Balaban - an ancient wind musical instrument of Turkic world
Baku, October 21, AZERTAC
According to written sources in the territory of Azerbaijan there used to be more than 20 wind musical instruments differing from each other on construction, means of sound extraction and sounding.
As for modern classification they referred to lip (ney, ksul, yan-tutak, nay, musigar, kelenay, mizmar, tutak, burbug), uvular (sumsu, sumsubalaban, tulum, shapbir-balaban, balaban, zurna, argan) and mouthpiece (bug, burgu, gavdum, karanay, nefir, shakhnefir, sheypur) types of wind instruments.
Although most of these musical instruments are all used today, widely spread among them are balaban, zurna, tutak, ney and tulum.
Among the last ones, balaban is the one with the most delicate, velvet, extraordinarily lyrical and singing sound, often it is yasti-balaban because of its flattening cane.
The sound of the balaban is gentle, beautiful, sweet, velvety and soft, penetrating into the human soul.
In Nakhchivan, Ganja-Gazakh and Karabakh zones of Azerbaijan it is famous under the names “balaman”, “mey”, or “duduk”.
Balaban is one of the ancient wind instruments of Azerbaijani people, whose name is mentioned in the Kitabi-Dada Gorgud” epic - common heritage of Turkic world, as well as the verses of classics of Azerbaijani poetry.
The word “balaban” consists of two semantic syllables: “bala” (small) and “ban” (voice), signifying the low voice that matches the timbre of the instrument. The balaban has great technical and artistic expressive features.
Therefore, as the most versatile instrument, it is widely used in various orchestras, ensembles, as well as in solo performances during festivals and weddings.
Ashig (folk) songs - essential part of Azerbaijani wedding celebrations, are often accompanied by the balaban (small wind instrument resembling zurna) and wind ensembles, but the main musical instrument of these songs is saz.
As it is mentioned in his memories, Azerbaijani singer, producer and pedagogue Huseyngulu Sarabski (1879-1945), balaban was used also by hunters for enticing female quails into the trap.
Interestingly, Shusha - the Azerbaijani city liberated from Armenian occupation on November 8, 2020, surrounded with various forests, had all the conditions for producing Azerbaijani musical instruments, such as tar, saz, kamancha, ud, ganun, daf, balaban, zurna, tutak and ney.
Balaban, as solo instrument sounds very well in the plays, such as “Second fantasy” of Uzeyir Hajibayli, who is known as the founder of classical music of Azerbaijan, “In the fields of Azerbaijan” of Muslim Magomayev - a world-renowned opera and variety singer, composer, “Dancing suita” of famous composer Khalil Jafarov.
Musical and technical capacity of balaban (especially when playing the accords) are clearly demonstrated in the piece “While dreaming” by renowned figure of Azerbaijani culture Suleyman Alasgarov, for the first time composed for balaban and the orchestra of folk instruments and in the piece for four balabans of Nazim Azimov.
Balaban or flat balaban is also famous under the same name in Iran and Dagestan, as mey in Turkey, duduki or duduk in Georgia, Kabardino Balkaria, guan among uygurs.
It is interesting to note that under the name balaban (bulaman, bulamon) or balabon in Kabardino-Balkaria, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan was widely used quite other wind instrument of different construction. They remind the ancestor of balaban, which is sumsu-balaban that existed in Azerbaijan in very old, ancient times.
Melodies sounded with balaban brightly reflect all beauties and wonders of Azerbaijan’s musical culture. Therefore this musical instrument is one of the most favourite ones in Azerbaijan.
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