Azerbaijani mugham

The movements included in a mugham composition consist of improvised recitative-style vocal melodies that define the musical-poetic content of the work. These are replaced by song and dance episodes with a precise rhythm. Song episodes are called tasnif and those of dance are called rang. Mugham is music of the soul and therefore deeply affects people and ‘transports’ them far away.
The monumental, sequential form of mugham, including the slightest polishing of minor details, differs in terms of its counterpoints by reflecting the melody's expressive capabilities. The mugham performance requires perfect technique with the instruments and an understanding of the uniformity of the structure of the whole composition, the logic of the transitions from one movement to the next.

Mugham for the Azerbaijani people is music, philosophy and a unique meditation that caresses the spirit of a person. This musical genre has spread throughout the country. The main centres of mugham creativity are Baku, Shamakhi, Ganja, Nakhchivan and Shusha. Among them is the Garabagh Mugham School, formed in Shusha – “a conservatory of the East” – which is of particular interest. Recognizing the value of beautiful voices and talents in the Shusha environment.

The great masters such as Khan Shushinski, Zulfi Adigozalov, Seyid Shushinski, Abulfat Aliyev, Mutallim Mutallimov, Islam Rzayev and Arif Babayev are shining figures of the Shusha Mugham School.

The calling card of Garabagh mugham performers is the “Garabagh Shikestesi” mugham which is a modal musical system in zarbi mugham music.

Khan Shushinski (1901, Shusha – 1979, Baku), was an Azerbaijani khanende folk singer.

Zulfu Adygozalov (1898, near Shusha – 1963, Baku) was a Soviet Azerbaijani khanende (mugham singer).

Seyid Shushinski (1889, Horadiz –1965, Baku), was an Azerbaijani khananda folk singer.

Abulfat Aliyev (1926, Shusha - 1990, Baku) was a singer from Azerbaijan.

Mutallim Mutallimov (1909, Aghjabadi – 1981, Baku) was an Azerbaijani khanende (mugham singer).

The gazal of the great Azerbaijani poet and philosopher Imadaddin Nasimi listing in detail the movements and modes of the mugham performed in the XIV century has survived to this day. In recent decades, great scientific literature on mugham has been created. Mugham contains a complex idea - emotional meaning, expressing deep thought, artistic excitement and the development of various musical characters. Mugham, as the creative product of professional music performers, is passed down from generation to generation in master-pupil relationships with oral traditions.

The history of mugham is a very ancient one. Scientists attribute the creation of mugham, this magnificent artistic monument of Eastern music, to the past millennium, the pre-Islamic era. They associate its roots with Zoroastrianism. But mugham has been enriched through the centuries, and was widely used by the Sufi in the Middle Ages. The idea is also expressed that mugham clears and purifies the human soul by the power of God. It is no coincidence that scholars of antiquity used mugham as a treatment.

The International Mugham Center of Azerbaijan is a center of Azerbaijani arts and music aiming to promote, preserve and popularize the specific genre of Azerbaijani music, mugham. It is located in Baku Boulevard, in downtown Baku.