| Music of Iran | ||||
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| Media and performance | ||||
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| Nationalistic and patriotic songs | ||||
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Persian musical instruments orIranian musical instrumentscan be broadly classified into three categories:classical,Western andfolk. Most of Persian musical instruments spread in the formerPersian Empires states all over theMiddle East,Caucasus,Central Asia and through adaptation, relations, and trade, inEurope and far regions ofAsia. In the ancient era, theSilk Road had an effective role in this distribution.
Orchestral
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Folklore
Orchestral
Folklores
Historical
While Arabic and Persian are separate languages, to a great extent thecultures intermixed during and after theMuslim conquest of Persia. Arabic became thelingua franca from the Middle East to the edge of China and into India, much as Latin was in Europe. As a result, the list below may contain Arab words that don't belong, but may also include words shared by both languages. An example isdaf (دف), for which the Arab word is alsodaf orduff (pluraldofuf). Similarly, conquests and cultural intermixing have made Turkish words available, such askudum.
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| Name in English | Name in Persian or other names | Description | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkal | A kind of drum, possibly of the frame type. | ||
| Arabaneh | A kind of frame drum, sometimes fitted with jingles. Possibly same asarbana, drum of Muslims inKerala, India.[1] | ||
| Batare | A kind of frame drum, maybe the same as Daf. It should be mentioned that Bateri is the same as the English word Battery (sound of drum and also a kind of percussion instrument). | ||
| Bendir | Bendayer | A large frame drum with thumb-hole on side. Today the Bendir is a typical frame drum. Similar instruments are common in the whole Near East from Morocco to Iraq and also in Northern Africa. A distinctive feature of this instrument is the set of snare strings fitted to the interior of the drum skin. |  |
| Chumlak-dombolak | A kind of Turkish-Egyptian Dombak with clay body | ||
| Dabdab[2][3] | kettledrum. | ||
| Daf Riqرق | Dafif,Dap,Dareh,Dariye,Kichik Dap,Dizeh, Dofuf,Duff,Dup,Kafeh,Raq,Req,Rik,Riqq | The daf is one of the most ancient frame drums in Asia and North Africa. As a Persian instrument, in the 20th century, it is considered as a Sufi instrument to be played in Khaghan-s for Zikr music but now this percussion instrument has recently become very popular and it has been integrated into Persian art music successfully.
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| Daf-e-chahar-gush | A kind of squared Daf. This percussion-skinned instrument is played in Egypt and Syria. | ||
| Dammam | Damameh | May denote both a drum of bowl shape and a type of cylindrical drum. |  |
| Damz | A kind of frame drum. | ||
| Davat | A kind of drum to be stroke by Ghazib (drumstick). | ||
| Dā'ira[4]دایره (ساز) Dayereh-zangi (دایرهزنگی) | Dayera | Frame drum.
|  |
| Dohol | Dobol,Gapdohol,Jure | A big cylindrical two-faced drum to be played by two special drumsticks. One is wooden thick stick that is bowed at the end and its name is Changal (or Kajaki). The other is thin wooden twig and its name is Deyrak. (In Hormozgan province of Iran, Dohol is played by two hands.) Dohol is the main accompaniment of Sorna (Persian Oboe, Turkish Zurna, Indian Shehnay and Chinese Suona).
|   |
| Doholak | A Dohol from Baluchestan, played with both hands. Called Nal in Pakistan, Dholki in Mahashtra, India. The Dholak in India is a folk drum characterized by a cylindrical wooden shell covered with skin on both sides.
| ||
| Dulab | Sarcastic or ironical name of drum. | ||
| Dulakvat | A kind of cylindrical drum, like the dohol, of Pakistan and Afghanistan. | ||
| Ghaval | Azerbaijani frame drum with or without rings. Ghavalchi means Ghaval player. | ||
| Ghodum | Kudum (in Turkey) | A kind of drum to be played in Turkish Sufi music. |  |
| Jam-Danbolak | A kind of drum similar to the Tonbak.Jam means "cup". | ||
| Kaseh (کاسه) | elephant (پیل) + bowl (کاسه) | Kaseh means "bowl"; in music is referring to a kettledrum.[5] Kasehzan and Kasehgar both mean Kaseh player.[5] Kaseh-pil: A kind of drum that was banded on elephant.[6] SeeAyine-pil. |  |
| Khom | Kettledrum.
| ||
| Koli | A Persian frame drum. | ||
| Kube | In Arabic, Al-kube. An hourglass drum. Kube comes from the Persian verb Kubidan (to strike). | ||
| Kus[7] | Kas | Persian/Arab/Turkish Kettledrum.
|  _-_DPLA_-_db6871a0c247247a53ea9e79f9f323e5.jpg) |
| Mohre | A war drum | ||
| Naqara | Azerbaijani drum |  | |
| *Naqareh Naqqāra[7] | Desarkutan, Naghghareh, Naker | A kind of drum to be stroke by Ghazib (drum stick).
| _of_of_Abu%2527l_Qasim_Firdausi_MET_DP107153_(1).jpg)   |
| Samma | A frame drum used inSufi (mystic) music of Sistan-Baluchestan and other parts of southern Iran . | ||
| Shaghf | A frame drum. | ||
| Shahin-Tabbal | shahin-tabl | Pipe and tabor.
Shahin means royal falcon, but refers here to a wind instrument. Tabbal means drummer. Shahin-Tabbal is a person who plays Shahin by one hand and Tabl (drum) by the other one. | |
| Tabare | Tabire | Tabire means drum. In Arabic it means Tabl. In French encyclopedia of Littreé it has been mentioned that the French word Tabur (small drum used in medieval times to accompany folk-dancing) comes from the Persian word Tabire.
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| Ṭabl | Kabar | Drum. |  |
| Tablak | Doplak,Gushdarideh | Small drum
| |
| Tas | Tasht | Small copper bowl drum covered with sheep or cow skin and beaten with a drumstick, or leather or rubber straps. The instrument may be related to the Indian Tasa or Tasha drums. Alternatively is copper bowls without skin, called Jal-Tarang in India. Tasht means tub or basin. Tashtgar means Tasht player..jpg) |  |
| Tempo | A goblet drum similar to Turkish-Arabic Dumbek or Darbuka. | ||
| Tiryāl | Tirpal | a type of frame drum/tambourine[9] | |
| Tombak Tonbak(تنبک) Zarb (ضَرب) | Dombak,Dombalak,Donbak,Zarb | Tonbak: Persian goblet drums. There are many names for this instrument. Some of them are: 1. Dombar 2. Dombarak 3. Tabang 4. Tabnak 5. Tobnak 6. Tobnok 7. Tobnog 8. Tonbik 9. Tonbook 10. Tontak 11. Khonbak 12. Khombak 13. Khommak 14. Damal 15. Dambal 16. Donbalak 17. Dombalak 18. Khoorazhak 19. Khomchak 20. Tonbak 21. Tombak 22. Donbak 23. Dombak 24. Zarb.
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| Zirbaghali | Zerbaghali | A goblet drum with a body made of clay. It is similar to the tonbak and used in Afghanistan. The skin has a black spot called siyahi, made of tuning paste. Drum influenced by India with technique that draws on Persian Tonbak and Indian tabla and darbuka. | |
| Zu-jalal | A kind of frame drum with bells. | ||
| zorkhaneh beat | Clay-bodied drum with hide stretched across, used by aMurshid (mentor) in azorkhaneh gym to guide the exercise. Used alongside the Zang-e-zourkhaneh bell (زنگ زورخانه ای). The name is actually the name of the rhythm or drum-beat, applied to the instrument. |  |
| Name in English | Name in Persian or other names | Description | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvah | It is a set of wooden or metallic plates that is played by being struck with sticks. | ||
| Ayine-pil (آیینه پیل) | A metal gong, beaten with sticks – so large that it had to be carried by elephant and played by a mounted musician. | ||
| Boshghabak | Small cymbal to be used by dancers. | ||
| Chini | A shaken percussion instrument used in military bands. It consists of an earthenware body hung with small bells. | ||
| Ghashoghak | Castanets. | ||
| Gong | Khar-mohre | Metal disk with a turned rim giving a resonant note when struck with a stick. Gong apparently is of Chinese origin.
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| Jalājil[11] (Arabic, جلجل) | Ghalāghil,Juljul[11] | Jalājil is plural of Juljul. Arabic word for bells.[11] The word may have spread as far as Nepal where a type of cymbal is calledJhyali. Juljul can also be used of the bells hung on herd animals.[12]
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kozeh (saz)کوزه (ساز) | Used in the music ofBandar Abbas, Iran and some other cities in southern Iran |  | |
| Kastanقاشقک (ساز) | two bowl or shell-shaped finger-clappers that dancers wear on their fingers, clapped together rhythmically while dancing. |  | |
| Naqus ناقوس | Historically, a wooden plank hit with a hammer or tapped on cobblestone to make clanking noise. In modern Persian,naqus (ناقوس) meansbell. According to Islamic tradition, thecompanions of Muhammad were unsure of what the sign for the daily prayers (salāt) should be. Mohammad therefore decided between a fire, a bell, a Jewish horn (shofar) and thenāqūs for the muezzin's call to prayer (adhān).[13] Apparently, in the early days ofFustat, the Muslims struck thenāqūs as an early-morning call to prayer.[14] The sound of thenāqūs as a call to prayer was heard along with the crowing of the cocks.[15] As a wooden plank, it was considered by Muhammed to signal a call to prayer. Early use among Muslims, Jewish people and Christians. Later known mainly as Christian instrument, allowed to be used in Muslim areas instead of a bell (which was louder and more disruptive). |  | |
| Senjsinj سِنج | Boshqābak,Chalab, Chalap, Zang, Tal | Large cymbal played in mourning ceremonies. A smaller version, by contrast, is used in festive ceremonies.His elephant-attendants' crowns of gold,Their golden girdles and their golden torques,Their golden Sanj (cymbals) and their golden Zang (bells)...--Shahname
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| Saz-e-fulad | A percussion instrument made 35 metallic plates of different sizes. Fulad (Arabicized of Pulad) means "steel". Saz means "musical instrument".
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| Zang زنگ |  Persuan word for bells.
|  _on_a_camel._Gouache_painting%2c_19th_century_Wellcome_V0045595.jpg)  | |
| *Zang-e-sarangoshti sanj angshatiسنج انگشتی | Finger cymbals made of copper, played per pairs fixed on the inch and the major one of each hand. Mainly employed to stress the dance, one finds them in particular present in the miniatures Persians on figurines dancers of the beginning of the century, and in the past on low-relieves. Their existence seems to go back to immemorial times. Names in Persian relate to theSanj (sanj angshati) and thezang (Zang-e-sarangoshti) | ||
| Zanjir زنجی | Zanchir in Pahlavi | Zanjir means chain. It is a string or loop of hawk bells, able to be hung. It sounds by shaking. | -_1971.88_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.jpg) |
| Name in English | Name in Persian or other names | Description | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akhlakandu | Ajlakandu | A very ancient percussion instrument. It was a type of rattle made from a skull part-filled with small stones. Its modern name is Jeghjeghe meaning simply 'rattle'. It was played by being shaken. | |
| Chaghaneh | Chaghabeh | A type of gourd rattle, filled with small stones. Used by dancers. | |
| Jeghjeghe | Persian rattle. Today in Iran it is considered as an instrument for entertaining children. |  | |
| Qairaq | kairak | Musical instruments of the Tajiks, also used by Uzbeks and in Afghanistan. Flat river stones, held in pairs and shaken; makes clicking and rattling noise; some sounds are similar to castanets. | _mid-20th_century.jpg) |
| name not known | hollow bracelets with beads inside, rattles when musician/dancer moves their arm |  |
| Name in English | Name in Persian or other names | Description | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghopuz | Zanburak | Jaw harp of Turkmen Sahra of Iran. |
These images are from theRussian Turkestan, circa 1865-1872, an area in which Persian, Turkish, Arab/Islamic and Mongol peoples conquered and settled over the ages. When the Russians conquered, both Turkish and Persian languages were being spoken. The images of musical instruments show the mixing of cultures; some such as thetanbur appear normal for Persian culture. But there are variations, such as akamanche that appears to be a bowedtanbur, and thekauz orkobyz, which is a Turkish word for an instrument that is closely related to theGhaychak, a Persian instrument.
Theelectronic keyboard is a popular western instrument.
There are numerous native musical instruments used in folk music.
...pomp and circumstance of war became the order of the day, and we finds bands with thebūq al-nafīr (large metal trumpet), thedabdāb (kettledrum), theqaṣ'a (shallow kettledrum), as well as theṣunūj (cymbals).
granted leave to a general to have kettledrums (dabādib, sing.dabdāb)
dā'ira (round tambourine)
[Note: the quote comes from the author Mohsen Hajarian's commentary about another book,Tarikh Beyhaqi, written by Khwaja Abulfazl Muhammad bin Hossein Beyhaqi.] (مراسم اجرای بوق و كوس و كاسه پیل در ورود رسول خلیفه بغداد به غزنین است.) the ceremony of performing trumpets, kos, and bowls at the arrival of the Messenger of the Caliph of Baghdad to Ghaznin.
jalājil (bells), and nāqūs (clapper)
jalājil (bells), and nāqūs (clapper)
jalājil (bells), and nāqūs (clapper)
ṣinj (pl. sunūj
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| Ethnic and regional music | |
| Festivals | |
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