It will be difficult for anyone who has not heard the sounds produced by the duduk to describe in words what it is like. Majestic mountains with snow-capped peaks will appear before your mind’s eye, or a deep-sea lake will sparkle with azure – everyone will certainly have their own special associations. The Armenian duduk is a truly unique wind instrument. Despite its antiquity, it does not become obsolete, and its sound invariably continues to bring joy and a sense of charm to people. It is not surprising that the popularity of the duduk has spread far beyond the borders of Armenia – its fans today can be found in many, sometimes the most unexpected places in the world.
We will present you 10 interesting facts about duduk.
Fact No. 1.
The Armenian duduk is made only from a certain variety of apricot tree, which grows only in Armenia.
The climate of Armenia favors the growth of the desired variety of apricot tree. It is no coincidence that apricot in Latin is “Prunus armeniaca”, that is, “Armenian plum”. Great Armenian masters experimented and tried to use other types of wood. But only apricot gave the unique velvety sound characteristic of the duduk.
Fact No. 2.
The recognized “king” of the duduk to this day is the Great Warpet Vache Hovsepyan (1925-1978).
To this day, Vache Hovsepyan is the greatest duduk player of the 20th century. 37 years have passed since the great maestro passed away, but no one has yet surpassed the warpet in his virtuoso playing of the duduk. Vache Hovsepyan’s performance was admired all over the world. If you want to hear the real voice of the duduk, listen to Vache Hovsepyan.
Fact No. 3.
In 2005, UNESCO declared the melody of the Armenian duduk one of the masterpieces of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In 2008, a component of the Armenian intangible cultural heritage called “Duduk and its melody” was included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The world famous duduk musician Jivan Gasparyan made a significant contribution to the popularization of the instrument and the recognition of duduk at the world level.
Fact No. 4.
Usually the duduk is played in pairs: while the first player plays the melody, the second creates a tonic background called “dam” (breathing, singing along in Armenian), and the sound of the two instruments together has a richer and more exciting effect. When playing the Dam part on the duduk, the musician is required to possess the technique of circular (continuous) breathing and have a completely smooth sound transmission.
Fact No. 5.
Previously, a person playing the duduk was not taken seriously and was contemptuously called “zurnachi.”
Some families refused to marry their daughters to “zurnachi”, as they considered him a frivolous and insolvent person. Today, the attitude towards the duduk has changed dramatically. Half a century ago, the Armenian folk wind instrument was included in the academic program at the Yerevan State Conservatory, where there is now a duduk department that has produced many professional, certified duduk players. Today, the duduk sounds not only in the soundtracks of Hollywood films, but also in orchestras and operas.
Fact No. 6.
Duduk is extremely durable.
Like any “live” musical instrument, the duduk requires constant care. Caring for the duduk involves rubbing its main part with walnut oil. In addition to the fact that apricot wood has a high density (772 kg/m3) and high wear resistance, walnut oil gives the duduk surface even greater strength, which protects it from the aggressive effects of climate and environment – humidity, heat, low temperatures. In addition, walnut oil gives the instrument a unique look.
Fact No. 7.
The vocal range of the duduk is only one and a half octaves. Therefore, the instrument is made in various tones and timbres. Among the most common: bass, tenor, soprano and baritone duduk. If the instrument is diatonic, but the sound holes on it are not completely covered, it is permissible to extract chromatic sounds. Therefore, it is possible to perform music written in different keys on the duduk.
Fact No. 8.
Many people associate the sound of the duduk only with sadness and sorrow.
There is a stereotype that only sad melodies are played on the duduk. In fact, you can play anything on the duduk, including very cheerful and joyful pieces. Duduk accompanies festive ceremonies – weddings and birthdays. Nowadays, duduk is becoming an integral participant in such musical trends as blues, jazz, rock, rock and roll, pop music, and classical music.
Fact No. 9.
Most people know about the duduk from Ridley Scott’s film Gladiator.
However, you will be surprised to know that the film Gladiator turned out to be a flop at the box office. However, it still remains a film that introduced the viewer to the wonderful world of duduk performed by Jivan Gasparyan, who glorified the Armenian folk instrument throughout the world.
The sound of the Armenian duduk became known to a wide audience through its use in popular film soundtracks, such as Peter Gabriel’s score for Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ.
The world-famous Armenian duduk player Jivan Gasparyan played the duduk in the films “Gladiator”, “Syriana”, “Blood Diamond”. Duduk was also widely used in “Battlestar Galactica”, “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and many others.
Fact No. 10.
Today, not only men, but also women play the duduk.
Duduk is originally a male instrument. Therefore, in earlier times only men were its performers. But this long-standing tradition has been broken, and modern statistics show great interest in the Armenian flute on the part of women. The first popular woman to pick up the duduk is Armine Simonyan. From the age of five, Armine plays the dhol, and from the age of six, the shvi and duduk. A concert film of the same name was made about fifteen-year-old Armina in 1989. Duduk Armine Simonyan sounds in the film “Violet Heart”.
