Music of Uzbekistan

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The music of Uzbekistan has reflected the diverse influences that have shaped the country. It is very similar to the music of the Middle East and is characterized by complicated rhythms and meters. [1] Because of the long history of music in the country and the large variety of music styles and musical instruments, Uzbekistan is often regarded as one of the most musically diverse countries in Central Asia. [2]

Contents

Classical music of Uzbekistan

The music of what is now Uzbekistan has a very long and rich history. [3] Shashmaqam, a Central Asian classical music style, is believed to have arisen in the cities of Bukhara and Samarqand in the late 16th century. [4] The term "shashmaqam" translates as six maqams and refers to the structure of music with six sections in different musical modes, similar to classical Persian traditional music. Interludes of spoken Sufi poetry interrupt the music, typically beginning at a low register and gradually ascending to a climax before calming back down to the beginning tone.

After Turkestan became part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, first attempts were taken to record national melodies of Turkestan. Russian musicians helped preserve these melodies by introducing musical notation in the region.

In the 1950s, Uzbek folk music became less popular, and the genre was barred from radio stations by the Soviets. They did not completely dispel the music. Although banned, folk musical groups continued to play their music in their own ways and spread it individually. [5] After Uzbekistan gained independence from the USSR in the early 1990s, public interest revived in traditional Uzbek music. Nowadays Uzbek television and radio stations regularly play traditional music.

The people's Artist of Uzbekistan Turgun Alimatov is an Uzbek classical and folklore composer, and tanbur, dutar, and sato player. His compositions include "Segah", "Chorgoh", "Buzruk", "Navo", and "Tanovar". His image is associated with national pride and has been presented as the symbol of Uzbek classical music to the world. [6]

Another well-known Uzbek composer is Muhammadjon Mirzayev. His most famous compositions include "Bahor valsi" ("The Spring Waltz") and "Sarvinoz". "Bahor valsi" is played on Uzbek television and radio channels every spring.

Sherali Joʻrayev is a singer of traditional Uzbek music. However, he has fallen out of favour with the Uzbek government, who have banned his performances on Uzbek TV as well as his public performances since 2002. [7] [8] He still performs at Uzbek wedding parties and in other countries to popular acclaim.

In recent years, singers such as Yulduz Usmonova and Sevara Nazarkhan have brought Uzbek music to global audiences by mixing traditional melodies with modern rhythms and instrumentation. [2] In the late 2000s, Ozodbek Nazarbekov mixed contemporary music with elements of traditional Uzbek music.

Western Classical music in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has also produced many notable composers and performers in the European classical art music idiom, and is home to notable symphony orchestras, festivals, [9] and contemporary music ensembles. [10] The State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, based in Tashkent and founded in 1936, is the nation's leading higher education institution for the professional training of musicians.

Contemporary music of Uzbekistan

Many forms of popular music, including folk music, pop, and rock music, have particularly flourished in Uzbekistan since the early 1990s. Uzbek pop music is well developed, and enjoys mainstream success via pop music media and various radio stations.

Many Uzbek singers such as Sevara Nazarkhan and Sogdiana Fedorinskaya, Rayhon Ganieva have achieved commercial success not only in Uzbekistan but also in other CIS countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.

Rock

All Tomorrow's Parties performing live at IlkhomRockFest, June 22, 2013 All Tomorrow's Parties at IlkhomRockFest, June 22, 2013..jpg
All Tomorrow's Parties performing live at IlkhomRockFest, June 22, 2013

Currently rock music enjoys less popularity than pop music in Uzbekistan.

An Uzbekistani metal band who has some degree of recognition is Night Wind, a folk metal group. Other Uzbekistani metal groups include Iced Warm, Salupa, Zindan, and Agoniya (Russian : Агония). [11]

Rap

Rap music has become popular among Uzbek youth. Rappers such as Shoxrux became very popular among young people in the 2000s. However, the Uzbek government censors rap music. It has set up a special body to censor rap music because it believes this type of music does not fit the Uzbek musical culture. [12]

Musicians

Artists and bands

Uzbek artists

Lola Yo`ldosheva Lola Yuldasheva (23.03.2012).jpg
Lola Yoʻldosheva
Rayhon G`aniyeva Rayhon G`aniyeva in 2012.jpg
Rayhon Gʻaniyeva

Uzbek bands

Composers in the western classical tradition

Instruments

Soviet postage stamp depicting musical instruments of Uzbekistan 1989 CPA 6116.jpg
Soviet postage stamp depicting musical instruments of Uzbekistan

Many musical instruments are played in Uzbekistan. Traditional instruments include: [13]

String

Gydzhak or G`ijjak spike fiddles in Russian Turkestan Pastimes of Central Asians. A Musician Playing a Gydzhak, a Stringed Instrument WDL10821.png
Gydzhak or Gʻijjak spike fiddles in Russian Turkestan

Wind

Percussion

Zang, braclet of bells from Uzbekistan Zang, braclet of bells.jpg
Zang, braclet of bells from Uzbekistan

Related Research Articles

<i>Dombra</i> Long-necked musical string instrument

The Dombra, also known as Dombyra or Tambura is a long-necked musical string instrument used by the Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Hazaras, Bashkirs and Nogais in their traditional folk music. The Dombura shares certain characteristics with the komuz and dutar instruments, such as its long, thin neck and oblong body shape. It is a popular instrument mostly among Turkic and Iranic communities in Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fret</span> Bar across the neck of stringed instruments

A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical instruments and non-European instruments, frets are made of pieces of string tied around the neck.

<i>Bağlama</i> Stringed musical instrument

The bağlama or saz is a family of plucked string instruments, long-necked lutes used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, Turkish Arabesque music, Azerbaijani music, Bosnian music (Sevdalinka), Kurdish music, Armenian music. It is played in several regions in the world such as Europe, Asia, Black Sea, Caucasus regions and many countries including Syria, Iraq, Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Music of Kazakhstan refers to a wide range of musical styles and genres deriving from Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is home to the Kazakh State Kurmangazy Orchestra of Folk Instruments, the Kazakh State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kazakh National Opera and the Kazakh State Chamber Orchestra. The folk instrument orchestra was named after Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly, a well-known composer and dombra player from the 19th century.

<i>Cümbüş</i> Turkish stringed instrument

The cümbüş is a Turkish stringed instrument of relatively modern origin. It was developed in 1930 by Zeynel Abidin Cümbüş (1881–1947) as an oud-like instrument that could be heard as part of a larger ensemble.

The music of Central Asia is as vast and unique as the many cultures and peoples who inhabit the region. Principal instrument types are two- or three-stringed lutes, the necks either fretted or fretless; fiddles made of horsehair; flutes, mostly sige at both ends and either end-blown or side-blown; and jew harps, mostly metal. Percussion instruments include frame drums, tambourines, and kettledrums. Instrumental polyphony is achieved primarily by lutes and fiddles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Đàn nguyệt</span> Vietnamese traditional instrument

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Setar</span> Persian plucked musical instrument with three strings

A setar is a stringed instrument, a type of lute used in Persian traditional music, played solo or accompanying voice. It is a member of the tanbur family of long-necked lutes with a range of more than two and a half octaves. Originally a three stringed instrument, a fourth string was added by Mushtaq Ali Shah by the mid 19th century. It is played with the index finger of the right hand.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buzuq</span> Musical instrument

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Ari Babakhanov is an Uzbekistani musician who performs the long-necked lutes tanbur, qashqari rubab and dutar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sato (instrument)</span> Uzbek musical instrument

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yaylı tambur</span> Long-neck lute from Turkey

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shashmaqam</span> Central Asian musical genre

Shashmaqom

Kurdish tanbur or tanbour a fretted string instrument, is an initial and main form of the tanbūr instrument family, used by the Kurds. It is highly associated with the Yarsan religion in Kurdish areas and in the Lorestān provinces of Iran. It is one of the few musical instruments used in Ahl-e Haqq rituals, and practitioners venerate the tembûr as a sacred object. Another popular percussion instrument used together with the tembur is the Kurdish daf, but that's not sacred in Yarsan spirituality and Jam praying ceremony.

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Turgun Alimatov was a leading Uzbek classic music and shashmaqam player and composer of 20th century folk and classic music. He was a master performer of tanbur, dutar, and sato. He was recognized as People's artist of Uzbekistan.

<i>Dutar</i> Long-necked two-stringed lute from Iran and Central Asia

The dutar is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed lute found in Iran and Central Asia. Its name comes from the Persian word for "two strings", دوتار do tār, although the Herati dutar of Afghanistan has fourteen strings. Dutar is very popular in Tajikistan and Khorasan province of Iran. When played, the strings are usually plucked by the Uyghurs of Western China and strummed and plucked by the Tajiks, Turkmen, Uzbeks. Related instruments include the Kazakh dombra. The Dutar is also an important instrument among the Kurds of Khorasan amongst whom Haj Ghorban Soleimani of Quchan was a noted virtuoso. In Kurdish one who plays the dutar is known as a bakci (bakhshi), while in Azeri the term is ashiq. Khorasan bakhshi music is recognized on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tar (Azerbaijani instrument)</span> Traditional long-necked string instrument

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of lute-family instruments</span>

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References

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  2. 1 2 Levin, Theodore. "Uzbekistan". National Geographic . Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  3. Broughton, Simon; Razia Sultanova (2000). "Bards of the Golden Road". In Simon Broughton; Mark Ellingham; James McConnachie; Orla Duane (eds.). World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific. Penguin Books. pp. 24–31. ISBN   1-85828-636-0.
  4. Mamadjanova, Elnora (2016). Traditional Music of the Uzbeks. Tashkent: Extremum Press.
  5. Levin, Theodore (1997). The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia (and Queens, New York . Indiana University Press. ISBN   978-0253332066.
  6. Matyakubov, O. "A Traditional Musician in Modern Society: A Case Study of Turgun Alimatov's Art". Yearbook for Traditional Music 25 (1993), pp. 60-66.
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  9. Mamadjanova, Elnora and Hebert, David G. (2022). Music Festivals and Cultural Diplomacy in Uzbekistan. In David G. Hebert and Jonathan McCollum, (Eds.), "Ethnomusicology and Cultural Diplomacy". Lexington Books (Rowman & Littlefield), pp.77-92. ISBN   9781793642912
  10. Lisack, Lucille. (2018). A National School for Global Music: The Case of Uzbekistan in the Globalized Network of Western-Style “Contemporary Music”. In David G. Hebert & Mikolaj Rykowski, eds., Music Glocalization: Heritage and Innovation in a Digital Age. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars, p.190-217.
  11. "Bands by Country: Uzbekistan". Metal Archives. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  12. Fitzpatrick, Catherine (21 April 2011). "Uzbek Government Censors Rap Music". Euriasianet. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  13. "Uzbek musical instruments". Sairam. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2012.