Traditions
The living traditions that carry Kurdish music: oral epic, dance, song forms and instruments.
Oral tradition
Dengbêj
The unaccompanied epic singing at the heart of Kurdish music.
Circle danceGovend
The Kurdish circle dance: community made visible.
Dance familyHalparke
The dance family of Başûr and Rojhilat.
Song traditionGoranî: the Soranî song
Goranî: the word for song in the Soranî-speaking world.
Instrument (frame drum)Erbane
The frame drum whose jingles carry Kurdish rhythm.
Instrument (long-necked lute)Tembûr
The long-necked lute of the Kurdish bard.
Instruments (shawm and drum)Zurna and def
The outdoor pair that no Kurdish wedding can do without.
Language traditionZazakî music
The music of the Zazakî language and the Dêrsim tradition.
Song formLorî: the Kurdish lullaby
The lullaby tradition: the first Kurdish music anyone hears.
Song formHeyranok
The love-song form of the mountains: admiration sung in couplets.
Song formPayîzok
Autumn songs: the melancholy calendar of the pastoral year.