Ney from Uzbekistan

[AmbroseBierce]

Here are two pieces from a wonderful album I bought on Ebay some time back. Unfortunately there's hardly any information on the cover. The CD is called "Uzbek National Classic Music - Melodies of Nay" and the individual song titles are given in Kyrillic script. That's all. No mention of the artists, but the ney player in particular is really wonderful. While under Russian rule Usbekistan has dropped out of view, but just like the other former Soviet republics in Central Asia Usbekistan was extremely important culturally in earlier times, its cities having been important places of international trade, with the expected results of a very colourful cultural scene, true melting pots of almost all of Asia (except maybe for the Southeast), You can still hear it in this music: There's of course strong influences from Iran, particularly Azeri, but some East Asian colours creeps in and then what obviously is "steppe music" of the Turkish people. All that on a very high, cultivated level, a truely classical tradition which has developed in Usbekistan.

Anyway, here are two pieces the titles of which I have transliterated from Kyrillic letters (with the help of a table of the Russian alphabet) as "Cupi Irok" and "Yovvoji Corgoh". I'm very interested about your comments.

[أبو علاء]

Thank you very much, Paul. This section is eventually coming to life. I can't listen to the files for the time being, but I do agree on the cultural importance of Central Asia territories and the various infulences melting therein. Cities like Samarkand or Tachkent were among the most important places for the Arab-Muslim-Persian civilisation.

[AmbroseBierce]

Thank you very much, Paul. This section is eventually coming to life. I can't listen to the files for the time being, but I do agree on the cultural importance of Central Asia territories and the various infulences melting therein. Cities like Samarkand or Tachkent were among the most important places for the Arab-Muslim-Persian civilisation.

I hope you will like the music - in fact I'm quite sure you will. Whether this section will come to life, we will see in the near fitire. It needs others interested in the field. I've started checking my Central Asian music and found quite some interesting recordings which I will bring here, but I needs discussion with other members.

[أبو علاء]

That will come with time and the forum membership growing. It's growing at a quite stady pace these ultimate days. Of course, it's not only a matter of number, but I do believe some of the highest quality membes we have will bring in "birds of feather".

[Hakem]

The two peices are unique indeed, different style of nay playing than the one I heard before in Turkish and Arabic music.

I feel there is a twist from Indian music on those peices. Specially in the second one Yovvoji Corgoh. What do you think?

I hope this section grows as well! Thanks Paul keeping it going.

H.

[AmbroseBierce]

An Indian twist? That might well be. Certainly the tone produced on the ney in these samples is closer to that of Indian flute music than the Arabic or Persian ney music is. And Uzbekistan was in close contact with Indians since very long, directly through traders and travellers, but also, and that might have been even more influential, through neighboring Afghanistan where music is very strongly Indian-influenced - particularly the classical tradition. The Afghani masters used to study in places like Lahore and Delhi and then sing pure raga music. In contrast to that the music of Uzbekistan is much closer to Persian, Azeri and Turkish music (the Uzbeks being Turks of course, linguistically, ethnically, culturally).

That's the most fascinating aspect of this region: Centuries of contact with many different civilizations from all over Asia and even beyond have brought about a very complex cultural mix on all different levels.

One of these days I will present other aspects of Uzbek music, particularly the Shashmaqam, a unique musical system of Uzbekistan, which has been accepted recently as a "Non-Material World Heritage" in the UNESCO World Heritage program. Interestingly the Jewish community of Bukhara (and other cities) has been very prominent in the upkeeping of this tradition.

[Hakem]

Central Asia is indeed very interesting and important. It is one of the 2 wings of the maqam music! Let's not forget the major influences of Central Asia and Iran on Arabic and Ottoman music traditions.

There are Indian twists in those ney peices for sure, a bit vague, but the influence is there.

If you can introduce us to the Shashmaqam, I would be very grateful. Whenever you feel we are ready for it!

Thanks!
Hakem.

[tecladista]

I hope that you still post this beautifull songs!!! Very nice!!!!!!!

[hachik]

> The two peices are unique indeed, different style of nay playing than the one I heard before in Turkish and Arabic music.

Different instruments are called the same in the region. For example "nay" is one of the names of Armenian duduk and also of Romanian "flute of Pan". Uzbek ney is not simlar to Turkish/Persian/Arabic ney, it's a kind of traverse flute similar to Indian bansuri.

Thank you for these tracks!

[Tareemy]

Hello Paul,
I truly want to thank you for sharing those two tracks with us, I'm new to the forum and I will do my best to add to this section. The Ney was haunting specially in Cupi Irok . I've never experienced any place else in the world as rich and refined in culture as i do with central Asia. The exposure facilitated by the trade routes and at the same time the sort of isolation of the location has flourished into this very unique and mystical charm. I'm sure you must have been introduced to Monajat Yultchieva as well..