Falak Music

Falak, means 'heaven', 'fortune', and 'universe', and is the traditional folk music of Tajikistan. It is played at weddings, celebrations, and other events.

There are three musical styles in Tajikistan: Pamir (Mountain-Badakhshan province), Central Kuhistoni (Hisor, Kulob, and Gharm provinces), and Sogdiana's northern style, which is part of the same musical culture as adjacent Uzbekistan (Kashkadarya Province and Surkhandarya Province).

Tajikistan was a federal part of Uzbekistan and part of the Soviet Union until the 1920s. In 1929 Tajikistan separated from Uzbekistan but remained in the Soviet Union. Consequently, Tajik folk music, instruments, and culture are similar to Uzbekistan's folk music. Roots extend back hundreds of years and is influenced by Central Asian culture.

Tajikistan was part of the great culture during the Islamic golden age, with the official language of Tajiki being a branch of the Persian language. Because of this, Persian poetry plays a significant role in Tajikistan's folk music. Many folk songs have Persian lyrics from Rumi or other great Persian poets. In this way, Tajikistani folk music has a strong connection with Sufi music. Tajik music is closely related to the music of other Central Asian countries.

Tajikistan has a classical form of music called shashmaqam, which is distinctive in Uzbekistan. Southern Tajikistan has distinctive folk music called falak. Tajikistan's folk music is divided into different styles other than shashmaqam. In shashmaqam, most songs come from Sufi poetry and they are in Persian.

Falak is a highly expressive and philosophical musical genre performed by either male or female soloists with instrumental accompaniment or dancers. The instruments used for falak performances are traditional Tajikistani percussion instruments, like the violin and the flute. The songs most commonly described in falak are love, pain, suffering, the homeland, separation, and the hope of a reunion between a parent and child or between lovers.

Falak singers, called falakkhons. Falak performs during festivities and rituals, and there is a limited range of Falak music, generally descending scale with a hexachord (six notes). There are many instruments that make up Falak; among them are ghijak (spike fiddle), nay (Persian flute), dombura (long-necked lute), and percussion instruments.

However, falak music is an identity marker in the mountain communities and is viewed as a state of mind, which is passed from one generation to the next through formal education