Zurna: Azerbaijan musical instrument

The Zurna also known as tuiduk, surla, sornai zurma or surnay is a multinational outdoor wind instrument that is musically backed up by dayul in Anatolian folk music.  The name is derived from the Persian language “sunray” which significantly means “sur” is “banquet feast” and “nay” is “reed pipe”. The Turkish lore says that Adam who was created by God from clay had no soul and that only the melodious tuiduk playing of Archangel Gabriel could breathe life into the first man, Adam. According to them the devil played an important and significant role in the discovery and invention of tuiduk, and as such has been celebrating a ritual of inviting guest ever since the ancient times and during the feast, two tuiduk players are to stand in an opposite form pointing their instrument upwards and play in unison and during this act, they perform a circular movements in a ritualistic fashion.

           

The zurna, like the duduk and kaval is a musical instrument of wind wood used to play Anatolian, Middle Eastern and Central Asian people’s music. The zurna is also used in the folk music of the countries in the following regions; Albania, Afghanistan, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Croatia, Assyria, isreal, Greece, and other Caucasian countries. The zurna is a conical wind wood musical instrument that is manufactured from the fruit tree apricot and makes use of double reed which brings out a sharp and enticingly piercing sound. Historically, it has been an instrument of music in some occasions like weddings and holidays. It possesses 8 holes on the front of which 7 are used while playing and 1thumbhole that provides a range of one octave.

            It shares similar qualities with Mizmar. Zurnas are also used in the folk music of the countries in the region mostly in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Assyria, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, and has spread all through china and eastern Europe. The zurna is assumed to be the alternate replacement of the European Shawn and is related to the Chinese Souna that is still being used in wedding ceremony today as well as in temple and funeral music.

            There are so many types of zurnas. All of them have one and the same sound inductor so called kalem which is very tight and short double reed and sometimes manufactured out of wheat leaves. The reconstruction of the European reed musical instrument has been known as far back as 11^th century.