String instruments
Kopuz
The oldest known string instrument in Turkish cultural history; it is remembered as the instrument of the ozans (bards).
In brief
- Family: String instrument; regional types are played with the fingers, a plectrum or a bow
- Origin: Turkic culture of Central Asia; in legend, the instrument made by Dede Korkut
- Earliest evidence: Uyghur texts from around the 10th century
- Body and materials: Carved from a single piece of wood; soundboard partly or wholly of skin or thin wood
- Strings: Gut or horsehair in old examples; 2 to 5 depending on the type
- Frets: Mostly fretless
- Related instruments: Kyrgyz komuz, Azerbaijani gopuz, Romanian cobza, Hungarian koboz
- 16th–17th centuries: Mentioned in Revani's İşaretname; Evliya Çelebi writes that the three-stringed kopuz was widely played in Bosnia, Buda and Temeşvar, but he never saw it in Anatolia[1, 2, 3]
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History
One of the oldest known string instruments of the Turks; it appears in the Book of Dede Korkut as the instrument in the hands of the ozan bards. It is considered the ancestor of many instruments, such as the bağlama, the cura and the Kazakh dombra.
Construction
The front of a body carved from a single piece of wood is covered with skin or thin wood; the neck is short and usually fretless. Depending on the tradition it has two to five strings; older examples used horsehair strings.
How it is played
It is played with the fingers, a small plectrum or, in some types, a bow; bards used it to accompany themselves while reciting epics. The Kyrgyz komuz is the closest living form of this tradition.
Its place in makam music
Its fretless neck makes it well suited to playing comma intervals freely; today it is used in Turkish folk music, in Central Asian melodies and by revival ensembles.
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
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Masters on recordings
Performers who play this instrument on recordings of works in the score archive (MusicBrainz).
Frequently asked questions about the Kopuz
What is the kopuz?
Kopuz is the general name for the oldest known string instruments of the Turks. It has no single form: the number of strings, the body shape and the neck length vary by period and region. It usually has a body carved from wood, a soundboard covered with skin or thin wood, and a short neck. Historical sources mention it as the instrument in the hands of ozans, kams and baksıs.
What is the difference between the kopuz and the bağlama?
The kopuz usually has a short, fretless neck, and the opening of its body is mostly covered with skin. The bağlama, by contrast, has frets tied onto its long neck and a wooden soundboard. The kopuz is an instrument with few strings and a soft sound that accompanies storytelling, whereas the bağlama, with its wider range and various tunings, serves both as an accompanying and a solo instrument. The bağlama is considered an evolved Anatolian descendant of the kopuz tradition.
How does the kopuz appear in the Book of Dede Korkut?
Most of the tales in the book end with Dede Korkut arriving, playing his kopuz and reciting the tale and its lineage; in other words, the story is turned into an epic to the accompaniment of the kopuz. The text uses the expression “kolça kopuz”, and the kopuz is a symbol of the bard's art, of wisdom and of respect for the word. This is why the kopuz is seen in Turkish culture not merely as an instrument but also as a symbol of the oral tradition.
Where is the kopuz played today?
It has no place in the ensembles of classical Turkish makam music. Today it is played mostly in Central Asian and Caucasian melodies, in epic recitation and by ensembles reviving early Turkish music; in Azerbaijan and Turkey, kopuzes built on the basis of old depictions are used. Relatives such as the Kyrgyz komuz, on the other hand, live on in everyday musical life.