Kurdish music
Encyclopedia
Kurdish music refers to music performed in Kurdish language.
Traditionally, there are three types of Kurdish Classical performers - storytellers
(çîrokbêj), minstrel
s (stranbêj) and bard
s (dengbêj). There was no specific music related to the Kurdish princely courts, and instead, music performed in night gatherings (şevbihêrk) is considered classical. Several musical forms are found in this genre. Many songs are epic
in nature, such as the popular Lawiks which are heroic ballads recounting the tales of Kurdish heroes such as Saladin
. Heyrans are love ballads usually expressing the melancholy of separation and unfulfilled love. Lawje is a form of religious music and Payizoks are songs performed specifically in autumn.
Love songs, dance music, wedding and other celebratory songs (dîlok/narînk and bend), erotic poetry and work song
s are also popular.
Another style of singing that originated as practice to recite religious hymns in both Zoroastrian and Islamic Sufi faiths is Siya Cheman
. This style is practiced mostly in the mountainous subregion of Hewraman
in the Hewrami dialect. However, some modern artists, have adopted the style and blended it with other Kurdish
music. Siya Cheman
can also be classified as çîrokbêj because it is often used to for storytelling.
Musical instruments include the tembûr (tembûr
, saz
), biziq (bozuk), qernête
(Duduk
) and bilûr (Kaval
) in northern and western Kurdistan, şimşal (long flute), cûzele, kemençe and def (frame drum) in the south and east. Zirne (wooden shawm
) and dahol (drum) are found in all parts of Kurdistan.
The most frequently used song form has two verses with ten syllable
lines. Kurdish songs (stran or goranî) are characterized by their simple melodies
, with a range of only four or five notes.
ization by the coming Medes
. A Hurrian tablet dating back to the 13th century B.C. was discovered in Ugaret; it contains in its upper portion the text of a Hurrian hymn. In the lower portion, it contains a series of numbers and technical terms that have been interpreted as a score rendering the tune to which the hymn would have been sung. This is then the earliest known musical score in history. Interestingly, the meqam in which the hymn was composed corresponds with the modern meqam "Kurd".
Kurdish musicians had a great role in the musical life of the Islamic caliphate. Ziryab
was one among the absolutely greatest musicians in the Islamic era. He brought the Middle Eastern musical tradition to Muslim Spain and trained local musicians in his style. He also invented many maqams and musical forms and improved the design of the ûd. Ibrahim Mûsili and Is'haq Mûsili were considered among the greatest musicians of the Abbasid court. They wrote several first-rate works on local Iranic and Mesopotamian styles. Musicologists like Safi al-Din Ûrmawi - the founder of the systematist school of music (Wright 1978) - and Muhammad al-Khatib Arbîlî who wrote some of the most seminal works on Middle Eastern musicology.
and with a shadow of Iranian influence whilst itself, has influenced the music of Iran in general to a certain degree. The sacred sufi music
of the Yarsanî sect (Ahleh Haqq) with its 72 meqams is thought to be one of the most authentic and deep-rooted musical traditions in the world.
Some of the most famous classical musicians, composers and singers of the past century from this part include Hassan Zirak (Boukan 1921 - 1972) who performed and recorded more than a thousand songs, Mohammad Mamlê (Mahabad 1925 - 1998) who was known for his heartwarming voice, Abbas Kamandi (Sanandaj), Aziz Shahrokh, Hassan Darzi, Seyed Mohammad Safayi, Osman Hawrami, Najmaddin Gholami (Sanandaj) and Mazhar Khaleqi (Sanandaj).
Several Iranian Kurdish singers and musisians have been highly influential in classical Persian and Iranian music in general, including Sayed Ali Asghar Kordestani (1882–1936) who was allowed to perform in Kurdish on the Iranian national radio, Shahram Nazeri
(Kermanshah 1950 - ), Kayhan Kalhor
(Kermanshah), Mohammad Jalil Andalibi (Sanandaj), Mojtaba Mirzadeh
, and Jamshid Andalibi (Sanandaj).
The Kamkars (Baradaran-e Kamkar) from the city of Sanandaj is a leading ensemble in Kurdish music today. They are internationally renowned for their performance of Kurdish folk music and with great dynamism and innovation. Some members of the group, including Arsalan
and Hooshang Kamkar
, have also worked individually and produced successful works. The brothers have also been leading Persian performers, working hand in hand with a number of very high-profile Persian singers in the classical genre, like the most famous and renowned Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, along with whom they arguably managed to stop the extinction of the none-religious Iranian music after a ban by the Islamic government, making them a household name all over Iran.
Nasir Razazî (Sanandaj), who now resides in Sweden, performs Kurdish music from all genres. Ali Akbar Moradi
is the greatest master of the religious tembûr
music of the Yarsan sect to which he belongs. Female singers include Nasir Razazi's late wife, Marziye Fariqi, her sister, Leila Fariqi who is known for performing pop-Westernised songs, Fattaneh Validi (Sanandaj) and Shahin Talabani (Sanandaj) who mainly performs classical folklore.
Morad Kaveh
is living in Sweden and is a new successful singer and musician.
Firmeski Gesh
Nostalgi Album
Brusk Zanganeh is currently studying his diploma in Violin at Zurcher Hochschule in Switzerland.
http://www.bruskzanganeh.com
rose to power later in the 20th century, Kurds in Iraq were allowed to perform as they wished, so long as music did not encroach on politics. Ali Merdan
(1904–1981), a well known singer and composer, arose during this period. Restrictions on recording grew slowly, and censors banned anything with a hint of subversion. A black market flourished, and some of the Kurds' most popular musicians were executed, including Erdewan Zaxolî. Year 1974 saw a degree of autonomy being achieved for the Kurds, but it was short-lived. After siding with Iran during a war, many Kurds were murdered with chemical weapons by Hussein's government, and the Kurds became highly repressed until the Gulf War and US invasion of Iraq. When the Kurds restored their autonomy in 1991, they started rebuilding their region. Artists now enjoy a good support from the regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Kurdish artists and writers are encouraged to move and work there.
One of the most important Iraqi Kurdish artists is Chopy Fatah
(singer) from the city of Kirkuk
that has been able to perform in several international festivals to show the world more about the great Kurdish music.
Aras Ibrahim-violinist, built Martyr Karzan's music group (tipi muziki shehid Karzan) in 1981 which was the only group who could record revolutionary songs in the mountain in the PUK released areas of Kurdistan. The group recorded 5 cassettes and published them. In 1990, the group participated in the First festival of Halabja & Nawroz (arranged by Kurdistan Arts Union) in Saqz-Iran with the famous coral of Halabja which was about the chemical weapon used against the Kurds there. Some members of the group: Aras Ibrahim, Dler Ibrahim, Azad Khanaqini, Shwan Kaban, Idris Issa (Rzgar), Salari gitar, Twana Sulaiman, Hushiar Baba, Salam Ahmed Fars, Soran Jalal Aziz, Aso Kakaiy, Hama Jaza, Abdulkadir Hasan, Siyar, Saleem, Hakm Farhad, Qubad Gorun, Ashti Said, Jwan, Bahar,....
Kurdish singers from Iraqi Kurdistan had sometimes the opportunity of performing and recording with Arab orchestras, which is the reason why Kurdish music from this part is somewhat influenced by Arabian music. Some of the best-known classical musicians of the past generations here are Tehsîn Taha, who was renowned for his beautiful voice, Ali Merdan
, Anwer karadaghi, Karim Kaban, Eyaz Yûsif, 'Îsa Berwarî,Dilovan Saeed, Kawîs Axa, Shamal Sayib and composers and violin players Anwer karadaghi, Dilşad Said, Peshraw Baban.
Gerabêtê Xaço was a great classical stranbêj, Muradê Kinê (Miradko) was another great stranbêj and kemençe player. Se'îd Yûsif (known as "prince of the biziq") is acclaimed for his unparalleled virtuosity on the biziq and his authentic teqsîms and beautiful song melodies. Mihemed Şêxo was a master of symbolic nationalistic lyrics who was imprisoned several times for expressing his political opinion through his songs. Some other important figures are Aram Tîgran, Mehmûd Ezîz - along with his brother Mihemed Elî Şakir -, Faris Bavê Fîras, Bangîn (Hikmet Cemîl), vocalist Miço Kendes and biziq player Ehmedê Çep. Ciwan Haco
has been famous in pop/Westernized Kurdish music, "Şeyda" is locally known for his love songs, Nezir Palo is known for its special texts, music and poetry. Nȗhat is known for his soul music. Adnan babê Hêco is a singer of the many articles written about love. There is also very popular singer from afrin Bave Selah, he is known more from kurdish folk songs and cultural songs. Shero Manan is really famous music artist in Afrin who are known as keyboard player. He has his own music studio. There are also wedding singers who are famous in local city in Afrin, for example: Bave Nur, Abdo mohamad (who known more better in Finland as pensseli-setä), Zekeriya Dilshad, Jan Boro, Shoresh Bekir, Ciwan Musa, Xebat Teyfur, Ismail Mohamad, Akkash Dildar and many others.
n priest, Vartapet Komitas
in 1904. The first academic center for Kurdish music was founded in Yerevan
, called The Malikian School of Music, which studied the old dengbêj. Kurdish academic, Cemîlê Celîl published two collections of popular Kurdish songs in 1964 and 1965. In Iraq
, a center for study of Kurdish music was founded in 1958. An academic study of Kurdish music, dance and musical instruments in Hakkari
was published by Dr. D. Christensen in 1963. The music of Kurdish Jews has also been studied in the 70s, and published by the Jewish Music Research Centre in Jerusalem.
Traditionally, there are three types of Kurdish Classical performers - storytellers
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
(çîrokbêj), minstrel
Minstrel
A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty...
s (stranbêj) and bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
s (dengbêj). There was no specific music related to the Kurdish princely courts, and instead, music performed in night gatherings (şevbihêrk) is considered classical. Several musical forms are found in this genre. Many songs are epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
in nature, such as the popular Lawiks which are heroic ballads recounting the tales of Kurdish heroes such as Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
. Heyrans are love ballads usually expressing the melancholy of separation and unfulfilled love. Lawje is a form of religious music and Payizoks are songs performed specifically in autumn.
Love songs, dance music, wedding and other celebratory songs (dîlok/narînk and bend), erotic poetry and work song
Work song
A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a specific form of work, either sung while conducting a task or a song linked to a task or trade which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song....
s are also popular.
Another style of singing that originated as practice to recite religious hymns in both Zoroastrian and Islamic Sufi faiths is Siya Cheman
Siya Cheman
Siya Cheman is a style of singing practiced by ethnic Kurds that originated in the mountainous sub-region of Hewraman along the border between Iranian Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan. The style was originally used to recite religious hymns by members of the Zoroastrian faith, and later, members of...
. This style is practiced mostly in the mountainous subregion of Hewraman
Hewraman
Hawrāmān or Ōrāmān is a mountainous region located in western Iran or Iranian Kurdistan, which includes the cities of Pawe and Meriwan, and north-eastern Iraq or Iraqi Kurdistan, which includes the city Halabja. The inhabitants of Hewraman are Kurdish people that speak Hewrami, part of the...
in the Hewrami dialect. However, some modern artists, have adopted the style and blended it with other Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
music. Siya Cheman
Siya Cheman
Siya Cheman is a style of singing practiced by ethnic Kurds that originated in the mountainous sub-region of Hewraman along the border between Iranian Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan. The style was originally used to recite religious hymns by members of the Zoroastrian faith, and later, members of...
can also be classified as çîrokbêj because it is often used to for storytelling.
Musical instruments include the tembûr (tembûr
Tembûr
The tembûr, a fretted string instrument, is a form of tanbūr. It is associated with the Ahl-e Haqq religion in Kurdish areas and in the Lorestān and Sistan va Baluchestan provinces of Iran. It is currently the only musical instrument used in Ahl-e Haqq rituals, and practitioners venerate the...
, saz
Baglama
thumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
), biziq (bozuk), qernête
Qernête
Qernête is a double reed musical instrument of ancient origin used in Kurdistan in addition to other parts of the Middle East, Armenian Plateau and Central Asia. In Kurdistan it is mostly used in mountainous areas in the north...
(Duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...
) and bilûr (Kaval
Kaval
The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout Azerbaijan, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, southern Serbia , northern Greece , Romania , and Armenia...
) in northern and western Kurdistan, şimşal (long flute), cûzele, kemençe and def (frame drum) in the south and east. Zirne (wooden shawm
Shawm
The shawm was a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the 12th century until the 17th century. It was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The body of the shawm was usually turned from a single piece of wood,...
) and dahol (drum) are found in all parts of Kurdistan.
The most frequently used song form has two verses with ten syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
lines. Kurdish songs (stran or goranî) are characterized by their simple melodies
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, with a range of only four or five notes.
History
Historically, Kurdish Music has very ancient roots that go back to the Hurrian period of Kurdish history. The Hurrians - the ancestors of the modern Kurds - were an ancient people that inhabited present-day Kurdistan and established several kingdoms before their aryanAryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
ization by the coming Medes
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
. A Hurrian tablet dating back to the 13th century B.C. was discovered in Ugaret; it contains in its upper portion the text of a Hurrian hymn. In the lower portion, it contains a series of numbers and technical terms that have been interpreted as a score rendering the tune to which the hymn would have been sung. This is then the earliest known musical score in history. Interestingly, the meqam in which the hymn was composed corresponds with the modern meqam "Kurd".
Kurdish musicians had a great role in the musical life of the Islamic caliphate. Ziryab
Ziryab
Abu l-Hasan ‘Ali Ibn Nafi‘ , nicknamed Ziryab , was a Black African or Persian or Kurdish polymath: a poet, musician, singer, chemist, cosmetologist, fashion designer, trendsetter, strategist, astronomer, botanist and...
was one among the absolutely greatest musicians in the Islamic era. He brought the Middle Eastern musical tradition to Muslim Spain and trained local musicians in his style. He also invented many maqams and musical forms and improved the design of the ûd. Ibrahim Mûsili and Is'haq Mûsili were considered among the greatest musicians of the Abbasid court. They wrote several first-rate works on local Iranic and Mesopotamian styles. Musicologists like Safi al-Din Ûrmawi - the founder of the systematist school of music (Wright 1978) - and Muhammad al-Khatib Arbîlî who wrote some of the most seminal works on Middle Eastern musicology.
Kurds of Turkey
There are about 15 million Kurds in Turkey. Eastern regions are where Kurds live in. Some of the most famous Kurd Musicians in Turkey are: Şivan Perwer, Rojda, Reşo, Mikail Aslan, Ahmet Aslan, Metin Kahraman, Kemal Kahraman, Aynur Doğan, Ahmet Kaya, Heme Haci, and Ibrahim Tatlises.Kurds of Iran
In Iran, Kurdish language and radio stations have generally been allowed on an on-and-off basis, depending on the directions of the views taken by the gorvernment of the time , though music has long been carefully scrutinised for political references. Kurdish music from Iranian Kurdistan has a rather distinctive form with its ancient native instruments such as the Daff and the tamboorTamboor
Tamboor is in Kalghatgi Taluk, Dharwad District in North Karnataka, India. It is about 8 km from Kalghatagi.Tamboor is a town about 11 km from Kalghatgi NH 63, 3km from main road in Karnataka state, India....
and with a shadow of Iranian influence whilst itself, has influenced the music of Iran in general to a certain degree. The sacred sufi music
Sufi music
Sufi music is the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah and Khwaja Ghulam Farid.Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, common in India and Pakistan...
of the Yarsanî sect (Ahleh Haqq) with its 72 meqams is thought to be one of the most authentic and deep-rooted musical traditions in the world.
Some of the most famous classical musicians, composers and singers of the past century from this part include Hassan Zirak (Boukan 1921 - 1972) who performed and recorded more than a thousand songs, Mohammad Mamlê (Mahabad 1925 - 1998) who was known for his heartwarming voice, Abbas Kamandi (Sanandaj), Aziz Shahrokh, Hassan Darzi, Seyed Mohammad Safayi, Osman Hawrami, Najmaddin Gholami (Sanandaj) and Mazhar Khaleqi (Sanandaj).
Several Iranian Kurdish singers and musisians have been highly influential in classical Persian and Iranian music in general, including Sayed Ali Asghar Kordestani (1882–1936) who was allowed to perform in Kurdish on the Iranian national radio, Shahram Nazeri
Shahram Nazeri
Shahram Nazeri is a contemporary Iranian tenor of Kurdish ancestry who sings classical Persian music from Kermanshah. He is one of Iran's most respected vocalists...
(Kermanshah 1950 - ), Kayhan Kalhor
Kayhan Kalhor
Kayhan Kalhor , born 24 November 1963, is an Iranian kamancheh player, composer and master of classical Kurdish and Persian music.-Youth and studies:...
(Kermanshah), Mohammad Jalil Andalibi (Sanandaj), Mojtaba Mirzadeh
Mojtaba Mirzadeh
Mojtaba Mirzadeh was a Kurdish violin player who was influential in Persian classical music. He played for many famous kurdish artists such as Aziz Sharux, Mazhar Xalqi, Hassan Zirak, Nasser Razazi, Mohammed Mamli, Shahab Jezairi, Shahram Nazeri and Reza Saqaei...
, and Jamshid Andalibi (Sanandaj).
The Kamkars (Baradaran-e Kamkar) from the city of Sanandaj is a leading ensemble in Kurdish music today. They are internationally renowned for their performance of Kurdish folk music and with great dynamism and innovation. Some members of the group, including Arsalan
Arsalan Kamkar
Arsalan Kamkar is a Kurdish musician from Iran.He has played violin in the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, and is also a barbat player. His compositions are regularly performed and include a symphony called The Story of My Father's Land, written with his brother Ardeshir...
and Hooshang Kamkar
Hooshang Kamkar
Hooshang Kamkar is an Iranian Kurdish musician.He was born in Sanandaj, a city in Kurdistan province in Iran. He started his musical training with his father, Hassan Kamkar. Later, he attended the Faculty of Fine Arts in Tehran University, the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome and the University of...
, have also worked individually and produced successful works. The brothers have also been leading Persian performers, working hand in hand with a number of very high-profile Persian singers in the classical genre, like the most famous and renowned Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, along with whom they arguably managed to stop the extinction of the none-religious Iranian music after a ban by the Islamic government, making them a household name all over Iran.
Nasir Razazî (Sanandaj), who now resides in Sweden, performs Kurdish music from all genres. Ali Akbar Moradi
Ali Akbar Moradi
Ali Akbar Moradi,, born 1957 is a well known Iranian Kurdish musician and composer. He was born in the Iranian city of Kermanshah...
is the greatest master of the religious tembûr
Tanbur
The term tanbūr can refer to various long-necked, fretted lutes originating in the Middle East or Central Asia. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowadays the term tanbur is applied to a variety of distinct and related...
music of the Yarsan sect to which he belongs. Female singers include Nasir Razazi's late wife, Marziye Fariqi, her sister, Leila Fariqi who is known for performing pop-Westernised songs, Fattaneh Validi (Sanandaj) and Shahin Talabani (Sanandaj) who mainly performs classical folklore.
Morad Kaveh
Morad Kaveh
Morad Kaveh is a Kurdish musician and singer.Morad was born in 1972 in the Eastern part of Kurdistan , in the city of Naghada. He arrived to Sweden with his family at the age of 14 and settled down in the city of Örebro in Sweden, which is also his present place of residence.Morad says: "In...
is living in Sweden and is a new successful singer and musician.
Firmeski Gesh
Nostalgi Album
Brusk Zanganeh is currently studying his diploma in Violin at Zurcher Hochschule in Switzerland.
http://www.bruskzanganeh.com
Kurds of Iraq
Until Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
rose to power later in the 20th century, Kurds in Iraq were allowed to perform as they wished, so long as music did not encroach on politics. Ali Merdan
Ali Merdan
Ali Merdan is a Kurdish musician who was born in Kirkuk, Kurdistan, widely regarded as the man who revolutionized the maqam. He launched the Kurdish Radio Station in 1939 in Baghdad...
(1904–1981), a well known singer and composer, arose during this period. Restrictions on recording grew slowly, and censors banned anything with a hint of subversion. A black market flourished, and some of the Kurds' most popular musicians were executed, including Erdewan Zaxolî. Year 1974 saw a degree of autonomy being achieved for the Kurds, but it was short-lived. After siding with Iran during a war, many Kurds were murdered with chemical weapons by Hussein's government, and the Kurds became highly repressed until the Gulf War and US invasion of Iraq. When the Kurds restored their autonomy in 1991, they started rebuilding their region. Artists now enjoy a good support from the regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Kurdish artists and writers are encouraged to move and work there.
One of the most important Iraqi Kurdish artists is Chopy Fatah
Chopy Fatah
Chopy Fatah [Kurdish:Çopî Fetah / چۆپی فەتاح] more commonly known as Chopyis a contemporary Kurdish singer. She was born in Kirkuk, Iraq in 1983 and her family emigrated to The Netherlands in 1988...
(singer) from the city of Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
that has been able to perform in several international festivals to show the world more about the great Kurdish music.
Aras Ibrahim-violinist, built Martyr Karzan's music group (tipi muziki shehid Karzan) in 1981 which was the only group who could record revolutionary songs in the mountain in the PUK released areas of Kurdistan. The group recorded 5 cassettes and published them. In 1990, the group participated in the First festival of Halabja & Nawroz (arranged by Kurdistan Arts Union) in Saqz-Iran with the famous coral of Halabja which was about the chemical weapon used against the Kurds there. Some members of the group: Aras Ibrahim, Dler Ibrahim, Azad Khanaqini, Shwan Kaban, Idris Issa (Rzgar), Salari gitar, Twana Sulaiman, Hushiar Baba, Salam Ahmed Fars, Soran Jalal Aziz, Aso Kakaiy, Hama Jaza, Abdulkadir Hasan, Siyar, Saleem, Hakm Farhad, Qubad Gorun, Ashti Said, Jwan, Bahar,....
Kurdish singers from Iraqi Kurdistan had sometimes the opportunity of performing and recording with Arab orchestras, which is the reason why Kurdish music from this part is somewhat influenced by Arabian music. Some of the best-known classical musicians of the past generations here are Tehsîn Taha, who was renowned for his beautiful voice, Ali Merdan
Ali Merdan
Ali Merdan is a Kurdish musician who was born in Kirkuk, Kurdistan, widely regarded as the man who revolutionized the maqam. He launched the Kurdish Radio Station in 1939 in Baghdad...
, Anwer karadaghi, Karim Kaban, Eyaz Yûsif, 'Îsa Berwarî,Dilovan Saeed, Kawîs Axa, Shamal Sayib and composers and violin players Anwer karadaghi, Dilşad Said, Peshraw Baban.
Kurds of Syria
Despite the lack of any musical educational infrastructure, several famous Kurdish musicians arose from Syria.Gerabêtê Xaço was a great classical stranbêj, Muradê Kinê (Miradko) was another great stranbêj and kemençe player. Se'îd Yûsif (known as "prince of the biziq") is acclaimed for his unparalleled virtuosity on the biziq and his authentic teqsîms and beautiful song melodies. Mihemed Şêxo was a master of symbolic nationalistic lyrics who was imprisoned several times for expressing his political opinion through his songs. Some other important figures are Aram Tîgran, Mehmûd Ezîz - along with his brother Mihemed Elî Şakir -, Faris Bavê Fîras, Bangîn (Hikmet Cemîl), vocalist Miço Kendes and biziq player Ehmedê Çep. Ciwan Haco
Ciwan Haco
Ciwan Haco is a Kurdish singer. He was born near Qamishlo in Syria. His grandfather was originally from Mardin, Turkey. After finishing high school, he left for Germany in order to continue his studies. He studied music at the University of Bochum for three years...
has been famous in pop/Westernized Kurdish music, "Şeyda" is locally known for his love songs, Nezir Palo is known for its special texts, music and poetry. Nȗhat is known for his soul music. Adnan babê Hêco is a singer of the many articles written about love. There is also very popular singer from afrin Bave Selah, he is known more from kurdish folk songs and cultural songs. Shero Manan is really famous music artist in Afrin who are known as keyboard player. He has his own music studio. There are also wedding singers who are famous in local city in Afrin, for example: Bave Nur, Abdo mohamad (who known more better in Finland as pensseli-setä), Zekeriya Dilshad, Jan Boro, Shoresh Bekir, Ciwan Musa, Xebat Teyfur, Ismail Mohamad, Akkash Dildar and many others.
Kurdish Music in Lebanon
Saber Meho is a Kurdish singer who lives in Lebanon. He works in promoting the Kurdish music and culture in Lebanon. He Participated in big concert with top Lebanese singer. He has been interviewed by Lebanese TVs and Radios. His songs reflects the multi cultural society in Lebanon. He works with Armenian singers and traditional Lebanese singers to promote the middle eastern music ( oriental music). His songs have become popular in Lebanon in recent years.Academic Studies of Kurdish Music
The earliest study of Kurdish music was initiated by an ArmeniaArmenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n priest, Vartapet Komitas
Komitas Vardapet
In 1950s his manuscripts were also transferred from Paris to Yerevan.Badarak was first printed in 1933 in Paris and first recorded onto a digital media in 1988 in Yerevan. In collecting and publishing so many folk songs, he saved the cultural heritage of Western Armenia that otherwise would have...
in 1904. The first academic center for Kurdish music was founded in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
, called The Malikian School of Music, which studied the old dengbêj. Kurdish academic, Cemîlê Celîl published two collections of popular Kurdish songs in 1964 and 1965. In Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, a center for study of Kurdish music was founded in 1958. An academic study of Kurdish music, dance and musical instruments in Hakkari
Hakkari
Hakkâri , is a city and the capital of the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The name Hakkâri is derived from the Syriac word, Akkare, meaning farmers...
was published by Dr. D. Christensen in 1963. The music of Kurdish Jews has also been studied in the 70s, and published by the Jewish Music Research Centre in Jerusalem.
Further reading
- Skalla, Eva and Jemima Amiri. "Songs of the Stateless". In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 378–384. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Izady, Mehrdad. The Kurds: A Concise Handbook, Taylor & Francis, p 256 - 268. ISBN 0-8448-1727-9.
- Dr. D. Christensen, Tanzlieder der Hakkari-Kurden, Eine material-kritisch Studie, in Jahrbuch für musikalische Volks-und Völker-Künde, Berlin i, pp. 11–47, 1963.
- Edith Gerson-Kiwi, The Music of Kurdistan Jews. A synopsis of their musical styles, in Yuval, Studies of the Jewish Music Research Centre, ii, Jerusalem 1971.
- Vartabed Comitas, Quelques spécimens des mélodies kurdes, in Recueil d'Emine, Moscow 1904, and re-edited in Erivan in 1959.
- Ali Akbar Moradi, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Akbar_Moradi