Musical Genres
In spite of the great variety of musical instruments, the most effective vehicle that conveys the real meaning of Pamiri music is the human voice. Jonboz Dushanbiev, who is a member of the Badakhshan Ensemble, feels very strongly about the importance of words in Pamiri Music: “Melody without words doesn't have soul,” he says. “Of course, light enters our soul when there is only instrumental music. But when music has words, then it's even closer to our soul” (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2007).
Folk Songs
The Badakhshani folk songs are mostly composed in a simple style, but there are other types of song that have the same style. Their folk songs often deal with the theme of separation. In Tajikistan, common Badakhshani genres include dargilik, falak and lala’ik. The musical characteristics of those three genres are not easy to distinguish. The difference is in the treatment of the subject:
Dargiliks are sung with or without musical accompaniment by both men and women, but not usually at the same time. Their melodies can also be performed on their own, usually on the nay flute (the most common wind instrument in the region) or the ghijak (a spike-fiddle).
Dargiliks can be performed by one or more persons, in private settings, but not during ritual ceremonies, such as weddings and funerals. The text of the dargilik is always saturated with melancholy. Images of nature are frequently used but there are no long descriptions. In the small space of a dargilik, subjects like love, separation, and mourning can all take place. Most dargiliks are perceived as being sad (The Institute of Ismaili Studies).
Religious songs
This is the music that Pamiri people most strongly identify with. Religious music is part of everyday life. It is performed at ritual ceremonies as well as at regular religious gatherings. There are two main types of religious song – Madoh and Ghazal. Both are sung by male singers.
In its essence, madoh is a vocal composition accompanied by the rubab (a plucked sting lute) and/ or the tanbur (also a plucked instrument), as well as the daf (a frame drum), which provides rhythmic support. The accompanying instruments are also used for preludes, interludes and postludes. The tradition of madoh singing is still thriving in the region, even after 70 years of Soviet political suppression (Belle 1998: 4).
The texts of the madoh can be set to different melodies. The performer can choose the texts to fit the occasion the music is played for. One of the most sought after madoh performers, Aqnazar Alovatov, who is a member of the Badakhshani Ensemble, gives insight to the choice of text a performer can make for a given performance: “The skill of madoh performance is in putting together texts that create a particular mood or feeling. I change the text from one performance to the next, and I try not to use texts that are used by other musicians” (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2007).
Ghazal is an important genre in classical Persian poetry. It traditionally deals with topics of divine love, fate and religion. Themes are constantly being changed by choosing from a wide range of images and figures. The themes and images used are usually familiar to the audience; their origin can be either Quranic or from other religious sources. Each ghazal is usually no more than 15 lines long and uses a strict rhyme and poetic meter in accordance with most classical Persian poetry. Ghazals can be performed at a wide range of occasions, from wedding ceremonies to more solemn gatherings (The Institute of Ismaili Studies).
Transmission of Musical Traditions in Badakhshan
Music is still transmitted orally in Badakhshan. The Soviet ideas about uplifting the Tajik people culturally by introducing performance practices and musical forms from the West, were concentrated in the large cities. Therefore, Badakhshan was not affected due to the sparse population of the region and its isolated terrain. Another possible factor that played a role in maintaining the oral transmission of musical traditions was the common use of the spoken languages Shognani and Roshani in folk songs. Soheba Davladshoeva, the lead singer of the Badakhshan ensemble, is an example of a professional musician who learned to sing by listening to older singers in the community: “I didn't have an ustad to teach me how to sing and dance. I sang and studied on my own. I think it was from God. At funeral ceremonies I always listened to the songs and began to understand what music was sung for sad times and for happy times. I also listened to the radio a lot, and that's how I taught myself” (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2007).
Influences from the West
Globalization plays a role in another type of music that is gaining popularity in Badakhshan. Today, young people listen to pop music, which blends characteristics from traditional Badakhshani music, such as typical melodic contours, with pop sounding rhythms. The demand for pop music necessitates the use of western instruments, such as synthesizers, bass guitars as well as electrified Pamiri instruments (ibid.).
Folk Songs
The Badakhshani folk songs are mostly composed in a simple style, but there are other types of song that have the same style. Their folk songs often deal with the theme of separation. In Tajikistan, common Badakhshani genres include dargilik, falak and lala’ik. The musical characteristics of those three genres are not easy to distinguish. The difference is in the treatment of the subject:
- dargilik – song of separation
- falak – song of fate
- lala’ik -- lullaby
Dargiliks are sung with or without musical accompaniment by both men and women, but not usually at the same time. Their melodies can also be performed on their own, usually on the nay flute (the most common wind instrument in the region) or the ghijak (a spike-fiddle).
Dargiliks can be performed by one or more persons, in private settings, but not during ritual ceremonies, such as weddings and funerals. The text of the dargilik is always saturated with melancholy. Images of nature are frequently used but there are no long descriptions. In the small space of a dargilik, subjects like love, separation, and mourning can all take place. Most dargiliks are perceived as being sad (The Institute of Ismaili Studies).
Religious songs
This is the music that Pamiri people most strongly identify with. Religious music is part of everyday life. It is performed at ritual ceremonies as well as at regular religious gatherings. There are two main types of religious song – Madoh and Ghazal. Both are sung by male singers.
In its essence, madoh is a vocal composition accompanied by the rubab (a plucked sting lute) and/ or the tanbur (also a plucked instrument), as well as the daf (a frame drum), which provides rhythmic support. The accompanying instruments are also used for preludes, interludes and postludes. The tradition of madoh singing is still thriving in the region, even after 70 years of Soviet political suppression (Belle 1998: 4).
The texts of the madoh can be set to different melodies. The performer can choose the texts to fit the occasion the music is played for. One of the most sought after madoh performers, Aqnazar Alovatov, who is a member of the Badakhshani Ensemble, gives insight to the choice of text a performer can make for a given performance: “The skill of madoh performance is in putting together texts that create a particular mood or feeling. I change the text from one performance to the next, and I try not to use texts that are used by other musicians” (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2007).
Ghazal is an important genre in classical Persian poetry. It traditionally deals with topics of divine love, fate and religion. Themes are constantly being changed by choosing from a wide range of images and figures. The themes and images used are usually familiar to the audience; their origin can be either Quranic or from other religious sources. Each ghazal is usually no more than 15 lines long and uses a strict rhyme and poetic meter in accordance with most classical Persian poetry. Ghazals can be performed at a wide range of occasions, from wedding ceremonies to more solemn gatherings (The Institute of Ismaili Studies).
Transmission of Musical Traditions in Badakhshan
Music is still transmitted orally in Badakhshan. The Soviet ideas about uplifting the Tajik people culturally by introducing performance practices and musical forms from the West, were concentrated in the large cities. Therefore, Badakhshan was not affected due to the sparse population of the region and its isolated terrain. Another possible factor that played a role in maintaining the oral transmission of musical traditions was the common use of the spoken languages Shognani and Roshani in folk songs. Soheba Davladshoeva, the lead singer of the Badakhshan ensemble, is an example of a professional musician who learned to sing by listening to older singers in the community: “I didn't have an ustad to teach me how to sing and dance. I sang and studied on my own. I think it was from God. At funeral ceremonies I always listened to the songs and began to understand what music was sung for sad times and for happy times. I also listened to the radio a lot, and that's how I taught myself” (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2007).
Influences from the West
Globalization plays a role in another type of music that is gaining popularity in Badakhshan. Today, young people listen to pop music, which blends characteristics from traditional Badakhshani music, such as typical melodic contours, with pop sounding rhythms. The demand for pop music necessitates the use of western instruments, such as synthesizers, bass guitars as well as electrified Pamiri instruments (ibid.).
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References
Belle, Jan van. 1998. The Music of Tajik Badakhshan. The Ismaili United Kingdom, No 33 (December): 18-19. http://www.iis.ac.uk/SiteAssets/pdf/van_belle_badakhshan.pdf (accessed June 8, 2012).
The Aga Khan Music Initiative. “Badakhshan ensemble: Song and Dance from the Pamir Mountains,” Aga Khan Development Network, http://www.akdn.org/aktc_music_badakshan.asp (accessed May 28, 2012).
The Badakhshan Ensemble: Song and dance from the Pamir Mountains. DVD. Produced by Theodore Levin. 2007; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
The Institute of Ismaili Studies. “Music and poetry from the Pamir Mountains,” The institute of Ismaili Studies, http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=106046 (accessed May 28, 2012).
Levin, Theodore. The Hundred Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996.