Azerbaijan’s music is anchored by mugham, an intricate modal tradition in which singers and instrumentalists shape long, expressive improvisations while drawing on centuries of poetry and performance.
Music of Azerbaijan builds on folk traditions that reach back nearly 1,000 years.[1] For centuries Azerbaijani music has evolved under the badge ofmonody, producing rhythmically diverse melodies.[2] Azerbaijani music has a branchy mode system, where chromatisation of major and minorscales is of great importance.[2] As is the case also with Arabic and Turkish and even more evidently, much of the musical terminology of Azerbaijani cultures is of Persian origin.[3]
Overview adapted from Wikipedia’s “Music of Azerbaijan” article.
Alim Qasimov and his ensemble join the Kronos Quartet for “Getme, Getme,” placing the ornamented intensity of Azerbaijani mugham in a striking cross-cultural setting.