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Peyman
Nasehpour © 2002 Introduction A Brief
History of Daf Its Pahlavi
(Persian ancient language) name is dap and daf is arabicized of dap. Some
pictures of dap have been found in the paintings to be painted before
the birth of Christ. The presence of Persian dap in the stonecutting of
Bisotun is really wonderful. (The monuments of Bisotun are situated 25
kilometers from Kermanshah city.) Also there is a kind of square frame
drum in the stonecutting of Tagh-e-Bostan (famous monument located 5 kilometers
northeast from Kermanshah city). It is said that Nowruz (the first day
of the Persian New Year and the national festival of Persia) and other
festive occasions have been accompanied by dap in the period of Sassanian
(224 A.D. - 651 A.D.). In this period dap has being played in order to
accompany khosravani songs. The presence
of the word daf in the poems of many Persian poets shows the importance
of this instrument. For example Hafiz, very famous Persian poet and the
shining star of the rich Persian literature has applied the word daf in
his works ten times. His famous verse that includes the word daf is: The translation
of the verse is: I,
who nights, with the daf and the chang, have dashed down the path of piety, Moors introduced
Daf and other Middle Eastern musical instruments to Spain and Spanish
adapted and promoted Daf and other musical instruments in medieval Europe.
In 15th century daf was only used in Sufi ceremonies, Ottomans reintroduced
it to Europe in 17th century. The art of
daf playing in Iran has reached us by the effort of the Iranian Sufis
especially in 20th century the late Sayyed Baha-al-Din Shams Ghorayshi
(1872-1947), Ostad Haj Khalifeh Karim Safvati (1919-…), Ostad Haj
Khalifeh Mirza Agha Ghosi (1928-…), Mohi-al-Din Bolbolani (1929-…),
Sayyed Mohammad Shams Ghorayshi (1930-…) and Masha-Allah Bakhtiyari
(1940-…). It is fortunate
that daf has been integrated into Persian art music successfully and many
young Persian boys and girls have started learning this ancient drum. Structure
of Daf. Daf has six
parts: 1. Frame 2. Skin 3. Pin 4. Hook 5. Ring 6. Leather Band. 1. Frame
is wooden. The diameter of the frame is 48-53 centimeters. The width of
the frame is 5-7 centimeters. Brief Biography
of Ostad Haj Khalifeh Karim Safvati Ostad Haj
Khalifeh Karim Safvati, outstanding daf player and master of Sufi vocals,
was born in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province of Iran, 1920. He learnt the
art of daf playing and Sufi vocals from his father Darvish Abdolmohammad.
He was appointed khalife (spritual leader) by sheikh abdolkarim Kasnazani
of Kirkuk. His sons Mashallah and Jamal are good daf players and accompany
their respected fathers in his performances Brief Biography
of Ostad Mirza Agha Ghosi Ostad Mirza
Agha Ghosi, outstanding daf player and master of Sufi vocals, was born
in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province of Iran, 1928. He learnt the art of daf
playing and Sufi vocals in during his teenage from his father Haji Ghowsi
and later with Darvish Karim. He was appointed khalife (spritual leader)
by sheikh abdolkarim Kasnazani of Kirkuk. He is one of the oldest daf
players of Iran and he has a very nice vocals. He has performed in many
festivals of Iran, France, Colombia, Turkey, Panama, Peru and Ecuador.
His sons Abd-al-Rahman and Ali-Reza are good daf players and singers and
accompany their respected fathers in his performances. Bijan Kamkar Bijan Kamkar,
was born in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province of Iran, 1949. He started learning
the music under the training of his father, the late Hassan Kamkar. He
was learnt tombak. After receiving the Diploma Degree of High School,
he entered the Fine Arts Faculty of University of Tehran to continue his
musical studies. He started playing Daf in 1974 and for the first time
as a member of Shayda Ensemble. He introduced Daf into traditional Iranian
music at Shiraz Art Festival and Toos Art Festival. Acknowledgement The author
wishes to thank Ostad Mirza Agha Ghosi and his sons Abd-al-Rahman and
Ali-Reza for their help. References: Kurdistan
Zikr et chants soufis, Radio France, Paris, November 1994. |
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Frame
drums are most ancient type of musical instruments. They have a simple
structure with strong spiritual and entertainment effect. Frame drums
are usually round made of wood with animal skin and sometimes metal rings
or plates incorporated into the drum to provide jingle. They have different
sizes; the larger drums are played mainly by men in spiritual rituals
and medium size drums are played mainly by women. Frame drums are originated
in the ancient Middle East, India and Rome and reached medieval Europe
through Islamic culture. Similarity of the names of frame drums in these
regions shows the common history of these drums. Daf is one of the most
ancient frame drums in Asia and North Africa. In Iran, Sufis use Daf during
their Zikr (spiritual chanting) ritual; in recent years Iranian musicians
have successfully integrated it into Persian music.