The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (III)

1 June 2022 – 1:01 am Posted in Articles' List, Contemporary Music, General Information, Instrument & Playing

Researcher:
Mohammad Tarighat

Translator:
Fatemeh Alimohammadi

There are different definitions for the structure and sound of Daf from other aspects rooted in mythical and holy-oriented beliefs. Pahlavan says the following regarding this matter:

“Our ancestors believe powerful blows upon the Daf scatters evil spirits of disease and distress to create a clean and holy space filled with health and prosperity. Adding tools to Daf increases this instrument’s purification, spreading, and summoning powers of evil forces and goddesses. Daf was mostly depicted by red, color of blood, in ancient times or sometimes it was depicted with green, the color of plants and nature. There were probably some mysterious designs painted upon the wooden body and frames of these instruments just like today” (Pahlavan, 2013: 44).

Also, Mohammad Reza Darvishi in his book entitled “Encyclopedia of Music”, quoted from Ahmad Tusi, Mohammad Tusi’s son, in Sama and Fotovvat, interprets Daf in relation to playing it and to Daf player: “The circle of Daf refers to the circle of the universe and the skin stretched on Daf, refers to the absolute existence and the beat on Daf, refers to the entry of divine inspirations from depths of hidden into the absolute existence and Daf player individual, is a reference to the position of truth, through which the people’s soul are placed in the trap of love” (Darvishi, 2016: 396).

It is believed that Daf player extends his two hands to the sky in a state of prayer and supplication, so it is necessary to be recited with a mystical and prayerful slogan. Daf is never placed on the ground by the skin and this act is considered insulting the position of this instrument and indirectly to religious beliefs (Naqib Sardasht, 2007: 300). If Daf skin is torn during the ceremony, mystics say that the Daf has been “martyred”. If the skin is prepared from Haram* animals, it is Haram to bring it to the monastery. At the end of ceremony, the Daf is kissed and hung on the wall; with the special Daf of this ceremony, frivolous and farcical melodies are never performed because it is considered a sin by the mystics. Also, these Dafs are not entrusted to persons who are not authorized to maintain it (Nasrollahpour, 1999: 78).

According to the mystics, Daf is a symbol of monastery; Daf rings, indicate number of disciples and thumb index, is the entrance of monastery. Thumb index is in a semicircular and concave form and when one holds the Daf, completes this concavity and forms a link between himself and the Daf. The Center of Daf is considered as a symbol of God (Ahmadi, 2019: 11).

Other ceremonies in which Daf and Daf playing have great value can be called “Mowludi khani”, “welcoming and accompanying the religious scholars and mystics”, and “welcoming pilgrims”. In following, a brief explanation will be given about Mowludi and Mowludi khani.

The month of Rabi al-Aval is known among the Kurds as Mowlud month which Mowludi khani in description of the Prophet (PBUH) is the most basic program of this month. Ebrahim Moradi believes: “The Kurds believe that holding Mowludi khani ceremonies in their home, increases their livelihood and keeps pain and misery away from family members” (Moradi, 2020: 51).

The role of Daf and Daf playing in Iranian music is of special importance in three forms “solo”, “accompaniment”, and “group playing”.

___________________

*Haram” means forbidden and anti-halal. In religious terms is something that is forbidden by God and doing it is considered a sin.

This entry was written by HarmonyTalk
Tagged: .

Farhad Poupel: The Voice of the Shahnameh in the Orchestras Around the World

In an era when almost no trace of contemporary Iranian music can be heard in international concert halls, except (so-called!) avant-garde works that owe their existence solely to the fashionable slogans of the “pseudo-intellectual” crowd who have seized the already meager resources for performing classical music from the true artists of the field, the numerous performances of Farhad Poupel’s works shine as a ray of hope for lovers of sincere musical art. Without resorting to trendy slogans, he has kept the flame of Iranian classical music alive purely through the power of his artistry.

Five Major Myths About Mozart’s Life

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the renowned Austrian composer, is undoubtedly one of the greatest geniuses in the history of classical music. However, his life is surrounded by numerous myths and legends, some of which are not based on facts. This article explores five of the most common misconceptions about Mozart’s life.

Latest posts

From Past Days…

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (VI)

Researcher: Mohammad Tarighat Translator: Fatemeh Alimohammadi Hooks and attached rings: The junction of the ring to the arch is about 3 centimeters from the skin. The ring with its side rings should be as far as the diameter of a ring (about one and a half to one and eight centimeters) to make a proper…
Read More »

Iranian Fallacies – School of Vaziri

The term “School of Vaziri” is often used in writings on Iranian music, but the exact meaning of the term is not clear; some of the authors have used the term to only refer to the group of Vaziri’s students, including a large group of his conservatory students and his Tar students such as Abolhassan Saba, Rouhollah Khaleghi, Ahmad Foroutan Rad, Hossein Sanjari, Heshmat Sanjari and others. But can we consider all Vaziri’s students as followers of his school of thought? This is definitely a mistake, because we know that some of Vaziri’s students have chosen a completely different path than that of Vaziri.

Three singers in one larynx

Sima Bina (b. 1945) is a unique singer among the singers of Golha radio programmes which were broadcast on Iranian National Radio for 23 years from 1956 to 1979. She received her first lessons in music from her father who was a poet, a musician and the most important supporter of Sima’s cultural activities.

Avaye Naerika Percussion Orchestra

Avaye Naerika Percussion Orchestra is an Iranian percussion orchestra featuring 40 lady percussionists. The Orchestra was established as Iran’s largest all-female percussion orchestra in 2008 by Ms. Minoo Rezaei under the title Naerika Percussion Orchestra and changed its name to Avaye Naerika in 2017.

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (VII)

Conclusion

“Daf” is one of type of percussion instruments that has a long history and is commonly known as circular instruments (with a rim). In some tribes, Daf was used as the main instrument in festivity and joy ceremonies; in another tribe it was used as the main instrument for war and campaign ceremonies and some others used it for ritual and religious ceremonies.

Reza Vohdani; Unveiling unpublished works, preservation of Iranian classical music

Reza Vohdani is a renowned name among tar (traditional Iranian instrument) players, especially within the Iranian music community that values the meticulous practice and teaching of traditional music. While Vohdani honed his skills in music theory and tar playing under the guidance of masters like Ali-Naghi Vaziri, Ali-Akbar Shahnazi, Hossein Dehlavi, and Ahmad Forutan-Rad, it is his unwavering dedication to studying, documenting, and teaching the Iranian classical music repertoire that has solidified his prominence in the field. Recently, Vohdani’s family decided to make his preserved works accessible to the wider art and music community. In this regard, The Persian-language newspaper ‘Iran’ spoke with Sadjad Pourghanad, a musician, university instructor, and music researcher, who shared his opinion into the project, as detailed in the interview below.

Principles of Violin Playing (IX)

4.3.1. To practice playing of doubles of notes involving two different fingers, each note is played at separate bows with slow tempo, each note is played perfectly regarding its bass and tenor sounds and then the considered double is played at another bow while considering the resulted sound of the double.

Qanun, a feminized instrument?

In the world music culture, there are instruments which were traditionally associated with a certain gender. It remains disputable to what extent these gender-based perceptions have been logical and scientific. For example, as playing wind instruments need more breath strength and the public opinion believe that men have stronger breath compared to women, these instruments are predominantly a male domain. Harp is also considered a female instrument as the public opinion believe that women have finer fingers and can therefore better perform nuances and delicate techniques on the instrument.

Iannis Xenakis’ Persephassa

Shiraz Arts Festival which was held in Shiraz from 1967 to 1977 featured many contemporary renowned artists who were commissioned by the Iranian royalty to compose or create works of art for performance in the arts festival. Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) participated in Shiraz Arts Festival three times in 1968, 1969 and 1971. The Greek-French composer,…
Read More »

Non-profit “Microtona” Project Released

Microtona is a sixty-eight-page Booklet with personal comments by the contributing microtonal artists. The booklet also includes a DVD which consists of 8 original video tracks and 9 original audio tracks. The project is an international one featuring unpublished pieces by composers from Iran, Japan, U.S., France, Austria, Germany and Belgium.