Sorna

Iranian (Persian)

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 681

Sorna is one of many variant terms used for a double-reed instrument known as Zūrnā throughout the Arab world, Asia and southeastern Europe. Names like zukr (Tunisian), zournas (Greece), Surnai (Iran, Central Asia), Sahnāī (India) and China (sona) all are linguistically connected. Most are equipped with a disc (pirouette) located just under the reed. The player's lips press against the disc and enclosing the reed is in the mouth to facilitate breath control. The instrument is provided with a small spike to make adjustments to the reed and finger holes.

Sorna, wood, brass, bone, horn, reed, Iranian (Persian)

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variation 1