Kus
Encyclopedia
A Kus is a large-sized ancient Persian kettledrum, similar to a timpani
.
for military purposes.
The instrument was a pair of drums, made of clay, wood or metal in the form of a hemispherical kettle, with skin stretched over the mouth of it. Kus was played with drumsticks of leather or wood (The leather drumstick was called Daval
). Kus usually was carried on horseback, camelback or elephant during the wars to encourage the army. The instrument was also played in many occasions such as festivals, weddings and decamping.
In ancient times, Kus was accompaniment by Karnay
(Persian trumpet or horn). Particularly the Persian epic poets Ferdowsi
and Nizami for describing the war fields have mentioned to Kus and Karnay in number of entries. Many Persian miniatures paintings
show the presence and importance of the Kus and Karnay in the war fields.
According to the Greek historians, drum belonged to Persians
, and Plutarch
tells of the Iranian warriors at the time of Arsacid dynasty were using Kus as warlike instruments.
Apparently after the introduction of Islam
the word Naghghāreh has been used to mention to small-sized kettledrums. It seems that the word Naghghareh comes from the Arabic verb Naghr- that means to strike and to beat. A few poets have mentioned the name Naghghareh such as the great Persian mystic poet Molana Jalal al-Din Rumi
.
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
.
Etymology
Kus is a Middle-Persian military term meaning, "march". According to Von Mohl the term was Kūša, and seemingly, borrowed from Aramaic, probably during the Arsacid dynasty (248 BCE-224 CE).Historical background
It seems the instrument was invented during the Achaemenid dynasty (550-330 BCE) of IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
for military purposes.
The instrument was a pair of drums, made of clay, wood or metal in the form of a hemispherical kettle, with skin stretched over the mouth of it. Kus was played with drumsticks of leather or wood (The leather drumstick was called Daval
Davul
The davul or tupan is a large double-headed drum that is played with sticks. It has many names depending on the country and region.-Names:Some names of davuls include:*tupan *davul...
). Kus usually was carried on horseback, camelback or elephant during the wars to encourage the army. The instrument was also played in many occasions such as festivals, weddings and decamping.
In ancient times, Kus was accompaniment by Karnay
Karnay
The karnay is a long trumpet with a mouthpiece. It is used in the musics of Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, where it is considered a national instrument.-Kernei:...
(Persian trumpet or horn). Particularly the Persian epic poets Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
and Nizami for describing the war fields have mentioned to Kus and Karnay in number of entries. Many Persian miniatures paintings
Persian painting
Persian painting has several branches, most famously the classical art of the Persian miniature, and including the modern popular form of "Qahveh Khanehei" Painting . Many modern Iranian artists practice Modern art in an international style.-External links:***...
show the presence and importance of the Kus and Karnay in the war fields.
According to the Greek historians, drum belonged to Persians
Iranian peoples
The Iranian peoples are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group, consisting of the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of Indo-European-speaking peoples...
, and Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
tells of the Iranian warriors at the time of Arsacid dynasty were using Kus as warlike instruments.
Apparently after the introduction of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
the word Naghghāreh has been used to mention to small-sized kettledrums. It seems that the word Naghghareh comes from the Arabic verb Naghr- that means to strike and to beat. A few poets have mentioned the name Naghghareh such as the great Persian mystic poet Molana Jalal al-Din Rumi
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī , also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī and popularly known as Mevlānā in Turkey and Mawlānā in Iran and Afghanistan but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi was a 13th-century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic...
.
- Kus-e-Ashkebus: Kus attributed to Ashkebus, famous commander of King Afrasiyab mentioned in masterpiece Shahnameh of the famous poet of Persia, Ferdosi.
- Kus-e-dolat: Kettledrum to be played during the victories.
- Kus-e-id: Kettledrum to be played during id (festival).
- Kus-e-Iskandar: Kus attributed to Iskandar.
- Kus-e-jang: Kettledrum used in wars in order to embolden and encourage the soldiers.
- Kus-e-khaghani: Kettledrum for Khaghan (title of Chinese emperors).
- Kus-e-Mahmudi: Kettledrum attributed to King Mahmud Ghaznavi.
- Kus-e-rehlat: Kettledrum to be played during the decamping.
- Kus-e-ruyin: Kettledrum with brazen body.
- Kust: Another name of Kus mentioned in Shahnameh of Ferdosi.