Dârvak
Iranian Classical, Folk, and Original Music
http://geocities.com/darvaksd

Monday Feb 12, 2007 details

Dârvak is a group of musicians who’ve been playing Persian music in San Diego for more than 20 years. Their goal - in addition to friendship and having fun making music - is to make Persian music accessible to young people.

Theory

Radîf - The repertoire of Persian classical music - called the radîf (literally “row” or “ordering”) - is a logically-ordered collection of melodies, rhythms, compositions, songs, and interpretations handed down through the generations from master to student. The radîf is used as a teaching tool and a performance roadmap.

Dastgâh - The radîf is organized into 7 main dastgâh (“system”) and 5 secondary âvâz. A parallel can be drawn between the concepts of dastgâh and the Indian raga, in that they both define tonal relationships.

Gûsheh - Each dastgâh or âvâz consists of anywhere from 10 to 30 gûsheh (“corner” or “angle”). Each gûsheh is distinguished by one or more of the following: mode, starting/ending/emphasis tones, melodic shape, and rhythm.

Being primarily a vocal tradition (again similar to Indian music) with a heritage of poetry 1000 years old, the rhythm of Persian music - both vocal and instrumental - is greatly influenced by the Persian language.

Instruments

The târ and it’s smaller cousin the setâr have been the main stringed instruments of Persian music for the past few hundred years. “Târ” in Persian means “string” - “setâr” means “3-strings” (though today it is customarily made with 4 strings), whereas “sitâr” (their Indian cousin) means “30-strings”. The târ is struck with a brass plectrum, whereas the setâr is played with the index finger.

The oud is a short-neck fretless lute with five double-courses of strings tuned in fourths and traditionally played with an eagle’s quill. The oud is the ancestor of the European lute, and functions primarily as a bass instrument.

The ney is an oblique rim blown reed flute with five finger holes in front and one thumb hole in the back, with a range of two and a half octaves. The Persian technique of playing the ney gives it a breathy and meditative sound.

The santur is a three-octave wooden-hammered dulcimer with seventy-two strings. Similar instruments can be found in many cultures: East European, Indian, and Appalachian.

The goblet-shaped tômbak is the drum most often used in Persian music today. The round folk drum, the daf, is a recent addition to classical ensembles.

Program

A performance of Persian classical music is like taking a trip. Once a dastgâh is chosen, the general roadmap is clear, but details of where you can go are left open to the performer(s). Tonight’s performance includes composed and improvised pieces and traditional, folk, and original songs - arranged into a suite to gives each instrument a chance to be heard, and hopefully show how this ancient musical tradition lives on.

Here’s an outline of a typical performance:

· PîshDarâmad : a slow rhythmic instrumental piece introducing the dastgâh and it’s different gusheh

· Darâmad & Avâz : a vocal and/or instrumental rendition of the home mode of the dastgâh

· Chahârmezrâb : a fast rhythmic instrumental piece in the home mode

· Continuation of âvâz and modulation

· Zarbi : a rhythmic vocal or instrumental piece

· Continuation of âvâz and other modulations and zarbis

· Owj : movement to the highest tones of the dastgâh

· Forud : return to the home mode

· Tasnif : a song in the home mode

· Reng : a dance-like piece marking the end of the performance