Persian and Turkish term meaning ‘musical instrument’. This term is most widely applied to long-necked fretted lutes found in the Caucasus, Turkey, south-eastern Europe and neighbouring areas including northern Syria and northern Iran. It is often used loosely, sometimes differentiating a different type of long-necked lute, or as an alternative appellation for tanbūr, baǧlama, buzuq or chogur. (For the Turkish saz see Baǧlama. For a broad survey of related types see Tanbūr.)
In the past the term ‘saz’ was applied to many types of musical instrument. In Iran, Afghanistan and neighbouring areas it is commonly applied to the sornā (shawm) which is always played with a drum (dohōl), especially in a composite word for this duo: sāzdohōl. In Afghanistan ‘saz’ is also used for the portable harmonium.
The Caucasian long-necked lute known as saz has a pear-shaped resonator carved from a single piece of wood, or fitted together from wooden staves. It has a thin wooden soundboard with small soundholes. Openings are also carved in the sides of the body. The neck is straight with 10 to 14 gut frets arranged to produce an incomplete chromatic scale. It ends in a pegbox holding wooden pegs. The instrument is often ornamented with mother-of-pearl. Most instruments have eight to ten metal strings in double or triple courses. A typical Azerbaijani tuning is d'/d'/d'–g/g–c'/c'/c'. The first two courses are stopped, the third is played open, providing a drone.
In Azerbaijan the saz is made in several sizes: the large saz is 120 to 150 cm long; the length of the medium saz is 80 to 100 cm and the small saz (called khyrda saza or goltukh saza) is 50 to 70 cm long. Large instruments have a leather strap worn over the shoulder during performance. The saz is held against the upper chest, the neck of the instrument thrust upwards (see Azerbaijan, fig.2). It is played with a plectrum sounding all the strings simultaneously. Played by professionals and amateurs, the Caucasian saz is primarily the instrument of the ashug (traditional poet-musicians); its repertory contains heroic historical songs, epics, romantic stories and humorous, satirical, and love songs. In the Caucasus large ashug ensembles, with 15 to 20 players, are known; the saz is also used in various ensembles of folk instruments.
The Armenian saz is similar in function and performance to that of Azerbaijan. It is from 55 to 110 cm long, with metal strings arranged in three or four double or triple courses. The first course is used for the melody, the middle course or courses for a sustained drone, and the last performs a supplementary role, harmonic and partly melodic.
The saz as used in urban Muslim traditions of Bosnia-Hercegovina can have up to 18 or 19 movable or fixed frets, and the Albanian saze has up to 20. It is made by craftsmen in various sizes, from 60 to 118 cm in length; smaller models have fewer frets and strings. It has seven to nine metal strings tuned in three courses: f'/f'/f'–c'–g'/g'/g'/g'. The strings are plucked with a plectrum of cherry-tree bark. In nortern Albania the saze is a basic member of urban ensembles, hence their names: sazet or sazexhijtë.
JOHANNA SPECTOR, ROBERT AT‘AYAN, CVJETKO RIHTMAN, R. CONWAY MORRIS/R