IN THE NAME OF THE ONE WHO CREATED ALL BEAUTY

Beauty is one of God’s manifestations and Art is the stage for Beauty, and the art of depicting what can not be spoken of or heard. Art puts what can not be known, into image, word, language and sound, and sound is one of the extraordinary powers of universe and an agreeable, harmonious and rhythmic sound is the beginning of melody and the mysterious world of Music.

It is the most extraordinary phenomena of life on Earth and Heavens, bringing the eternal sound of the passage of time to the ears and spirits of melody makers.

At the beginning of Life, the only application of Music was to express attraction, worship and adoration and invocations of the people of those times at the presence of God.

The first musical instrument is the human larynx that let loose in space, its existence and connection with mysterious highs and lows, through the melodic and rhythmic sounds in the land of its birth and around it.

Then Percussion Instruments were created by the initiated and rhythmic primary soulful thoughts. Following it, Wind Instruments and eventually Strumming Stringed Instruments came into being.

The ancient and heavenly Land of Iran, through the remaining artifacts and evidence and documents retrieved, can in truth be considered the primary center and breeding ground of the World Music.

In this Land, Music finds such widespread growth, creating the most variable and magnificent songs and unusual instruments and the most natural scales and expanse of sounds and various rhythms in different geographical areas and regions with different climates.

Different ethnic groups create a great variety of Music according to their abilities and special qualities, which have up to this time, guarded these Divine blessing. One of the richest and most ancient music of this land is the one from Kermanshah and Kurdistan region, the unlimited world of melodies and songs. The magnificent and majestic music of TAMBOUR is one of them, which has carried a world of splendid and mysterious songs through all the millenniums and centuries, up to this age and the ears of the interested people of this era.

A Brief Study of the Highest Manifestations of TAMBOUR

A Brief Look at the Instrument of TAMBOUR

“Baghdad or Tisfone or Kurdish Tambour”

TAMBOUR is the first Strumming Stringed Musical Instrument that humans were able to create using their intuition inner resources.

We call this instrument Tambour, because it is the oldest and most ancient name given to stringed Instruments, (for more information about Tambour, refer to the book “Tambour, From Past Times to the Present “by the late AALINEJAD”).

Some of the examples of this instrument surviving from ancient times have been found in the form of sculptures and statues in SHOOSH, FARS and other regions, which clearly show their right handed play mode and strumming manner, similar to today's Tambour playing style. The age of these instruments and sculptures, goes back to ten thousand years (this statement is not an exaggeration).

The clearest reason for this claim is the lack of any kind of robes or clothing in these sculptures and statues and another is that the Orientalists consider the NEYNAVAH Tambour Player who wears a primitive simple up to knees sleeveless robe belonging to six thousand years ago.

The other point is the mysterious quality of these sculptures, the full description of which is not possible in this brief summary.

It has been pointed out that any kind of art especially music has had a ritualistic, religious and spiritual use and Tambour has to be considered one of the most effective musical instrument in this field.

The divine sound of Tambour had a special place in ritualistic ceremonies and touched the hearts of audiences by its spiritual melodies.

Fortunately this musical instrument  has kept its mission since ancient times and has continued its rituals and chants and sacramental ceremonies by  the old spiritual master and sages throughout the times gone by, and after Islam too it preserved its spiritual quality and transferred all its numinous and artistic background and resources to the Virtuous and God Seekers and since then too, the chants and sacraments and worships for the Divine Beloved has continued with this musical instrument and songs.

Tambour has adopted a name similar to its own in its cultural and artistic journey all over Asia and Europe and other regions, and in its land of birth and place of creation too there have been other instruments similar to it such as Khorassan Dotaar or as Hakim Abu Nassr Farabi says, Khorassan Tambour, Turkmen Dotaar and Turkish Ghopooz and Chagoor; Kurdish and Turkish Divaan have branched directly from Tambour and other regional musical instruments such as Setaar, Taar, Lyre or lute have been modeled after this instrument with some differences, and in other words one can consider Tambour as the mother of all stringed plucking instruments in all these regions.

The order and school of its playing and the tradition and Radif of Tambour is based on Music of Magham and since playing Tambour has not been ceased from ancient times up to now and traveled its path without any disruptions, we may, through the Magham instrument hear the divine and pure music forms of ancient times and hear and search for some of the samples of that music today.

This statement is based on four principles: First, the Maghams themselves, which whisper their antiquity and purity (through enigmas and hints) in to the ears of people and art experts.

Second, is that this instrument and music have existed in mountainous regions or in other words shut off places and far from hustle & bustle and inter-city connections and away from the opportunity to get influenced by other music's so these are all major factors in these songs and melodies not being touched and displaced and the continuation of their noble and patrician life.

Third reason is that in these regions, language is the most important factor of identity of each region and tribe. Their language is one of the noble and untouched dialects of Kurdish language.

Kurdish language itself is being one of the ancient dialects of the old Farsi language and Avestaian and Pahlavi.

It is clear that when a language stays intact, the music and other rituals there will also remain untouched. Fourth reason is that the names of some of these Maghams are also proof of the antiquity of this musical instrument and melody, for example the “ Tah Raz Rostam “ Magham named after Rostam Zaal, one of the famous characters and heroes of Shahnameh by Ferdsowsi, where Rostam’s Tambour playing has also been directly referred to, and another one  the name of which has been preserved up to now,  the “ Baryeh” or Barbadi named after Barbad Djahromi, the deft  player of the Sassanid era and Khossrow Parviz Sassanied’s  personal and respected musician.

Kurdish or Tisfooni Tambour has an oval body, the median length of which is usually 40 cm, its height 16 cm, expanse of soundboard 19 cm and the length of handle 39 cm, the distance between the soundboard’s and handle’s bridge 73 cm, (these measurements are taken from Tambours made in the Gahvareh region, by Ostaad Assadolah Gahvarehe, which are almost the standard of Tambours.)

This Tambour has three strings, which used to be two and an extra string (same tune) has been added to the lower string, which thirty or forty years ago may have been made as an imitation of Taar for increasing the instrument’s sound and has since then become the norm. The number of Tones, called Dastaan, were thirteen which increased to fourteen about forty years ago and became prevalent.

(Today, sometimes fifteen to seventeen Dastaan is arranged that does not sound like Tambour anymore and is similar to other instruments).According to the ranges of sounds, Dastaans are close to half Tone.

Recently this half Tone equivalency has replaced older ranges, more agreeable to the young people’s Tuner-accustomed ears, which is not very reasonable. Tambour's left hand playing mode is similar to that of Taar and Setaar and does not have an independent technique; but as has been mentioned before, right hand playing of Tambour in some plectrum works is quite unique and special to this instrument.

Tambour's manner and school and background and order, may at present be divided into three sections: One-Haghani Maghams or Haghani order or Kalam, played for ritualistic poems of the Yaressan society or the Ahle-Hagh, usually quite old and some of them very ancient and antiquated. These kinds of Musical Maghams are mostly played in the chanting and worship circles and in special places and ceremonies. Second, are the Formal vocal Maghams or the ones without words, some played with other instruments such as Sorna, This kind of Tambour music is quite old and ancient. Third, are melodies composed by contemporaries who are usually based on the school and words of the two fields of culture and Tambour's capabilities (of course we mean the melodies in this field, not those inspired by other music and tastes). In general, Tambour Maghams do not go further than a few notes, each having a special variance compared to the ranges and Dastans of these few notes, and there are also Maghams that possess and use all the ranges of this instrument and in other words, their range comes to one scale and sometimes more. Tambour's range of fourteen Dastaan is one scale and one note. Tambour's upper string has a supporting role and is not used in a melodic way. Tambour's Maghams have three unique specifications; One, the forms of these Maghams which differentiate them from other music of this Land even in the Kurdish regions. Other is the form of their Vazns (rhythm) and   rhythmic cycles, starting from simple and ordinary rhythm reaching long complicated polyrhythmic ones. There are even Maghams whose rhythmic cycles reach seventeen or more, and this unique specification shows the antiquity and fine melodic research and study of the artists in the past who have created this unique treasure with so much melodic variance in the millenniums.

The third specification which seems much deeper and finer and more important than the other two is that as a rule the effect of hearing this music is not a melancholy one (a phenomenon and effect present in all music).

This instrument pervades the audience’s body and soul so strongly that in other words, “neither Head nor Turban is left”, nothing but a genuine wonder and attraction and bliss and amazement and happiness and a connection to a World not describable.

And it is because of these tendencies that people expenses so much bliss and ecstasy by it, and the veils standing between the lover & the Loved One become pale or are lifted altogether and one desires to become one with the Loved one and the soul vibrates in its highs and lows, and it is truly the instrument of love and surely the Sound of God.

 (Of course the influence of a form of Art can never be fully described. Even Art can not be contained in a descriptive form because first, each person according to his or her mood is affected in a different way and next, one is connected to the Subjective Cosmos, and hearing the sound of the instrument starts in the Objective World and connects to the Subjective One.) In short, the only thing one can say about the mysterious effect of this instrument, is this instrument and melody’s sanctity and the preservation of its spiritual background and connection, and its perpetuation in a thousand years has, from its beginning and conception, followed the same goal or has been the same connecting  aim and tool, with a sound like a connecting thread between two highs, this side and the other side, highs and lows of the sounds of attraction and rapture and connection and praise and appreciation and worship and  reverence at the presence of the Revered One, the Creator of all, from Earth to  Heaven and from the dawn of Time to the present, it has been prevalent; and in the perpetuity of impassioned generations has connected the Love’s rapture and the dance of ecstasy  to Time and brought it this far. This is just part of the mystery of this enchanted oval box with sounds and melodies beyond enchantment which has heard and seen all the charms of the other world and brought them over here, and has brought and still brings them to the ears of others.

This Tambour, Tisfooni Tambour or the same Kurdish Tambour, is popular in the province of Kermanshah and in the two regions of Sahneh in the north east and Gouran in the south west of  Kermanshah.

Today this instrument calls forth the lovers, by its delighting and butifull melodies, more remarkable and all encompassing and welcomed and re-introductory than ever in its beating and active current.

The study and analysis and of variations and common points between of these two regions may not be covered in this brief summary; so to prevent a long recital, we put an end to it with one sentence, that these two styles are as two wings of flight and two elements of perfection and development of the Kurdish Tambour.

We know the Masters in these two regions, the mention of whose names bring benediction and blessing and merit and are the crowning part of the close of this essay.

For example in the Gouran region, Kadara Mirza Seyed Ali Kafashian, Kaki Alimorad, Kaazam Manhouie, Lalou behyerkhan, Seyed Vali Hosseini, Seyed Ahmad Yadegari, Dervish Alimard Darvish, Ostaad Khosrow Gouran (Azizi), Abeddin Khademi, Ostaad Taher Baveissi, Kaka Barar Ostaad, Gol Nazar Azizi, , and in the Sahneh region, Seyed Ayaz Ghazvinehie, Ostaad Seyed Amrollah Shah Ebrahimi, Dervish Amir Hayati, Ostaad Haj Noor Ali Elahi, Seyed Nemat Zolnouri, Hossein Rooh Tafi, Ezat Zolnouri, the late Seyed Khalil Alinezad.

Of course there exists the culture and history of Tambour in the Lorestan region and Koohdasht, it is said that High Mobarak Shah or the Shah or Khavishan, from Lorestan had a group with nine hundred Tambour players. The last name we come to is Emaam Gholi.

It is the duty of the players of today to show their gratitude, appreciation respect to these Masters, who have had a great role in spreading this art, school and culture, by protecting and guarding its purity and to desist from any uncalled for fads and innovations not originating in this School.

Last point is, that the Shams Tambour Group has bestowed this honors on itself and its friends to be the first group in a period of almost a quarter of a century to introduce the melodic sounds of this holy and Heavenly instrument all over our precious and art nurturing homeland and other parts of the World, May this heavenly and divine mission continue evermore in its actions and through assistance by the spiritual powers supporting this culture; an effort worthy of the infinite world of this musical instrument and melody.

With Gratitude & Salutation

Shams Group’s Founder

Keykhosrow Pour-Nazeri

January 26, 2005 (6/11/83- solar year)