Uzbek national music has a rich history. Maqom is a large genre of Uzbek and Tajik oral professional music; the Shashmaqom has six maqoms: Buzruk, Rost, Navo, Dugoh, Segoh, Iroq. National instruments: doira (percussion), dutor, tanbur, rubob (string), nay (wind), karnay and surnay. The doira is played with the fingers and palms. Famous musicians: Yunus Rajabiy (1897–1976), Tokhtasin Jalilov (1896–1966), Muhiddin Kari-Yakubov (1896–1957); the composer and conductor Mukhtar Ashrafi (1912–1975) made a great contribution to modern Uzbek music. Passive: am/is/are or was/were + past participle: Maqoms are performed by singers and instrumentalists. The opera was composed in the twentieth century.
Worked examples
The Shashmaqom is performed by singers and musicians. The dutor is played with the fingers. The doira is held in the hands and is struck rhythmically. Mukhtar Ashrafi was born in 1912 in Bukhara. Many of his works are performed today.
Active → passive: A musician plays the doira → The doira is played by a musician. A composer wrote this melody → This melody was written by a composer.
Class activity
“Instrument introduction”: groups choose one instrument and write three passive sentences (is played with ..., is made of ...).
Practice
1
Passive: A musician plays the doira. → ?
The doira is played by a musician.
2
How many maqoms are in the Shashmaqom?
Six
3
Complete: This melody ___ (write) in 1960.
was written
4
Why is it important to keep and teach national music?
Because it passes a people’s culture and history on to the young generation.