Countries
Thesaurus
Terminology
Contact

Qurma / Qurmah (gender unknown)

(with) definite article: ?

original: ? (Arabic)

?

Hornpipe without a mouthpiece

Identical types: 25
Argul / Arġūl

According to Marcuse, a "double clarinet of the Argūl type, characterized by parallel tubes of equal length" (NB¹: ➺ Tibia pares), adding that "the illustration of a zummāra in Sachs's Reallexikon is in reality a qurmah"; Elsner/Jabès define the name as a "general term for a type of Arġul with pipes of equal length; They also refer to (and provide a photo of) a rather interesting Qurma with a drone with 2 ventholes at the back, the lower one of which can be stopped with a plug made of cane (šaddāda), while the upper one is closed with the thumb of the right [!!!] hand; NB²: I wonder why left-handed players are not taken into account!.

Usual length: 30-40 cm. Tiberiu Alexandru mentions, however, a specimen of an extreme length of 60 cm.

Girma, Urma


Sources

MGG: Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart (Kassel, Bärenreiter, 1949–1968, supplemented 1973-1986) / 2nd ed. 1994-2007, supplemented 2008.

Marcuse, Sibyl: Musical instruments: a comprehensive dictionary. New York, 1975 (Qurmah: »MGG).

Elsner, Jürgen & Jabès, Andrée: Der Arġūl. In: Collaer [et al.]: Nordafrika (1983), p.42/*.

Web

MIMO (musical instrument museums online [Find qurma (!)]).
Wahba-Alexandru virtual museum of Egyptian folk music (preliminary version [a]): "The collection tells a story".
Wahba-Alexandru virtual museum of Egyptian folk music (preliminary version [b]): "The folk music of Egypt" / La musique populaire d'Egypte / Die Volksmusic [sic] Ägyptens / الأغاني والموسيقى الشعبية المصرية (track lists [lacking accompanying/introductory text])