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The Azerbaijan Mugam
Azerbaijan Mugam, that is professional music of oral tradition, is common to many peoples of the Middle East, each oriental nation having its own variation (makom, makam, mukam, ma-gam, raga, taxim, noo'bee) with particular, inimitable national characteristics of melody, rhythm and performing manner.
Mugam was handed down from generation to generation, from mouth to mouth and ear to ear. Thanks to its great masters singers (hanende) and instrumentalists (sazandar) the precious heritage of the people has been preserved to our day in the Azerbaijan traditional form.
One of the prevalent varieties in Azerbaijan is the vocal-instrumental Mugam known as 'Dest-ghakh'. Compositionally a Destghakh is a many-part cycle, vocal and instrumental, including all the subdivisions of Mugam, united by a single modal-intonational sphere.
A Destghakh Mugam is usually opened with instrumental introductions - Deramed and Ber-dasht determining the mode of the whole melodic structure. Renghi is an interlude, mostly of a dance nature, inserted between the impro-visational parts of Mugam to set off their imagery. Simultaneously Renghi keeps up the mode and intonation of the previous piece and serves as an intonational bridge. Thus, Deramed, Berdasht and Renghi have considerable compositional artistic importance in the overall Destghakh structure.
An important place is also held by Tesnif which is a couplet of a certain developed shape. The text exists as two- or four-line verse, with various set refrains added. The melody, usually highly emotional, is internally dynamic. Widely used are two types of musical declamation citative and songful. Tesnif are mostly performed in the poetic form of gazelle.
Mugam is bound up with the poetry of the great Azerbaijan classics - poets and philosophers: Nisami, Fisuli, Nasimi as well as with mo-dern poets: S. Vurgun, A. Vakhid, S. Rustam and others. Mugam subjects range from the lyrical, love sphere to that of philosophy and meditation.
The vocal-instrumental Destghakh is usually played by a Sazandar ensemble. An oriental trio includes a Hanende singer also playing a tambourine (daf), a tar (plectrum string instrument) and a kyamancha (bow string one). An introduction is played by the instruments, with the tar leading and the kyamancha following either simply repeating the melodic and rhythmic pattern or freely varying it. The tar develops its part independently, the kyamanche imitates but in an individual manner. The singer opens his commanding melodic line, the tar starts imitating him, the kyamancha in its turn follows now the tar, now the singer.
A Destghakh may last an hour or more. It - requires emotional expression, a command of dynamic shades, a brilliant virtuosity, a wealth of artistic fancy for the improvisational principle makes the Mugam performance particularly creative.
The 'Makhur-Hindi' Mugam belongs to the 'Rast' Mugam family. The common feature within the family is the modal structure, in particular the modal scale.
It should be noted that at present two varieties of 'Makhur' are known in Azerbaijan music:
1. 'Makhur-Hindi' with the subdivisions: Ber-dasht, Makhur, Ushak, Huseini, Villayeti, Shekestei-Farse, Arak, Herai, the Makhur-Hindi cadenza.
2. 'Orta-Makhur' with the subdivisions: Ber-dasht, Maye, Ushak, Huseini, Villayeti, Shekestei-Farse, Mubarige, Eshiran, the Orta-Makhur cadenza.
In the 'Makhur-Hindi' the tonality determi-ning sound (maye) is C of the first octave. 'Orta-Makhur' is performed a quart higher (in F).
In melody there is no difference between the two varieties; the only distinction lies in 'Mak-hur-Hindi' beginning with 'Berdasht' and 'Orta-Makhur' with 'Huseini'.
In its imagery and emotion the 'Makhur-Hin-di' expresses the feeling of optimism, sounding extremely earnest, concentrated and clear.
'Shur' is one of the major Azerbaijan Destg-hakhs. As defined by Uzeir Hadjibekov, founder of modern professional Azerbaijan music, 'Shur' calls forth a 'joyous and lyrical mood'.
The 'Shur' Mugam contains the following sub-divisions: Berdasht, Maye, Shur-Shahnaz, Bayati-Turk, Shikestesi-Farse, Simai-Shems, Khidjaz, Sa-rendj, Nishibi-Faraz, the 'Shur' cadenza.
'Rakhab-Tesnifi'. 'Rakhab', a small-form Mu-gam, belongs to a Mugam side-line. In its modal basis it is close to 'Shur'. The Tesnif in question is performed as a conclusion of the 'Rakhab' Mugam.
'Bayati-Kurd' is likewise a small-form Mugam, that emerged as a separate entity at the beginning of last century, having theretofore formed a large subdivision of 'Bayati-Isfakhan'. According to Bakhram Mansurov, Azerbaijan SSR People's Artist, a famous tarist, a connoisseur and promoter of Mugam art, the first man to sing 'Bayati-Kurd' separately was the outstan-ding Hanende singer Djabbar Karagdi Ogli.
At present 'Bayati-Kurd' has the following subdivisions: Bayati-Kurd, Bayati-Edjem, Azer-baijan and others.
'Charghakh' is a Mugam expressing 'the heroic battle spirit and passionate emotion' (U. Hadjibekov).
In the past, the Mugham had the following subdivisions: Charghakh, Yedi-Khissar, Mukha-lif, Megloub, Mansuria, Zamin-Hara, Maveran-nekhr, Khidjaz, Zeng-Shotor, and Kerkouki.
The modern version is more laconic: Berdasht, Maye-Charghakh, Beste-Nighar, Khissar, Mukha-lif, Mansuria, Megloub, the Charghakh cadenza.
'Zabol-Seghakh'. One of the favourite Azer-baijan Mugams is 'Seghakh' loved for its soulful, mellow, popular music, on the one hand, and for the correct, skilful performance, on the other. With its lyric character, wistful mood it projects the image of love, of charm.
'Zabol' is one of the major subdivisions of 'Seghakh'.
Distinct from the other Middle East countries where 'Seghakh' has always the same form, in Azerbaijan it is known in several variants: 'Za-bol-Seghakh', 'Orta-Seghakh', 'Mirza Hussein Seghakhi', 'Kharidj Seghakh' and others.
'Bayati-Shiraz' is one of the main Azerbaijan Destghakh Mugams. It has been known se-parately since the end of last century, having split from 'Bayati-Isfakhan' which used to have the subdivisions: Berdasht, Bayati-Isfakhan, Bayati-Kurd, Bayati-Edjem, Baba-Takhir, Bayati-Shiraz, Khaveran, etc.
Over time, 'Bayati-Kurd' also split from 'Bayati-Isfakhan'.
At present 'Bayati Shiraz' has the subdivisions: Berdasht, Maye, Nishibi-Feraz, Bayati-Isfakhan, Zil Bayati Shiraz, Khaveran, Uzzal, the Bayati-Shiraz cadenza.
Tariel Mamedov, Master of Musicology.
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