Tar Performance in Azerbaijan

The craftsmanship and performance of the tar as well as the skills that are related to this tradition play an important role in designing the cultural identity of the Azerbaijanis. The tar as a musical instrument is a long necked plucked lute culturally crafted and played in communities throughout Azerbaijan. Tar can be play alone or with other musical instrument in many musical styles and it is considered to be the country’s top leading musical instrument. The art of the tar was added to the Representative List of the intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the 2012 art of Azerbaijani craftsmanship and performance.

source of picture: en.wikipedia.org 

Tar producers transmit their high skills to learners or people who are known as apprentices who are often part or members of the family. The craftsmanship starts with choosing the materials for the instrument carefully; it could be from the mulberry wood for the body, nut wood for the neck, and pear wood for the tuning pegs. With the use of many tools, the producers of this instrument create a hollow body that has figure of eight which is covered with a thin pericardium of an ox. The fretted neck of the instrument is affixed, metal strings used on the body and the body in inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

The player of tar holds the musical instrument in a horizontal shape against the chest and plucks the strings with a tiny mouth pointed material called plectrum while using trills and many techniques and strokes to add designs to the music. Tar performances are well appreciated in wedding ceremonies and many different gatherings as well as public concerts and festive events. The idea of performing this music instrument can be passed down to the young one by the adults through words of the mouth and demonstration and also at educational musical institutions.

In the later part of 19^th century in Azerbaijan, tar was made to undergo some renovations. One of the best and greatest musicians who is a performer on container Mirza Sadiq Asad brought up some changes in the structure and form of the musical instrument by increasing the number of strings on the instrument and making them 11. He also changed the way the game on the container and raised the tool with performer knees to his chest. The new way of playing on the container started in the 20^th century. The tar was the leader in the first sheet orchestra of folk music instrument that was created in the year 1931 on the idea of Uzeyir Hajibevov and Muslim Magomavev who are the largest Azerbaijani composer and public figures of the beginning part of the 20^th century. The technical and artistic possibilities of the packaging was further expanded by the school of sheet music playing on the national instruments based Uzeyir Hajibevov. In the history of Azerbaijan music, the tar was used as a mainly as a lead musical instrument in the Mugham trio singers that also includes Kamancha and daf instruments.