Countries Archives: Uzbekistan

Yar Yar

COUNTRY:Uzbekistan
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Uzbek

In Uzbekistan “Yar Yar” is a genre of musical laments associated with funerals, sung most traditionally in the house of a deceased person while preparing the body for burial. In our classes we take this complex tradition and embrace the positive, using our “yar yar” as an opportunity to remember our loved ones. (“I will remember you my dear, I’ll remember . . . ‘yar yar.’) This song also inspires us to try Uzbek folk dancing, and therefore celebrate life.

Uzbek folk dance, which most publicly takes place at an event called a TOY that marks festive life-cycle events like a marriage, is, traditionally, a gender-segregated affair. Most Uzbek dances involve arm motion rather than intricate footwork, though there is apparently is room for the occasional stomp.

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Uzbekistan–Uzbek dancing

Uzbek folk dance, which most publicly takes place at festive life-cycle events like a marriage, is a gender-segregated affair — women dance together, as do men — well, traditionally, boys wearing women’s dresses and makeup, performing a dance style known as “bacha.” Most Uzbek dances involve arm motion rather than intricate footwork (the dance starts at 0:35), though there is apparently is room for the occasional stomp.

In class we do some Uzbek dancing. We aspire to dance like this, but more likely we end up looking more like this.

Shashmaqam

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[wpspoiler name=”Shashmaqam of Tajikistan” open=”true” style=”aatw-video”][/wpspoiler]
[Information about shashmaqam coming soon.]

Uzbekistan–Music

As a landlocked Central Asian nation that was also a hub of Silk Road travel, Uzbek music developed deep local traditions but has also remained open to outside influence. Styles like Shashmaqam, a Sufi-inspired, lyrical form, developed from the music of Tajiks, Uzbeks, and even Bukharan Jews.

Today non-Uzbek musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma bring traditional Silk Road music to a global audience, Uzbek musicians abroad (like the New York-based Bukharan-Jewish ensemble, Shasmaqam), perform Central Asian traditional music in their new homelands, and recording artists from Uzbekistan have begun to make their mark on the world music scene.

News flash! “Meaningless” music banned in Uzbekistan.

In class we sing the very meaningful “Taralilalalai” in Uzbek. From the Smithsonian Folkways recording, Bukhara: Musical Crossroads of Asia. Dartmouth music professor Theodore Levin, who produced this collection, also wrote The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia (and Queens, New York), which includes a translation of this song. “Taralilalalai” is kind of like “la la la.” “Yar eh” means “my dear.”

In class we also extol the virtues of:
— Sevara Nazarkhan: Sevara Nazarkhan began her musical career as as the vocalist and doutar player in the Uzbek “girl band,” Sideris. She became known in world music circles after releasing Yol Bolsin, which infused Uzbek traditional music with funk. See Sevara on Youtube performing Yor-Yor.

— Matlubeh: “Yar Yar.” Matlubeh Dadabayeva is an Uzbek classical singer and one of the nation’s most respected traditional musicians.

— Yulduz Usmanova: “Adolik.” Like Sevara Nazarkhan, “Yulduz,” as she is widely known — she is also called the Uzbek Madonna — lives musically both in Central Asia and the West. Though her first few albums brought her fame in Asia, she has become increasingly well known for her collaborations with international musicians.

Despite her notoriety Yulduz has mainly lived in Uzbekistan and, with the support of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan’s “president for life,” has even served in Uzbekistan’s parliament. (In 2008 Yulduz left politics, and Uzbekistan, for Turkey.)

Uzbekistan–Language

Most people in Uzbekistan speak Uzbek, though some Tajiks in Bukhara and Samarqand speak the Tajik language. When Uzebkistan was under Soviet rule students had to learn Russian, but since the USSR disbanded few people in Uzbekistan have taken up the language. The Soviets also required Uzbekistan to use Uzbek Cyrillic script, but in 1992 the Soviets left and Latin script has returned.

Uzbekistan–Overview

For its several thousand years of recorded history Uzbekistan has both benefited from, and been the victim of, its location at central Asia’s crossroads. For centuries Uzbekistan was one of the most important stops on the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between the Mediterranean and China. This brought a constant stream of travelers and traders to cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara, which was generally a good thing. Unfortunately, Uzbekistan was also right in the path, and therefore under the thumb, of conquerors such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane and, most recently, the Soviets. Overall, not quite as good. Today Uzbekistan is independent, but is still trying to find its way.

Lesson 5: Uzbekistan

This week in class All Around This World ventures to Uzbekistan, one of the world’s only two “doubly landlocked” countries, and an essential stop on the storied Silk Road.

START HERE:

— OVERVIEW: For its several thousand years of recorded history Uzbekistan has both benefited from, and been the victim of, its location at central Asia’s crossroads . . .

— MUSIC: As a landlocked Central Asian nation that was also a hub of Silk Road travel, Uzbek music developed deeplocal traditions but has also remained open to outside influence . . .

— LANGUAGE: Most people in Uzbekistan speak Uzbek, though some Tajiks in Bukhara and Samarqand speak the Tajik language . . .

— UZBEK DANCING: Uzbek folk dance, which most publicly takes place at festive life-cycle events like a marriage, is a gender-segregated affair — women dance together, as do men . . .

Taralilalalai

COUNTRY: Uzbekistan (Bukhara)
LANGUAGE: Tajiki

Found on the Smithsonian Folkways recording, Bukhara: Musical Crossroads of Asia. “Taralilalalai” is the first song in a medley listed as “Songs From Sozanda Repertory.” Sozanda is a particular kind of repertoire from the Tajik city of Bukhara that is sung exclusively by women. Dartmouth music professor Theodore Levin, who produced this collection, also wrote The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia (and Queens, New York), which includes a translation of this song.

Over the course of more more than two millennia of Bukharan history the region was at the cultural crossroads of merchants from Central and Eastern Asia, particularly Uzbeks, Tajiks and Persians. Jews and and Muslims mingled freely and made music together. Today much surviving Bukharan music, like the Sozandas such as “Taralilalalai,” appears in the repertoire of Jewish musicians who perform an Uzbek and Tajik genre known as Shashmaqam.

“Taralilalalai” translates roughly as “la la la” and “yar eh” means “my dear.”