Percussion instruments
Nakkare
A bowl drum made of two small hemispherical drums, one smaller than the other, played with wooden sticks called zahme or tokmak.
In brief
- Family: Percussion; pair of small kettle drums
- Origin: The name comes from the Arabic root naqr, “to strike”; via Andalusia it also passed into European languages
- Body and materials: Hemispherical body of hammered copper; camel (or donkey) skin stretched over the opening
- Dimensions: About 25–35 cm in diameter; depth half the diameter or more
- Playing: With wooden sticks called zahme or tokmak; in the mehter, the nakkarezens played sitting cross-legged
- Music: Mehter, Mevlevi and tekke music, open-air festivities and weddings
- Other names: Kudüm in the Mevlevi order, nağara in Azerbaijan, çifte nağra in Anatolia
- 16th–17th centuries: One of the mehter instruments mentioned by Evliya Çelebi; according to him it was also played in the coffeehouses of Arabia[1, 2]
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History
Its name derives from the Arabic root nakr, meaning to strike; it was used in many countries in the Middle Ages. It had its place in the Ottoman mehter together with the kös; in the Mevlevi lodges the same instrument was called kudüm. In Azerbaijan it lives on in folk music as the goşa nağara. Its player is called a nakkarezen.
Construction
It consists of two bowl drums about 25–35 cm in diameter, with skin stretched over their openings. One drum is smaller and has a thinner skin.
How it is played
It is struck with wooden sticks called zahme or tokmak, one in each hand; the large bowl gives the low düm and the small one the high tek.
Its place in makam music
It plays no melody but keeps the usul. It shares its origin with the kudüm; the difference lies in the setting: the nakkare keeps the usul in the mehter and in secular music, the kudüm in the Mevlevi âyin.
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 Nakkare
What is the nakkare?
The nakkare is an usul instrument made up of two kettle drums, one smaller than the other, played with wooden sticks held in both hands. The large kettle gives a low sound and the small one a high sound, so düm and tek strokes can be played on a single pair of drums. It was used in the Ottoman mehter and in secular music.
What is the difference between the nakkare and the kudüm?
They are very similar in construction and come from a common root. The difference lies mostly in where they are used: the nakkare keeps the usul in the mehter and secular music, the kudüm in Mevlevi âyins and in the fasıls of classical Turkish music. So an instrument from the same root has acquired a different playing style and a different repertoire depending on the setting it entered.
How did the nakkare reach Europe?
The nakkare, which reached Europe in the Middle Ages through the Crusades and Mediterranean trade, was known there as the “naker”. These paired kettle drums are counted among the ancestors of the timpani in Europe. The interest the Ottoman mehter aroused in Europe also played a role in percussion instruments entering the orchestra.
Is the nakkare still played today?
It continues to be played in mehter bands. In Azerbaijan it lives on in folk music under the name goşa nağara. In classical Turkish music, the same task has largely been taken over by the kudüm; ensembles reviving early music are using the nakkare again. These revival efforts are making the usul patterns and playing styles of old sources audible once more.