Soon after Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, the founder and director of Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), invited me to join the faculty in Kabul on March 21, 2010, I started a project that would take over three years: selecting, editing, and arranging Afghan songs in separate anthologies for violin, viola, cello, and bass. The songs may supplement the Suzuki Method or any other beginning method for these instruments. Each piece in the anthology comes from the tradition of Afghan folk or popular music.
Pieces from any anthology may be performed with an improvised drum part (an Afghan drum such as daf, dohl, or zirbaghali; Indo-Afghan drums such as tabla; or African drums such as djembe). For the violin, viola, and cello anthologies, I also composed a piano accompaniment, and for the violin and viola anthologies, I composed a second violin or viola part that may be played instead of the piano accompaniment. While some songs appear in each anthology, each one is also different, featuring songs unique to that anthology and taking into account the differing needs of the different string instruments.
I would like to thank Dr. Sarmast for his expertise and support; Jason Calloway, for editing the cello anthology; Salima Barday Gowani, for editing the bass anthology; Tamanna Faqirzada Krami and Sharif Bakhtiari, for their help with printing; Amin Khishkai, for translating Pashto poetry; and Mimi Zweig, Brenda Brenner, and Cynthia Faisst for their advice and encouragement. Thank you also to my former students at Afghanistan National Institute of Music. Their requests and needs helped this anthology to evolve. It is dedicated to all of them and particularly to the girls, whose courage is and was exceptional.
Now that music is once again illegal in Afghanistan and Dr. Sarmast has led the ANIM community to safety and freedom in Portugal, it is more important than ever that Afghan music be studied, played, and enjoyed. My hope is that violin, viola, cello, and bass teachers around the world will use this anthology, and that through the process of learning Afghan music, their students will not only learn their instruments but also develop an appreciation of and empathy for Afghanistan and its culture and people. In ways we might not understand at this moment in time, I hope against hope that more love for and understanding of Afghan music will lead to that happy day when it may once again resound joyously in the land of its birth.
Professor Emeritus, Afghanistan National Institute of Music
Mexico City, May 12, 2024
Anthology of Afghan Songs for Violin: Student Violin Parts; 2nd Violin OR Piano Parts
#1: “Parsona” (Ask About Me) Ghulam Hassan
To Western ears this Pashto song may sound cheerful, but the poem is an ardent plea of a lover who implores his beloved to “ask about me.” The middle section was originally freely notated and is presented here in strict meter, with the exception of the fermata. The song bears a coincidental resemblance to “Allegro” by Shinichi Suzuki (Suzuki Violin School Volume I), and the student should begin the Anthology only after learning that work. The student should play with a strong martéle stroke in the outer sections and a beautiful detaché in the middle. Source: Afghan Music by Tsiranmal M. Deen Zhwak, notations by Ustad Farokh, edited by M. M. Jehad, Union of Artists Association of Afghanistan, Kabul 1991.
#2: “Tsapei” (Waves) Muhammad Gul
In another song that sounds deceptively cheerful, the poet writes of fury coming like waves upon his heart. This piece introduces the student to the use of D-string as well as to dynamics. The student should exaggerate the dynamics to imitate the waves. Source: Zhwak.
#3: “Dildar Ta Kilazi” (To My Beloved) Muhammad Gul
This Pashto love song introduces the student to tied notes and sixteenth notes. The student should practice saying and playing the piece first without the ties and then with the ties. The slurs are to facilitate bowing. Source: Zhwak.
#4: “Zharam” (Crying) Muhammad Gul
Gul wrote this heart-breaking song in 1970 in honor of Shah Jahan, the great Mughal Emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his beloved wife. This song introduces the violin student to the minor mode and to 6/8 time. Source: Zhwak.
#5: “Yaran” (Friends) Ghulam Hassan
This song introduces students to a low second finger and to modes other than major and minor. The poet here warns the listener to be wary of false friends. Source: Zhwak.
#6: “Zoor De Yar Damini” (The Effects of Love) Jarahr
The poet bemoans the devastating effects of love, though the song may sound cheerful to non-Afghans. It was not written as a round, but works as such in two or three parts. A second voice may begin at the second measure, and a third voice at the third measure. After a few repetitions, each voice stops at the note marked by the sign in the last measure. This piece works well to introduce the student to rounds. It also marks the first use of a low first finger. Source: Zhwak.
#7: “Damini Mini” (Love, Love) Saeed Alam
The writer of the poem wants to talk with his beloved. This rollicking song is the first in which the second finger must move often between high and low positions. Source: Zhwak.
#8: “Mina” (Love) Muhammad Gul
This song explains the effects of love in the human body. The violin student will learn how to do downbeat rests and ties across a barline, plus this is the first song where the violin part is almost completely independent of the accompaniment. Also, the soft dynamic is unusual; the teacher should help the student retain a good core to the sound in soft playing. Source: Zhwak
#9: “Sta Ratlo Pe Entazarki” (I’m waiting for you) Ghulam Hassan
The poet writes of looking for his beloved, so the harmonies meander chromatically in search of a tonic home. The student develops an awareness of more unusual harmonies as well as the use of the fourth finger and high third finger. Source: Afghan Songs and Melodies, compiled in 1965 by the Press and Information Ministry (PIM) of Afghanistan. Also found in Zhwak.
#10: “Bia ke birim ba Mazar” (Let’s Go to Mazar) Traditional
This is the single most popular folk song in Afghanistan. Every Afghan grows up singing this beautiful and simple melody. The most difficult thing about this is that it is much longer than previous songs in the anthology, so therefore offers an opportunity to develop memory and an instinct for musical form. Source: Afghan Folk Songs (AFS), photocopy of out of print anthology. Also found in the collection of Khaled Arman, “Chansons Populaires d’Afghanistan,” published CEREDAF, Paris 2004. Also based on the performances of Ustad Gholam Hossein.
#11: “Masta Laila” (Charming Laila) Ghulam Hassan
A shy boy sees a charming girl wearing a big headscarf as she goes to fetch water. He hopes that next time her mother will be blinded so she won’t make the girl wear the big scarf, but he declares that he stands respectfully to honor the girl’s beauty, the way a servant stands for a king.
This haunting, lilting song introduces the student to 6/8 time. Source: Zhwak
#12: “Stademekh Rana” (Brightness of Your Face) Ghulam Hassan
A girl’s face is as bright as the flame of a candle in this rollicking, robust song, vaguely reminiscent of the sort of folk song beloved by Charles Ives. Source: Zhwak
#13: “Da Watan” (In this Land) Ustad Gulzaman
This is one of the most popular patriotic songs of Afghanistan. For the past forty years, it has inspired Afghans with its lyrics telling how there is “an eagle on every mountaintop” ready to defend Afghanistan. Ustad Gulzaman is still active as a singer, songwriter, and teacher into his 80s. The score of this song introduces the non-Afghan student to the names of sections of a song: “Astayi” (chorus), “Naghma” (instrumental section when the singer rests), “Antara” (verse), and “Khatem” (coda). Source: Sessions with Ustad Gulzaman, April & May, 2010.
#14: “Stachashmano” (Your Eyes) Anonymous
The subject of the poem has eyes that “make my heart a different color.” The poet is a “beggar behind your door.” This lilting love song introduces the student to 5/8 meter. The teacher could have the student practice 5/8 by tapping each of his/her five fingers lightly on a table in time to a metronome. Source: PIM.
#15: “Anar Anar” (Pomegranates) Traditional
This is a very popular folk song with all Afghans. It compares the beloved to a pomegranate, the luscious purple fruit that grows particularly well in Afghanistan and of which Afghans are rightly proud. Source: The performances of Ustad Gholam Hossein and Quraishi Roya. Also based on my arrangement of this song for the Afghan Youth Orchestra for my re-imagining of Vivaldi’s masterpiece, “The Four Seasons of Afghanistan.”
#16: “Dua Dua Tara Akhla” (Two Braids) Anonymous
This Pashto wedding song is sung by the bride who braids her hair in two braids. The student learns how to move the second finger quickly between low and high positions. Source: PIM.
#17: “Janana” (Beloved) Anonymous
In the original, the singer laments: “You injured my heart, my beloved. You laugh at me. My tears fall like dewdrops on the grass, and you are a flower. What will you do when they put you under ground?” Source: PIM.
#18: “Sar Zamin-e Man” (My Homeland) Anonymous
The melody is from Turkey, but Daud Sarkhosh popularized the song in Afghanistan. The heart-rending lyrics in Dari protest the Taliban, and ask rhetorically why no one is caring for Afghanistan. Source: Transcription by Ahmad Farid Shefta. I worked with Mr. Shefta to arrange this song for the Afghan Youth Orchestra to perform for President Hamid Karzai on September 28, 2010.
#19: “Zama Mahabuba” (My Beloved) Muhammad Gul
This raunchy song describes a man working his hands under a woman’s skirt and telling her that all his lands are for her, because he doesn’t need land if he has this place. The song helps the student master a 6/8 time in which the internal accents change frequently. Source: Zhwak.
#20: “Bibi Sanem Janem” Traditional
This is a very popular folk song in the region. Source: Khaled Arman. Also based on performances by Ustad Gholam Hossein.
#21: “Pesta Farosh” (Pistachio Seller) Traditional
This well known folk song introduces the student to 7/8 time. In Afghanistan, 7/8 is called “mughuli” and is considered the national rhythm. The non-Afghan student may find this rhythm complicated at first. Think of it as 3/4 in which the first beat is slightly longer; this creates the lilting feeling that gives the rhythm its character. The student should prepare by practicing the 7/8 Study, which is a song called “Wawaraghla Laila” by Muhammad Gul from the Zhwak book. Source: AFS. This version of Pesta Farosh is partially based on the performances of Ustad Gholam Hossein as well as my arrangement of this song in “The Four Seasons of Afghanistan.”
#22: “Chashme Por Khomar Bashi ho Bacha” Traditional
(The Boy With Intoxicating Eyes)
This song in mughuli rhythm requires the student to rapidly alternate the second and third fingers between high and low positions. The third and fourth measures in the piano right hand are based on a typical introduction that a tabla player might use to introduce mughuli rhythm. The high notes at the very end, in the piano part, represent the rubab player alternating virtuosically between the regular strings and the highest sympathetic string of the rubab. The sforzandissimos in the left hand of the piano represent the stentorian thwacks of the dhol, a loud drum. Source: Khaled Arman. Also found in AFS. Based on the performance of Ustad Gholam Hossein.
#23: “Begzaro Taw Begiryam” Ahmad Zahir
(Let Me Cry)
This arrangement of an Ahmad Zahir song frequently played on Kabul radio stations is a surefire hit. Source: Photocopy of out-of-print Anthology of Songs of Ahmad Zahir.
Anthology of Afghan Songs for Viola: Student Viola Parts; 2nd Viola Parts OR Piano Parts
#1: “Sta Pe Mohabat Ke” (All About Your Love) Muhammad Gul
This song speaks all about the poet’s beloved, and is a good chance for a student new to the viola to work on a beautiful, singing tone. Source: Zhwak.
#2: “Zama Laila” (My Laila) Ghulam Hassan
The story of the doomed lovers Laila and Majnoun is as famous in the Muslim world as the story of Romeo and Juliet is in the West. It shows up in different versions in Arabic, Persian, and Indian literature. In Afghanistan, young men will tell their beloved: “You are my Laila.” This is one of many songs about this story. It provides the student with an opportunity to develop both martéle and detaché strokes, plus includes a ritardando and fermata. Source: Zhwak.
#3: “Arman De Shaisto (Thinking About Beauty) Muhammad Gul
This carefree song helps the student learn syncopation. Source: Zhwak.
#4: “Lalo Marjandi” (Nuggets) Muhammad Gul
The poem compares good people to nuggets of a precious mineral. This song help the student develop a beautiful sound on the C string. Source: Zhwak.
#5:”Spojmai” (Moon) Muhammad Gul
The poet compares his beloved to many things, including the moon. This beautiful lullaby further develops the sound of the C string. Source: Zhwak.
#6: “Gol De Har Chaman Ye” (Flowers of the Grass) Muhammad Gul
The beloved is like the “flowers of the grass” in this haunting yet whimsical song that helps the student convey different characters and articulations in the minor mode. Source: Zhwak.
#7: “Jananah Roshah Naw Bahar Dayi” (Beloved is Coming) Ghulam Hassan
The beloved is coming, and it is spring. This song develops a singing sound. Source: Zhwak.
#8: “Ze Arshaq Yim” (I Am in Love) Muhammad Gul
The singer asks the bartender to pour a nice glass of wine for me because he is lovesick and is desperate for a cure. Source: Zhwak.
#9: “Laila” Ghulam Hassan
This is one of many songs about Laila and Majnoun. Its phrases each consist of three bars, and it introduces the student to written-out ornaments. Source: Zhwak
#10: “Thok Ye” (Who are you?) Ghulam Hassan
The beloved is asking who are you, why are you here, and what do you want in this song that introduces the student to 6/8 time. Source: Zhwak
#11: “Hamagi Yak Birarem” (We are all brothers) Safdar Tawa Kali
This song, sung in Dari and made famous by the singer Farhad Darya, says that all people from different provinces are brothers. Source: Zhwak.
#12: “Zherme Bosa Degham da Daryawba” (I Arrived Sad at the River) Muhammad Gul
This haunting song offers an opportunity for the student to master 5/8. Source: Zhwak.
#13: “Ma De Laleya Wale Belavina” (Far From My Beloved) Muhammad Gul
The singer is anxious because she is far from her beloved; she is not allowed to see him.
Source: Zhwak
#14: Pashto Song Anonymous
This rollicking song builds rhythmic confidence. Source: Zhwak.
#15: “Ay Saraban” Ustad Zaland
A popular hit, this song is beloved by every Afghan. The viola student must play one measure in second position. Source: Old photocopy of tune provided by Ustad Basir, ANIM’s Guitar Teacher.
#16: “Wawry Wawry” (It’s Snowing) Ghulam Hassan
This song introduces the viola student to 7/8 (mughuli), the national rhythm of Afghanistan. Source: Zhwak.
#17: “Lashkar Yu De Pohane” (Education Masses) Anonymous
This Pashto song about the importance of education is a haunting melody, yet sings of a bright future for the children of Afghanistan. It was prepared for performance by the Afghan Youth Orchestra for President Karzai at the 2012 School Bell Ceremony. In this version, it is an excellent way for the student to master half position and shifting to third position. Additionally, the student will note the printed terms “Astayi,” “Antara,” and “Naghma,” in the music. In much Afghan folk music, the structure follows this format: the chorus of the poem is called the “Astayi,” the verse is the “Antara,” and “Naghma” is the section of the song played by only the instruments. The “Khatem” is the coda or final section. Source: Old audio recording.
#18: “Dishab ke chunay” (Last Night) Popular
The singer sings about good times last night. Source: Performance of Mashal Arman.
# 19: “Dast az Talab” Us. Arman
This is one of the most popular songs made famous by Us. Arman and Ahmad Zahir, “the Afghan Elvis.” Source: Photocopy of out-of-print Anthology of Songs of Ahmad Zahir.
#20: “Raftim Az In Bogh” (We went to the garden) Traditional
A rollicking and enjoyable song, the student must shift to third position. Source: Performances of Us. Gholam Hossein.
#21: “Layli Jan” Traditional
This is a very popular folk tune. Source: The performances and edition of Us. Khalid Arman.
#22: “Ta ke na bashad” Traditional
This folk song rose to prominence after Ustad Salim Sarmast arranged it for the singer Ismail Charikari and a large orchestra. Source: Performances of Us. Gholam Hossein.
#23: “Madar-e Man” (My Mother) Tarana Saz
A very sentimental hit made famous by Ahmad Zahir requires students to shift from first to third position. Source: Photocopy of out-of-print Anthology of Songs of Ahmad Zahir.
#24: “Wedding Song” Traditional
It is unusual for a song to be in mughuli rhythm at this slow tempo. This is the traditional Kabul wedding song, and the original words ask the bride to walk slowly so people can see her beauty. However, I first encountered the song in Salim Sarmast’s Afghan operetta, “Forcible Marriage,” where he changes the words to emphasize the tragedy of a young woman married against her will. This piano accompaniment is based on my re-orchestration of Salim Sarmast’s tragic two settings of the traditional wedding song in “Forcible Marriage.” It is dedicated to young Afghan girls forced to marry older men against their will. Please note that owing to the intricate nature of the piano accompaniment, there is no second viola version of this accompaniment. Sources: Old audio recording of “Forcible Marriage” by Salim Sarmast; arrangement by Babrak Wassa; PIM.
Anthology of Afghan Songs for Cello: Student Parts; Piano Parts
#1: “Zharam” (Crying) by Muhammad Gul
Gul wrote this heart-breaking song in 1970 in honor of Shah Jahan, the great Mughal Emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his beloved wife. This song introduces the student to the minor mode and to 6/8 time. Source: Afghan Music by Tsiranmal M. Deen Zhwak, notations by Ustad Farokh, edited by M. M. Jehad, Union of Artists Association of Afghanistan, Kabul 1991.
#2: “Zama Laila” (My Laila) by Ghulam Hassan
The story of the doomed lovers Laila and Majnoun is as famous in the Muslim world as the story of Romeo and Juliet is in the West. It shows up in different versions in Arabic, Persian, and Indian literature. In Afghanistan, young men will tell their beloved: “You are my Laila.” This is one of many songs about this story. It provides the student with an opportunity to develop both martéle and detaché strokes, plus includes a ritardando and fermata. Source: Zhwak.
#3: “Sta Pe Mohabat Ke” (All About Your Love) by Muhammad Gul
This song speaks all about the poet’s beloved, and is a good chance to work on a beautiful, singing tone. Source: Zhwak.
#4: “Paimana Bete Ke Khomar Astom”
This alluring folk melody introduces the student to 7/8 time, known as mughuli, or the national rhythm of Afghanistan. Source: Performance by Rameen Saqizada, ANIM Rubab Teacher, at ANIM, Kabul.
#5: “Zoor De Yar Damini” (The Effects of Love) by Jarahr
The poet bemoans the devastating effects of love, though the song may sound cheerful to non-Afghans. It was not written as a round, but works as such in two or three parts. A second voice may begin at the second measure, and a third voice at the third measure. After a few repetitions, each voice stops at the note marked by the sign in the last measure. Source: Zhwak.
#6: “Zherme Bosa Degham da Daryawba” (I Arrived Sad at the River) by Muhammad Gul
This haunting song offers an opportunity for the student to master 5/8. Source: Zhwak.
#7: “Anar Anar” (Pomegranates) Traditional
This is a very popular folk song with all Afghans. It compares the beloved to a pomegranate, the luscious purple fruit that grows particularly well in Afghanistan and of which Afghans are rightly proud. Source: The performances of Ustad Gholam Hossein and Quraishi Roya. Also based on my arrangement of this song for the Afghan Youth Orchestra for my re-imagining of Vivaldi’s masterpiece, “The Four Seasons of Afghanistan.”
#8: “Bia ke birim ba Mazar” (Let’s Go to Mazar)
This is the single most popular folk song in Afghanistan. Every Afghan grows up singing this beautiful and simple melody. Source: Afghan Folk Songs (AFS), photocopy of out of print anthology. Also found in the collection of Khaled Arman, “Chansons Populaires d’Afghanistan,” published CEREDAF, Paris 2004. Also based on the performances of Ustad Gholam Hossein.
#9: “Da Watan” (In this Land) by Ustad Gulzaman
This is one of the most popular patriotic songs of Afghanistan. For the past forty years, it has inspired Afghans with its lyrics telling how there is “an eagle on every mountaintop” ready to defend Afghanistan. Ustad Gulzaman is still active as a singer, songwriter, and teacher into his 80s. The score of this song introduces the non-Afghan student to the names of sections of a song: “Astayi” (chorus), “Naghma” (instrumental section when the singer rests), “Antara” (verse), and “Khatem” (coda). Source: Sessions with Ustad Gulzaman, April & May, 2010.
#10: “Spojmai” (Moon) by Muhammad Gul
The poet compares his beloved to many things, including the moon. This beautiful lullaby further develops the sound of the C string. Source: Zhwak.
#11: “Qadara Sar Koneen” by Ahmad Zahir (1946-1979).
This is popular song by Ahmad Zahir, known as the “Afghan Elvis.” Source: Performance by Rameen Saqizada, ANIM Rubab Teacher, at ANIM, Kabul.
#12: “Ay Saraban” Ustad Zaland
A popular hit, this song is beloved by every Afghan. The viola student must play one measure in second position. Source: Old photocopy of tune provided by Basir Husseini, ANIM’s Guitar Teacher.
#13: “Dast az Talab” by Us. Arman
This is one of the most popular songs made famous by Us. Arman and Ahmad Zahir. Source: Photocopy of out-of-print Anthology of Songs of Ahmad Zahir.
#14: “Ta ke na bashad”
This folk song rose to prominence after Us. Salim Sarmast arranged it for the singer Ismail Charikari and a large orchestra. Source: Performances of Us. Gholam Hossein.
#15: “Kamar Bareek” by Zahir Howaida (1946-2012)
This popular song is heard constantly on the radio and at parties in Kabul. Source: Numerous radio and YouTube recordings.
#16: “Dishab ke chunay” (Last Night).
The singer sings about good times last night. Source: Performance of Mashal Arman.
#17: “Madar-e Man” (My Mother) by Tarana Saz
This very sentimental hit was made famous by Ahmad Zahir. Source: Photocopy of out-of-print Anthology of Songs of Ahmad Zahir.
#18: “Wedding Song”
It is unusual for a song to be in mughuli rhythm at this slow tempo. This is the traditional Kabul wedding song, and the original words ask the bride to walk slowly so people can see her beauty. However, I first encountered the song in Salim Sarmast’s Afghan operetta, “Forcible Marriage,” where he changes the words to emphasize the tragedy of a young woman married against her will. This piano accompaniment is based on my re-orchestration of Salim Sarmast’s tragic two settings of the traditional wedding song in “Forcible Marriage.” It is dedicated to young Afghan girls forced to marry older men against their will. Please note that owing to the intricate nature of the piano accompaniment, there is no second viola version of this accompaniment. Sources: Old audio recording of “Forcible Marriage” by Salim Sarmast; arrangement by Babrak Wassa; also found in Afghan Songs and Melodies, compiled in 1965 by the Press and Information Ministry (PIM) of Afghanistan.
Anthology of Afghan Songs for Double Bass: Student Parts
#1: “Bia ke birim ba Mazar” (Let’s Go to Mazar)
This is the single most popular folk song in Afghanistan. Every Afghan grows up singing this beautiful and simple melody. Source: Afghan Folk Songs (AFS), photocopy of out of print anthology. Also found in the collection of Khaled Arman, “Chansons Populaires d’Afghanistan,” published CEREDAF, Paris 2004. Also based on the performances of Ustad Gholam Hossein.
#2: “Watan Ishq-e Tu Iftikharam.”
This patriotic, proud, and optimistic song is popular with all Afghans. Source: Rubab performance by Fazila Zamir, ANIM.
#3: “Paimana Bete Ke Khomar Astom”
This alluring folk melody introduces the student to 7/8 time, known as mughuli, or the national rhythm of Afghanistan. Source: Performance by Rameen Saqizada, ANIM Rubab Teacher, at ANIM, Kabul.
#4:“Zharam” (Crying) by Muhammad Gul
Gul wrote this heart-breaking song in 1970 in honor of Shah Jahan, the great Mughal Emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his beloved wife. This song introduces the student to the minor mode and to 6/8 time. Source: Afghan Music by Tsiranmal M. Deen Zhwak, notations by Ustad Farokh, edited by M. M. Jehad, Union of Artists Association of Afghanistan, Kabul 1991.
#5: “Qadara Sar Koneen” by Ahmad Zahir (1946-1979).
This is popular song by Ahmad Zahir, known as the “Afghan Elvis.” Source: Performance by Rameen Saqizada, ANIM Rubab Teacher, at ANIM, Kabul.
#6: “Ay Saraban” by Ustad Zaland
A popular hit, this song is beloved by every Afghan. The viola student must play one measure in second position. Source: Old photocopy of tune provided by Basir Husseini, ANIM’s Guitar Teacher.
#7: “Ghunchaye Sorkh.”
This was a popular song of an earlier era in Afghanistan. Source: Old music video.
#8: “Bibi Sanem Janem.
This is a very popular folk song in the region. Source: Khaled Arman. Also based on performances by Ustad Gholam Hossein.
