Mugham trio or mugham triads () is a classical ensemble of three Azerbaijani national musical instruments: tar, kamancheh, and qaval performers.Həcər Babayeva. Azərbaycan muğamı . strategiya.az, 30 April 2013 It is a traditional musical group of Azerbaijani musicians who perform the mugham repertoire and represent the ensemble of khanandas and sazandas.Muğam Üçlüyü . mugam.musigi-dunya.az
The performance of the muğam trio is called a complete vocal-instrumental mugham dastgah. The dastgah represents the entire mugham, including its form, all sections and branches, as well as the sequential performance of each section or diringah. The sections that make up the mugham composition are improvised recitative with melody, which determine the musical-poetic content of the work. These are alternated with songs that have a precise rhythm, as well as dance episodes. The song episodes are called tasnif, while the dance episodes are called rang.
Structure As the name suggests, the muğam trio consists of three people. This ensemble is the only one that performs the complete muğam in dastgah form with all its intricacies delivered to the listener.Səadət Abdullayeva. AZƏRBAYCAN ÇALĞI ALƏTLƏRİ ANSAMBLLARI TƏSVİRİ SƏNƏTDƏ . azyb.net
In the early times, the sazanda (ensemble of musicians) used to include the tar, kamancheh, and balaban for playing tasnif and rangs. When playing tunes and color pieces, the daira and qoshanaqara were used. After famous musician Mirza Sadiq Asad oghlu made improvements to the tar, the need for the loud qoshanaqara disappeared and it was replaced with the soft and subtle sound of the shepherd's flute (qaval) held by khananda. As a result, this ensemble became composed of only three people: the tar player, kamancheh player, and khananda, and since the second half of the 19th century, this trio has been active until today. Their role in the development of Azerbaijani folk music and the creation of the mugham performance school is immeasurable.
The main performer in the trio is the khananda who plays the qaval. According to their personal taste and abilities, they create compositions. In other words, it is the khananda who decides which branches and tunes should be included in the dastgah, their volume, rang, or the placement of the tasnif. When performing the mugham, khananda brings the qaval close to their face, ensuring that its sound is directed towards the listeners and resonates. During the performance of tunes with different colors and tunings, the khananda competes with and accompanies the qaval.
The second participant of the trio is the tarzen (), and his instrument is the tar. When the khananda sings, the tar player accompanies him with the organ point, playing solo mugham pieces between the vocal lines and modulating to new modes. The performance of the dastgah is a dialogue between the khananda and the tar player, as the tar initially plays any given gusha (section) instrumentally before handing it over to the khananda. In the instrumental pieces that alternate with the vocal sections of the mugham, the tar player is the sole soloist. The tar player must have a keen sense of ensemble, supporting the khananda while also being sensitive to his individual capabilities and knowing when to breathe.
The third participant of the trio plays the kamancheh which has a somewhat limited function in mugham performance when compared to the qaval and tar. The kamancheh player accompanies the kamancheh and tar player and serves to bring about the complex expression style of mugham. In addition to that, while the tar imitates the khananda, the kamancheh's imitation of the tar creates a complex expression style called "two-fold imitation" in the language of musicology. However, the kamancheh is not just an accompanist. In the most lyrical and passionate episodes of mugham, after the khananda's declamatory passages, the solos of the kamancheh sound as expressive and impactful as the human voice.
Musical instruments used Qaval is a wind instrument. It is made of a cylindrical body with a width of 60–75 mm and a diameter of 350–450 mm, covered with fish skin on one end. Thin rings are carved into the inside of the cylinder, and they produce sound when played. It is widely used in Mugam performance and is an attribute of the khananda. The Khananda participates in the precise rhythmic music episodes of the trio while playing the qaval. Therefore, the qaval instrument has been transformed into an attribute of the khananda.Azərbaycan muğamı . 9 May 2013
Tar is a stringed instrument played with a pick, producing shimmering and melodious sounds. Its body resembles a figure eight and consists of a large and small bowl. The front part of the bowls is covered with skin. The small bowl has twenty-two strings called "Arm," which are tied to animal intestines called "qrif." The strings of the tar pass over the top of the instrument and are tied to the upper part of the bowl with the help of "ashug" from above and to the metal anchor at the bottom of the larger bowl from below. The tar is the leading instrument in the mugham trio.
The Azerbaijani tar used in the Mugham trio is unique in its structure, design, and artistic and technical possibilities. The modern Azerbaijani tar with eleven strings has a wide range of sounds and rich performance capabilities. The instrument was developed in the second half of the 19th century by the renowned Azerbaijani artist Mirza Sadig, known as Sadigjan, based on the Iranian tar. He increased the number of strings from five to eleven, slimmed down the body, raised the bridge, and created the Azerbaijani tar, which greatly increased the instrument's tonal and technical capabilities.
Kamancheh is a stringed musical instrument with a pear-shaped body covered with a stretched membrane or skin. It is one of the oldest musical instruments in Azerbaijan and the only bowed string instrument among Azerbaijani folk instruments.Kamança . mugam.musigi-dunya.az The name of kamancheh is mentioned in Nizami Ganjavi's "Khosrow and Shirin" poem, and it is depicted in miniatures of Tabriz art (Aghamirak Isfahani, Mir Seyid Ali). Kamancheh is mainly made of walnut wood. The instrument consists of a wine bowl-shaped resonator, a circular neck, a "kelleh" (the part where the "ashiqs" rest their chin), and a steel rod called "sish." A metal brace attached to the lower part of the body allows the kamancheh to be played on the knee. The metal brace also holds the four strings that pass over the instrument's arms and body from the top. The front of the body is covered with skin. The instrument's sound is produced by drawing the bow across the strings. The bow is made of a horsehair-covered wooden stick with a metal ring attached to its end. The total length of the instrument is between 65 and 90 cm. The kamancheh used to have 1–3 strings, but now it has four. The notes "lya" in the small octave, "mi" and "lya" in the first octave, and "mi" in the second octave are played on the instrument. The range of the instrument is from the "lya" note in the small octave to the "mi" note in the third octave (sometimes solo). The kamancheh has a delicate and tender sound.
Famous trios
In the 19th century, the famous tar player Mirza Sadig accompanied the great musician of the East, Haji Husu, playing the kamancheh first with Ata Bagdagul oglu and then with the trio of Shusha khananda Mashadi Isi.İradə Sarıyeva. Tarı diz üstdən sinəyə qaldıran virtuoz musiqiçi – Sadıqcan... "Bakı Xəbər" qəzeti. 26 November 2014, page. 15. In 1880, he was invited to the wedding of Prince Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, son of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, in Tabriz. Many artists played and performed at the wedding, but Haji Husu was recognized as the best khananda and Sadigjan was recognized as the best tar player, and they were awarded the prestigious "Shiri-Khurshid" order.
In the early 20th century, Kechachioghlu Muhammed's ensemble was one of the famous mugham trios. The ensemble even performed in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, in 1912. At that time, the ensemble consisted of not only Mohammad himself, but also the tar player Gurban Pirimov and the kamancheh player Sasha Okanezashvili.
It should be noted the activity of the mugham trio created together by tar player Gurban Pirimov, master khananda Jabbar Garyaghdioglu, and kamancheh player Sasha Okanezashvili.Səadət Təhmirazqızı. Qurbansız qalan tarım . "Mədəniyyət" qəzeti, 3 November 2010, p. 12. This mugham trio, active for up to 20 years starting from 1905, was a special stage in their creativity. This trio became known not only in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus but also throughout Central Asia.Məhərrəmova T. Azərbaycan musiqisinin atası Qurban Pirimov hamı üçün nümunə idi . "Kaspi" qəzeti, 28 avqust 2011, səh. 11. They became famous during that period of activity, made concert tours to various countries, and their performances were recorded on gramophone records. In this regard, it is possible to note the records written by "Potte," "Sport-Rekord," and "Gramophone" companies in the cities of Riga, Warsaw, and Kiev between 1906 and 1916. It should also be noted that in these rare records, Gurban Pirimov accompanied not only Jabbar Garyaghdioglu but also other khanandas such as Kechachioghlu Muhammed, Mashadi Mammad Farzaliyev, Islam Abdullayev, Alasgar Abdullayev, and Seyid Shushinski.
In the 1970s, the mugham trio emerged in a new format. The famous composer, pianist, and founder of the jazz-mugham style, Vagif Mustafazadeh, created the "Mugham" jazz trio in 1977.Həmidə Nizamiqızı. «Sevil»in dörd gözəli . "Mədəniyyət" qəzeti, 9 dekabr 2011, səh. 12. He led this trio and they became laureates of festivals held in Tallinn and Tbilisi.
In 1987, the first mugham trio was created at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society named after M. Magomayev, called the "Jabbar Garyaghdioglu mugham trio".Cabbar Qaryağdı oğlu adına muğam üçlüyü . mugam.musigi-dunya.az The ensemble consisted of People's Artists Mohlat Muslumov (tar player), Fakhraddin Dadashov (kamancheh player), and Zahid Guliyev (khananda). In subsequent years, this mugam trio collaborated with many khanandas and went on concert tours to many countries around the world. Their performances were recorded on various albums released in foreign countries.
In 1992, the trio of khananda Aghakhan Abdullayev, tar player Zamiq Aliyev, and kamancheh player Adalat Vezirov created the "Zulfu Adigozelov mugham trio".Əliyev Zamiq Balarza oğlu (25 May 1950, Bakı) mugam.musigi-dunya.az This trio performed at UNESCO events in Iran and Iraq related to the 500th anniversary of the poet Muhammad Fuzuli. In 1997, Aghakhan Abdullayev was replaced by an unknown female student, Simara Imanova, and they performed under the name "East Nightingale mugham trio".Alim Nəbioğlu. Nə tez ötdü illərim, nə tez keçdi günlərim . "Olaylar" qəzeti, 21 may 2010, səh. 12. The trio participated in the "Melodies of the East" festival in Samarkand, Uzbekistan in 1997, and among 46 musicians from different countries, they were awarded the highest prize, the "Gran-Pri". The trio's successful performance and bright victory were acknowledged by the then-President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, who awarded all three with the honorary title of "Honored Artist".""Əməkdar artist" fəxri adının verilməsi haqqında" Azərbaycan Respublikası Prezidentinin 24 may 1998-ci il tarixli, 711 nömrəli Fərmanı . e-qanun.az After that, the state began to invite this mugam trio to national events and provide them with continuous support.