Kurdish Folk Music from Western Iran

The Kurds are an ethnic people primarily living in a contiguous area of the Middle East composed of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, and northeastern Syria. Recorded by ethnomusicologist Dieter Christensen and his wife, this album focuses on the folk songs of Kurds living in western Iran in the early 1960s. Kurdish music is broadly divided into three types, reflecting differences in location, social strata, and the degree of professionalism. As explained in more detail in Christensen’s liner notes, urban popular music is played by professional musicians; rural music by peasants and dervishes with semi-professional status. The broadest category, which does not require that performers have special training, consists of music associated with the daily lives of the people and includes lullabies, children’s play songs, work songs, ceremonial songs, and holiday songs. Examples of all three types of music are included in this recording.

RELATED LESSON PLAN
"A Day in the Life of a Kurdish Kid"

Track Listing

101	Pişmeradî mahôr Asker Tarzan and Mohemmed Hatemî	03:43
102	Behare - Love Song Asker Tarzan, Mohemmed Hatemî, and Mohemmed Mamely	08:03
103	Xanê Keyqa / Paşbend Hadji Hemedereş	05:00
104	Şor Mehmûd û Xatû Merzêngan Şîr Ali	03:05
105	Genç xelîl Hadji Hemedereş	02:04
201	Qazelệ Nalî Derwiş Hemebor	04:24
202	Heyran Hadji Hemedereş	02:21
203	Qetar Sayid	02:45
204	Paşbend Sayid	00:37
205	Dupeyî Kerim Bayiz	03:21
206	Çî bû çit lê kirdim Sayid and Hasan	03:02
207	Mang le 'asman goşey kyeşa Aşref Bikasî	00:59
208	Kelhorî Mohammed Emin Brja	00:40
209	Laîlaî Batul Ziyayî	00:58
210	Manga lawaneh Ziwar Khanum Ziyayî	00:47
211	Laylî çuye humam Hasan	02:52