Duduk is one of the oldest wind musical instruments in the world, which has survived to this day almost unchanged. Some researchers believe that the duduk was first mentioned in written monuments of the state of Urartu, located on the territory of the Armenian Highlands (XIII - VI centuries BC)
Others date the appearance of the duduk to the reign of the Armenian king Tigran II the Great (95-55 BC). In the works of the Armenian historian of the 5th century AD. Movses Khorenatsi talks about the instrument “tsiranapokh” (apricot wood pipe), which is one of the oldest written references to this instrument. Duduk was depicted in many medieval Armenian manuscripts.
Due to the existence of fairly extensive Armenian states (Great Armenia, Lesser Armenia, the Cilician Kingdom, etc.) and thanks to the Armenians who lived not only within the Armenian Highlands, the duduk became widespread in the territories of Persia, the Middle East, Asia Minor, and the Balkans , Caucasus, Crimea. Also, the duduk penetrated beyond its original distribution area thanks to existing trade routes, some of which passed through Armenia.
Having been borrowed from other countries and becoming an element of the culture of other peoples, the duduk has undergone some changes over the centuries. As a rule, this concerned the melody, the number of sound holes and the materials from which the instrument was made.
Many nations now have musical instruments similar to the duduk in design and sound to varying degrees:
- Balaban is a folk instrument in Azerbaijan, Iran, Uzbekistan and some peoples of the North Caucasus
- Guan - a folk instrument in China
- Mei - folk instrument in Turkey
- Hichiriki is a folk instrument in Japan.
Unique sound of duduk
History of duduk
A young wind was flying high in the mountains and saw a beautiful tree. The wind began to play with it, and wonderful sounds rushed over the mountains. The prince of the winds got angry at this and raised a great storm. The young wind defended its tree, but its strength quickly faded. He fell at the prince’s feet and asked him not to destroy his beauty. The ruler agreed, but punished: “If you leave the tree, it will die.” Time passed, the young wind got bored and one day rose into the sky. The tree died, only a twig remained, in which a piece of wind was entangled.
The young man found that twig and cut a pipe out of it. Only that little pipe’s voice was sad. Since then, in Armenia they have played the duduk at weddings, funerals, in war and in peace.
This is the legend about Duduk, the Armenian national musical instrument.
Design features of the duduk. Materials
The Armenian duduk is an ancient folk musical wind instrument, which is a wooden tube with eight playing holes on the front side of the instrument and two on the back. The components of the duduk are as follows: barrel, mouthpiece, regulator and cap.
It is created only from apricot tree of a certain variety, growing only in Armenia. Only the climate of Armenia is conducive to the growth of this apricot variety. It is no coincidence that apricot in Latin is “fructus armeniacus”, that is, “Armenian fruit”.
Great Armenian masters tried to use other types of wood. For example, in ancient times, duduk was made from plum, pear, apple tree, walnut and even bone. But only apricot gave a unique velvety voice, similar to a prayer, characteristic of this unique wind instrument. Other wind musical instruments - shvi and zurna - are also made from apricot. A blooming apricot is considered a symbol of tender first love, and its wood is a symbol of strength of spirit, faithful and long-lasting love.
The performance of music on the duduk in a duet, where the leading duduk player plays the melody, and the accompaniment, also called “dam,” is played on the second duduk is widespread. When performing the part of a lady on the duduk, the musician is required to have the following qualities: circular (continuous) breathing technique and have a completely smooth sound transmission.
“Dam” is a continuously sounding tonic note, against which the main melody of the work develops. The art of performing by a musician (damkash) dama at first glance may not seem particularly complex. But, as professional duduk players say, playing just a few notes of a dama is much more difficult than the entire score of a solo duduk. The art of performing dama on the duduk requires special skills - correct positioning during the game, and special support from the performer, who continuously passes air through himself.
The even sound of notes is ensured by a special playing technique of the musician, who retains the air inhaled through the nose in the cheeks, providing a continuous flow to the tongue. This is also called the permanent breathing technique (or it is called circulated breathing).
It is believed that the duduk, like no other instrument, is capable of expressing the soul of the Armenian people. The famous composer Aram Khachaturian once said that the duduk is the only instrument that makes him cry.
Varieties of duduk. Care
Depending on the length, there are several types of tools:
The most common of the modern ones, the duduk is built in A, from 35 cm in length. It has a universal tuning, suitable for most melodies.
The instrument is built in C and is only 31 cm long, due to which it has a higher and more delicate sound and is more suitable for duets and lyrical compositions.
The shortest duduk, built in E, is used in folk dance music and its length is 28 cm.
Like any “live” musical instrument, the duduk requires constant care. Caring for the duduk involves rubbing its main part with walnut oil. In addition to the fact that apricot wood has a high density (772 kg/m3) and high wear resistance, walnut oil gives the duduk surface even greater strength, which protects it from the aggressive effects of climate and environment - humidity, heat, low temperatures. In addition, walnut oil gives the instrument a unique aesthetically beautiful appearance.
The tool must be stored in a dry, not damp place, but it is not advisable to keep it in closed and poorly ventilated places for a long time; contact with air is necessary. The same applies to canes. If the duduk reeds are stored in some small sealed case or box, then it is advisable to make several small holes on this case so that air can get in.
If the instrument is not used for several hours, the plates of the reed (mouthpiece) “stick together”; this is expressed in the absence of the necessary gap between them. In this case, fill the mouthpiece with warm water, shake it well, closing its back hole with your finger, then pour out the water and hold it in an upright position for some time. After about 10-15 minutes, due to the presence of moisture inside, a gap opens at the mouthpiece.
Once you start playing, you can adjust the pitch of the instrument (within a semitone) by moving the regulator (clamp) in the middle part of the mouthpiece; the main thing is not to overtighten it, because the tighter the regulator is tightened, the narrower the mouth of the reed becomes and, as a result, the more compressed timbre that is not saturated with overtones.
Modern heritage of duduk
What unites the names of Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Hans Ziemer, Peter Gabriel and Brian May from the legendary group Queen? A person familiar with cinema and interested in music will easily draw a parallel between them, because all of them at one time or another collaborated with a unique musician who did more to recognize and popularize the “soul of the Armenian people” on the world stage than anyone else. We are, of course, talking about Jivan Gasparyan.
Jivan Gasparyan is an Armenian musician, a living legend of world music, a man who introduced the world to Armenian folklore and duduk music.
He was born in a small village near Yerevan in 1928. He picked up his first duduk at the age of 6. He took his first steps in music completely independently - he learned to play the duduk given to him, simply listening to the playing of the old masters, without any musical education or background.
At twenty he performed on the professional stage for the first time. Over the years of his musical career, he has repeatedly received international awards, including from UNESCO, but he gained wide world fame only in 1988.
And Brian Eno, one of the most talented and innovative musicians of his time, rightfully considered the father of electronic music, contributed to this. During his visit to Moscow, he accidentally heard Jivan Gasparyan play and invited him to London.
From this moment on, a new international stage began in his musical career, which brought him world fame and introduced the world to Armenian folk music. Jivan's name becomes known to a wide audience thanks to the soundtrack on which he worked with Peter Gabriel for Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ.
Jivan Gasparyan begins to tour around the world - he performs together with the Kronos Quartet, the Vienna, Yerevan and Los Angeles Symphony Orchestras, and tours throughout Europe and Asia. He performs in New York and gives a concert in Los Angeles with the local Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1999 he worked on the music for the film “Sage”, and in 2000. - begins collaboration with Hans Zimmer on the soundtrack to the film “Gladiator”. The ballad “Siretsi, yares taran”, on the basis of which this soundtrack is “made”, brought Jivan Gasparyan a Golden Globe Award in 2001.
Here's what Hans Zimmer says about collaborating with him: “I always wanted to write music for Djivan Gasparyan. I think he is one of the most amazing musicians in the world. He creates a one-of-a-kind unique sound that immediately sticks in your memory.”
Returning to his homeland, the musician becomes a professor at the Yerevan Conservatory. Without giving up his touring activities, he begins to teach and produces many famous duduk performers. Among them is his grandson Jivan Gasparyan Jr.
Today we can hear duduk in many films: from historical films to modern Hollywood blockbusters. Music performed by Jeevan can be heard in more than 30 films. Over the past twenty years, a record amount of music with duduk recordings has been released in the world. People learn to play this instrument not only in Armenia, but also in Russia, France, Britain, the USA and many other countries. In 2005, modern society recognized the sound of the Armenian duduk as a masterpiece of the UNESCO World Intangible Heritage.
Even in the modern world, the soul of the apricot tree continues to resonate through the centuries.
“Duduk is my shrine. If I hadn't played this instrument, I don't know who I would have become. In the 1940s I lost my mother, and in 1941 my father went to the front. There were three of us, we grew up alone. Probably, God decided that I should play the duduk so that it would save me from all life’s trials,” says the artist.
Top photo courtesy of https://www.armmuseum.ru
Every nation has its own national musical instrument. For Armenians, such a device is a special flute - duduk. He is able to create unusual music that has a calming effect on people and puts them in a good mood. Everyone has at one time or another experienced the magical, beautiful music of the duduk. This instrument makes simply magical sounds. Therefore, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the history of this magic flute, the secrets of its manufacture, its sound features, and famous performers.
Armenian duduk - music for the soul
The ancient Armenian flute will never become obsolete, because its singing makes people happy. Duduk is an instrument that produces sounds in tune with nature. It contains the spirit and history of the people. It is impossible to imagine the culture of Armenia without this musical device.
Duduk is an ancient flute that is known far beyond the borders of Armenia and has many fans. In 2005, UNESCO recognized the duduk as a masterpiece of the World Intangible Cultural Heritage of the world. Among Armenians, this instrument is considered an excellent gift, unusual, special.
It is important to note that duduk is a wind musical instrument. This is a kind of wooden tube with nine holes. Eight holes are located on the front side, and one on the back, for the thumb. To some, the design of this flute resembles a Russian pipe. Duduk is used by various Caucasian peoples, but its origins are Armenian.
The Armenian people convey their feelings and emotions with the help of this wind device. Duduk is a source of magical melodies. They are used for feasts, dances, and orchestral performances. The duduk sounds especially beautiful at celebrations and for performing folk melodies.
Duduk performance is usually performed in pairs by two duduk musicians. One musician is assigned the main role to play the melody. Another duduk player must play continuously to provide the tone for the main player. The music played by the duduk is velvety, soft, with a soft timbre.
History of the origin of the instrument
Armenian music and duduk are inseparable concepts. There is no exact time when the tool was created. It is known that this is a very ancient instrument that has preserved its design for many years. Back in the 5th century, an Armenian historian wrote about the “tsiranapokh”, that is, about the duduk. Some historians estimate the age of the instrument at 3000 years.
This version is associated with the state of Urartu, which was once located on (modern and parts of Iran, Turkey and Azerbaijan). Urartian written sources contain references to a musical device similar to the duduk.
It has been thoroughly proven that in the Middle Ages this instrument was used very widely. Proof of this are ancient manuscripts with illustrations. Some scientists put forward the version that the duduk was created during the reign of Tigran II the Great. Evidence was found that it was used by residents of Crimea and the Balkans.
Initially, the instrument was made of bone and reed. Then they began to use apricot wood. Sometimes a nut and a plum were used to create the device.
Armenians love their national instrument very much. They even retell one legend about the duduk. This is the story of how the Young Wind fell in love with an unusual tree that grew in the mountains. When the Old Whirlwind found out about this, he decided to destroy the tree and all the vegetation around it. The young wind began to convince Whirlwind not to do this, but he set a condition. The wind could no longer move, otherwise the beloved tree would die. The wind held back until late autumn, until the leaf fall ended. The promise flew out of the Young Wind’s head for a moment, and he began to spin in the air. As soon as he took off, the tree immediately withered and withered. Soon there was only one branch left of it, which the Wind accidentally caught with his sleeve. This branch was eventually found by a local poor man, who made a pipe out of it. The little flute produced magical songs about fidelity and love. This is how, according to legend, the duduk appeared.
Secrets of making duduk
At first, animal bones and reeds were used to make duduk for the soul. Then they began to use mulberry, apricot and plum wood. Today, the best species for making duduk is considered to be an apricot tree. It has excellent resonance characteristics. The sound of such a musical device is very soft. Other materials produce a sharper sound. The duduk has a special tongue - mushtuk, which is made of two reed particles.
Sound features
The sound of the duduk will depend on the tuning and length of the product. Short instruments allow you to play dance melodies, and long duduks allow you to play beautiful music for the soul in the form of love and lyrical compositions. This amazing flute has a subdued, velvety sound with emotional notes.
To learn how to beautifully reproduce sounds on the duduk, you need a lot of patience and training. First, the musician touches the end of the reed with his lips, only very carefully. Then he puffs out his cheeks so that the lips are separated from the gums and teeth. This gap will help you exhale and make sound without tension. To create a varied sound, the musician only needs to close and open the holes on the instrument with his fingers. Vibration of reed plates is also used.
Who makes duduks?
Once upon a time, a musician had to make a magic flute himself; it was not made to order. Thus, he put a piece of his soul into the pipe, so its sound was velvety and alive.
Today duduk players do not make instruments themselves. Professionals perform them with all the subtleties of technology and selection of materials. It is important to note that this musical instrument is classified as a one-octave diatonic type.
Use of wind instruments in film
Beautiful Armenian duduk music can be heard in many films and TV series. Sometimes people don’t even think about what instrument is used to create such a magical melody. Playing the duduk was used to create world-famous films. It is worth mentioning masterpieces: “Gladiator”, “The Da Vinci Code”, “Ararat”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”. The duduk also sounds in “Titanic”, “Alexander”, “Hulk”, “Munich” and other films.
In Transcaucasia, this instrument is used to accompany funeral and wedding ceremonies. Their presence is mandatory at public festivities. Many ensembles and national orchestras cannot do without the duduk.
What do you need to know about duduk players?
With the help of a magical Armenian flute, a musician can stir up all the most sublime things in the listener’s heart. Composer Aram Khachaturyan said that it was after listening to the duduk that tears flowed from his eyes. The glory of the instrument was brought by the wonderful melodies that the Armenians create on it.
Among the most famous duduk players are Jivan Gasparyan, Hovhannes Kasyan, Ludwig Gharibyan, Vache Hovsepyan, Sergey Karapetyan, Gevorg Dabaghyan. These masters perform amazing lyrical compositions using the longest instruments (40 cm).
The magical effect of duduk sounds
The sound of the duduk will appeal to those who are fascinated by the morning birdsong, the quiet murmur of mountain streams, and the quiet rustle of leaves. The sound of the magic flute is reminiscent of the gentle melody of the forest. All natural music is conveyed by the duduk. The sound of the instrument is warm and soft, lyrical, emotional, and expressive. A person listening to these wonderful melodies experiences spiritual peace. It is especially useful to listen to such music after a hard day to fill yourself with peace.
Many amateur musicians want to purchase a duduk. It is not easy to purchase a real Armenian instrument made by a master, because such goods are sold individually. Among the most famous masters of the North Caucasus are Arkady and Armen Kagramanyan. This is a son and father who, over a forty-year career, have made several hundred of these flutes. They even opened their own store where they sell these wonderful instruments.
The magic duduk requires special care. The barrel of the tool must be periodically lubricated so that the apricot tree does not dry out. Fresh walnut oil is used as a lubricant. You can make this oil yourself by grinding nut kernels in a mortar. Then the resulting mass is squeezed through a soft cloth. It is important that the oil does not get inside. An oiled pipe has a beautiful appearance. It is important to note that each instrument is thoroughly inspected before being sold.
Who is the duduk crying about? Who is he praying for? About those who left, Or about those who stayed?
A young wind was flying in the mountains and saw a beautiful tree. The Wind began to play with him, and wonderful sounds rushed over the mountains. The Prince of the Winds got angry at this and raised a great storm. Young Wind defended his tree, but his strength quickly faded. He fell at the feet of the Prince and asked him not to destroy his beauty. The ruler agreed, but punished: “If you leave the tree, it will die.” Time passed, the Young Wind became bored and one day rose into the sky. The tree died, only a twig remained, in which a piece of wind became entangled.
The boy found that twig and cut out a pipe. Only that little pipe’s voice was sad. Since then, in Armenia they have played the duduk at weddings, funerals, in war and in peace.
This is how they tell the legend about Duduk (Armenian: Դուդուկ), the Armenian national musical instrument. Some researchers believe that the history of the Armenian duduk goes back more than three thousand years. The old Armenian name for this instrument is tsiranapokh (ծիրանափող), which means “soul of the apricot tree.” This name is found in the chronicles of the reign of the Armenian king Tigran II the Great (95-55 BC).
Mentions of the tsiranapokh and its images are found in many medieval sources.
Depending on the length, there are several types of tools:
- The most common of the modern ones, the duduk is built in A, from 35 cm in length. It has a universal tuning, suitable for most melodies.
- The instrument is built in C and is only 31 cm long, due to which it has a higher and more delicate sound and is more suitable for duets and lyrical compositions.
- The shortest duduk, built in E, is used in folk dance music and its length is 28 cm.
Very often you can find music played on the duduk in a duet, where the leader plays a melody, and a continuous background is played on the second instrument, with a certain pitch, also called “dam”.
The smooth sound is ensured by the musician's special playing technique, which keeps the air inhaled through the nose in the cheeks, providing a continuous flow to the tongue. This is also called the permanent breathing technique (or it is called circulated breathing).
Modern duduk and the world around.
In the modern world, the sad sounds of the duduk can be heard not only at the performances of ethnic ensembles. On the contrary, modern duduk sounds everywhere: from conservatories to cinemas. Hollywood sound engineers love the expressiveness of this instrument, so suitable for tragic scenes and film soundtracks.
Among the musicians who achieved world fame with the help of the duduk, one cannot fail to note Jivan Gasparyan. People's Artist of Armenia was born in 1928 in the village of Solak. The Armenian duduk was his first musical instrument. At the age of six he taught himself to play. At twenty he performed on the professional stage for the first time. Over the years of his musical career, he has repeatedly received international awards.
Having become a professor at the Yerevan Conservatory, he trained many famous duduk players. Among them is his grandson Jivan Gasparyan Jr. Djivan Aramaisovich worked with many famous artists and groups. His duduk can be heard in the recordings of Peter Gabriel, Brian May, Boris Grebenshchikov.
In 2005, modern society recognized the sound of the Armenian duduk as a masterpiece of the UNESCO World Intangible Heritage.
Over the past twenty years, a record number of music singles and recording albums have been released around the world. duduk. People learn to play this instrument not only in Armenia, but also in Russia, France, Britain, the USA and many other countries.
Even in the modern world, the soul of the apricot tree continues to resonate through the centuries.
Armenian duduk is a reed flute.
Duduk is an ancient Armenian reed wind instrument that is carved from apricot wood. The sound is produced by the vibration of two reed plates. On the front side of the Armenian duduk there are seven (sometimes there are other numbers) sound holes and one more on the reverse side.
Usually the duduk is played by two musicians. One is the soloist, the other (damkash) accompanies the melody.
The most famous duduk performers: Jivan Gasparyan, Mkrtich Malkhasyan and Sergey Karapetyan. The velvety, trembling voice of the duduk accompanies Hollywood films today. Serious composers write music for duduk. All this is the merit of the wonderful Armenian duduk player Jivan Gasparyan. He lives in Yerevan and travels all over the world with concerts. Thanks to him, the interest in duduk, which had died out, flared up in the republic with renewed vigor. Every Armenian boy dreams of becoming like Uncle Jivan.
Uncle Jivan orders all his instruments from Hovsep Grigoryan. This is a famous master in Armenia. Son Arthur works with his father and also makes duduks. Gasparyan asks to be sure to show him the preparations. Arthur brought some. Of these, Uncle Jivan will choose the best one. The maestro has about a hundred duduks in his collection. Gasparyan: “They are different. Any duduk is like a person. You have five sons - they are all different people. And so these duduks. One person made it, but the sound sounds different, the timbre is different.”
There are many famous duduk players in Armenia and among Armenians living beyond its borders, the most prominent of whom are Ludvig Gharibyan, Jivan Gasparyan, Gevorg Dabaghyan, Sergey Karapetyan, Mkrtich Malkhasyan, Vache Hovsepyan. Among Azerbaijani musicians, Alikhan Samedov is the most famous. One should also mention the outstanding duduk player Hovhannes Kasyan, who played an important role in the development of this art in Georgia.
The music of the Armenian wind instrument duduk is recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. A UNESCO press release states that in recent decades the duduk has been used less and less in folk celebrations, gradually moving into the category of a concert instrument, Radio Culture reports. Thus, it becomes part of high culture.
Duduk - an ancient Armenian instrument .
Duduk is an ancient Armenian reed wind instrument made from apricot wood. The sound is generated by the vibration of two reed plates. There are 7-8 sound holes on the front side of the instrument and another one or two on the back side. During the evolution of the instrument, craftsmen tried dozens of wood species. However, only the apricot growing in Armenia gave the instrument its true sound. It is not for nothing that in its Latin name “fructus Argdenica” it is considered a truly Armenian fruit. Ridley Scott's film "Gladiator" essentially opened the duduk to the world. After the Oscar ceremony for the film, The New York Times remarked: “how strange it is that in this ungodly cruel world there are still hidden sounds.” This popular wind instrument is distinguished by its light sound, velvety timbre and emotionality. In some regions of Armenia it is called “nay”, which means reed.
The Armenian duduk is made exclusively from apricot wood. Apricot wood has a unique ability to resonate. Variants of the duduk in other countries are made from other materials (plum wood, walnut wood, etc.), but, according to experts, such a duduk is characterized by a rather sharp, nasal sound, while Armenian duduk has a soft sound, more like a voice. The tongue is made from two pieces of reed. Unlike other instruments with a double reed, the duduk's reed is quite wide, which gives the instrument its unique sad sound.
Duduk among other peoples
When the duduk was created, there are so many specialists and so many opinions about it. Some argue that it dates back to the 8th century BC, while others argue that it was seven hundred years later, during the reign of Tsar Tigran II. The quiet voice of this instrument accompanies almost every Armenian feast - no matter whether people gather for a happy or sad reason. Lately we have been hearing duduk more and more often in films, on radio and television.
Duduk(from Turkish düdük) - a wind musical reed instrument, is a tube with 9 playing holes and a double reed. Distributed among the peoples of the Caucasus, the Middle East and the Balkan Peninsula.
Many nations also have musical instruments similar to the duduk in design and sound to varying degrees:
- in Armenia - duduk(Armenian), less often tsiranapo x(Armenian), which can be literally translated as “apricot pipe” or “soul of the apricot tree.”
- in Azerbaijan - tyutek(Azerb. tüt k). In Azerbaijan the name is also used balaban .
- in Georgia - duduki(cargo.).
- in Turkey - dudu'k(Turkish düdük). The name is also used mei .
Music on the duduk is most often performed in pairs: the leading duduk, playing the melody, and the second duduk, called “dam,” which, performing a continuous tonic background of a certain height, provides a specific ostinato sound of the main degrees of the mode. A musician playing the dama (damkash) achieves a similar sound using a continuous breathing technique: inhaling through the nose, he retains air in his puffed out cheeks, and the flow of air from the oral cavity at the same time creates pressure on the tongue of the duduk.
Usually dudukists (musicians who play the duduk) during their training also practice playing two other wind instruments - zurna and shvi. When performing dance music, the duduku is sometimes accompanied by a percussion musical instrument, the dool. Duduk is widely used in folk orchestras and accompanies folk songs and dances, as well as wedding and funeral ceremonies.
Since all duduks are made by hand, they require tuning. The adjustment is made by changing the diameter of the holes. In terms of labor intensity, the setup procedure is comparable to tool manufacturing. This explains why tuned duduks are more expensive than other instruments.
Duduk has a warm, soft, slightly muffled sound and velvety timbre, characterized by lyricism, emotionality and expressiveness. When performing music in pairs (leading duduk and female duduk), a feeling of peace, tranquility and high spirituality often arises. Music can be performed on the duduk in various keys.
