This piece is played on the choghūr,¹ the traditional instrument of the Azerbaijani bards. This rare choghūr was built in Hamadān, though it resembles the shape of instruments from Urmia, with two rows of three and four strings. Dating from the 19th century, it features a carvel-built body with mulberry ribs and soundboard and a hollow ornate neck, attesting to its authenticity. The name “Seyyed Ali” has been carved on its soundboard.

Gereylī is part of what Ostad Elahi called the “Turkish suites," or, more precisely, the main "royal suites.” The denomination of these pieces, which capture the intensity of one’s relationship with the Beloved, refers to the time of the first Safavid Persian kings (from 1501), who were Turkish-speaking.

The melody here is joyful, and the configuration of the instrument with its many strings offers a wide spectrum of harmonic resonances. Ostad plays this instrument in his own unique way, using a cherry wood plectrum between his thumb and index finger, as is customary, while keeping the other three fingers free to produce rolls (shor) that he would combine with the plectrum strokes.

The day this piece was recorded on tape, Ostad Elahi played several of his instruments and, to the surprise of those in attendance, picked up the choghūr and demonstrated considerable mastery of the instrument. In fact, Ostad Elahi had learned to play the choghūr during his youth and was intimately familiar with its repertoire. In addition, he had innovated its playing technique, notably by introducing the shor (roll). He played the choghūr less frequently over time and stopped playing it altogether during the latter years of his life, which imparts this singular moment with even greater value. Subsequently, he recorded the entire Turkish suites—some twenty pieces—in a single session. The only other recording of Ostad Elahi playing the choghūr was released as part of the eponymous double CD-Book commemorating The Sacred Lute: The Art of Ostad Elahi exhibition (Paris: Le Chant du Monde/The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014), Shekaste, CD 2, track 7.