Iraq and the other Arab countries Naqqārāt is the name of kettledrums in Arabic countries. Naqqārāt, hemispherical with the skin stretched over the top, come in pairs. Naqqarat is one of the percussion instruments used in
Maqam al-Iraqi chalghi ensembles. Under the late
Abbasids and the
Fatimid Caliphate, kettledrums were beaten before the five daily prayers; small ones form part of present-day orchestral ensembles.
Iran Naqqåre can be found in different sizes in different regions of Iran: •
Naqåre-ye Shomal "northern naqqåre": played in northern Iran. Its native name in Mazandaran Province is
desarkutan.
Desarkutan is in fact a pair of small drums whose bodies are made of clay. Their structure is like that of a bowl. One is larger than the other; the larger is called
bam and the smaller one is called
zil. which respectively mean "bass" and "treble". The diameter of the
bam is about 22 cm and the diameter of the
zil is about 16 cm. Two drums are covered by cowhide, though in the past boarhide was used. The skin is tightened on the drums by bands made of cow tendon. •
Desarkutan: played with two wooden drumsticks. The length of the drumsticks is 25–27 cm. The thicker drumstick is used to play on the larger drum. The diameter of the drumsticks is 1-1.5 cm.
Serna, the Mazandarani oboe, (Dari Persian
sorna) is accompanied by one or two sets of
desarkutan. These instruments are played in festive ceremonies such as wedding ceremonies, sport ceremonies and so on. Desarkutan is not used as a solo instrument. •
Fars naqqåre: played in the Fars province of Iran is a little larger than ordinary
naqqåre. •
Sanandaji naqqåre: played in the Sanandaj city of Kurdistan province of Iran is a little larger than ordinary
naqqåre. •
Naqqårekhån:
Khåne literally means "house, home, room, place" and in Iran, there were different kinds of
naqqårekhåne and there were places for announcing important news by playing on the kettledrums such as rising and setting of the sun, victory, mourning, birth of a male baby etc. These were also called
Kuskhåne or, in Indian languages,
naubat-khāna.
Indian subcontinent '', an Indian woodwind instrument.
Rajasthan. Naqqara are also found in India, where the word is pronounced
nagara or
nagada. They are paired kettledrums traditionally used in the
naubat "Nine Things", a traditional ensemble of nine instruments. Nagara are also played with sticks. Today, this instrument is usually used to accompany the
shehnai or "Indian oboe", an indispensable component of any North Indian wedding. It was also used during Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s time as a war drum (first mentioned in the Battle of Banghani). This was to infuse pride into the Sikh armies while charging. It can be seen now usually at a Sikh martial art display (Gatka display) playing in the background. Rebecca Stewart's unpublished thesis,
The Tabla in Perspective (UCLA, 1974) has suggested
tabla was most likely a hybrid resulting from experiments with existing drums such as
pakhawaj,
dholak, and
naqqara.
Azerbaijan and naqareh In Azerbaijan there is a kind of kettledrum that is called ghosha-
naqara. Ghosha means "pair".
Turkey In Turkey, this word is pronounced
nakkare and refers to small kettledrums beaten with the hands or two sticks.
Kös, or giant kettledrums played on horseback, are a separate instrument. These drums and the
davul or
cylindrical drum were used in Ottoman
mehter music.
Uzbekistan In Uzbekistan the kettledrum is called
naqara or
nagora.
Dulnaqara: a large kettledrum that gives a low and loud sound (i.e. "tum").
Reznaqara is a small kettledrum that gives a high and loud sound (i.e. "tak").
Koshnaqara is a small-paired kettledrum, a pair of clay pots with goatskin tops.
Europe Kettledrums were adopted in Europe during the 13th century Crusades, following contact with
Saracen musicians who played the drums. The Arabic term
naqqara became French
nacaires, the Italian
naccheroni and the English nakers. The instrument spread rapidly, reaching England in the 14th century; the nacaire was, according to
Froissart and the Chronicles of
Jean de Joinville, among the instruments used at the
entry of
Edward III into
Calais in 1347. The instrument is very visible in European artwork and iconography of the period, before fading from view in the 17th century. As the
Grove Dictionary of Music describes them: They were more or less hemispherical, 15-25cm in diameter, frequently with snares and usually played in pairs, suspended in front of the player. They were usually played with drumsticks, mainly for martial purposes but also in chamber music, dance and processional music and probably for accompanying songs. Kettledrums in Europe today are called
tympani or
timpani, descended from the imported naqareh.
Georgia Diplipito is a widespread percussion instrument all over Georgia. It comprises two small cone-shaped clay pots (jars) of the same height, but different width, which are covered with leather. One of the clay pots is smaller than the other. A cord ties the two jars together. The height of the jars is 200–250 mm, and their diameters are 90mm and 170mm. The
diplipito is played with two small sticks called "goat legs." The instrument is used to provide rhythms for vocal music and dance music. It is often combined with instruments such as
duduki,
buzika panduri, and
salamuri. The diplipito is generally played by males, and plays an important role in Georgian folk ensembles. ==See also==