 and inscribed it in 2008. Duduk music has been used in a number of films, most notably in '' The Russia House'' and '' Gladiator''.

Etymology

The word ''düdük'' is of Turkish origin ( Ottoman Turkish: دودوك ''düdük''), itself derived from Persian ''tutak''. In Armenia, the instrument is also known as ''tsiranapogh'' (ծիրանափող).

This instrument is not to be confused with the northwestern Bulgarian folk instrument of the same name (see below, Balkan duduk). Similar instruments used in other parts of Western Asia are the '' mey'' and ''balaban''.

Overview

The duduk is a double reed instrument with ancient origins, having existed since at least the fifth century, while there are Armenian scholars who believe it existed more than 1,500 years before that. The earliest instruments similar to the duduk's present form are made of bone or entirely of cane. Today, the duduk is exclusively made of wood with a large double reed, with the body made from aged apricot wood.

The particular tuning depends heavily on the region in which it is played. In the twentieth century, the Armenian duduk began to be standardized diatonic in scale and single- octave in range. Accidentals, or chromatics are achieved using fingering techniques. The instrument's body also has different lengths depending upon the range of the instrument and region. The reed (Armenian: եղեգն, ''eġegn''), is made from one or two pieces of cane in a duck-bill type assembly. Unlike other double-reed instruments, the reed is quite wide, helping to give the duduk both its unique, mournful sound, as well as its remarkable breathing requirements. The duduk player is called ''dudukahar'' ( դուդուկահար) in Armenian.

The performer uses air stored in their cheeks to keep playing the instrument while they inhale air into their lungs. This "circular" breathing technique is commonly used with all the double-reed instruments in the Middle East.

Duduk "is invariably played with the accompaniment of a second ''dum duduk'', which gives the music an energy and tonic atmosphere, changing the scale harmoniously with the principal duduk." Duduk Info at Ethnicinstruments.co.uk

History

Armenian musicologists cite evidence of the duduk's use as early as 1200 BC, though Western scholars suggest it is 1,500 years old. Variants of the duduk can be found in Armenia and the Caucasus. The history of the Armenian duduk music is dated to the reign of the Armenian king Tigran the Great, who reigned from 95 to 55 B.C. According to ethnomusicologist Dr. Jonathan McCollum, the instrument is depicted in numerous Armenian manuscripts of the Middle Ages, and is "actually the only truly Armenian instrument that's survived through history, and as such is a symbol of Armenian national identity ... The most important quality of the duduk is its ability to express the language dialectic and mood of the Armenian language, which is often the most challenging quality to a duduk player."

Balkan duduk

While "duduk" most commonly refers to the double reed instrument described on this page, by coincidence there is a different instrument of the same name played in northwestern Bulgaria. This is a blocked-end flute resembling the Serbian frula, known also as kaval or kavalče in a part of Macedonia, and as duduk ( дудук) in northwest Bulgaria. Made of maple or other wood, it comes in two sizes: and (duduce). The blocked end is flat.

In popular culture

The sound of the duduk has become known to wider audiences through its use in popular film soundtracks. Starting with Peter Gabriel's score for Martin Scorsese's '' The Last Temptation of Christ'', the duduk's archaic and mournful sound has been employed in a variety of genres to depict such moods. Djivan Gasparyan played the duduk in '' Gladiator'', '' Syriana'', and '' Blood Diamond'', among others. It was also used extensively in '' Battlestar Galactica''. In the TV series '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', its computer-altered sound was given to the fictitious ''Tsungi horn'', most notably played by Iroh and often being featured in the show's soundtrack. With many of the members who worked on ATLA now working on '' The Dragon Prince'', the duduk regularly appears in its soundtrack as well. The sound of the duduk was also used in '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' for a lullaby which Mr. Tumnus plays on a fictitious double flute and in the theme song of the Dothraki clan during the TV adaptation '' Game of Thrones''.

Armenia's entry in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, "Apricot Stone," featured Armenian musician Djivan Gasparyan playing the duduk.

Film soundtracks

The duduk has been used in a number of films, especially "to denote otherworldliness, loneliness, and mourning or to supply a Middle Eastern/Central Asian atmosphere".
* ''Ararat'' (2002) by Mychael Danna
* ''Avatar'' (2009) by James Horner, in the track ''Shutting Down Grace's Lab''
* ''Bedtime Stories'' (2008) by Rupert Gregson-Williams
* ''Brotherhood of the Wolf'' (2001) by Joseph LoDuca
* ''Chilean Gothic'' (2000) by Fractal
* ''Constantine'' (2005) by Brian Tyler, Klaus Badelt, in the track ''Circle of Hell''
* ''The Crow'' (1994) by Graeme Revell featuring the duduk player Djivan Gasparyan
* ''Dead Man Walking'' (1995) by David Robbins
* ''Elektra'' (2005) by Christophe Beck
* ''Dune'' (2021) by Pedro Eustache
* ''Gladiator'' (2000) by Djivan Gasparyan in the track ''Duduk of the North''
* ''Hotel Rwanda'' (2004) main theme music"Hotel Rwanda Film Music"
* '' Hulk'' (2003) duduk by Pedro Eustache by Danny Elfman
* ''The Island'' (2005) by Steve Jablonsky
* '' The Kite Runner'' (2007) by Alberto Iglesias
* '' The Last Temptation of Christ'' (1988) by Peter Gabriel, featuring the duduk player Vatche Hovsepian
* '' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005) by Harry Gregson-Williams, in the track ''A Narnia Lullaby''
* ''Munich'' duduk by Pedro Eustache (2005) by John Williams
* '' Mayrig'' (1991) by Omar Al Sharif
* '' Next'' (2007) by Mark Isham
* '' The Passion of The Christ'' (2004) by Mel Gibson, composer John Debney duduks by Pedro Eustache and Chris Bleth
* '' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'' (2007) by Hans Zimmer
* '' Rendition '' (2007) by Paul Hepker and Mark Kilian, duduk by Pedro Eustache
* '' Ronin'' (1998) by Elia Cmiral, duduk by Albert Vardanyan
* '' Syriana '' (2005) by Alexandre Desplat, duduks by Djivan Gasparyan and Pedro Eustache
* '' The Russia House'' (1990) by Jerry Goldsmith
* '' The Siege '' (1998) by Graeme Revell, in the track ''Torture''
* ''Vantage Point'' (2008) by Atli Orvarsson
* '' Wanted'' (2008) by Danny Elfman
* '' Warriors of Heaven and Earth'' (2003) by A. R. Rahman
* '' You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' (2008) by Rupert Gregson-Williams
* ''Beasts in Our Time'' and ''Under The Eye Of The Sun'' played by Rob Townsend on Steve Hackett's album ''At The Edge Of Light''
* ''3 Faces'' (2018) by Jafar Panahi, duduk by Yusef Moharamian

Television soundtracks

* ''Angel'' by Rob Kral
* '' Battlestar Galactica'' (2004 TV series) by Bear McCreary. Its tracks "Two Funerals", "Starbuck on the Red Moon", "Escape from the Farm", "Colonial Anthem, "Black Market", "Something Dark is Coming", "Martial Law", "Prelude to War" feature the duduk. Roslin's theme was set to lyrics a second time for the third-season premiere "Occupation", this time in Armenian.
* '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' by Christophe Beck, Tomas Wanker, Rob Dunkin, Douglas Stevens
* ''Castle'' by Robert Duncan
* '' Children of Dune'' by Brian Tyler in the tracks "Dune Messiah", "The Throne of Alia", "The Preacher At Arrakeen", "Farewell"
* '' Cold Case'' by Michael A. Levine
* ''CSI: New York'' by Bill Brown
* '' Firefly'' by Greg Edmonson
* '' Game of Thrones'' by Ramin Djawadi features the instrument in Daenerys Targaryen's theme
* '' JAG'' by Steve Bramson
* ''The Mummy Who Would Be King'' by Gil Talmi, Andrew Gross
* ''Over There'' by Ed Rogers
* ''The Pacific'' by Blake Neely and Geoff Zanelli
* ''Path to 9/11'' by John Cameron
* ''Rome'' by Jeff Beal
*'' The Dragon Prince'' by Frederik Wiedmann
* '' Spartacus'' by Randy Miller. Track ''Second Thought''
* '' Star Trek: Enterprise'' by Paul Baillargeon
* '' Yu-Gi-Oh!'' by Wayne Sharpe
* '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' by Joseph Loduca

Video game scores

* ''Shards of the Exodar'' in '' World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade'' by Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford and Russell Brower
* ''Dalaran'' in '' World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King'' by Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford and Russell Brower
* ''Orsis'' in '' Hearthstone: League of Explorers''
* '' Civilization V'' by Michael Curran
* '' Crimson Dragon'' by Saori Kobayashi and Jeremy Garren
* '' Dark Void'' by Bear McCreary
* '' Dota 2'' by Jason Hayes
* ''F.E.A.R.'' by Nathan Grigg
* '' God of War III'' by Gerard Marino

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