The zurna is a wind musical instrument played in central Eurasia, from the Balkans to Central Asia. It is usually accompanied by a daouli (bass drum) in Anatolian folk music.
The zurna is a woodwind instrument played in countries of southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, mainly in folk music. The zurna is an instrument, made from the apricot tree, and uses a double reed that creates a sharp, piercing sound. Historically, it has been played outdoors during festive occasions, such as weddings and holidays. It has eight holes on the front, seven of which are used during playing, and one octave-changing thumb hole.
It is similar to the mizmar of Arabic music. The zurna is also used in the folk music of the countries of the region, especially in Iran, Armenia, Israel, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Greece, Bulgaria, , Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and other countries of the Caucasus, and has now spread throughout China and Eastern Europe. In the Slavic nations of the Balkans, it is usually called the zurla.
The zurna or zurna derives its origin from the ancient oxyavlo. The zurna is most likely the direct predecessor of the European shawm, and is related to the Chinese suona which is still used today in weddings, temples and funerals.
There are several different types of zurna. They all share the same voice coil – the so-called Kalem – which is actually a very tight (and small) double reed, sometimes made from wheat leaves. The longest (and lowest pitched) zurna is the Kamba zurna, used in northern Turkey and Bulgaria, while the shortest (and highest pitched) zurna is played in Messolonghi and other villages of Aitoloakarnania. As a general rule, the zurna is conical and made of wood.
The zournas in Greek music
The zournas in Greece, both mainland and island, is the karamouza or pipiza and derives its origin from the ancient oxyavlo. It is identified with the ancient flute which, through historical, literary and artistic evidence, we encounter since the time of Homer. Before the appearance of the clarinet in Greece, around 1830, the zournas, according to the composer Pavlos Carrer, was characterized as a national flute. He notably mentions in his “Memoirs” that he saw “…singing and dancing, playing the national flutes and the daoulia”.
Throughout Greece, but especially in Macedonia, there are many frescoes and hagiographic representations in which the zournas and the daouli dominate large Byzantine and post-Byzantine compositions. However one may say it, it is difficult to confuse the zurna with any other instrument: its double reed gives it a sharp and piercing sound. And it is precisely this characteristic that has made it a permanent “pair” with the daouli.
The duo of zournas and daouli, since Byzantine times, was the most characteristic combination of musical instruments for celebrations and weddings, since in the era when amplifiers did not exist; the sound reached even the last spectator.
words from tradition
