Carmanian Barbats

From: Loren Miller <loren_at_ioxy.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 22:20:33 -0600


In the old days, often a group of Carmanian Hazars would pool their meager earnings together and hire a female entertainer for their brotherhood. These entertainers would sing songs and accompany themselves on the Barbat, a fretted lute with wooden belly (much like a guitar), five melodic strings that are played directly and two harmonic strings that vibrate sympathetically. The Barbat was tuned to match the alto and soprano range. They would sing odes to heroic warriors who ended their days in battle, alone and far from home, alternating with love songs and patriotic songs. Most of these were traditional songs, though a few of these entertainers were famous for their improvisatory abilities.

Most of the best Barbat players, then and now, are of Pelandan extraction.

Since the Lunar conquest the Barbat has evolved into different sizes. The soprano Barbat is tiny, with five melodic strings, no harmonics, and only played by the smallest women. The alto Barbat is larger, with five melodic and two harmonic strings, and mostly played by women, though many men play it too. The tenor and bass Barbats are much larger, and both have seven melodic strings and a second course of seven harmonic strings strung on a second neck. The bass Barbat is so large that those with only exceptionally long fingers can play it with much facility. It is a wonder indeed to see a well-rehearsed Barbat Septet, with one bass, two tenor, two alto, and two soprano, to say nothing of the heavenly sound they make together.

For more on terrestrial stringed instruments see http://search.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/1/0,5716,108411+12,00.html - --
Loren Miller <loren_at_ioxy.com>
http://ioxy.com
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