Shahroud, an ancient musical instrument, has been revived by music researcher and famous oud player Majid Nazempour after centuries of abandonment.
Nazempour told IRNA earlier last week that the instrument has frequently appeared in miniature paintings from the Mongols and the Timurid period.
It belongs to the family of Oud (Barbat in Iran) but enjoys a more bass sound. It can be used in Iranian orchestras which lack bass musical instruments.
“Bass tar or oud is now used to fill the gap. However, bass tar has problems such as ‘stable tune’, lack of proper musicality, and limited range of voices; therefore neither tar nor oud are good substitutes for a genuine bass instrument. Shahroud could be a suitable addition to Iranian music orchestra”, he stressed.
Oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in Arabic, Greek, Turkish, Persian, Jewish, Byzantine, Armenian, North African (Chaabi, classical, and Spanish Andalusian), Somali and Middle Eastern music. Construction of the oud is similar to that of the lute.
Oud was invented by Lamech, the sixth grandson of Adam, it is said. Legend tells us that the grieving Lamech hung the body of his dead son from a tree. The first oud was inspired by the shape of his son’s bleached skeleton. Shahroud seems to resemble oud in shape as well.
Nazempour has previously mended various ancient instruments such as Sassanid harp and Tarab-Rud and dedicated them to the Music Museum. Japan TV has broadcast a documentary on his work. ‘Albums of Philosophy’, ‘Zaryab’, ‘Seaside’s Mystery’, ‘Barbat’s Concert’, ‘A man for all Seasons’ and ‘The Story of Barbat’, a study on 5000-year history of Barbat, and Music in Hypnotism therapy and meditation are among his publications.
