The Armenian Duduk is an ancient woodwind instrument that takes to more than 2,000 years. Historians trace the instrument back to the reign of King Tigran the Great (95-55 BC) though some scholars link older variants farther time in time.

The Duduk is traditionally made using apricot wood which produces a soulful sound that distinguishes it from other woodwind instruments. Duduks are usually played in pairs, with one musician playing the primary melody while the second plays a continuous, steady drone as the background. For centuries, it featured in Armenian folk songs, dances, in weddings and solemn community ceremonies, acting as a profound emotional voice for the Armenian people. In 2008, UNESCO listed the instrument as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Today, its haunting timbre is famous worldwide, thanks to major Hollywood film soundtracks like Gladiator (2000).

Below is a Duduk performance by Russian musician Dmitri Soul who is a multi-instrumentalist in world music. There are a few things to listen out for in this video. In particular, notice how the melody hardly moves at all. This is because the Duduk has just over an octave’s range, so the player can’t move to higher registers to increase the emotion. All they have is what fits into that narrow space: the inflection of each note, how much they let it tremble, how quickly they slide from one to the next. That’s why Duduk music sounds like someone speaking and not someone showing off. The limitation of the instrument is what makes it so expressive.