For other uses, including another kind of musical instrument, see Tar (disambiguation).
The tar (from Persian: تار, lit. 'string') is a long-necked, waisted lute family instrument, used by many cultures and countries including Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan (Iranian Plateau), Turkey, and others near the Caucasus and Central Asia regions.[1][2][3] The older and more complete name of the tār is čahārtār or čārtār (Persian: چارتار or چهارتار), meaning in Persian "four string", (čahār frequently being shorted to čār). This is in accordance with a practice common in Persian-speaking areas of distinguishing lutes on the basis of the number of strings originally employed. Beside the čārtār, these include the dotār (دوتار, “two string”), setār (سهتار, “three string”), pančtār (پنجتار “five string”), and šaštār or šeštār (ششتار “six string”).
It was revised into its current sound range in the 18th century[4] and has since remained one of the most important musical instruments in Iran and the Caucasus, particularly in Persian and Azerbaijani traditional music, and the favoured instrument for radifs and mughams.
The most easily identifiable feature is the double-bowl shaped body carved from mulberry wood, with a thin membrane covering the top. The membrane is of stretched lamb-skin in the Persian tar, or the pericardium of an ox in the Azerbaijani (or Caucasian) tar.[5][6][7] The fingerboard has twenty-five to twenty-eight adjustable gut frets. The Persian tar has three double courses of strings and a range of about two and one-half octaves. The Caucasian tar has 11 strings in five paired courses plus a bass drone.
The long and narrow neck has a flat fingerboard running level to the membrane and ends in an elaborate pegbox with six/11 wooden tuning pegs of different dimensions, adding to the decorative effect.
The strings of the Persian tar
It has three courses of double "singing" strings (each pair tuned in unison: the first two courses in plain steel, the third in wound copper), that are tuned root, fifth, octave (C, G, C), plus one "flying" bass string (wound in copper and tuned to G, an octave lower than the singing middle course) that runs outside the fingerboard and passes over an extension of the nut. Every String has its own tuning peg and are tuned independently. The Persian tar used to have five strings. The sixth string was added to the tar by Darvish Khan. This string is today's fifth string of the Iranian tar.
Modes of play
The instrument is held high on the breast, plucked at the centre of the body using a small brassplectrum known in Persian/Azerbaijani as a mezrab/mizrab. That is held in the right hand and used in a combination of upstrokes (alt) and downstrokes (üst) along with occasional tremolos in both directions. Meanwhile the notes are selected by the placing of the fingers of the left hand, with notes sometimes bent by a motion of the placed finger as in blues guitar. The addition of an un-plucked note as a trill on top of the plucked bass note is known in Azerbaijani as lal barmaq – literally “muted finger”.[8], while a somewhat similar effect called jirmag is achieved by using the fingernail to strike the string. This gives a more poignant 'scratching' sound.[9]
The "Azerbaijani tar", "Caucasus tar" or the "11 string tar" is an instrument in a slightly different shape from the Iranian Tar and was developed from the Persian tar around 1870 by Sadigjan. It has a slightly different build and has more strings. The Azerbaijani tar has further one extra bass-string on the side, on a raised nut, and usually 2 double resonance strings via small metal nuts halfway through the neck. All these strings are running next to the main strings over the bridge and are fixed to a string-holder and the edge of the body. Overall the Azerbaijani tar has 11 strings and 17 tones. It is considered the national instrument of Azerbaijan.[10]
According to the Encyclopædia Iranica, Azeri art music is also performed in other regions of the Caucasus, mainly among Armenians who have adopted the mugham system and musical instruments such as the kemancha and tar.[11]
A tar is depicted on the reverse of the Azerbaijani 1 qəpik coin minted since 2006[12] and on the obverse of the Azerbaijani 1 manat banknote issued since 2006.[13]
The melodies performed on tar were considered useful for headache, insomnia and melancholy, as well as for eliminating nervous and muscle spasms. Listening to this instrument was believed to induce a quiet and philosophical mood, compelling the listener to reflect upon life. Its solemn melodies were thought to cause a person to relax and fall asleep.[citation needed]
The author of Qabusnameh (11th century) recommends that when selecting musical tones (pardeh), to take into account the temperament of the listener (see Four temperaments). He suggested that lower pitched tones (bam) were effective for persons of sanguine and phlegmatic temperaments, while higher pitched tones (zeer) were helpful for those who were identified with a choleric temperament or melancholic temperament.[15]
Young man with Iranian rubab, 16th century, Safavid Empire. 8-shaped body resembles a tar, but tars have both sides of the 8 covered with hide. Rubabs had a lower section covered with hide, and an upper hollow section covered with wood.
^tar (musical instrument). Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved on 2013-01-01.
^"Iran Chamber Society: Music of Iran: Iranian Traditional Music Instruments". Iranchamber.com. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
^. Farhangsara.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
^"Oriental Instruments – Tar". Orientalinstruments.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
^Stephen Blum. Hearing of the Music of the Middle East : / Edited by Virginia Danielson, Dwight Reynolds, Scott Marcus. — The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. — Taylor & Francis, 2017. — V. 6, The Middle East. — P. 8. — ISBN 978-1-351-54417-7.
It remained essential to the Azerbaijani genre known as muğam, which is performed by a trio consisting of Azerbaijani tar (distinct from the Persian variety), kəmənçe (spike fiddle), and a singer who also plays the frame drum (dəf) during instrumental interludes.
^Suraya Agayeva. Azerbaijan: History, Culture and Geography of Music : / Edited by Janet Sturman. — International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture. — SAGE Publications, 2019. — P. 294. — ISBN 978-1-4833-1774-8.
In 1870–1875, the famous tar-player Mirza Sadiq Asad Oglu (1846–1902, the city Shusha) improved the main mugham musical instrument tar. For amplification of sound, Mirza Sadiq increased the number of strings, changed the number of frets, and added the fret Zabul for the better performance of mugham Segah. He modernized the way of holding the tar: The player places it horizontally on the chest instead of the former Iranian way of holding on the lap. This kind of Azerbaijani tar is widely used in the South Caucasus, Dagestan, Central Asia, Turkey, and other countries of the Middle East.
The tar is a long necked lute from Iran. A similar shaped and named instrument is used in the Caucasus states (i.e.Azeri tar /Caucasus tar). This instrument ["tar" = "string"] appeared in its present form in the middle of the eighteenth century.
Azeri art music is also played in other regions of the Caucasus, especially among the Armenians, who have adopted the system of maqām and the instruments kamāṇča and tār.
^Central Bank of Azerbaijan. National currency: New generation coins. – Retrieved on 25 February 2010.
^Central Bank of Azerbaijan. National currency: 1 manat. – Retrieved on 25 February 2010.
^Craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar, a long-necked string musical instrument. Unesco.org. Retrieved on 2018-04-29.
^Nettl, Bruno; Russell, Melinda (1998). In the Course of Performance: Studies in the World of Musical Improvisation. The University of Chicago Press. p. 30. ISBN978-0-226-57410-3.
^Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds. Thewaroftheworlds.com (2007-08-16). Retrieved on 2013-01-01.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tar (lute).
About Persian Tar
Persian Tar Audio Samples
Medieval music therapy
Farabi School
August 24, 2023
string, instrument, taar, redirects, here, taar, trace, amine, associated, receptor, other, uses, including, another, kind, musical, instrument, disambiguation, from, persian, تار, string, long, necked, waisted, lute, family, instrument, used, many, cultures, . Taar redirects here For TAAR see Trace amine associated receptor For other uses including another kind of musical instrument see Tar disambiguation The tar from Persian تار lit string is a long necked waisted lute family instrument used by many cultures and countries including Iran Azerbaijan Uzbekistan Armenia Georgia Tajikistan Iranian Plateau Turkey and others near the Caucasus and Central Asia regions 1 2 3 The older and more complete name of the tar is cahartar or cartar Persian چارتار or چهارتار meaning in Persian four string cahar frequently being shorted to car This is in accordance with a practice common in Persian speaking areas of distinguishing lutes on the basis of the number of strings originally employed Beside the cartar these include the dotar دوتار two string setar سه تار three string panctar پنج تار five string and sastar or sestar شش تار six string TarString instrumentClassificationPluckedPlaying range Shoor tuning Related instrumentsGuitar Oud Tanbur Rebab SetarIt was revised into its current sound range in the 18th century 4 and has since remained one of the most important musical instruments in Iran and the Caucasus particularly in Persian and Azerbaijani traditional music and the favoured instrument for radifs and mughams Contents 1 Physical characteristics 1 1 The strings of the Persian tar 1 2 Modes of play 2 Azerbaijani tar 3 Music therapy 4 Use in contemporary music 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksPhysical characteristics Edit Front view of tar body Back view of tar bodyThe most easily identifiable feature is the double bowl shaped body carved from mulberry wood with a thin membrane covering the top The membrane is of stretched lamb skin in the Persian tar or the pericardium of an ox in the Azerbaijani or Caucasian tar 5 6 7 The fingerboard has twenty five to twenty eight adjustable gut frets The Persian tar has three double courses of strings and a range of about two and one half octaves The Caucasian tar has 11 strings in five paired courses plus a bass drone The long and narrow neck has a flat fingerboard running level to the membrane and ends in an elaborate pegbox with six 11 wooden tuning pegs of different dimensions adding to the decorative effect The strings of the Persian tar Edit It has three courses of double singing strings each pair tuned in unison the first two courses in plain steel the third in wound copper that are tuned root fifth octave C G C plus one flying bass string wound in copper and tuned to G an octave lower than the singing middle course that runs outside the fingerboard and passes over an extension of the nut Every String has its own tuning peg and are tuned independently The Persian tar used to have five strings The sixth string was added to the tar by Darvish Khan This string is today s fifth string of the Iranian tar Modes of play Edit The instrument is held high on the breast plucked at the centre of the body using a small brass plectrum known in Persian Azerbaijani as a mezrab mizrab That is held in the right hand and used in a combination of upstrokes alt and downstrokes ust along with occasional tremolos in both directions Meanwhile the notes are selected by the placing of the fingers of the left hand with notes sometimes bent by a motion of the placed finger as in blues guitar The addition of an un plucked note as a trill on top of the plucked bass note is known in Azerbaijani as lal barmaq literally muted finger 8 while a somewhat similar effect called jirmag is achieved by using the fingernail to strike the string This gives a more poignant scratching sound 9 Azerbaijani tar EditMain article Tar Azerbaijani instrument Azerbaijani tarThe Azerbaijani tar Caucasus tar or the 11 string tar is an instrument in a slightly different shape from the Iranian Tar and was developed from the Persian tar around 1870 by Sadigjan It has a slightly different build and has more strings The Azerbaijani tar has further one extra bass string on the side on a raised nut and usually 2 double resonance strings via small metal nuts halfway through the neck All these strings are running next to the main strings over the bridge and are fixed to a string holder and the edge of the body Overall the Azerbaijani tar has 11 strings and 17 tones It is considered the national instrument of Azerbaijan 10 According to the Encyclopaedia Iranica Azeri art music is also performed in other regions of the Caucasus mainly among Armenians who have adopted the mugham system and musical instruments such as the kemancha and tar 11 A tar is depicted on the reverse of the Azerbaijani 1 qepik coin minted since 2006 12 and on the obverse of the Azerbaijani 1 manat banknote issued since 2006 13 In 2012 the craftsmanship and performance art of the tar in Azerbaijan was added to the UNESCO s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity 14 Music therapy EditThe melodies performed on tar were considered useful for headache insomnia and melancholy as well as for eliminating nervous and muscle spasms Listening to this instrument was believed to induce a quiet and philosophical mood compelling the listener to reflect upon life Its solemn melodies were thought to cause a person to relax and fall asleep citation needed The author of Qabusnameh 11th century recommends that when selecting musical tones pardeh to take into account the temperament of the listener see Four temperaments He suggested that lower pitched tones bam were effective for persons of sanguine and phlegmatic temperaments while higher pitched tones zeer were helpful for those who were identified with a choleric temperament or melancholic temperament 15 Use in contemporary music EditThe tar features prominently in Jeff Wayne s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds in the section Horsell Common and the Heat Ray George Fenton played it on the original album and Gaetan Schurrer can be seen 16 playing one on the DVD of the 2006 production Gallery Edit Qajar dynasty era portrait in Safavid style a female musician plays a tar Young man with Iranian rubab 16th century Safavid Empire 8 shaped body resembles a tar but tars have both sides of the 8 covered with hide Rubabs had a lower section covered with hide and an upper hollow section covered with wood See also EditMusic of Azerbaijan Music of IranReferences Edit tar musical instrument Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved on 2013 01 01 Iran Chamber Society Music of Iran Iranian Traditional Music Instruments Iranchamber com Retrieved 1 January 2013 History of Iranian Music Farhangsara com Archived from the original on 28 January 2013 Retrieved 1 January 2013 Oriental Instruments Tar Orientalinstruments com Retrieved 20 April 2021 Stephen Blum Hearing of the Music of the Middle East Edited by Virginia Danielson Dwight Reynolds Scott Marcus The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Taylor amp Francis 2017 V 6 The Middle East P 8 ISBN 978 1 351 54417 7 It remained essential to the Azerbaijani genre known as mugam which is performed by a trio consisting of Azerbaijani tar distinct from the Persian variety kemence spike fiddle and a singer who also plays the frame drum def during instrumental interludes Suraya Agayeva Azerbaijan History Culture and Geography of Music Edited by Janet Sturman International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture SAGE Publications 2019 P 294 ISBN 978 1 4833 1774 8 In 1870 1875 the famous tar player Mirza Sadiq Asad Oglu 1846 1902 the city Shusha improved the main mugham musical instrument tar For amplification of sound Mirza Sadiq increased the number of strings changed the number of frets and added the fret Zabul for the better performance of mugham Segah He modernized the way of holding the tar The player places it horizontally on the chest instead of the former Iranian way of holding on the lap This kind of Azerbaijani tar is widely used in the South Caucasus Dagestan Central Asia Turkey and other countries of the Middle East musical instrument Iranian tar lute britishmuseum org The tar is a long necked lute from Iran A similar shaped and named instrument is used in the Caucasus states i e Azeri tar Caucasus tar This instrument tar string appeared in its present form in the middle of the eighteenth century Guide to key features of tar playing Guide to key features of tar playing Middle East Atlas of Plucked Instruments Retrieved on 2013 01 01 Encyclopaedia IranicaAzeri art music is also played in other regions of the Caucasus especially among the Armenians who have adopted the system of maqam and the instruments kamaṇca and tar Central Bank of Azerbaijan National currency New generation coins Retrieved on 25 February 2010 Central Bank of Azerbaijan National currency 1 manat Retrieved on 25 February 2010 Craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar a long necked string musical instrument Unesco org Retrieved on 2018 04 29 Nettl Bruno Russell Melinda 1998 In the Course of Performance Studies in the World of Musical Improvisation The University of Chicago Press p 30 ISBN 978 0 226 57410 3 Jeff Wayne s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds Thewaroftheworlds com 2007 08 16 Retrieved on 2013 01 01 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tar lute About Persian Tar Nay Nava the Encyclopedia of Persian Music Instruments Dariush Talai Persian Tar Audio Samples Medieval music therapy Farabi School Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tar string instrument amp oldid 1171799380, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
