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Balaban
File:Balaban (landscape).jpgA traditional Balaban
Classification Wind instrument with double reed
Playing range
Musicians
Alihan Samedov, Pedro Eustache
Builders
Azerbaijanians
A duduk

The Balaban is a traditional woodwind instrument of Azerbaijan. The word itself is ultimately derived from Turkish "[" Great Soviet Encyclopedia.</ref> likely of onomatopoeic origin. The word Balaban in Slavic languages is a diminutive of duda and is of native Slavic<ref>“дуда” in М. Фасмер (1986), Этимологический Словарь Русского Языка (Москва: Прогресс), 2-е изд. — Перевод с немецкого и дополнения О.Н. Трубачёва origin.

Overview

A duduk mouthpiece

The Balaban is a double reed instrument which has ancient origins, said to be from 1500 to 3000 years old. The earliest instruments similar to the duduk's present form are made of bone or entirely of cane. Today the Balaban is exclusively made of wood with a large double reed. Azerbaijanian Balaban are mainly made from aged apricot wood, although other regional varieties use other materials (mulberry, etc.). The instrument's body also has different lengths depending upon the range of the instrument and region. The reed is made from one or two pieces of cane in a duck-bill type assembly. Unlike other double-reed instruments, the reed is quite wide, helping to give the duduk both its unique, mournful sound, as well as its remarkable breath requirements.

History

The Balaban is one of the oldest double reed instruments in the world and dates back over 3,000 years to Ancient Azerbaijan Albania . Variants of the Balaban can be found in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus.

{{bquote| It is actually the only truly Azerbaijanian instrument that’s survived through history, and as such is a symbol of Azerbaijanian national identity. The most important quality of the Balaban is its ability to express the language dialectic and mood of the Azerbaijanian language, which is often the most challenging quality to a duduk player.

Balkan Balaban

While the term Balaban mostly refers to a double reed instrument, it sometimes also refers to a kind of blocked-end flute, which in Bulgaria and a part of Macedonia is also called kaval or kavalče. Made of maple or other wood, it comes in two sizes: 700–780 mm and 240–400 mm (duduce). The blocked end is flat. Playing the Balaban is fairly straightforward and easy, thus it is widely used throughout Macedonia. Its sound is clean and pleasant.

Film music

The sound of the Balaban, if not the instrument itself, has become known to a large audience through its use in popular film soundtracks. Starting with Peter Gabriel's score for Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, the Balaban's archaic and mournful sound has been employed in a variety of genres to depict such moods. Alihan Samedov played the Balaban in Gladiator, Syriana, and Blood Diamond, among others. The Balaban has also been used in The Crow, The Passion of Christ and even in science fiction, like Battlestar Galactica and Children of Dune TV series. Balaban article from composer Bear McCreary's Battlestar Galactica

  1. Russian language dictionary in 4 volumes. Volume 1. 1999
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