KHOREZM TANBUR NOTATION — A UNIQUE MUSICAL NOTATION SYSTEM OF EASTERN MUSIC CULTURE AND ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47390/ydif-y2026v2i10/n05Keywords:
Khorezm tanbur notation, Komil Khorazmi, Muhammad Rasul Mirzo, six-and-a-half maqoms, tablature, musical notation, oral tradition, Mulla Bekjon, musicology.Abstract
The article analyzes the «Tanbur notation» (Tanbur chizigʻi) — a tablature-type system invented by Komil Khorazmi (1825–1899) and developed by his son Muhammad Rasul Mirzo in the Khanate of Khiva in the second half of the 19th century. The study examines the unique architecture of this notation, which is based on 18 horizontal lines corresponding to 17 frets and the open string of the tanbur, the graphic representation of doira (frame drum) usul patterns, and integration with poetic texts. Mulla Bekjon Rahmon ogʻli and Muhammad Yusuf Devonzoda's «Khorezm Musical History» (1925) is used as the principal primary source. The article highlights the role of Tanbur notation in the transition of the Khorezm six-and-a-half maqom cycle from oral to written tradition, its study by musicologists V.M. Belyaev, V.A. Uspensky, I. Rajabov, O. Matyakubov, and its current significance as intangible cultural heritage.
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