Afghanistan

Afghanistan Afghanistan Romantic ghazals, virtuosic lute playing, joyful wedding songs and dances, soothing lullabies, loud shawm-and-drum music, community recreational dances, epic songs—until recently all of these were part of the cultural landscape of Afghanistan. Women in groups sang to the accompaniment of frame drums, and men improvised poetic quatrains while accompanying themselves on long-necked lutes. However, increasingly severe restrictions on musical performance instituted by…