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Santur, Santour, Santoor, Cymbalon, Cimbalon, Hakkebord, Psalterion, Dulcimer Name: Santûr Classification: Chordophones Origin: Persia

The santur is a hammered dulcimer of Persian origin that is trapezoid-shaped and often made of walnut or exotic woods. It has 72 strings traditionally and is tuned to Persian classical music scales called dastgahs. The santur uses feather-weight mallets and has a three-octave range. It influenced the development of similar instruments around the world and its technique led to instruments like the piano. The santur originated in Persia around 1800 years ago and was traded throughout the Middle East, influencing local versions in places like India, Turkey, Iraq, and Europe.

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Ma Aleli Cunanan
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64 views3 pages

Santur, Santour, Santoor, Cymbalon, Cimbalon, Hakkebord, Psalterion, Dulcimer Name: Santûr Classification: Chordophones Origin: Persia

The santur is a hammered dulcimer of Persian origin that is trapezoid-shaped and often made of walnut or exotic woods. It has 72 strings traditionally and is tuned to Persian classical music scales called dastgahs. The santur uses feather-weight mallets and has a three-octave range. It influenced the development of similar instruments around the world and its technique led to instruments like the piano. The santur originated in Persia around 1800 years ago and was traded throughout the Middle East, influencing local versions in places like India, Turkey, Iraq, and Europe.

Uploaded by

Ma Aleli Cunanan
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Ruselle Dave Q.

Quiben
3rd year

Santur, santour, santoor, cymbalon, cimbalon, hakkebord, psalterion, dulcimer

Name: santûr
Classification: chordophones
Origin: Persia

The santûr is a very popular court music instrument in Iran but also in Turkey and Iraq. It's
frequently used in the classical Persian music but it's also a traditional Indian instrument.

The name of this middle eastern instrument comes from the Greek psalterion. Just like the
qanûn - whom it is close related to - the santur arrived in Europe during the Moorish
occupation of Spain. From then on it started to play an important role in the music of the
Middle Ages. Strings are beaten by two drumsticks.

Santours are tuned according to the dastgah (Iranian) or maqam (Iraqi) modi. A traditional
Iranian santur has 9 high cords divided into octaves and one row of 9 bass cords tuned an
octave lower. The Arabic and Turkish qanun has little brass handles abling to raise the tone by
one comma (8 commas=1 semi-tone) just as the qa'nûn.

Nowadays it still plays an important role in the music of the balkan countries, especially with
the Hungarian and Romanian gypsies where it is known under the name cymbalon.

The strings of this instrument are hammered with two sticks. On this principle the piano and his
relatives were build. So we could say the santur is the grandfather of the piano.
Ruselle Dave Q. Quiben
3rd year

The santur (also santūr, santour, santoor )

(Persian: ‫ )سنتور‬is a hammered dulcimer, of Persian origin. It is a trapezoid-shaped box often


made of walnut or different exotic woods. The original classical santur has 72 strings. The name
means one hundred strings in Persian. The oval-shaped mallets (Mezrabs) are feather-weight
and are held between the index and middle fingers. A typical santur has two sets of bridges,
providing a range of approximately threeoctaves. The right-hand strings are made of a
combined mixture of copper and brass, while the left-hand strings are made of stainless steel.
Two rows of 9 articles called "Kharak" (18 kharaks) divide the santur into three positions. Each
lead four unitone strings to the right and left side of the instrument. Each note repeats three
times in three positions [making (9*3) 27 tones all together and doubles in frequency going to
the left. As four notes are repeated in tonation there are 23 tones in Santur. The santur is
primarily tuned to a variety of different diatonic scales which utilize 1/4 tones (semi-tones).
There are 12 modes of Persian classical music, known as the "Radif" which consists of 12
Dastgahs or Modes. Each Dastgah has its own tuning and character which derives from the
different parts of Iran (Persia) which dates back thousands of years and was only preserved
through performance until the late Ostad Abol Hassan Saba the legendary Master of Persian
classical music, notated and categorized 3500 years of Persian music into the "Radif of Saba.

Derivations

Many instruments around the world at least in part, derive from the santur. Similar forms of the
santur have been present in neighboring cultures like Iran, Armenia, Turkey, and Iraq for
centuries. The Indian santoor is thicker, more rectangular, and has more strings. Its
corresponding mallets are also held differently. The Chinese yangqin originated from the
Persian santur. The Roma people introduced a derivative of the santur called the cymbalum to
Eastern Europe, which in turn likely led to the development of the clavichord and the piano.
The Greek santouri is also derived from the santur, and in Nikos Kazantzakis' classic novel Zorba
the Greek Zorba plays the santouri.

History

The Santur was invented in the Assyrian part of the Persian Empire (today's Iran) around 1800
years ago. This instrument was traded and traveled to different parts of the middle east and
each country customized and designed their own versions to adapt to their musical scales and
tunings. The original santur was made with tree bark, stones and stringed with goat intestines.
Ruselle Dave Q. Quiben
3rd year

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