Reed instrument, normally a double clarinet, of the Middle East, with two parallel pipes of the same length. Mijwiz is the vernacular term for ‘pair’. Each reedpipe, about 30 cm long, consists of two sections which fit together and are fastened by string and tar (which at the same time join the two pipes). The small, upper part (about 7 cm) is the actual idioglot single reed (there are two, one for each tube); the tongue is 2 cm long and is down-cut (i.e. it sticks up in the direction of the tube). The tops of the tubes are closed so that the breath must pass through the tongue, and the entire section must be placed deep in the mouth to produce the sound. The two playing pipes generally have six holes. The placing of the hands varies according to the players, the relationship of left hand to lower notes and right to higher changing from one village to the next. The range of the instrument is more than an octave but the player usually uses a range of a wide 4th (between 4th and a 5th). Playing requires circular breathing. The mijwiz is never played with one of the tubes providing a drone; two melodies are played simultaneously, in unison. One of the tubes is usually tuned slightly higher than the other, producing acoustic beats as a desired characteristic.
The mijwiz is mainly found in Syria, western Iraq, Lebanon, northern Israel and Jordan. The playing style along the Mediterranean coast is florid, with fiorituras, arabesques and features of free improvisation in a nervous, rapid tempo; this contrasts with the more accented, heavier and less ethereal style used in the hinterland. The nasal quality is found everywhere. The instrument is generally played alone, but it may accompany a singer, when it is supported by a darbukka (goblet drum). Its repertory is drawn from sing tradition, decorated by the performer. Particular pieces are not known, except for the dabka dance. It is associated with shepherds, and in Lebanon it was in the past sometimes used to lead funeral processions.
See also Mizmār.
A.J. Racy: ‘A Dialectical Perspective on Musical Instruments: the East-Mediterranean Mijwiz’, EthM, xxxviii/1 (1994), 37–57
CHRISTIAN POCHÉ