Elî Merdan

Elî Merdan (1904-1981), from Kerkûk, is the father of the Kurdish maqam school: the learned, classical art of Soranî-area song. A singer, composer and teacher, he systematized and elevated the maqam repertoire through radio work and through the students he trained, laying the foundations on which classical singers such as Adnan Karim still stand. His recordings define the dignified, poetry-first ideal of Kurdish classical music, and his name is invoked wherever that tradition is taught.