The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; /

Romanized In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...

: ) is a single-head

membranophone A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a acoustic membrane, vibrating stretched membrane. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument ...

with a

goblet A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

-shaped body. It is most commonly used in the traditional music of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, where it is considered the

national symbol A national symbol is a manifestation of a nation or community, serving as a representation of their National identity, identity and values. National symbols may be not only applied to sovereign states but also nations and countries in a state of ...

of Egyptian Shaabi Music. The instrument is also featured in traditional music from

West Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

, and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

. The West African

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

is also a goblet membranophone. This article focuses on the Middle Eastern and North African goblet drum.

History

The origin of the term ''Darbuka'' lies in the rural

Egyptian Arabic Egyptian Arabic, locally known as Colloquial Egyptian, or simply as Masri, is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic variety in Egypt. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and originated in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt. The esti ...

slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

word that changed "darb" meaning "to strike" into "darabuka". Goblet drums have been around for thousands of years and were used in Mesopotamian and

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian cultures. They were also seen in

Babylonia Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...

and

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization, located in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (now south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. ...

from as early as 1100 BCE. On

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

, large goblet drums are used as temple instruments and placed on the floor when played, which may reflect ancient use of the drum.Sadie, Stanley, (1980). "Darbuka". ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

''. Vol. 5. p. 239. .

Technique

The ''Eastern'' and ''North-African'' goblet drums are played under the arm or resting on the player's leg, with a much lighter touch and quite different strokes (sometimes including rolls or quick rhythms articulated with the fingertips) to hand drums such as the

, found in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. There are two main types of goblet drums. The Egyptian style, Darbuka, is also known as Tabla and is very popular; it has rounded edges around the head, whereas the Turkish style exposes the edge of the head. The exposed edge allows closer access to the head so finger-snapping techniques can be done, but the hard edge discourages the rapid rolls possible with the Egyptian style. The goblet drum may be played while held under one arm (usually the non-dominant arm) or by placing it sideways upon the lap (with the head towards the player's knees) while seated. Some drums are also made with strap mounts so the drum may be slung over the shoulder, to facilitate playing while standing or dancing. It produces a resonant, low-sustain sound while played lightly with the fingertips and palm. Some players move their fists in and out of the bell to alter the tone. Some players also place their hands on the surface of the drum to produce a muted sound. There are a variety of rhythms (see

dumbek rhythms Dumbek rhythms are a collection of rhythms that are usually played with hand drums such as the Goblet drum, dumbek. These rhythms are various combinations of these three basic sounds: *Doom (D), produced with the dominant hand striking the sweet ...

) that form the basis of the

folkloric Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as tales, myths, legends, proverbs, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also includes material ...

and modern music and dance styles of the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. There are three main sounds produced by the goblet drum. The first is called a "doom". It is the deeper

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

sound produced by striking the head near the center with the length of the fingers and palm and taking off the hand for an open sound. The second is called the "tak" and is the higher-pitched sound produced by hitting near the edge of the head with the fingertips. A "tak" struck with the secondary hand is also known as a "ka". The third is the closed sound "pa" (also called "sak"), for which the hand is briefly rested on the head so as not to permit an open sound. Additionally, there are more complex techniques including snaps, slaps, pops and rolls that are used to ornament the basic rhythm. Hand clapping and hitting the sides of the drum can be used in addition to drumhead sounds. Another technique commonly used in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

is to tap with the fingers of one hand and with a thin drum stick in the other. In

the stick is called the ''çubuk'', which means ''wand'', or stick, and where the

Romanis {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , p ...

there occasionally use this technique.

Use in Western classical music

The first known Western classical composition to feature a goblet drum is the opera ''

Les Troyens ''Les Troyens'' (; in English: ''The Trojans'') is a French grand opera in five acts, running for about five hours, by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself from Virgil's epic poem the ''Aeneid''; the score was composed be ...

'' (1856–1858) by the French composer

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

, which calls for a ''tarbuka'' in the Dance of the Nubian Slaves in Act IV. The first compositions for goblet drum and orchestra were composed by the

ian-

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

musician

Halim El-Dabh Halim Abdul Messieh El-Dabh (, ''Ḥalīm ʻAbd al-Masīḥ al-Ḍab''ʻ; 4 March 1921 – 2 September 2017) was an Egyptian-American composer, musician, ethnomusicologist, and educator, who had a career spanning six decades. He is particu ...

in the 1950s; his ''Fantasia-Tahmeel'' for goblet drum and strings was premiered in

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in 1958, with a string orchestra conducted by

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

Notable goblet drum musicians

* Mustapha Antari *

Setrak Sarkissian Setrak Sarkissian ستراك سركسيان (1936 – 21 February 2017) was a Lebanese darbouka player of Armenian descent. He has won numerous awards in the Middle East and in Europe for his contributions to both traditional and modern Arabi ...

* Said El Artist *

Hossam Ramzy Hossam Ramzy (; 15 December 1953 – 10 September 2019) was an Egyptian percussionist and composer. He worked with English artists including Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Siouxsie Sioux, as well as with Arabic music artists like Rachid Taha and K ...

Rony Barrak Rony Barrak is a Lebanese darbouka player and composer. He began playing the darbouka (Middle Eastern Tabla) at the age of four. Career Barrak made his first TV performance at the age of seven and then proceeded to improve his skills throug ...

* Carmine Guida * Djamchid Chemirani *

Pettik Ádám Ádám Pettik (born 26 August 1972) is a Hungarian musician, singer-songwriter, percussionist and instrument creator. He is the founder of the world music band Besh o droM. Early life Pettik was born in Budapest, Hungary. His first drum lesson ...

* Bilal Göregen

Gallery

File:Khmer drum 01.jpg, Cambodian '' skor daey'', also known as skor arak. This is the smaller of two Cambodian goblet drums, the other being called '' skor chhaiyam'' (Khmer: ស្គរឆៃយ៉ាំ). File:Darbouka égyptienne recadrée.jpg, Egyptian tabla and darabuka File:Tumbaknaer.jpg, Indian tumbaknaer File:Tombak Tonbak Persian percussion Instrument.jpg, Iranian/Persian

tombak The tombak (), tonbak () or zarb () is an Iranian goblet drum. It is considered the principal Rhythm in Persian music, percussion instrument of Persian music. The tombak is normally positioned diagonally across the torso, while the player uses ...

or zarb File:Djembe 2 20231001.jpg, West African

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Enkelvellige bekertrom van aardewerk TMnr 3492-3.jpg, Libyan darbuka File:Darabuka2.jpg, Turkish darbuka File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Enkelvellige bekertrom van aardewerk TMnr 2439-34.jpg, Moroccan taarija File:Nimadoumbek.jpg, Man playing a

File:TOYMBELEKI (Pottery drum).jpg, TOYMBELEKI Museum of Popular Instruments, Research Centre for Ethnomusicology. In Plaka, Athens, Greece.

References