Music of Badakhshan
Encyclopedia
Badakhshan
is a region of Tajikistan
and Afghanistan
with a unique musical heritage, especially that of the remote Pamiri Ismaili
s. Badakhshan's unique folk scene is said to be characteristed by the use of many chromatized tones (especially in falak
) in a narrow melodic range, and the use of a characteristic minor-like scale http://www.iis.ac.uk/learning/life_long_learning/music_badakhshan/music_badakhshan.htm.
s are an extremely important part of Badakhshani music, especially the three-stringed shortneck lute played with a wooden plectrum
; this is called the Pamiri rubab
. Other vanities of lute in Badakhshan include the komus, a three-stringed but unfretted lute played by the Kyrgyz of eastern Badakhshan, the tanbur
, a seven-stringed lute with sympathetic string
s, the setar
, with three melody strings and a number of sympathetic strings; the imported Afghan rubab and Azerbaijani tar are also a major part of Badakhshan's lute heritage http://www.iis.ac.uk/learning/life_long_learning/music_badakhshan/music_badakhshan.htm.
Other instruments include the ney
, a kind of flute, and the Ghaychak
, a spiked fiddle; the circular frame drum
daf
is also common, as is the accordion
, brought by Russia
ns.
Badakhshan
Badakhshan is an historic region comprising parts of what is now northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan. The name is retained in Badakhshan Province which is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the far northeast of Afghanistan, and contains the Wakhan Corridor...
is a region of Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
with a unique musical heritage, especially that of the remote Pamiri Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
s. Badakhshan's unique folk scene is said to be characteristed by the use of many chromatized tones (especially in falak
Falak
Falak in the legend of Bahamut is the powerful serpent that lives under the Realm of Fire. This serpent is said to be so great that only its fear of the greater power of Allah prevents it from swallowing all creation....
) in a narrow melodic range, and the use of a characteristic minor-like scale http://www.iis.ac.uk/learning/life_long_learning/music_badakhshan/music_badakhshan.htm.
Instrumentation
LuteLute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
s are an extremely important part of Badakhshani music, especially the three-stringed shortneck lute played with a wooden plectrum
Plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick, and is a separate tool held in the player's hand...
; this is called the Pamiri rubab
Pamiri rubab
The Pamiri rubab is a fretless six-strung lute, carved from a single piece of wood with a skin head. It is played in the Badakhshan region of Tajikistan, as part of the Pamiri musical tradition....
. Other vanities of lute in Badakhshan include the komus, a three-stringed but unfretted lute played by the Kyrgyz of eastern Badakhshan, the tanbur
Tanbur
The term tanbūr can refer to various long-necked, fretted lutes originating in the Middle East or Central Asia. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowadays the term tanbur is applied to a variety of distinct and related...
, a seven-stringed lute with sympathetic string
Sympathetic string
Sympathetic strings or resonance strings are auxiliary strings found on many Indian musical instruments, as well as some Western Baroque instruments and a variety of folk instruments...
s, the setar
Setar
SETAR N.V., is the privatised full telecommunications service provider for the island of Aruba. The services provided by SETAR include: telephone, internet and GSM-related wireless services. SETAR also owns Tele Aruba....
, with three melody strings and a number of sympathetic strings; the imported Afghan rubab and Azerbaijani tar are also a major part of Badakhshan's lute heritage http://www.iis.ac.uk/learning/life_long_learning/music_badakhshan/music_badakhshan.htm.
Other instruments include the ney
Ney
The ney is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found...
, a kind of flute, and the Ghaychak
Ghaychak
The Ghaychak or Ghijak is a round-bodied musical instrument with 3 or 4 metal strings and a short fretless neck. It is used by Iranians, Afghans, Uzbeks, Uyghurs, Tajiks, Turkmens and Qaraqalpaks....
, a spiked fiddle; the circular frame drum
Frame drum
A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. Usually the single drumhead is made of rawhide or man-made materials. Shells are traditionally constructed of bent wood scarf jointed together; plywood and man-made materials are also used. Some frame drums have mechanical...
daf
Daf
A daf is a frame drum used as a musical instrument in popular and classical music. The term daf is used in Iran / Kurdistan for a large drum that has a series of four interlinked rings in the frame. Daf is mostly used in Middle East, Iran, Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and ...
is also common, as is the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, brought by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns.
Vocal music
Badakhshani music has a characteristic throaty, nasal sound which is a distinguishing characteristic of the area's vocal style. The madah is a kind of sung religious poetry, accompanied by rubabs and/or tanbyr with at least one daf http://www.iis.ac.uk/learning/life_long_learning/music_badakhshan/music_badakhshan.htm.List of Badakhshani Musicians
- Oleg FesovOleg FesovOleg Fezov, or Oleg Fesov is a musician, and composer from Tajikistan, who composes and arranges his songs in addition to performing. In 1990 he graduated from Dushanbe College of Arts, and was considered as one of the best illustrating artists of children's periodic . His natural talent and...
from Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. - Muboraksho MirzoshoyevMuboraksho MirzoshoyevMuboraksho Abdulvahhobovich Mirzoshoyev better known as Muboraksho also as Misha was a Pamiri Tajik singer, songwriter and actor recognized alongside Daler Nazarov as a pioneer of the Tajik rock music...
from Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. - Daler NazarovDaler NazarovDaler Nazarov is a Tajik/Pamiri songwriter, singer and actor.Nazarov was born in the Former Soviet Republic of Tajikistan. He has lived in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan for most of his life, but had to leave the country in the early 90's due to a civil war that ended around 1997...
from Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. - Nobovar ChanorovNobovar ChanorovNobovar Chanorov is a Tajik singer of the Shams group. The Shams and Nobovar Chanorov are known as Beatles of Tajiks....
from Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. - Samandar Pulodov from Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.
- Temursho from Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.
- Takhmina of Avesto from Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.