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StillnessInstrument heritage fact

The duduk is an Armenian wind instrument made of apricot wood and played through a broad double reed, which gives it a warm, soft, voice-like tone. It is usually played in pairs: one musician carries the melody while the other holds a steady background note.

Duduk

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The story behind the card

Its Armenian name, tsiranapogh, means “apricot pipe”. The background note, called the dam, never breaks because its player uses circular breathing: breathing in through the nose while pushing air out from the cheeks. Duduk music is heard at weddings, in folk songs and at funerals alike. Its best-known master, Djivan Gasparyan (1928–2021), took it to audiences around the world, and his playing can be heard in film scores such as Gladiator. UNESCO proclaimed Armenian duduk music a masterpiece of intangible heritage in 2005 and added it to its list in 2008. Related double-reed instruments are played across the region, such as the Turkish mey and the Azerbaijani balaban.

Türkçe oku
Duduk, kayısı ağacından yapılan ve geniş bir çift kamışla çalınan bir Ermeni nefesli çalgısıdır; insan sesini andıran sıcak, yumuşak bir tınısı vardır. Genellikle iki kişiyle çalınır: biri ezgiyi çalarken öteki arkadan hiç kesilmeyen bir dem tutar.

Ermenice adı tsiranapogh, “kayısı borusu” demektir. Arkadaki sürekli sese dam denir; bu sesi tutan müzisyen dairesel nefes tekniğini kullanır: burnundan nefes alırken yanaklarında biriktirdiği havayı üflemeyi sürdürür, böylece ses hiç kesilmez. Duduk düğünlerde de, türkülerde de, cenazelerde de çalınır. Çalgının en tanınmış ustası Djivan Gasparyan (1928–2021), onu dünyanın dört bir yanındaki dinleyicilere tanıttı; Gladyatör gibi filmlerin müziklerinde onun çalışı duyulur. UNESCO, Ermeni duduk müziğini 2005'te sözlü ve somut olmayan mirasın başyapıtlarından biri ilan etti, 2008'de de listesine aldı. Bölgede benzer çift kamışlı çalgılar da vardır; Türkiye'deki mey ve Azerbaycan'daki balaban bunlardandır.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Duduk
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