Rud
Encyclopedia
The rud is a Persian stringed musical instrument. In Persian, the word means "string". It has been mentioned in classical Persian literature by Rudaki
, Hafez
, Naser Khusraw, Sanai
, Ferdowsi
, Nizami and Qatran Tabrizi
other poets. The Arabic 'Ud, whose etymology is not yet convincingly explained, may well have been derived from the Persian word rud.
The Persian poet Ferdowsi states about it:
همه شب ببودند با نای و رود
همی داد هرکس به خسرو درود.
All night they were listening to the sound of the reed and the rud
Everyone who came to the banquet, paid his respect to the Khusraw
In his treatise, Abd al-Qadir Maraghi
mentions the rud: "Rud Khwani: Up to half of its surface is covered by skin, and frets are fastened to it; it has four strings. It is played like an ancient ud."
Researchers have found out that the first samples of the rud were made of pumpkin, and that the strings were made of silk and animal gut. It's remarkable that its appearance reminds one of a pumpkin.
Its structure differs from that of other string instruments. Fish skin is pulled over half of the body's surface, and the other part is made of pine. Primarily, the instrument was played with the fingers; later it was played with the help of a plectrum made of soft material. The rud's body is made of mulberry wood and apricot wood, the neck and head are made of nut wood, and the pegs are made of pear wood. A total of 12 frets are fastened to the instrument's fret-board. The timbre of its sound is low.
The total length of the instrument is 860 mm. The length of the body is 495 mm, the width is 335 mm and the height is 1 70 mm. The length of the neck is 285 mm. The scale of the rud ranges from the "mi" of the great octave to the "si" of the second octave.
Rudaki
Abu Abdollah Jafar ibn Mohammad Rudaki , also written as Rudagi , was a Persian poet, and is regarded as the first great literary genius of the Modern Persian, who composed poems in the "New Persian" alphabet. Rudaki is considered as a founder of Persian classical literature.He was born in 858 in...
, Hafez
Hafez
Khwāja Shamsu d-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī , known by his pen name Hāfez , was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry are to be found in the homes of most Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day...
, Naser Khusraw, Sanai
Sanai
Hakim Abul-Majd Majdūd ibn Ādam Sanā'ī Ghaznavi was a Afghan Sufi poet who lived in Ghazna, in what is now Afghanistan between the 11th century and the 12th century. Some people spell his name as Sanayee. He died around 1131.-Life:...
, 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...
, Nizami and Qatran Tabrizi
Qatran Tabrizi
Abū-Mansūr Qatrān-i Tabrīzī was a royal Persian poet.He was born in Sahar near Arrah, bihar Tabriz and was the most famous panegyrist of his time in Iran. His full name according to an old manuscript handwritten by the famous poet Anvari Abivardi is Abu Mansur Qatran al-Jili al-Azerbaijani...
other poets. The Arabic 'Ud, whose etymology is not yet convincingly explained, may well have been derived from the Persian word rud.
The Persian poet Ferdowsi states about it:
همه شب ببودند با نای و رود
همی داد هرکس به خسرو درود.
All night they were listening to the sound of the reed and the rud
Everyone who came to the banquet, paid his respect to the Khusraw
In his treatise, Abd al-Qadir Maraghi
Abd al-Qadir Maraghi
Abd al-Qadir al-Maraghi b. Ghaybi ), was a Persian musician and artist. According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, he was the greatest of the Persian writers on music.-Life:...
mentions the rud: "Rud Khwani: Up to half of its surface is covered by skin, and frets are fastened to it; it has four strings. It is played like an ancient ud."
Researchers have found out that the first samples of the rud were made of pumpkin, and that the strings were made of silk and animal gut. It's remarkable that its appearance reminds one of a pumpkin.
Its structure differs from that of other string instruments. Fish skin is pulled over half of the body's surface, and the other part is made of pine. Primarily, the instrument was played with the fingers; later it was played with the help of a plectrum made of soft material. The rud's body is made of mulberry wood and apricot wood, the neck and head are made of nut wood, and the pegs are made of pear wood. A total of 12 frets are fastened to the instrument's fret-board. The timbre of its sound is low.
The total length of the instrument is 860 mm. The length of the body is 495 mm, the width is 335 mm and the height is 1 70 mm. The length of the neck is 285 mm. The scale of the rud ranges from the "mi" of the great octave to the "si" of the second octave.