Kurdistan Music in Iran

The types of music found in many parts of Kurdistan, all known as Kurdish music, vary depending on the climate and geography of the areas as well as their contact with the neighboring cultures. For instance, the melodies found among the folks living in the mountains are diverse from those found among the people living in the fields. Though, the poetry and the rhythms are common to both places. One local Kurdish instrument for the whole Kurdish music culture is a frame drum Kurdish Deffa, which is very useful in Kurdish music. Deffa has circular shape surrounded by wood with skin over it; it can also have many metal rings. Deffa is played by the hand. Modern deffas are often printed with a beautiful woman and printed with other beautiful figures.

source of picture: www.persia.it

Kurdish music, similar to other Eastern music, is one-track and modal (more specifically, based on the maqam system, which is loosely translated as modal). Though, because multiple instruments with varying pitch range, color, and decoration capabilities are used to play the same melody, it is also heterophony. In addition to` specifically Kurdish modes (maqams), Kurdish music also utilizes all the modes and dastgahs seen in the traditional music of Iran.

There are two types of Kurdish music. The first is based on the maqam system. Similar to traditional music of Iran, invention plays a significant role in Kurdish music. While a maqam is used to elect a certain melodic structure, an artist may improvise within this structure by employing variations on ornamental figures, melodic forms and rhythms. The maqams of Kurdistan, preserved by oral tradition throughout generations, are based on microtonal tuning systems where one can find intervals of half step, full step, three quarter step, and one and a quarter step. The second form of Kurdish music is based on a set of melodies, called gourani or closed, which have different and structured rhythms. The word gourani came from gabaran, which literally refers to as one who worships fire." This word is related to the olden rituals of fire worship among the Zoroastrians. Through the passage of time gabaran was changed to gouran. Gourani is also the name of people whose members speaks Kurdish and they are also known for their poetry. The members of certain orchestra of dervishes (Ahle Hagh) in Kermanshah and certain regions of Sanandaj, use this word to mean to the songs performed during their spiritual festivities. Because of its separate rhythm, gourani is often followed by other instruments and in some cases by clapping.

The poems used in most Kurdish music are filled with stories of romance and unanswered love. These poems have often two verses, which are divided in ten, eleven, or twelve syllables, and are based on the Gathas of the Zoroastrians. Kurdish melodies are very simple; their range is usually confined to a few notes. The method of the music is often strophic, and every gourani has a particular melody that is sung with numerous stanzas. At the end of every stanza the strophe is repeated unchanged throughout the song. Every gourani is considered by a specific strophe. Similar to a lied or a chanson, gouranis may be followed by instrumental sections, which have three parts: prelude, middle section, and the ending. The prelude and the ending are performed by the orchestra, and the middle part is performed in the form of call and response.

Gouranis fall into several groups, each performed with specific melodies for specific occasions. Some instances are children gouranis, women gouranis, Ramadan gouranis, work gouranis, shepherd gouranis, romantic gouranis, religious and spiritual gouranis, festive gouranis, Chemari (mourning) gouranis, war gouranis.

Before Islam, the "religious and spiritual gouranis" were used by the Kurds in their worship rituals of Ahura Mazda (the wise and supreme god of Zoroastrianism), fire, the sun, and the moon. Within Islam, new gouranis were established for worship of God and paying tribute to sacred figures. The dervish houre, Azan (special forms of reciting of the Koran), and zekr (also a ritualistic dance performed by the dervishes during devotional rites) are among these types of gouranis. The "festive gouranis," which have strong and exciting rhythms, are used for marriage, circumcision, or holiday celebrations, and are often followed by dancing and clapping. The "war gouranis" have moving rhythms, and are often used with poems that induce feelings of nationalism and protection of freedom. "Children gouranis" have simple rhythms and accompany children's poems. "Women gouranis" are sung by women during their everyday chores, like milking the cows, carrying water from the springs, or picking flowers. "Chemari gouranis," which are sung in the funerals while carrying the dead (especially a young deceased), are accompanied by sorna (a wind instrument) and dohol (a large drumming instrument), and have very sad poems. "Ramadan gouranis" are mostly used during the month of Ramadan to declare the coming of dawn (when people have food before fasting during the day]. Followed by dohol and sorna, they are played in raised regions of cities and villages. (H. Kamkar – master musician www.kereshmeh.com)