The music of what is now Uzbekistan has a very long and rich history.
Shashmaqam, a Central Asian classical music style, is believed to have arisen in the cities of
Bukhara and
Samarqand in the late 16th century. The term "shashmaqam" translates as
six maqams and refers to the structure of music with six sections in different
musical modes, similar to classical
Persian traditional music. Interludes of spoken
Sufi poetry interrupt the music, typically beginning at a low
register and gradually ascending to a climax before calming back down to the beginning tone. After
Turkestan became part of the
Russian Empire in the 19th century, first attempts were taken to record national melodies of Turkestan. Russian musicians helped preserve these melodies by introducing
musical notation in the region. In the 1950s, Uzbek folk music became less popular, and the genre was barred from radio stations by the
Soviets. They did not completely dispel the music. Although banned, folk musical groups continued to play their music in their own ways and spread it individually. After
Uzbekistan gained independence from the
USSR in the early 1990s, public interest revived in traditional Uzbek music. Nowadays Uzbek television and radio stations regularly play traditional music. The people's Artist of Uzbekistan
Turgun Alimatov is an Uzbek classical and folklore composer, and
tanbur,
dutar, and
sato player. His compositions include "Segah", "Chorgoh", "Buzruk", "Navo", and "Tanovar". His image is associated with national pride and has been presented as the symbol of Uzbek classical music to the world. Another well-known Uzbek composer is Muhammadjon Mirzayev. His most famous compositions include "Bahor valsi" ("The Spring Waltz") and "Sarvinoz". "Bahor valsi" is played on Uzbek television and radio channels every spring.
Sherali Joʻrayev was a singer of traditional Uzbek music. However, he fell out of favour with the
Uzbek government, who banned his performances on Uzbek TV as well as his public performances beginning in 2002. He still performed at Uzbek wedding parties and in other countries to popular acclaim. In recent years, singers such as
Yulduz Usmonova and
Sevara Nazarkhan have brought Uzbek music to global audiences by mixing traditional melodies with modern rhythms and instrumentation. In the late 2000s, Ozodbek Nazarbekov mixed contemporary music with elements of traditional Uzbek music. == Western Classical music in Uzbekistan ==