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Thezurna[a][b] is adouble reedwind instrument played inCentral Asia,West Asia, theCaucasus,Southeast Europe and parts ofNorth Africa. It is also used inSri Lanka.[2] It is usually accompanied by adavul (bass drum) inArmenian,Anatolian andAssyrian folk music. The zurna is largely played in Turkey.
A folk etymology explains that the name is derived fromPersian "سرنای" (surnāy), composed of "سور" (sūr) meaning "banquet, feast", andنای (nāy) meaning "reed, pipe". The term is attested in the oldest Turkic records, as "suruna" in the 12th and 13th centuryCodex Cumanicus (CCM fol. 45a). Zurna has also been suggested as a possible borrowing from Hittite or Luwian into theArmenian language, where Arm. զուռնաzuṙna is compared to Luwianzurni "horn".[3]
The zurna was said to originate fromCentral Asia and ancientAsia Minor (Anatolia). Images of the zurna are visible in stone reliefs and artwork by theHittites, who were an ancient empire from Asia Minor about 2000 to 1200 B.C. It was known inPersia from 6th century A.D., and later introduced in several countries following thespread of Islam (A.D. 650-1500).[4] The zurna played an important role inOttomanmehter music.[5]
As zurna became popular and intriguing, it spread further to the east and west. In the 16th century, theCentral Asian shawms got toChina under the name 'sona'. TheKirghiz peoples, from ancient Persia and Afghanistan, had used the zurna, as well asSyrian people, who called it 'zamr'. As the Ottoman Empire sprawled into Europe, the zurna was introduced to theBalkans,Hungary, and evenWestern Europe. There were alteration of name and its structure, but the similarities to the original zurna was very apparent, as seen in the zurna of Macedonia, the shepherd flute of theBasque and the mountain territories of Italy, and the zurna in North Africa, called 'zmar', ofTunis andTangier.[6]
InTurkish folk music, the zurna joined with thedavul to appoint a melodic concomitant to tribal and village folk dance. Today, the zurna is an essential part of Turkish folk music and dance, as well as inArmenian dance,Assyrian folk dance andKurdish dance.
Turkish lore[citation needed] says thatAdam, who was moulded from clay, had no soul. It is said only the melodious tuiduk-playing ofArchangel Gabriel could breathe life into Adam. According to a Turkmen legend,[citation needed] the devil played the main role in tuiduk invention (note the term "devil openings",şeytan delikleri, in Turkish for the small apertures on the bell).
The zurna, like theduduk andkaval, is a woodwind instrument used to play folk music.
The zurna is made from the slow-growing and hardwood of fruit trees such asplum orapricot (Prunus armeniaca). There are several different types of zurnas. The most typical is the Armenian zurna. The longest (and lowest-pitched) is the kaba zurna, used in Bulgaria, the shortest (and highest-pitched), which can be made of bone, is the zurna played in Messolonghi and other villages of Aetolia-Acarnania region in Greece. The zurna, a relative of theoboe, is found almost everywhere where the common reed grows because it uses a short cylindrical reed that is tied to a conical brass tube on one end, flattened to a narrow slit on the other end as a source of the sound.
It requires high pressure to give any tone at all and when it does, it is almost constantly loud, high pitched, sharp, and piercing. The need for high pressure makes it suitable for playing without stop usingcircular breathing. A small pacifier-style disk that the lips may lean on helps the lip muscles that hold the high-pressure air, rest, and recover during long non-stop playing sessions. The combination of constant volume and non-stop playing makes the zurna unsuitable for emphasis of the rhythm. It has therefore been played almost invariably along with big drums that both provide the rhythm and the lower frequencies that travel further away than the zurna's loud, high pitched sound.
It has a cylindrical bore, and a bell opening out in aparabolic curve, thus adapted to reflect the sound straight ahead. Because of its loud and highly directional sound as well as accompaniment by big drums, it has historically been played outdoors, during festive events such as weddings and public celebrations. It has also been used to gather crowds in order to make official announcements. This use of the zurna as a token of the ruling power developed intoJanissary bands and eventually into military music. Seven holes on the front, and one thumb hole, provide a range of over one octave including some transposition.[citation needed]
Similar to themizmar andrhaita, zurnas are used in the folk music of many countries and regions, especially inArmenia,Iran,Algeria,Azerbaijan,Central Asia,Iraq,Syria,Turkey,Greece,Bulgaria,North Macedonia,the Maghreb,Albania,Serbia,Bosnia,Kurdistan and the otherCaucasian countries, and have now spread throughoutIndia,China,Korea andEastern Europe.[citation needed]
The zurna is most likely the immediate predecessor of theEuropeanshawm, and is related to theChinesesuona still used today in weddings, temple and funeral music.[7] The Japanesecharumera, orcharamera, traditionally associated with itinerant noodle vendors is a small zurna, its name derived from the Portuguesechirimoya. Few, if any, noodle vendors continue this tradition, and those who do would use a loudspeaker playing a recorded charumera.[citation needed]
A zurna was used by frontman Stu Mackenzie inKing Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's 9th studio album,Flying Microtonal Banana.
TheHomeworld series uses a zurna quite extensively in its soundtrack, particularly in more action-focused pieces.
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