Muqam, Azerbaijan

Muqam in Azerbaijan is a kind of traditional music with strict structure, which is very suitable for improvisation. Muqam is the classical music of Azerbaijan, which absorbs the tunes, rhythms and playing skills of the national poets who praise heroic achievements, and can be heard in various occasions throughout the country. This kind of music with decorative sounds is sung by male or female singers and played with traditional musical instruments, especially "Ta 'er" (long handle 1 1 stringed piano), Kamancha (four-stringed huqin) and Duff (large tambourine). Muqam can't spread in a fixed form, and various pop music versions are passed down by different masters. They trained their disciples to have exquisite artistic accomplishment and skillful improvisation skills, and can express various artistic forms of this music, which have also been preserved.

Muqam's contemporary manifestations reflect the complicated history of Azerbaijan in different periods, especially its contacts with Persians, Armenians, Georgians and other turkic peoples. Muqam in Azerbaijan has the same artistic features as markham in Iraq, Radiff in Persia and markham in Turkey.

In the past, Muqam mainly performed in two secular occasions: the wedding banquet and the gathering of art experts held by private families. Sufi monks and religious drama artists known as ta' zie or shabih also performed in Muqam. Some formal or informal competitions organized by non-governmental organizations often help some more accomplished musicians to establish their reputations. Regrettably, with the social and political turmoil in the 20th century, especially after Azerbaijan was merged into the Soviet Union, the social and religious urban environment suitable for Muqam's development in the past no longer exists. In addition, the serious westernization of performance skills and inheritance destroyed Muqam's aesthetic characteristics and forms of expression.