Marfa is a form of celebratory rhythmic music and dance among the
Hyderabadi Muslims in the
Deccan region adapted from Afro-Arab music of
Hadhramawt in
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
.
It is played at a high tempo using instruments such as
marfa, ''
daff'', ''
dhol'', ''
sticks'',
steel pots and wooden strips called ''thapi''.
The
chorus effect
Chorus is an audio effect that occurs when individual sounds with approximately the same time, and very similar pitches, converge. While similar sounds coming from multiple sources can occur naturally, as in the case of a choir or string orch ...
s and vocal
meter
The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
are set according to beats.
It was introduced during 18th century in
Hyderabad State by the
East African Siddi community, who used to serve as
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
guards in
Asaf Jahi Nizams irregular army. Asaf Jahi Nizams patronized ''marfa'' music and it was performed during official celebrations and ceremonies as they also claimed Arab ancestry from the first Caliph
Abu Bakr Siddique through the Bayafandi Clan of
Asir province in
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
. It became popular in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, particularly in
Hyderabad state. It was brought there by the diaspora of
Siddis and
Hadhramis.
The associated marfa dance is typically performed with
janbiya daggers and/or
talwars (swords) and latts (canes), and is likely to have been derived from the ''Bar'a'' () dance of Yemen.
Origin
''Marfa'' is a
Yemeni Arabic
Yemeni Arabic () is a cluster of varieties of Arabic spoken in Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is generally considered a very conservative dialect cluster, having many classical features not found across most of the Arabic-speaking world ...
word used for the
kettledrum.
Due to the
Hadhrami people's influence on the culture of the
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
n
Siddis, the word ''marfa'' became a symbol of the music played using the kettledrum. Kettledrums are replaced with
Handi kettledrums
in the
Siddi form of ''marfa'' music played in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
Forms
''Marfa'' music is created from three different musical rhythmic beats also called ''teen maar taal''.
A typical dance involves jiggling with
sword
A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
s and
sticks based on the music's tempo and rhythm. The music is performed only by men, whereas dances and jiggling are common among both men and women.
Popular marfa rhythms include:
* ''sewari''
* ''bamb sheklah''
* ''ya abu bakar-ya abu salah''
* ''salaam almukallah''
* ''jumbali zimbali''
* ''benazeer benazeer''
* ''ahlan wasahlan''
Popularity
Playing ''marfa'' has become popular in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
and it is considered a traditional sign of welcome.
Since 1951, it is performed officially by the
government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
as part of the annual celebration on the occasions of
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
and
Republic Day at
Red Fort,
New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
.
It is also played at
Hyderabadi Muslim weddings, with great fervour.
See also
*
Marfa (instrument)
*
Hyderabadi Muslim
*
Chaush
External links
Old Original marfa in Hyderabad India
References
{{reflist
Culture of Hyderabad, India
Arabic music
Classical and art music traditions
Muhajir culture
Music of India
Indian styles of music