Mizmar
|
|
In Arabic music, a mizmar is any single or double reed wind instrument. In Egypt mizmar usually refers to a surnay.
Mizmar is also a term used for a group of musicians, usually a duo or trio, that play a mizmar instrument along with an accompaniment of one or two double-sided bass drums, known in Arabic as "tabl." Mizmars are usually played in Egypt at either weddings or as an accompaniment to belly dancers. In Lebanon and Syria, it is influenced by the Turkish "zurna," a higher-pitched version of the mizmar, and may also be known in those countries as a "zamr" or "zamour," as well as "mizmar." Along with belly dancing, it may accompany the Dabkeh, a folkloric line dance found in Lebanon and Syria.