For over ten centuries, the classical music of Shashmaqom has evolved in what is now Mâwarâ al-Nahr, an area that includes Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A composition in which vocal and instrumental elements, melodic and rhythmic elements, and poetry are merged together. The genre is performed by a solo singer or by a group of singers and an orchestra of lutes, fiddles, frame drums, and flutes. Performers usually begin with an instrumental introduction followed by a vocal presentation of two distinct sets of songs called Nasr. These are refined kinds of songs, which are drawn from Sufi poetry about divine love. The instruments of Shashmaqom provide austere accompaniment to the vocal performance. They include, at most concerts, a pair of long-necked lutes, the dayra, or frame drum, which with its jingles is similar to a tambourine, and the sato, a bowed instrument that looks somewhat like a bass fiddle.
Dating back to the pre-Islamic era, Shashmaqom was influenced by the development of musicology and mathematical ideas, as well as by Sufism. As the maqom system became popular in the ninth and tenth centuries, several music schools were founded in the city of Bukhara, the historical and spiritual center of Shashmaqom. These types of music require specially trained musicians because standard notations can only record the basic framework. In this regard, oral transmission from master to student constitutes the primary medium for the preservation of the music and its spiritual values.
While in the Soviet Union, schools began teaching Western classical music, which is a written tradition. Shashmaqam is transmitted orally and was not considered a piece of professional music by the Soviet Union. Soviet authorities also prohibited people from performing Shashmaqam for many years. Since the 1970s, many of the most famous Shashmaqom musicians emigrated from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to diaspora communities in Israel and the United States. As Uzbekistan and Tajikistan gained independence in 1991, numerous measures have been taken to safeguard the tradition of Shashmaqom music. Only a few performers have been maintaining local performance styles as taught by independent teachers. With many Shashmaqom masters passing away, the overwhelming majority of today's Shashmaqom players are graduates of the Tashkent Conservatory, which offers training in Shashmaqom composition. After the Soviet Union began to fall apart, Shashmaqam became played at celebrations such as weddings, memorials, and birthdays. Shashmaqam remains a symbol of spirituality for people of the Central Asian region. Its artistic, as well as historical value, goes much beyond the borders of the region and has had an impact on the development of world musical processes.
References