Kurdish music

The Kurdish music ( Muzîk U strana kurdî ) is practiced by the Kurdish people currently disseminated on four States. In spite of the inexistence of a Kurdish independent State, these people knew to preserve a specific music, with his regional varieties. If there is only one Kurdish language, the musical forms however are varied from it because of establishment of the populations within great inevitably influential ethnic units (Iranians or Turks).

Historically, it is perhaps a descent of the culture of the Hourrites, former people mésopotamien. Later with the Middle Ages, Ziryab was a famous musician of Kurdish origin which propagated the Arab music as far as Andalusia.

The traditional music is not the fruit of academies, but the heritage of three types of " troubadours" : storytellers ( çîrokbêj ), ménestrels ( stranbêj ) and bards ( dengbêj ). As for the songs, they are of epic nature ( lawik ), martial, passion ( heyran ) or nun ( lawje ) and they often intervene in festive contexts according to whether it is about music " of jour" or " of nuit".

There remains in a very restricted way, a erudite Musique, on the one hand like Maqâm ( kord ) of the Arab Musique and Turkish, on the other hand like continuation of specific and chromatic modes mystical different from the Iranian Musique,

Among the Kurdish musical instruments, there are the tembûr (Saz and Tambur), the biziq (Bouzouki), the Oud, the qernête (Balaban), the bilûr (Kaval), the cûzele (Duzala), the zirne (Zurna), the Kamânche, the Santûr, the cembush (çümbüş), the Daf, the dimbak (Tombak) and the Dohol .

" Kurdistan" Turkish

There does not exist area or of language or Kurdish people to the eyes of Turkey. To speak or sing in Kurdish was prohibited a long time. However certain artists succeeded in facing the interdicts by circumventing them, with the risk of going in prison or exile. Thus Mihemed Arif Cizrawî (1912 - 1986), Hesen Cizrawî, Şeroyê Biro, 'Evdalê Zeynikê, Si' îd Axayê Cizîrî, Miryem Xanê and Eyşe Şan, are recognized musicians.

Şivan Perwer, is currently the Kurdish musician, born in Turkey, most famous, but he lives in Germany. Nîzammetîn Arîç or " Feqiyê Teyra" , also lives there after being imprisoned and being exiled.

Other musicians are: Kazo, Ali Baran, Birader and Beytocan. Among the groups: Koma Amed, Koma Denge Azadi, Carnewa and Agire Jiyan.

In addition, the Kurdish music is also related to the Alévisme, an old spiritual worship or the Saz plays an important role at the time of the Cem.

Iranian Kurdistan

In Iran, the situation of the Kurdish people is simpler since there is no ethnic interdict, but simply political or religious, as for the restre of the Iranian artists.

Here the Kurdish music is very developed and with religious implications because much of Kurdish sects, the such Yarsan I, they (Ahl-E Haqq) or the Qaderi S have a erudite Musique specific based on a modal system to 72 Maqâm S, whose Ostad Elahi was a Master, and which Ali Akbar Moradi currently tries to save. The principal modes are: : Abedini, Sheykh Amiri, Sahari, Saru Khwâni, Tarz, Jelo Shahi, Baba Nâ' usi, Chapi, Bâbâ Jalili, Bâbâ Faqi, Khâmushi, Hejrani…

Among the famous artists one will retain Hassan Zirak (1921 - 1972), Muhammad Mamlê (1925 - 1998), Abbas Kamandi, Aziz Shahrokh, Hesen Derzi, Shehên Talabani, Sey Heme Sefayi, Usman Hewrami, Mazhar Xaliqi and Khalid Rashid.

The group of the family Kamkar is also universally known now.

Lastly, others were more or less included in the Iranian music such: Said Ali Asghar Kordestani (1882 - 1936), Shahram Nazeri, Kayhan Kalhor, Mohammad Jalil Andalibi, Mojtaba Mirzadeh and Jamshid Andalibi.

Iraqi Kurdistan

The situation was similar in Iraq before the era of Saddam Hussain, who little by little prohibited the Kurdish culture as in Turkey, going until carrying out certain musicians such Erdewan Zaxolî.

The music here is influenced so much by the Iranian music (Santûr and Tombak) that Arab music (Oud).

Among the recognized artists one will quote Tehsîn Taha, Ali Merdan (1904 - 1981), Anwer karadaghi, Karim Kaban, Eyaz Yûsif, 'Îsa Berwarî, Kawîs Axa, Shamal Sayib, Anwer karadaghi, Dilşad, Tania Arab and the Zalm unit

" Kurdistan" Syrian

There either, there is no named administrative entity Kurdistan, and yet these people are also largely represented there.

Gerabêtê Xaço was a known stranbêj like Muradê Kinê (Miradko) (also player of Kamânche). Se' îd Yûsif (player of Bouzouki) was a virtuoso of the Maqâm S. Of other musicians can still be quoted: Mihemed Şêxo, Aram Tîgran, Mehmûd Ezîz and Mihemed Elî Şakir, Faris Dribbles Fîras, Bangîn (Hikmet Cemîl), Miço Kendeş, Ehmedê Çep and Ciwan Haco.

Sources

Jean During, Music and mystic in the traditions of Iran , French Institute of research in Iran, Paris, 1989.

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