Uyghur Twelve Muqams

Muqams were often performed for royalty, but they also were held locally for village gatherings or other special events. These days, there are no festivals held in Xinjiang ( the northwestern province of China) without a muqam. The different regions of Xinjiang each have their own distinct format. In particular, the Kashgar region is famous for their Twelve Muqams, an ancient collection of musical compositions and lyrics that are still performed today. Known as the Mother of Music, these suites embody a concentranted reflection of the wisdom and talent of the Uyghur People in musical creation. The Twelve Muqams include 170 songs and dance tunes, and an addtional 72 instrumental pieces. The entire work takes over 24 hours to perfom from begining to end. Usually, just one muqam is performed over about two hours.
The Uyghurs are masters with heteromodal music, and in no place is that more apparent than during a muqam. Often a piece will begin in a heptatonic (Western) scale and end in a pentatonic (Chinese) scale. The way the notes slide in and out and shift scales is very different from western music, and makes the muqam extremely unique.
The instruments of the muqam are the instruments of the Uyghur people. The satar is usually featured, along with the tembor or dutar. The rawaps hold the rythm along with the daps. The ghijek and khushtar provide flowing melodies, and many other precussion, wind and stringed instruments fill out the gallery. Many of these instruments can be found at our store, The Camel's Back. In the poster, you can see a man in the center playing the satar, and the man to his left, playing an 11-string khushtar.

Uyghur Tembor

The Uyghur Tembor is the longest of the Uyghur lute family. At 140cm (4'7"), or longer, it is capable of producing some of the deepest and strongest tones in the Uyghur repertoire. It is a plucked instrument, with 5 strinThe Uyghur Tembor is the longest of the Uyghur lute family. At 140cm (4'7"), or longer, it is capable of producing some of the deepest and strongest tones in the Uyghur repertoire. It is a plucked instrument, with 5 strings, tuned A A D G G. The strings are meant to compliment each other, creating sympathetic sounds and giving the instrument a full, sonorous timbre.
It is one of the formost intruments used in Uyghur music, mostly used in the muqam or for accompanying a folksong. It enjoys a position close to the satar in importance within the sacred Twelve Muqams. The tembor is often found in the middle of a group of people, creating the stunning melody over which a story is being sung, or providing the rythmic beats for the dancers to step to.
Our tembor is 140cm, with five steel strings, and is crafted with wood from the mulberry tree. It has 30 frets along the neck, chromatically placed to help you find the notes. Many colorful decorations adorn the front, back and neck. These patterns and colors are rich in meaning with the Uyghur. The neck is held in the left hand, and the bowl rests at your feet. You pluck the upper melodic strings, and the others reverberate automatically. If you are familiar with lute playing, the tembor should not have a high learning curve.
The Uyghur historian Mojizi credits the people of the Dolan region of Xinjiang with creating the first lutes 6000 years ago. Through the centuries, the current tembor seems to have evolved from the ancient berbab instrument, another five stringed lute. The tembor, or berbab, even appears in the Buddhist cave paintings at Dunhuang, which date back to the 4th century CE. The tembor is a common name for a lute within the Persian world, but the Uyghur tembor is unique with its five strings and special decoration. gs, tuned A A D G G. The strings are meant to compliment each other, creating sympathetic sounds and giving the instrument a full, sonorous timbre.
It is one of the formost intruments used in Uyghur music, mostly used in the muqam or for accompanying a folksong. It enjoys a position close to the satar in importance within the sacred Twelve Muqams. The tembor is often found in the middle of a group of people, creating the stunning melody over which a story is being sung, or providing the rythmic beats for the dancers to step to.
Our tembor is 140cm, with five steel strings, and is crafted with wood from the mulberry tree. It has 30 frets along the neck, chromatically placed to help you find the notes. Many colorful decorations adorn the front, back and neck. These patterns and colors are rich in meaning with the Uyghur. The neck is held in the left hand, and the bowl rests at your feet. You pluck the upper melodic strings, and the others reverberate automatically. If you are familiar with lute playing, the tembor should not have a high learning curve.
The Uyghur historian Mojizi credits the people of the Dolan region of Xinjiang with creating the first lutes 6000 years ago. Through the centuries, the current tembor seems to have evolved from the ancient berbab instrument, another five stringed lute. The tembor, or berbab, even appears in the Buddhist cave paintings at Dunhuang, which date back to the 4th century CE. The tembor is a common name for a lute within the Persian world, but the Uyghur tembor is unique with its five strings and special decoration.