Ministry of higher and secondary special educatio

Traditional Singers – Bakhshi: The art of Bakhshi singing is a common Central Asian folklore music genre. Historical folk epics are usually performed by Bakhshis and transferred orally from generation to generation. It’s a difficult type of throat singing (overtone singing) genre and therefore not everyone can become a bakhshi. Their musical instruments vary depending on the locality. In Uzbekistan, bakshis use dombra and sometimes drums. Bakhshis in Uzbekistan have regional schools of art and differ from region to region in their style of singing and instruments. The historical folk epic Alpomish is the most popular epic among Uzbek bakhshis. It is a millennium old epic of the Central Asian Turkic peoples that reveals their common historical roots through the history of the Qungrat brothers. Traditional bakhshi schools are based on master-disciple relationships and they have continued the tradition over the centuries. Ergash Jumanbulbul and Shaberdi Bakhshi are popular representatives of the 20th century bakhshi school. Today, traditional bakhshi singing is still active at festivals and national holidays, especially in the Surkhondaryo and Qashqadaryo regions. Shaberdi bakhshi and Abdunazar bakhshi are well-known representatives of the Surkhan bakhshi school. In April 2019, Uzbekistan hosted the first international art festival in Termez, the historical capital city of Surkhondaryo.
Shashmaqam - another classical Central Asian music genre is “Shashmaqam”, which is a Persian word meaning six modes. It is believed to have originated in the city of Bukhara and while played by a number of artists in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the most well-known musicians of shashmaqam are of Bukharian Jewish descent. Bukharian Jews also introduced this music genre to the West upon immigration to the United States. Commonly used instruments in shashmaqam are a pair of long-necked lutes, a frame drum, which, with its jingles, is very much like a tambourine, and the tanbour, which vaguely resembles a bass fiddle. The languages of shashmaqam are Bukhori or Tajik or Uzbek. The lyrics are close to Sufi philosophy and ideas. It is vibrant and complex with male and female performances.