 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2022) |
| Part ofa series on the |
| Culture of Afghanistan |
|---|
 |
| History |
| People |
| Languages |
| Mythology |
| Cuisine |
| Festivals |
| Religion |
| Sport |
_-_Kabul%2c_Afghanistan_-_Afghan_Musicians_at_the_Serena_Hotel.jpg)
Themusic ofAfghanistan comprises many varieties ofclassical music,folk music, and modernpopular music. Afghanistan has a rich musical heritage[1] and features a mix ofPersian melodies,Indian compositional principles, and sounds from ethnic groups such as thePashtuns,Tajiks andHazaras. Instruments used range from Indiantablas to long-neckedlutes. Afghanistan's classical music is closely related toHindustani classical music while sourcing much of its lyrics directly from classicalPersian poetry such asMawlana Balkhi (Rumi) and theIranian tradition indigenous to central Asia. Lyrics throughout most of Afghanistan are typically inDari (Persian) andPashto. The multi-ethnic city ofKabul has long been the regional cultural capital, but outsiders have tended to focus on the city ofHerat, which is home to traditions more closely related toIranian music than in the rest of the country.[2]
Under the rule of theTaliban, both from 1996 to 2001 and again when they took power by force in 2021, music has been considered prohibited.[3][4]
Since their resurgence to power on 15 August 2021, Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have implemented a strict ban on music, particularly at weddings, social gatherings, and on radio and television. Additionally, there have been reports of Taliban forces destroying musical instruments, such as an incident involving the burning of instruments in late July 2023 in Herat Province.[5][6]
The Afghan concept of music is closely associated with instruments, and thus unaccompanied religious singing is not considered music.Koran recitation is an important kind of unaccompanied religious performance, as is the ecstaticZikr ritual of theSufis which uses songs calledna't, and theShi'a solo and group singing styles likemursia,manqasat,nowheh androwzeh. TheChishti Sufi sect of Kabul is an exception in that they use instruments like therubab,tabla alsoharmonium in their worship; this music is calledtatti ("food for the soul").[7]
Many patriotic songs have been made for Afghanistan. One of the best known songs is "Da Zamong Zeba Watan" ("This is our beautiful homeland" in Pashto) byUstad Awalmir, sung sometime in the 1970s. Another popular song is "Watan" ("Homeland") by Abdul Wahab Madadi, in Persian. Recorded in 1980, the song samples aGreek song called "Antonis" composed byMikis Theodorakis.[8] The first line,Watan ishqe tu iftekharam, translates to "My country, my love for you is my honour". Its tone sounds very similar to anational anthem.
There is no single tradition, but many musical traditions and styles in Afghanistan. These different traditions and styles evolved over centuries in the context of a society with highly diverse ethnic, linguistic, regional, religious, and class distinctions. Afghan music can be classified in a number of ways. Although it is common practice to classify Afghan music along linguistic and regional lines (i.e. Pashto,Persian, Logari, Shomali, etc.), a more technically appropriate classification would be to distinguish various forms of Afghan music purely by their musical style. Thus, Afghan music can be mainly divided into four categories: Indian classical, Mohali (folk and regional styles), Western, and another style unique to Afghanistan simply called Afghan music.
The Indian classical tradition was a hugely influential strain. The vast majority of the elite artists in Afghanistan until the 1980s were trained in the Indian classical tradition.Ustad Sarahang,Rahim Bakhsh,Ustad Nashenas and many other singers were prominent adherents of this style. This style emphasized compositions in the Indian raga style and the singing of Ghazals in melodies very similar to Indian classical and court music. The classical musical form of Afghanistan is calledklasik, which includes both instrumental and vocal and belly dancingragas, as well asTarana andGhazals.[9] ManyUstads, or professional musicians, have learnedNorth Indian classical music inIndia, and some of them were Indian descendants who moved from India to the royal court inKabul in the 1860s.[7] They maintain cultural and personal ties with India—through discipleship or intermarriage—and they use the Hindustani musical theories and terminology, for exampleraga (melodic form) andtala (rhythmic cycle). Afghanistan's classical singers include the late UstadMohammad Hussain Sarahang (1924–1983), who is one of the master singers of Patiala Gharana in North Indian classical music and is also well known throughoutIndia andPakistan as a contemporary of UstadBade Ghulam Ali Khan. His composition "Pai Ashk" was used in the theme song of the Hindi filmMera Saya.Ubaidullah Jan Kandaharai is regarded as the king of Pashto music in the southern Afghanistan region. He died in the 1980s but his music is still enjoyed by thePashtun diaspora around the world, mainly by the Pashtuns in theKandahar-Quetta regions. Other classical singers areUstad Qasim, UstadRahim Bakhsh, andUstad Nato.
The second group, Mohali (folk) music was more diverse. It contained various folkloric and regional styles which had evolved indigenously without outside influence. These styles include Qataghani, Logari, Qarsak etc. which are specific to a region & linguistic group in Afghanistan. Some prominent artists in this category were Hamahang,Beltoon etc. Many other singers, however, who do not belong to this genre, have dabbled in recording songs in the Qataghani, logari, qarsak etc. styles. Each of these forms had its own scale (they did not use the classical Indian raga scale, nor did they use the western major/minor scale) and mainly consisted of well known songs whose composition and lyrics had evolved organically over centuries. The lyrics, though deep, were often simple and lacked the poetic sophistication of the great Persian & Pashto poetic traditions.
The most popular musical traditions in Afghanistan is the pure Afghan musical style. The pure Afghan musical style was popularized by the Afghan singerAhmad Zahir. The style borrows from many other musical traditions such as the Indian, Iranian, Middle Eastern, and folkloric Afghan traditions, but it fuses these styles into a sound that is unique to Afghanistan and suits the lyrical, poetic, rhythmic, and orchestral tastes of both afghan Dari and afghan Pashto speakers. Apart from Ahmad Zahir, the most successful contemporary proponent of this style ofFarhad Darya. However, the progenitor of this musical tradition was another Afghan singer namedAbdul Rahim Sarban. Sarban's songs set the template for the uniquePersian-language Afghan musical sound that characterizes the most popular Afghan musical genre today. Sarban chose poetry from the great classicalPersian/Dari poets and set them to compositions which incorporated elements of Western jazz andbelle chanson with themohali (regional) traditions of Afghanistan. Up until then, Afghanistan had been mainly a borrower of styles from Iran, India and other countries. With Sarban's arrival, Afghan music reached such a height that renowned artists from major cultural centres such as Iran borrowed his songs and covered them for their audiences (for instance Iran's singerGoogoosh covered a number of Sarban's songs, most famously his "Ay Sarban Ahesta Ran").
Sarban's musical style was effectively adopted by Ahmad Zahir,Ahmad Wali,Nashenas, Afsana, Seems Tarana,Jawad Ghaziyar, Farhad Darya, and numerous other Afghan singers, and transformed into a genuine recognizable Afghan musical style.
This form, Western music (mainly consisting of pop, and nowadays rap), is influenced mainly by the Western musical tradition. However, in spite of its modernity, it is not the most popular musical genre. Many singers including Ahmad Zahir have sung in this tradition (pop, rock n roll, etc.). Most recently, there has been a blooming of the rap and hip hop scene in Afghanistan as well. However, the Western musical influence on Afghan music continues to be only in the fields of instrumentation and orchestration; Afghan musicians tend to choose musical languages and compositions which belong to indigenous Afghan musical forms, but they use Western musical instruments (such as drums, percussions and guitars) to orchestrate their music. There are a few musicians who compose in the Western musical tradition as well.
Therubab is a commonlute-like instrument in Afghanistan, and is a forerunner of the Indiansarod.[2] The rubab is sometimes considered the national instrument of Afghanistan, and is called the "lion of instruments";[10] one reviewer claims it sounds like "a Middle Eastern predecessor to theblues that popped up in thePiedmont 100 years ago".[11] The rubab has a double-chambered body carved frommulberry wood, which is chosen to give the instrument its distinct timbre. It has three main strings and aplectrum made fromivory, bone or wood.
Famous players of the rubab areMohammad Omar,Essa Kassemi,Homayun Sakhi, andMohammed Rahim Khushnawaz.[2]
Thedombura,dambura ordambora is a popular folk instrument amongHazaras,Uzbeks,Turkmens andTajiks. Notable dombura players in Afghanistan includeDilagha Surood,Naseer Parwani,Dawood Sarkhosh,Mir Maftoon andSafdar Tawakoli. The dombura is played with much banging and scratching on the instrument to help give apercussive sound. The two strings are made ofnylon (in modern times) orgut. They cross a shortbridge to a pin at the other end of the body. There is a tiny sound hole in the back of the instrument, while the top is thick wood. It is not finished with anyvarnish,filing orsanding of any kind, and as with all other Afghanistan instruments there is some decoration.[12]
Ghichak is a string instrument made by theHazaras andTajiks of Afghanistan.
The following is an incomplete list of classical Afghan musicians who have been honored as anustad:
In 1925, Afghanistan beganradio broadcasting, but its station was destroyed in 1929. Broadcasting did not resume untilRadio Kabul opened in 1940.[17]AsRadio Afghanistan reached the entire country, popular music grew more important.
Modernpopular music did not arise until the 1950s when radio became commonplace in the country. They used orchestras featuring both Afghan and Indian instruments, as well as Europeanclarinets,guitars andviolins. The 1970s were thegolden age of Afghanistan's music industry. Popular music also included Indian and Pakistani cinema film and music imported from Iran, Tajikistan, the Arab world and elsewhere.[7]
In 1951,Mermon Parwin became the first Afghan woman to sing live on the radio.Farida Mahwash, one of the famous female singers who then gained the title ofUstad (Master), had a major hit with "O bacheh" in 1977; she was "perhaps the most notable" of pop singers.[18]Rukhshana was another early female singer who had achieved high fame during the 1960s.[19]
Pop music emerged in Afghanistan during the 1950s, and became very popular until the late 1970s. What helped the emergence of pop music in Afghanistan were amateur singers from non-traditional music backgrounds who wanted to showcase their talents in the studioRadio Kabul. These singers were from middle- to upper-class families and were more educated than singers from traditional music backgrounds.
These amateurs innovated in Afghan music and created a more modern approach to the traditional folklore and classical music of Afghans. Amateur singers includedFarhad Darya,Ahmad Zahir, Ustad Davood Vaziri,Nashenas (Dr. Sadiq Fitrat),Ahmad Wali,Zahir Howaida,Rahim Mehryar,Mahwash,Haidar Salim,Ehsan Aman,Hangama,Parasto,Naghma,Mangal,Sarban,Qamar Gula and others. Ahmad Zahir was among Afghanistan's most famous singers; throughout the 60s and 70s he gained national and international recognition in countries like Iran and Tajikistan.
The coupleFarid Rastagar andWajiha Rastagar pioneered Afghansynthpop. They as well as Farhad Darya helped to establishnew wave during the 1980s.[20]
During the 1990s, theAfghan Civil War caused many musicians to flee, and subsequently theTaliban government banned instrumental music and much public music-making.[21] Taliban's punishments of being caught playing music or being caught with cassettes ranged from confiscation and a warning to severe beatings and imprisonment. Many people continued to secretly play their instruments. Exiled musicians from the famousKharabat district of Kabul set up business premises inPeshawar, Pakistan, where they continued their musical activities. Much of the Afghan music industry was preserved via circulation in Peshawar and the holding of concerts for Afghan performers there helped to keep the industry alive.[22]
After the2001 US intervention in Afghanistan and the removal of theTaliban, the music scene began to re-emerge. Some groups, like the Kaboul Ensemble, gained an international reputation.[21] In addition, traditionalPashtun music (especially in the southeast of the country) entered a period of "golden years", according to a prominent spokesman for AfghanMinistry of Interior, Lutfullah Mashal.[23]
Rock music slowly gained a foothold in the country.Kabul Dreams is one of the few Afghan rock bands; formed in 2008 by ex-pats, they claim to be the first one.[24] However it was popularised in the mainstream byFarhad Darya who experimented with rock alongside his usual pop hits.[25] Additionally, singing competition television series such asAfghan Star andThe Voice of Afghanistan became popular, with singing contestants performing songs, including those formerly banned.
Metal music was represented byDistrict Unknown, who as a band no longer exist and have moved to various parts of the world, from theUnited Kingdom to the US. They were documented in the rockumentaryRockabul, filmed byAustralian Travis Beard.
Afghan hip-hop is a type of music popular among Afghanistan's youth and immigrant community.[26] It inherits much of the style of traditional hip hop, but puts added emphasis on rare cultural sounds. Afghan hip hop is mostly sung in Dari (Persian), Pashto, and English. One popular hip hop artist is DJ Besho (Bezhan Zafarmal), a resident of Kabul. Another is 'Awesome Qasim', who is known in Canada and raps inPersian, Pashto, and English. Qasim's most recent album came out in February 2013 in Canada.[27][28] Kabul musicianSoosan Firooz has been described as Afghanistan's first female rapper.[29]Sonita Alizadeh is another female Afghan rapper, who has gained notoriety for writing music protesting forced marriages.[30] The country's rapping scene has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. In 2017, Sayed Jamal Mubarez became the first rapper to win the annualAfghan Star musical competition.[31] In 2022, an Afghan rap song by Jawad13 and MiSAQ were commissioned by and available on Facebook Sound library.[32]
