Ghader Abdollahzadeh (23 October 1925 – 21 May 2009, Kurdish: قادر عەبدوڵڵازادە ,Qadir Ebdulazade,[1][2] also known as Qale Mere,[1] Kurdish: قالەمەڕە[3]) born in village of Kulij in northwestern Iran, is one of the best known Kurdish traditional musicians. He played shimshal/ney (long flute), a Kurdish traditional music instrument. He started to play shimshal (Ney) as a young and homeless man aiming to earn his daily bread. He played on the streets for an unknown number of years until he was an old man and was filmed by a journalist which was published as a documentary. He was known for the long tones he could create and to play for hours without holding breaks.

Qale Mere
قالەمەڕە
Birth nameGhader Abdollahzadeh
Also known asQale Mere
Born(1925-10-23)October 23, 1925
Kulja, West Azarbaijan, Iran
DiedMay 21, 2009(2009-05-21) (aged 83)
Bukan, West Azarbaijan, Iran
GenresClassical Kurdish Music
InstrumentShimshal (Ney)
Years active?–2009

As a child, he was a shepherd and it was about this time that he accidentally started by playing shimshal. 'Qale Mere' means `wise` as a sheep, it was a name as the adults in his childhood had given him because of his calm nature. It says little about how hard his childhood was. He was born as a son of a poor shepherd, and died poor. Upon his death, he was not only loved and respected as a musician but his work reached legendary status.

Death

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After a long struggle with disease, he died at the age of 84 in the Iranian city of Bokan. On late Saturday May 22, 2009 his body was buried in Nalashkena grave yard beside the tomb of the great Kurdish singer Hesen Zirek.

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Awaza bilûra Qale Mere hîn zindî ye" (in Kurdish). Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  2. ^ "نۆ ساڵ بەسەر کۆچی دوایی هونەرمەند قالەمەڕەدا تێدەپەڕێت" (in Kurdish). Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  3. ^ "قالەمەڕە.. تەنیا مەرگ لە شمشاڵەکەی جیا کردەوە" (in Kurdish). Retrieved 25 December 2019.