By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Marvelous concert dedicated to traditional music instruments has been solemnly held at the State Philharmonic Hall.

The program titled "Traditional Music Instruments - Our National Wealth" was organized as part of the project "G?ncl?r? d?st?k" (Youth Support) aimed at discovering young talents in Azerbaijan.

The project is headed by the director of the State Philharmonic Society, People's Artist Murad Adigozalzade, project coordinator - Ayla Karimova-Zaharia.

Azerbaijan State Folk Instruments Orchestra mesmerized the listeners with their virtuosity. The orchestra was conducted by Ilaha Huseynova.

The gala concert featured winners of multiple competitions, talented tar musicians Ravan Efendi, Habib Shikhaliyev and Shohrat Mammadov (tar), Mahir Hajiyev and Tarhan Gojayev (kamancha), Jala Hasanzadeh (canon), Ilkin Ahmadli, Sabina Sultanly (mugham singers) and vocalist Lyaman Allahverdizadeh.

With such a rich musical tradition, it is obvious that traditional music instruments take a special place in Azerbaijani culture. Let's take a journey to explore some of these fantastic music instruments.

Saz is the stringed musical instrument of the lute type. The instrument has a pear-shaped body, a neck with tied sliding frets, a wooden soundboard and double or triple strings.

Kamancha is a bowed string instrument, which is widespread among Eastern and Central Asian peoples under a variety of names. The folk instrument is described in the works of medieval classical poets. Mir Seyid Ali, representative of the 16th-century school of painting, depicted barbat (lute), daf ( frame drum) and kamancha in his work called "A Musical Gathering".

Tar, a long-necked plucked lute, is one of the most important musical instruments in the Caucasus and Iran. Tar is traditionally crafted and performed throughout Azerbaijan, and is depicted on the Azerbaijani national banknote of one manat.

Oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument with 11 or 13 strings grouped in 5 or 6 courses. Four strings of the musical instrument were likened to the four elements of nature: fire, water, earth, air. It was often depicted in the works of miniature painting.

Balaban is cylindrical-bore, double-reed wind instrument with seven finger holes and one thumb hole. When you play balaban you should use fingers of both hands to open and close certain holes. Balaban can be made of mulberry or other harder woods, such as walnut.

Naghara is a folk drum that is played with bare hands. It is one of the most popular percussion instruments of the Azerbaijani folk music. This instrument is described in the Early Middle Age Azerbaijani literary epic "The Book of Dede Gorgud". The rhythmic beat of naghara is believed to strengthen the heart. Gosha nagara is Azerbaijani version for small kettledrums.