Editing Tar (string instrument)

{{Short description|String Instrument}}
{{for|another instrument|Tar (Azerbaijani instrument)}}
{{Redirect|Taar|other uses|Trace amine-associated receptor|and|Taar (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox instrument
| name       = Tar
| image      = iranian tar.jpg
| background = string
| classification = Plucked
| related    = [[Guitar]], [[Oud]], [[Tanbur]], [[Rebab]], [[Setar]]
| developed  =
| range      = [[File:Tar Range.svg|130px|center]]<div align="center">(Shoor tuning)</div>
}}

The '''tar''' ({{langx|fa|تار {{IPA|fa|t̪ʰɒːɹ|}}|lit=[[String (music)|string]]}}) is a long-necked, waisted instrument in the [[lute]] family, used by many cultures and countries in the [[Middle East]] and the [[Caucasus]], including [[Iran]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Armenia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Tajikistan]], and [[Turkey]].<ref name="britannica1">[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/583250/tar tar (musical instrument)]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved on 1 January 2013.</ref><ref name="iranchamber1">{{cite web |url=http://www.iranchamber.com/music/articles/iranian_music_instruments.php |title=Iran Chamber Society: Music of Iran: Iranian Traditional Music Instruments |publisher= Iranchamber.com |access-date= 2013-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.farhangsara.com/musichist.htm |title=History of Iranian Music |publisher=Farhangsara.com |access-date=2013-01-01 |archive-date=28 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128014743/http://www.farhangsara.com/musichist.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

It was originally known as the ''chahartar'' ({{lang|fa|چهارتار}}) or ''chartar'' ({{lang|fa|چارتار}}), which translates into [[Persian language|Persian]] as 'four-stringed'. This is in accordance with a practice common in Persian-speaking areas of distinguishing lutes on the basis of the number of strings originally employed. 

Beside the ''chartar'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Encyclopaedia Iranica |title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/cahartar-lit |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=iranicaonline.org |language=en-US}}</ref> these include the ''[[dutar]]'' ({{lang|fa|دوتار}}; 'two-stringed'), ''[[setar]]'' ({{lang|fa|سه‌تار}}; 'three-stringed'), ''panjtar'' ({{lang|fa|پنج‌تار}}; 'five-stringed'), and the ''[[shashtar]]'' ({{lang|fa|شش‌تار}}; 'six-stringed').

It was revised into its current sound range in the 18th century<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orientalinstruments.com/instrupedia/tar|title=Oriental Instruments – Tar|website=Orientalinstruments.com|access-date=20 April 2021}}</ref> and has since remained one of the most important musical instruments in Iran and the Caucasus, particularly in [[Persian traditional music|Persian music]], while [[Azerbaijani folk music|Azerbaijani music]] uses the [[Tar (Azerbaijani instrument)|Azerbaijani tar]]. It's the favoured instrument for [[radif (music)|radifs]] and [[mugham]]s.

== Physical characteristics ==
[[File:Tar lute 002.jpg|left|thumb|Front view of tar body]]
[[File:Tar lute 003.jpg|left|thumb|Back view of tar body]]

The most easily identifiable feature is the double-bowl shaped body carved from [[mulberry]] wood, with a thin membrane covering the top. The membrane is of stretched [[domestic sheep|lamb]]-skin in the Persian tar, or the [[pericardium]] of an ox in the [[Tar (Azerbaijani instrument)|Azerbaijani (or Caucasian) tar]].<ref>Stephen Blum. Hearing of the Music of the Middle East : / Edited by Virginia Danielson, Dwight Reynolds, Scott Marcus. — The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. — Taylor & Francis, 2017. — V. 6, The Middle East. — P. 8. — ISBN 978-1-351-54417-7.<blockquote>It remained essential to the Azerbaijani genre known as muğam, which is performed by a trio consisting of Azerbaijani tar (distinct from the Persian variety), kəmənçe (spike fiddle), and a singer who also plays the frame drum (dəf) during instrumental interludes.</blockquote></ref><ref>Suraya Agayeva. Azerbaijan: History, Culture and Geography of Music : / Edited by Janet Sturman. — International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture. — SAGE Publications, 2019. — P. 294. — ISBN 978-1-4833-1774-8.<blockquote>In 1870–1875, the famous tar-player Mirza Sadiq Asad Oglu (1846–1902, the city Shusha) improved the main mugham musical instrument tar. For amplification of sound, Mirza Sadiq increased the number of strings, changed the number of frets, and added the fret Zabul for the better performance of mugham Segah. He modernized the way of holding the tar: The player places it horizontally on the chest instead of the former Iranian way of holding on the lap. This kind of Azerbaijani tar is widely used in the South Caucasus, Dagestan, Central Asia, Turkey, and other countries of the Middle East.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_Eu1972-01-16 musical instrument (Iranian tar); lute]. britishmuseum.org.<blockquote>The tar is a long necked lute from Iran. A similar shaped and named instrument is used in the Caucasus states (i.e.Azeri tar /Caucasus tar). This instrument ["tar" = "string"] appeared in its present form in the middle of the eighteenth century.</blockquote></ref> The [[fingerboard]] has twenty-five to twenty-eight adjustable gut [[fret]]s. The Persian tar has three double courses of [[Strings (music)|strings]] and a range of about two and one-half [[octave]]s. The Caucasian tar has 11 strings in five paired courses plus a [[Bass (sound)|bass]] [[Drone (sound)|drone]].

The long and narrow [[Neck (music)|neck]] has a flat [[fingerboard]] running level to the membrane and ends in an elaborate [[pegbox]] with six/11 wooden [[tuning peg]]s of different dimensions, adding to the decorative effect.

=== The strings of the Persian tar ===
It has three courses of double "singing" strings (each pair tuned in unison: the first two courses in plain steel, the third in wound copper), that are tuned root, fifth, [[octave]] (C, G, C), plus one "flying" bass string (wound in copper and tuned to G, an octave lower than the singing middle course) that runs outside the fingerboard and passes over an extension of the nut. Every String has its own [[Tuning mechanisms for stringed instruments|tuning peg]] and are tuned independently. 

The Persian tar used to have five strings. The sixth string was added to the tar by [[Darvish Khan]]. This string is today's fifth string of the Iranian tar.

=== Modes of play ===
The instrument is held high on the breast, plucked at the centre of the body using a small [[brass]] [[plectrum]] known in Persian/Azerbaijani as a [[Mezrab (plectrum)|mezrab]]/mizrab. That is held in the right hand and used in a combination of [[Strum|upstrokes]] (''alt'') and [[Downpicking|downstrokes]] (''üst'') along with occasional [[Tremolo|tremolos]] in both directions. Meanwhile the [[Musical note|notes]] are selected by the placing of the fingers of the left hand, with notes sometimes bent by a motion of the placed finger as in [[blues]] guitar. 

The addition of an un-plucked note as a [[Trill (music)|trill]] on top of the plucked bass note is known in Azerbaijani as ''lal barmaq'' – literally “muted finger”.,<ref>[https://caspianpost.com/en/post/culture/learning-mugham-tar-tips-and-insights-from-polina-dessiatnitchenko Guide to key features of tar playing]</ref> while a somewhat similar effect called ''jirmag'' is achieved by using the fingernail to strike the string. This gives a more poignant 'scratching' sound.<ref>[https://caspianpost.com/en/post/culture/learning-mugham-tar-tips-and-insights-from-polina-dessiatnitchenko Guide to key features of tar playing]</ref>

== Azerbaijani tar ==
{{Main|Tar (Azerbaijani instrument)}}
[[File:Aserbaidschanische Volksinstrument Tar.JPG|thumb|Azerbaijani tar]]
The Azerbaijani tar—or the Caucasus, Caucasian or the "11-string tar"—is a related instrument with a slightly differing shape from the Persian tar, and was developed from around 1870 by [[Sadigjan]]. It has a  different build and utilizes more strings. The Azerbaijani tar features one extra bass string on the side, on a raised [[Nut (string instrument)|nut]], and usually has two doubled resonance strings, held via small metal nuts halfway down the [[Neck (music)|neck]]. These strings are all placed next to the main strings over the bridge and are fixed to a string-holder and the edge of the body, somewhat like the Indian [[Sitar|sitar's]] rhythm strings. Overall, the Azerbaijani tar has 11 playing strings and 17 [[Musical tone|tones]]. It is considered the national instrument of Azerbaijan.<ref>[http://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com/middle_east.htm Middle East]. Atlas of Plucked Instruments. Retrieved on 2013-01-01.</ref>

According to the [[Encyclopædia Iranica]], Azeri art music is also performed in other regions of the Caucasus, mainly among [[Armenians]] who have adopted the [[mugham]] repertoire and its associated instruments (such as the [[kamancheh]] and tar).<ref name="Iranica">[https://iranicaonline.org/articles/azerbaijan-xi Encyclopædia Iranica]<blockquote>Azeri art music is also played in other regions of the Caucasus, especially among the Armenians, who have adopted the system of maqām and the instruments kamāṇča and tār.</blockquote></ref>

A tar is depicted on the [[Obverse and reverse|reverse]] side of the Azerbaijani one-[[Azerbaijani manat|qəpik]] coin (minted since 2006)<ref>[http://www.cbar.az/ Central Bank of Azerbaijan]. National currency: [http://www.cbar.az/pages/national-currency/coins/new-generation-coins/ New generation coins]. – Retrieved on 25 February 2010.</ref> and on the [[Obverse and reverse|obverse]] of the Azerbaijani one-[[Azerbaijani manat|manat]] banknote (also issued since 2006).<ref>[http://www.cbar.az/ Central Bank of Azerbaijan]. National currency: [http://www.cbar.az/pages/national-currency/banknotes/azn/ 1 manat]. – Retrieved on 25 February 2010.</ref>

In 2012, the craftsmanship, tradition and performance  of the tar in Azerbaijan was added to [[UNESCO]]'s [[Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity|Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]] list.<ref>[https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/craftsmanship-and-performance-art-of-the-tar-a-long-necked-string-musical-instrument-00671 Craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar, a long-necked string musical instrument]. Unesco.org. Retrieved on 2018-04-29.</ref>

== Music and Healing ==
The [[Melody|melodies]] performed on tar were considered useful for headache, insomnia and melancholy, as well as for eliminating nervous and muscle spasms. Listening to this instrument was believed to induce a quiet and philosophical mood, compelling the listener to reflect upon life. Its solemn melodies were thought to cause a person to relax and fall asleep.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

The author of ''[[Qabusnameh]]'' (11th century) recommends that when selecting [[musical tone]]s (''pardeh''), to take into account the temperament of the listener (see [[Four temperaments]]). He suggested that lower pitched tones (''bam'') were effective for persons of sanguine and phlegmatic temperaments, while higher pitched tones (''zeer'') were helpful for those who were identified with a choleric temperament or melancholic temperament.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nettl |first1=Bruno |author-link1=Bruno Nettl |last2=Russell |first2=Melinda |author-link2=Melinda Russell |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |date=1998 |title=In the Course of Performance: Studies in the World of Musical Improvisation |page=30 |isbn=978-0-226-57410-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=74IIU85CKmAC&q=qabus&pg=PA30}}</ref>

== Use in contemporary music ==
The tar features prominently in ''[[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds]]'', in the section "Horsell Common and the Heat Ray". [[George Fenton]] played tar on the original album, and Gaetan Schurrer can be seen<ref name="WotW">[http://www.thewaroftheworlds.com/messageboard/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=4&MessageID=21077 Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds]. Thewaroftheworlds.com (2007-08-16). Retrieved on 2013-01-01.</ref> playing one on the DVD of the 2006 production.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Safavid-style portrait, female musician plays a tar.jpg|[[Qajar dynasty|Qajar]]-era portrait (in [[Safavid]] style) of a female musician playing a tar.
File:A Youthful Musician, Persia, Safavid, Isfahan or Khurasan, late 16th century.jpg|Young man with Iranian [[Rubab (instrument)|rubab]] (16th cent.), Safavid Empire. The figure-eight shape resembles a tar, but only one side is covered with hide; on the tar, both sides of the instrument are covered in hide. Rubabs had a lower section covered with hide, and an upper, hollow section covered with wood.
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Music of Azerbaijan]]
* [[Music of Iran]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|35em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Tar (lute)}}
* [http://parhamnassehpoor.com/persian-tar.html About Persian Tar]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060906214733/http://nay-nava.blogfa.com/post-3.aspx Nay-Nava the Encyclopedia of Persian Music Instruments]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070208212744/http://www.dariush-talai.com/ Dariush Talai]
* [http://parhamnassehpoor.com/music.html Persian Tar Audio Samples]
* [http://azeri.org/Azeri/az_latin/manuscripts/music_therapy/english/113_music_therapy_farid.html Medieval music therapy]
* [http://farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=32 Farabi School]

{{Lute}}
{{Iranian musical instruments}}
{{Azerbaijani musical instruments}}
{{Armenian musical instruments}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Azerbaijani musical instruments]]
[[Category:Musical instruments of Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Kurdish musical instruments]]
[[Category:Armenian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Necked bowl lutes]]
[[Category:Drumhead lutes]]
[[Category:Iranian inventions]]
[[Category:Persian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Iranian musical instruments]]