Djivan Gasparyan was an Armenian musician and composer. He played the duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument related to the orchestral oboe. Gasparyan is known as the "Master of the duduk". In 2006 he was nominated for Grammy awards for the Best Traditional World Music Album.
Gasparyan in 2009
The duduk or tsiranapogh, is a double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood originating from Armenia. Variations of the Armenian duduk appear throughout the Caucasus and the Middle East, including Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kurdistan, Turkey, and Iran. Duduk, Kaval, Balaban, and Mey are almost identical, except for historical and geographical differences.
Armenian kids playing duduk
A duduk reed
Benik Ignatyan playing the duduk at the Armenian Genocide memorial complex in Yerevan, Armenia, 1997.
Duduk player at the Forom des langues du monde [fr] in Toulouse, France.