Santur
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The santur (سَنتور) is a hammered dulcimer of Iran. It is a trapezoid-shaped box often made of walnut, with 72 strings. The special-shaped mallets (mezrab) are lightweight and are held between the index and middle fingers. A typical santur has two sets of bridges, providing a range of three octaves. The right-hand strings are made of brass, while the left-hand strings are made of steel.
Derivations
Many instruments around the world at least in part derive from the santur. The Indian santoor is thicker, more rectangular, and can have more strings. Its corresponding mallets are also held differently. The Chinese yangqin originated from the Persian santur during the Persian empire. The Roma people introduced a derivative of the santur called the cymbalum to Eastern Europe, which in turn likely led to the development of the clavichord and the piano.
Famous Santur Players
- Master Faramarz-e Payvar (b. 1932) is generally considered to be the greatest Persian santur player of modern times.
- Ardavane Kamkar
- Majid Kiani
- Parviz Meshkatian
- Dariush Saghafi