Daf ( fa, دف) also known as Dâyere and Riq is a Middle Eastern (mainly
Iranian
Iranian may refer to:
* Iran, a sovereign state
* Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran
* Iranian lan ...
)
frame drum
A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments, and perhaps the first drum to be invented. It has a single drumhead that is usually made of rawhide, but man-made mate ...
musical instrument, used in popular and classical music in South and Central Asia. It is also used in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
,
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
,
Iran,
Uzbekistan, many regions of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
,
Pakistan as well as in parts of
India and
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
* Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...
polar regions. It is also popular among
Balkans,
Bukharan Jews
Bukharan Jews ( Bukharian: יהודיאני בוכארא/яҳудиёни Бухоро, ''Yahudiyoni Bukhoro''; he, יהודי בוכרה, ''Yehudey Bukhara''), in modern times also called Bukharian Jews ( Bukharian: יהודיאני בוכאר ...
,
Caucasians,
Kurds, and
Macedonians.
Daf is the
national musical instrument of
Pakistan and is also depicted on the
reverse and
obverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, '' ...
of the Azerbaijani 1
qəpik coin and 1
manat banknote respectively, since 2006.
It traditionally has a round wooden frame (although in the modern era it may also be made of metal), jingles, and a thin, translucent head made of fish or goat skin (or, more recently, a synthetic material). The sound is produced by hitting the membrane with either hand – the left hand, which also holds the Daf, strikes the edges, and the right hand strikes the center. The right-hand fingers are fastened about their neighbours and suddenly released (like the action of finger-snapping) to produce loud, rapid, sharp sounds.
History
The
Pahlavi (an ancient Iranian language) name of the daf is ''dap''.
Some pictures of daf have been found in paintings that date before the
Common Era
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...
. The presence of the Iranian daf in the 6th–5th century BCE
Behistun Inscription suggests that it existed before the
rise of Islam and
Sufism. Iranian music has always been a spiritual tool. It shows that daf played an important role in Mazdean Iran emerging as an important element during the Sassanian period during the
Kâvusakân
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
dynasty. Also, there is a kind of square frame drum in the stonecutting of
Taq-e Bostan
Taq-e Bostan ( fa, طاق بستان, ) is a site with a series of large rock reliefs from the era of the Sassanid Empire of Persia (Iran), carved around the 4th century CE.
This example of Persian Sassanid art is located 5 km from the ...
(another famous monument located 5km northeast of Kermanshah city). These frame drums were played in the ancient
Middle East (chiefly by
women in Kurdish societies),
Greece, and
Rome and reached
medieval Europe through Islamic culture.
Nowruz (the first day of the Iranian New Year and the national festival of
the Iranian people) and other festive occasions have been accompanied by daf in the
Sassanid periods (224 AD–651 AD). In this period the daf was played in order to accompany Iranian classical music. Dafs were likely used in the court to be played in the modes and melodies of traditional music. This traditional or classical music was created by
Barbod the Great and was named the ''khosravani'' after the mythical king
Khosrow. Recent research reveals that these modes were used in the recitation of Mazdean (
Zoroastrian) prayers. The modes were passed down from master to student and are today known as the ''
radif'' and ''
dastgah'' system. Many of the melodies were lost, but most of those that remain date to the Sassanid period. Dafs can be played to produce highly complex and intense rhythms, causing one to go under a trance and reach an ecstatic and spiritually-high state. For this reason, they have always been connected with religion in Iran.
An engraved bronze cup from
Lorestān at the
National Museum of Iran in
Tehran, portrays a double
ney (end-blown reed pipes),
chang (harp), and a daf in a shrine or court processional, as similarly documented in
Egypt,
Elam, and the Persian province of
Babylonia where music was arranged for performance by large orchestral ensembles.
The
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, No ...
introduced the daf and other Middle Eastern musical instruments to Spain, and the Spanish adapted and promoted the daf and other musical instruments (such as the
guitar) in medieval Europe. In the 15th century, the daf was only used in
Sufi ceremonies; the
Ottomans reintroduced it to Europe in the 17th century.
The daf still functions as an important part of
Iranian music
The music of Iran encompasses music that is produced by Iranian artists. In addition to the traditional folk and classical genres, it also includes pop and internationally celebrated styles such as jazz, rock, and hip hop.
Iranian music infl ...
(both traditional and classical) as it did in ancient times. It successfully encourages many young
Iranians to take up learning this ancient instrument.
Daf, and its smaller version called ''dafli'', is also used across India.
[ It is believed to have arrived along with other Persian influences in the ]medieval era
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, and is a popular folk instrument. In southern India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
, its use became mainstream, especially in protests, during the early half of the 20th century. Since the 1950s, it has also been used prominently in Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
.[
]
In Islam
In Islam, Daf holds special importance because some Muslims believe that it is the only musical instrument which is permitted to be used. The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, did not impose any restrictions on using the daf. It has always been an important part of Islamic Sufi music.
Structure and construction
The jingles which are thin metal plates or rings, are attached to hooks in three or four rectangular holes in the circular wooden frame. The drumhead is made of fish or goat skin. The width of the frame is 45–50 cm (18–20 in.) and the depth, 5–7 cm (2–3 in.). In order to bend the frame, the wood ("buka", "orev") may be softened in water before being bent around a hot metal cylinder. The frame is closed by gluing the ends together. Finally, the skin is attached to the frame by fixing it with another wooden frame or by using nails. Another variation is to have the ring-style jingles arranged around the edge of the inside of the drum the whole way around or to have several tiers half way around the inside edge.
See also
* Tar (drum)
*Bodhrán
The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'' or ''bodhráns'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or othe ...
*Bendir
The ''bendir'' ( ar, بندير, plural ''banadir'', ) is a wooden-framed frame drum of North Africa and Southwest Asia.
The bendir is a traditional instrument that is played throughout North Africa, as well as in Sufi ceremonies; it was playe ...
*Mazhar
The ''mazhar'' ( ar, مزهر; plural ''mazāhar'', مزاهر) is a large, heavy tambourine used in Arabic music. The mazhar's frame is generally made out of wood. Its single head is considerably thicker than that of the '' riq'', its smaller ...
* Davul
* Innaby Innaby ( az, İnnabı) is an Azerbaijani national dance in 6/8 time. Young women and girls perform the dance at parties, weddings and holidays. It is often accompanied by a musical ensemble of sazandars consisting of folk musical instruments such ...
, Azerbaijani dance
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Hand drums
Medicine drums
Asian percussion instruments
Sufi music
Persian words and phrases
Kurdish musical instruments
Persian musical instruments
Iranian inventions
Pakistani musical instruments