Twelve Muqam
The Twelve Muqam are considered the most prestigious music of the Uighur people of Xinjiang in northwest China. In terminology, they are allied to the Arabo-Persian maqam system; muqam is the Turkic-language variant of this Arab term, and many names of individual suites are also drawn from Arabic. Musically, however, the Muqam are more closely related to Central Asian art-music traditions, like the Bukharan Shashmaqam. Unlike the Arabo-Persian traditions, which involve a degree of improvisation in performance, each of the Uighur Twelve Muqam is basically a tripartite suite made up of (1) chong naghma (great music)—a series of vocal and instrumental pieces beginning with a meditative unmetered bash muqam (introduction); (2) dastan (stories)—slower metered pieces; (3) mashrap (festival)—fast dance pieces.
The pieces are characterized by rhythmic formulas marked out by the hand-held dap (drum). Each of the Uighur Twelve Muqam is basically a fixed tripartite musical suite; each has a defining mood and pitch range, but modulation is so frequent that is hardly possible to link a Muqam to one mode, in contrast to the Arabo-Persian tradition.
The lyrics of the Twelve Muqam are attributed to the great Turkic and Persian poets or drawn from folk poetry; they are imbued with Sufi imagery and ideals. Said to originate in the fifteenth-century Kashgar court, their present form is more realistically traced back to the nineteenth century. Muqam may be performed by one singer with bowed or plucked lute (satar or tanbur) plus drum or with a small group of supporting voices and instruments. Men, women, beggars, and respected religious men may practice this tradition, for enjoyment or religious purposes. The Twelve Muqam hold an important place in Uighurs' affections and are often referred to in terms of spiritual necessity and moral authority.
Further Reading
During, Jean, and Sabine Trebinjac. (1991) Introduction au
Muqam Ouigour. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Mackerras, Colin. (1985) "Traditional Uyghur Performing
Arts." Asian Music 16: 29–58.
Trebinjac, Sabine. 2000. Le Pouvoir en chantent: L'Art de fabriquer une musique chinoise. Nanterre, France: Societé d'ethnologie.
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