Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
53-57
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
14 April 2025
ACCEPTED
10 May 2025
PUBLISHED
17 June 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
The Formation of the
Uzbek Folk Instrument
Orchestra
Toirov Akbar
Teacher of the Department of Music Pedagogy, Uzbekistan State
Conservatory, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This
paper
explores
the
historical
development and organizational principles behind the
formation of the Uzbek Folk Instrument Orchestra. It
examines the cultural, artistic, and educational factors
that led to the institutionalization of folk instrument
ensembles in Uzbekistan during the 20th century. The
study highlights the roles of key figures, such as
composers and arrangers, in adapting traditional
melodies for orchestral performance. Attention is given
to the classification and orchestration of national
instruments, as well as the integration of regional
performance traditions into a unified concert format.
The research emphasizes the orchestra’s importance in
preserving and promoting Uzbekistan’s musical
heritage, contributing to national identity, and
supporting professional music education.
Keywords:
Uzbek folk instruments, folk orchestra,
national music, musical heritage, instrumentation,
traditional music, orchestration, cultural identity,
ensemble formation, Uzbek music history.
Introduction:
The musical art of Uzbekistan has a long
history, and its formation dates back to various
historical periods. Since ancient times, music has been
closely connected with people's rituals, religious
traditions, and labor activities. Folk music and
instruments such as the dutar, rubab, tanbur, ghijjak,
karnay, surnay, and nay served as the main means of
musical expression in their time.
Each nation passes down its historical experiences and
cultural values through its musical traditions. Since
ancient times, Uzbek folk instruments have been
present in various public celebrations and ceremonies.
As the people’s way of life, labor, and social customs
evolved, so too did the forms of music. Among the
earliest musical instruments were not only traditional
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string, wind, and percussion instruments, but also
many others used in religious and secular rituals, which
developed alongside society.
The development of Uzbek folk instruments has been
influenced by cultural exchanges among the peoples of
Central Asia, as well as by Arab, Persian, and Turkic
cultures. Numerous musical instruments, melodies,
and performance techniques were incorporated into
Uzbek music over time. These processes contributed to
the development of music and helped shape its unique
characteristics.
The Uzbek folk instrument orchestra holds a special
place in the history of Uzbekistan’s musical art. It was
created with the aim of preserving and developing
national music and has gone through several important
historical stages in adapting folk instruments to the
orchestral format.
First Stage: Socio-cultural necessity (1920s
–
1930s).
During this period, the need to preserve and promote
national musical traditions within the territory of
Uzbekistan increased. In the 1920s, the first ensembles
based on folk instruments and performance traditions
were formed. Work began on studying and promoting
folk instruments. At that time, the idea emerged to
combine local musical traditions with European
musical practices. Ensembles were formed based on
native instruments (doira, nay, tanbur, rubab, dutar,
ghijjak). In order to preserve the historical and cultural
value of folk music, instrumental, vocal, and dance
ensembles were organized. Folk music was collected,
arranged, and new performance styles were
developed.
Instrumental performance in Uzbekistan has ancient
and rich traditions. The most widespread folk
instruments have been used over long historical
periods to convey traditional Uzbek music. The victory
of the Great October Socialist Revolution opened all
paths for the development of musical art. In the
1920s
–
1930s, mass instrumental groups composed of
folk ensembles emerged, based on the principles of
solo and unison performance. These groups carried out
large-scale concert and performance activities.
During this period, national instruments began to be
taught in educational institutions. Classes were
conducted in groups by musician-performers using
traditional oral methods, with instruction by ear.
The most popular and widely used folk instruments
were expected to play an important role in promoting
musical literacy, fostering an appreciation of
polyphonic performance, and discovering folk talents.
However, the untempered structure of the
instruments, their incomplete and narrow-range
sound systems, and the weak or overly loud sounds of
certain instruments limited their use on concert stages,
narrowed the repertoire, and made it difficult to
perform the music of other nations.
The issue of adapting national instruments was also of
great significance in the field of music education. Life
itself set this task as one of the main directions in the
development of Uzbek folk instruments, especially
during the process of forming a modern professional
musical art. This art had to be closely tied to the best
artistic traditions of the people and capable of
expressing the full potential of polyphonic music.
Many musical craftsmen and folk musicians, such as Sh.
Shoumarov, M. Kharratov, and U. Zufarov, were
involved in the improvement of national musical
instruments. Each of them approached this task in their
own way. Overall, these efforts were aimed at
amplifying the sound of the instruments and expanding
their performance capabilities.
In addition to expanding the range, necessary work was
carried out to improve the instruments, but all these
efforts still could not fully solve the problem of
developing Uzbek folk instruments to meet the
requirements of modern professional performance.
In the 1930s, a resolution by the relevant authorities of
the Uzbek SSR called for instruction on Uzbek folk
instruments to be based on the standardized Western
notation system and the formation of polyphonic
ensembles and orchestras. In 1936, for the first time,
instruction using Western music notation was
introduced at the Hamza Music School for Uzbek folk
instruments. This played a crucial role in training
musically literate professionals.
By that time, the music workshop established at the
school had become a center for the improvement of
national instruments. A group of instrument makers and
designers
—
including V. A. Romanchenko, A. A.
Kevkhoians, and S. E. Didenko
—
worked under the
supervision of the workshop’s founder.
The 1930s marked a period of rapid development in the
musical culture of Uzbekistan. In 1935, initial
experiments in modifying Uzbek folk instruments began
at the Central House of Folk Creativity. At that time, the
development and achievements of European musical
instruments, as well as the experience of the Russian
musician and founder of the Russian folk orchestra V. V.
Andreyev, were studied.
To facilitate reconstruction, the principle of a 12-tone
equal-tempered chromatic scale was adopted, and a
family of modified instruments was created on this
basis. Although the transition to reconstructed
instruments was gradual, this issue was recognized as an
urgent task.
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In 1936, the Tashkent Conservatory
—
the first higher
musical educational institution in Uzbekistan
—
was
established. That same year, the Uzbek State
Philharmonic was founded to widely promote the
highest achievements of musical art. Within the
Philharmonic, orchestra, choir, and ballet ensembles
were organized.
A large unison folk instrument ensemble of 98
members was led by the prominent folk musician and
composer To
‘xtasin Jalilov. At his suggestion,
instruments in the lower registers were added to the
ensemble. For this purpose, “large ghijjaks” crafted by
U. Zufarov were used.
In November 1938, the Uzbek Folk Instrument
Orchestra performing with written notation was
formed. Instruments with a diatonic, non-tempered
scale were gradually replaced with reconstructed
instruments tuned to a 12-tone equal-tempered
chromatic scale. This newly formed orchestra began to
actively promote polyphonic music.
In 1943, a special experimental laboratory for the
reconstruction of folk musical instruments was
established. This laboratory became the central
institution coordinating all reconstruction and
improvement efforts. The processes of tempering and
chromatic adaptation were applied primarily to string
instruments such as the dutar, tanbur, and rubab. The
formerly stretched frets aligned with a diatonic scale
were replaced by fixed frets corresponding to a
chromatic tempered scale.
The sound scale of the chang was also chromaticized.
At the same time, new families of folk instruments
were created: bowed, struck-string, struck-percussion,
and wooden wind instruments.
These innovations aimed to expand the capabilities of
folk instruments and elevate their performance culture
to a professional level.
A number of folk instruments have been significantly
improved, which has greatly expanded their expressive
and technical capabilities: range, technique, sound
power, timbre, and more. The overall range of the
orchestra has now extended from the contrabass "mi"
to the fourth octave "sol."
Alongside structural changes, new performance styles
have also been developed, which helped to further
enhance the expressive potential of certain
instruments. In wind instruments, performance
techniques were refined through tempering.
In 1948, a department of folk instruments was
established within the orchestral faculty of the
Tashkent Conservatory. In September 1949, a separate
department dedicated to folk instruments was
founded. Due to significant growth of the faculty and
the emergence of new issues in performance and
methodology, the department was divided into two in
1975: Departments of Folk Instrument Performance and
Folk Instrument Orchestral Conducting.
The establishment of the faculty and departments of
folk instruments made a great contribution to the
development of the republic’s musical culture. Here,
highly qualified specialists were trained based on the
synthesis of the national traditional performance school
and the achievements of global performance culture.
Educational-methodological
materials
were
also
developed, and educational and artistic repertoires
were created.
The development of folk instruments, the growth of
musical culture, and the increasing demand for
instruments led to the emergence of a new branch
—
musical industry. Initially established under the name of
S. Rahimov, it later evolved into a musical instrument
factory. While 300 reconstructed instruments were
produced by S. Rahimov in 1950, this number reached
80,000 by 1977.
The emergence of polyphonic orchestras and various
ensembles for Uzbek folk instruments, along with the
development of solo performance on these
instruments, gave rise to entirely new musical genres
and original works.
Undoubtedly, the improvement of Uzbek folk
instruments, the introduction of notation-based
performance, and professional instruction contributed
significantly to the further development of musical art.
The development of polyphonic folk orchestras and the
creation and performance of a modern multinational
repertoire through them became the shortest path to
widely engaging the masses in musical activity.
Polyphonic folk orchestras played an important role in
promoting multinational repertoire and bringing
different peoples closer together, thus contributing to
the realization of the great idea of international
friendship and cooperation.
Year by year, researchers continue to discover more
credible and large-scale evidence affirming the ancient
roots and richness of folk instruments that have long
existed in the territory of Uzbekistan.
The artistic heritage of the peoples of Central Asia is vast
and remains insufficiently studied. The enormous
potential of this centuries-old practice needs to be
understood more clearly in the context of global artistic
experience. Artistic experience should not only be
preserved but also serve as a source of development
and a driving force in historical and cultural processes.
The historical development of musical instruments in
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Central Asia from antiquity to the early 18th century
provides a solid basis for an important conclusion:
instruments have changed over time, and the reason
for these changes lies in the shifting social functions of
the instruments, the understanding of new artistic and
ideological tasks, and the impetus for creating new
forms of musical performance.
Although the issue of efficiency has been officially
taken off the agenda, it remains relevant.
Nevertheless, debates continue
—
not just about
whether
an
orchestra
has
successfully
or
unsuccessfully performed a specific work in a national
style, but often about deeper problems.
Practical experience shows that the process of
improving musical instruments has accompanied the
entire history of musical culture. Numerous musical
legends and tales describe how famous musicians
expanded instrument ranges, increased the number of
strings, and so on. This evolutionary process developed
with special intensity after the Great October
Revolution, as there was a need to adapt to the new
socio-cultural direction and to create new works for a
wider audience.
In every historical period, instruments have undergone
change. The Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917
brought an unprecedented pace of transformation to
people’s lives. The social functions of
art changed
drastically, and new directions emerged, including
polyphonic music, which led to the necessity of
modifying traditional musical instruments. Thus, the
idea of reconstruction arose in connection with the
social conditions and new roles of instrumental music.
The emergence of Uzbek folk instruments on major
stages marked a turning point. Questions arose: what
should be performed, how should it be performed, and
most importantly, with what instruments should it be
performed? It was advisable to further develop the
tradition of ensemble performance that had long
existed in Uzbek musical practice. However, this
required increasing the sound volume of these
instruments, especially string instruments that were
popular and beloved among the people.
To achieve this, the instruments were combined for
collective performance. However, this soon led to
certain difficulties, including the lack of identical
instruments. Each instrument was made by craftsmen
who followed their own methods and had the freedom
to make the instruments slightly larger or smaller. As a
result, these instruments varied significantly from one
another.
In the pre-development era, when music was
performed in small rooms, differences in pitch and
natural tone of the instruments did not cause
inconvenience. On the contrary, soft performance was
often connected with the general emotional content of
lyrical and love-themed works. However, the need to
perform music for large audiences and include new
works with civic and developmental content in the
repertoire required more powerful sound. It became
clear that standardization of instruments was necessary.
Additionally, it was both possible and necessary to
increase the sound of each instrument. This depended
on several factors: the structure and shape of the
resonator, the material of the strings, their tension, and
so on. Thus, the idea of gradually introducing metal
strings in folk music performance began to form.
According to Kazakh musicologist and academician A.
Zhubanov, “In the village of
Abay, when the dombra’s
strings were replaced with shaped and metal strings,
they produced pure sounds.”
In connection with this, the assertion by West German
musicologist Fred Priberg that “replacing strings with
metal ones on folk instruments” was a res
ult of political
domination is considered highly ideological.
The results of the work by the creative group led by A. I.
Petrosyans were astonishing. In a short time,
instruments like the dutar, tanbur, and later the rubab
were reconstructed based on the principle of twelve-
step tempering, and work began on developing the
family of ghijjak instruments. This immediately enabled
the expansion of the tonal range of folk instruments and
opened up broad opportunities for polyphonic
performance.
Since 1943, reconstruction work continued in a special
experimental laboratory under the art history
department of the scientific research institute.
The laboratory included scholars who had deeply
studied the musical culture of Eastern peoples in
Uzbekistan and authored valuable scientific works on
this topic. These included V. A. Uspensky (who headed
the laboratory in 1943
–
1944) and V. M. Belyayev, whose
works were dedicated to scientific analysis of this issue.
According to T. Vyzgo and A. Petrosyans, during this
period, V. M. Belyayev was a scientific researcher in the
laboratory, participated in calculations and drawings,
and, with the help of master musicians, the
reconstructed instruments were produced there. From
1944, the laboratory was led by A. I. Petrosyans.
New forms of instruments were created
—
stringed and
plucked instruments based on the twelve-step
tempering principle: dutars, tanburs, Kashgar and
Afghan rubabs; and bowed string instruments such as
ghijjaks. Based on existing but unreconstructed
instruments among the people, various sizes of
instruments were made, allowing the creation of
instrument families sounding in different registers. The
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need to create folk instrument families was proven by
the experience of other nations, especially those in
Central Asia and Kazakhstan.
Thus, families of dutars, tanburs, and ghijjaks were
formed, significantly expanding the musical range they
could produce.
During the reconstruction process, work was also done
to improve the sound quality of instruments, introduce
new performance techniques, and develop new
technical capabilities. Changes in performers’
technique and sound production played a major role in
improving instrument quality.
Furthermore, significant improvements were made to
traditional Uzbek instruments by specialists, leading to
the creation of new instruments and the
modernization of existing ones.
As a result of the reconstruction efforts in Uzbekistan,
a family of bowed string instruments
—
ghijjaks
—
was
created: ghijjak-soprano (a reconstructed traditional
ghijjak), ghijjak-alto, ghijjak-qobuz bass, and ghijjak-
qobuz contrabass. The bowed qobuz, which existed in
Kazakhstan and Karakalpakstan and closely resembled
the Kyrgyz kyl-kiyak, was reconstructed by A. I.
Petrosyans in the 1950s. The reason for the change
was the fuller sound provided by the larger div and
the desire to standardize the bowed instrument family.
Based on this principle, the families of bowed string
instruments were formed. From the reconstructed
dutar-tenor, a family was created: dutar-prima, dutar-
seconda, dutar-alto, dutar-bass, and dutar-contrabass.
A similar process was carried out with the tanbur.
However, according to T. Vyzgo and A. Petrosyans,
“Although these instruments were confirmed by
experimentation, they were not preserved in the
orchestra.”
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