Author Topic: DANCE & MUSIC  (Read 4035 times)

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Offline مير چا كر MirChakar

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DANCE & MUSIC
« on: June 14, 2009, 10:53:21 PM »


The Baloch has a rich musical culture. His interest in music was profound. It is possible that like other civilizations, music among ancient Baloch had functions connected with religion. However, its ecstatic and secular possibilities nevetheless had relation with some form of magic. The Baloch treated persons suffering a type of disease similar to hysteria or chronic indigestion through music. They were called Gwati. Ministrels played music on sorouz and tamborag and repeated often one particular rhythm. When the music reached its climax the gwati started a relentless movement in a dancing pattern. This would continue for many hours til late at night. It was believed that music would construe some magical effect, and that disease which had been caused definitely by some evil forces would end.

Music had its importance on all occasions except death when the ceremonies were of a more solemn nature. Other occasions were marked with much singing and dancing.

The Balochi sur or raags which could be termed Zaheerag because of their general characterization of melancholy pattern, could be categorized under two main heads: Balochi and Kurdi. All others which may be as many as twenty come under these heads. UnderBalochi, comes its various branches: miedi gor-obam, mianag, asrap-e-durra and janozam. Kurdi included baskard jalawani kurdi, sahr kurdi, salat and tat. It may, however, be noted that the entire Balochi musical structure is based on Zaheerag. Some of the folk-music appears to be somewhat different from it, but in their formal structure all musical derivatives have their base in Zaheerag.

Among the musical instruments nal-sur, tamborag and surous were important.As regads dances, there are few traces if any, of weather, harvest or thanks-giving dances among the Baloch. Dances were always collective and associate with groups. There was no fiery manner of dances.

Religious dances were not prevalent. However, in the more recent past, Zigry sect, among the Baloch, practiced a kind of religigious dance called chogan. It, however, varied much from classical temple dances of most ancient cultures.

The main dance was do-chapi when men gathered and danced, clapping hands with the movement of foot, nech and head on rythmical music on drum, dohl. Any knid of dance apart from do-chapi was not univesal. Basically it was for the enjoyment of performers and was not a spectator dance. On many occasions women moved in a circle, clapping hands but without any body movements such as do-chapi.

Lewa, hambo and latti were also prevalent mostly through foreign influence. Lewa is supposed to be of Arabian origin, while Latti and Hambo were clearly dances of the ancient indigenous people of Balochistan.


Offline YaaGii

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BALOCHI MUSIC
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2011, 11:45:16 AM »
                                                                  BALOCHI MUSIC

Balochi music represents one of the oldest music tradition in the region. the musical instruments through which the balochi singer pours out his/her restless and deep sentiments, are traditional intruments, such as tamburag,setar various flutes and the rabab with eighteen strings.The tamburag resembles the Turkish saz and iranian setar. There are four differnt flutes; qalam, nad, nal donali (alghuda) donali includes a pair of male and female flutes. the best donali players in Balochistan who had universal fame came from the sri tribe and were called mesri khan jamali and khabir khan jamali. They lived in Sindh.Another famous musical instrument in Balochistan today is the benju,which has seen many changes since it was introduced.There are various percussionintrument like dohkor, mazan dohl,timbuk and kunzag.In the Baloch society the musicians are treaded as confidantes and intimates and are permitted to play at private parties. moreover,one can find singers and musicians in Balochistan who are devoted to their tradition music. The singers and musicians who have inherited the art from their ancestors from generations to generations,are called pahlwaans."pahlwaan" is a combination of "Pahloo" and "Vaan".pahloo is derived fron pahlavi language and means brave and powerful. "vaan" means a singer.Meanwhile in balochi language "vaanag" also means singing.therefore, "pahlwaan" means one who shows bravery and chivalry.here we will biefly refer to several example of genuine balochi music which are popular in balochistan.Shaptagi,which means praise,is a series of melodies which r sung after a birth of a child. Lardo and Naszenk are songs which are sung during festive occasions such as wedding parties and they have diffrent meanings. Lardo and Naszeyk shashgani are especially dedicated to the sixth day of the baby's birth. In this song the singer appeals to god and the Prophet for a happy life for the newborn. For example, if the baby is a boy, they wish him to be brave, true to his promise, a good swordsman, truthful, kind, hospitable and pious, obedient to elders, and other good qualities which are admired in balochi culture. but if the new born is a daughter they pray her to be chaste, faithful, a good house wife, rtouthful, hospitable, kind to her husband , brother and sisters, and faithful to the balochi culture.
Lilo is a lullaby which the mother sings to put the child to sleep. Zahiring or Zahirok is the most melancholy melody among the baloch which complains of separation or miseries of life. Zahiring is accoumpanied by doleful melodies, and the music is played on flute or sorud. However, nowadays Zahirig is played on the benju as well.


This is a long monotonous and doleful melody which is played with drum, and the notes are repeated
with slight variations, similar to a raga, but whithin a scale. Zahirig is divided into various types, amoung which the most famous ones are Ashraf Dorra w Zahirig, Janozami Zahirig and Zamorani Zahirig. When you hear Zahirig, it seems as if you are sitting at a melancholy coast listening to the repeated sad notes of the flute or the sorud. This resembles the sea waves which start with violence at first, but as they approach the coast the tempest subsides and at last the rupples find peac at the seashore. The music starts wid a sharill tune, raises to it's peak, the gradyally subsides and grows silent. Then after a short pause, again the instrument wail shrilly, and the episode is repeated again and again, Zahirig is sung with or without musical instruments and is sung with or without musical Instruments and is sung for the absence of close relatives such as the faster, mother, brother, sister, daughter, son, wife, a mistress, and ever for the absence from one's homeland. Formerly, Zihirig was sung by women during their daily chores, especially when they gathered near the mill to grind their wheat into flour. This way of singing is no more observed these days. Nowadays Zahirig is only sung by men, accompanied by flute, sorud and benju.


Regional Styles

Balochistan can be divided into several musical area's of which the principal ones are the north and the south, the latter is also called Makoran, In the Makoran, the genres of professional Music are;
1. Shervandi - the art of the bards, and the most sophisticated genre, represented by a small artistic elite in the southern and central region of balochistan.

2. Nazenk - traditional wedding choruses and songs and includes Sowet, Noqata and Ghazal

3. Trance music includes Guati, Damali, Shikti or Qalandari with three repertoires that correspond to diffrent rituals.
finally, certain African elements are perceptible in the trance songs of the Guati ritual. In addition to meters of 6/8 and 2/4, there are extremely subtle rhythms whose groove or swing does not allow them to be reduced to equal measure of 3, 5, or 7.

Festival Songs

Feasts on the occasion of a marriage or circumcision are important social and cultural events in which music plays a large role. Wedding songs in genres called Lardo and Nazeynk for the groom and bride, repectively, belong to the most purely balochi layer of the repertory which also includes lullabiesand funerary chants.
Wach stage of the feast corresponds to particular songs. Marriges provide the occasion for singing both Sowts popular songs on themes of love and separationm and ghazals which typically use learned persian poetry. Marriages also includes Shayrwandi. Most of these traditional songs can be performed by the participants, but these days, hosts prefer to invite a variety of instrumentatists and female vocalists - all amplified to get the most of the events.
"I LoVe To WaLk In Rain BcuZ NoBoDy See My Tears"