Semai Guldeste - by Rachel Beckles Willson

This baby was made by one of Istanbul’s luthiers from Damascus, Iskander Qudmany. The Qudmany family made countless ouds for Istanbul’s middle classes in the first two decades of the twentieth century. They had moved from the periphery to the centre of Empire, bringing with them the sophisticated craft of woodwork that had been cultivated for centuries in Damascene.
Although it is small, the instrument has an amazing resonance - I haven’t applied effects to this recording. But I’m playing with difficulty, as I strung the nut and bridge as they arrived: the narrow neck really has space only for 5 courses but currently has 6, and the Bamm string is beside the Zir. Few of us are used to this these days! As a starting point, I am trying a basic string set (hastily applied, as you see) - Aquila Strings Turkish - but tuned down a tone. You may spot that I’m using a narrow risha made of an eagle’s feather - it makes a clean sound but it’s a bit hard and inflexible.
The piece is Semai Guldeste, one of my own, composed in 2012 at Labyrinth Musical Workshop while studying with Ross Daly.