Typical instruments Daf, Tar (lute) and Kamancha | ||
“Shur”(Persian: شور) – is one of the great Dastgahs (a multifrequency vocal-instrumental composition) of seven main modes in Persian music. In comparison with Shur of the beginning of the 20th century, in the modern Shur many parts are not used. Modern Shur consists of parts (shobe) such as Maye, Kur-Shahnaz, Bayati-Kurd, Shikesteyi-fars, Mubarriga, Semayi-shems, Hijnaz, Sarenj and Nishibi-feraz. Some performers of Shur use little parts such as Buselik, Ashiran and Shah Khatai.
Maximally shortened kind of Shur destgah includes 8 main parts: Berdasht, Maye, Shur-Shahnaz, Bayati-Turk, Shikesteyi-fars, Semayi-shems, Hijaz and Sarenj. These parts play a function of “bearing components” of the whole construction in the modern level and make a mode “skeleton” of the composition.
There is also maqam Shur in Azerbaijani music. Mughams such as Shahnaz, Bayati-Kurd, Nava, Azerbaijani national songs and dance melodies and also Shur are based in this maqam.
Azerbaijani composer Fikret Amirov composed “Shur” mugham on the basis of this Shur. A documentary of the same name, shot in 1967 by AzTV, is dedicated to “Shur” mugham.