Persian Sorna Musical Instrument – Khoramabad

Persian Sorna Musical Instrument

The sornā or Sarnā is an ancient Iranian woodwind instrument. The history of Sorna back to the Achaemenid Dynasty (550-330 BCE), and was used to play at the end of the day from the city gate or from the local administration building. This instrument was mainly played in outdoors in regional music of Iran in the festive ceremonies.

The Achaemenid sorna was a large trumpet-like instrument, but in later dates was reduced in size, and became more like (shrill oboe), or dozale (double oboe), which is characterized by a turned wood body of simple shape, with a heavily flared bell. The earlier was categorized as a trumpet, but this was a mistaken idea based on the bell of the oboe and the freeblowing embouchure that often gives a superficial resemblance to a brass embouchure, particularly if the oboe is fitted as so many are with a lip ring.

According to the Shahnameh, it was King Jamshid who devised the Sornā. Except the literary evidences, there are also number of artefacts from Sasanian dynasty (224-651 CE), depicting Sorna, such a silver dish, currently in Hermitage Museum.