Ashug

The word "ashug" is of Arab origin, and first appears in literature in the 15th century, replacing the more ancient terms: Turkic - Ozan ^[2] and Armenian - Gusan ^{[3] [4]} . Initially, it meant - “passionately loving, burning with love for the deity”, then went into the Turkic, and then into the Armenian and Georgian languages, already with the meaning of “singer-poet” ^[10] . At the same time, the word “ashug” in the Armenian language ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]} retained the tendency to retain “y” after the syllable “a” ^[11] , characteristic of southwestern Turkic languages.

According to Vasmer’s Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language , the word ashug came to the Russian language from the Crimean Tatar ^[15] . However, as the expert on Turkic languages Ervand Sevortyan notes , this assumption is erroneous, since the examples given in the Fasmer dictionary are not suitable in meaning and phonetics, and therefore, when decoding the word, it is necessary to exclude the Cuman, Crimean Tatar and Turkish languages. Moreover, Sevortyan, following Vladimir Gordlevsky, agrees that the meaning of the word “ashug” as “folk singer” was borrowed from the Armenians by the Turks, and the word “ashug” came into Russian from Armenian ^[16] . The same opinion was expressed in the Russian etymological dictionary edited by Alexander Anikin , which states that the word "ashug" came from the Armenian language in Russian (աշուղ ašuġ ), and attempts to derive the word from the Turkic are unacceptable ^[17] . It is also noted there that the word “ashug” and the word “ashik” from the Azerbaijani language have different meanings in the Russian language: Armenian “ashug” is a folk singer, and Azerbaijani “ashik” is a balalaika ^[17]

The earliest information about folk singer-poets is contained in the works of Armenian historians Movses Khorenatsi (5th century), Favstos Buzand (4th-5th centuries), Yeghishe (5th-6th centuries) and others. Among Armenians, similar performing poets were called gusans (mtrup-gusans, tagerka) ^{[3] [18]} . In addition, information about folk artists is contained in the Oguz legend “ Kitabi Dede Korkud ” (not earlier than the beginning of the 13th century, preserved written monuments should have been compiled no earlier than the 15th century) ^[3] . The performing poets known as ozan (or shuara, dede, yanshag) ^[3] lived and worked among the Turkic peoples even before the advent of Islam ^[2] . A great influence on the development of ashug art was exerted by the ascension to the throne, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, Shah Ismail I , also known as Khatai. During the Kyzylbash rebellions, folk singers carried his songs in the Azerbaijani language ^[19] .

The ashug musical and poetic work belongs to the musical culture of the oral tradition . Azerbaijani ashugs accompany themselves on a saz , playing also to the music of balaban and dafa ^[7] . The 3 saz strings of Azerbaijani ashugs are most often tuned in a quarto-fifth ratio, which creates a simple form of harmonic polyphony ^[3] . Professional ashugs are divided into two categories: ashugi-performers and ashugi-poets.

Ashugi-performers, being professional storytellers, do not engage in poetry. Due to their individual abilities and a subtle understanding of the specifics of native folklore, they make various kinds of variations and changes in their dastans and tales, especially in their prosaic forms.

Ashugi poets, on the contrary, along with storytelling, are also engaged in poetry. In Azerbaijan, such ashugs are called ustadam, which means “outstanding master” in Azerbaijani. Ustadas had their own schools, where they taught their students the basics of ashug creativity. Such talented poets as Ashug Gurbani (XVI century), Ashug Abbas from Tufargan (XVII century), Ashug Valekh (XVIII century), Ashug Alesker (1821-1926), Ashug Huseyn from Bozalgan (1875— 1949), Ashug Huseyn Sarachly and many others. They had a huge impact not only on ashug poetry, but also on all the written literature of Azerbaijan ^[20] . At one time, among the Azerbaijani ashugs there were many Armenians whose repertoire included a large number of songs in the Azerbaijani language. One of the most famous Azerbaijani ashugs of Armenian origin was Avak Azaryan , who worked in the Azerbaijani language ^[21] .

Ashug's repertoire is not limited to dastans; it is diverse in genres and very specific in themes, always sharpened socially. Ashugs know fairy tales ( impudent ), love-lyric songs, praise songs ( gözelleme ), moralizing songs ( ustadname ), satirical ones. Ashugs compose in poetic forms such as the five- note ( muhemmes ) and the couple-note ( dubate ), and also widely use the verse built on phonemes that do not require closing lips ( dode-demez ). Many ashugs remembered 50-60 dastans , dozens of stories, tales and fairy tales (for example, the famous ashug Alesker from Gokchi) ^[21] .

In the past, ashugs performed in teahouses , caravanserais, and bazaars . In their repertoire there were many beautiful poetic samples. The tunes of ashugs are musically uncomplicated, but they are rhythmically clear. These tunes are traditional and passed on from generation to generation. At the same time, some motives are intended only for heroic verses, others - only for lyrical. The manner of performing the same tunes in different ashugs is different and depends on personal taste and temperament. The most common genre of ashug creativity is love lyrics. But the most interesting form of ashug creativity is a musical and poetic tournament - deiishme , whose participants (ashugs) compete in riddles, questions and answers. Moreover, if one of the ashugs could not answer the enemy in poetic form or could not solve the riddles, the winner had the right to saz the loser, and the loser thereby lost the title of ashug. Ashugs performed not only solo, but also ensembles, usually consisting of four performers - ashug, two duduk players and a drummer ^[21] . The Ashug ensemble was also composed of saz with a balaban and percussion instrument ^[22] .

The art of ashugs consists of easily recognizable melodies, which are individually and collectively known as ashig hawasy ( Azeri aşıq havası ). The repertoire of performers contains about 30 melodic types (there are about 100 in total). These melodies are played only on the saz. At the festivities that take place outdoors, ashugs perform in ensembles where there is zurna , soot or balaban . A certain genre of ashug games is called hawa ( azerb. Hava ), each of the melodies of which contains: hierarchical set of pitch, melodic range, step, preferred cadence formula setting. Most schools used from about six to eight different modes, most of which were borrowed from mugam . The most important among them are rust, segments, shikastey farce and shur modi. ^[23] . Each hawa consists of two or more separate parts. They are repeated in a certain sequence, while having the possibility of variation. Impromptu passages can be inserted between these sections ^[23] .

At the fourth session of the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage of UNESCO in Abu Dhabi (UAE) (autumn 2009), it was decided to include Azerbaijani ashug art on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO ^[24] .

In Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, ashugs are welcome and honored guests and performers at concerts, mejlises , weddings, anniversaries and creative evenings.

The repertoire of Azerbaijani ashugs consists of short lyric poems on love, moral or religious themes and long lyrical or epic ballads (dastans). The footage of the works is mostly syllabic (Barmag, Heja). The most common form is the lyric poem of Goshma , which consists of four lines containing 11 syllables, or its variants, such as bayans and Muhammas . In addition, there are other poetic forms ( tajnis , geyraly , gazal and rarer maidens ) that follow the rules of classical versification (aruz) ^[23] .

In the Azerbaijan Republic, ashug art is distributed mainly in the Ganja (north-east, Tovuz , Gaza ), Karabakh and Nakhichevan (south-west) regions, as well as in Salyan (south-west). In Iranian Azerbaijan, in the cities of Tabriz, Karadag, Maraga, Khoy and Urmia ^[25] .

In Iran

There were two ashug centers in Iran:

• East Azerbaijan is in Tabriz, where ashugs most often performed with two other musicians playing the balaban and the gaval. In the eastern part of the Iranian province of Azerbaijan , ashug and his troupe usually performed in the genre of lyric poem (ashig hawasy). The verses they pronounced usually consisted of a quatrain and, as a rule, eleven syllables per line, and also had three to five stanzas per poem (In the Azerbaijan Republic and Turkey this form is called goshma (qošmā)). In Iranian Azerbaijan, ashugs performed short verses of a different type, as well as bayats , which were one of the most performed genres ^[2] .
• Western Azerbaijan - in Urmia, ashugs always acted as solo performers. In the western part of the Iranian province of Azerbaijan , unlike East Azerbaijan, the Ashugs preferred another genre, known as dastan . Dastans can be roughly divided into two main types: a heroic epic, such as “ Koroglu ” , and a romantic tale, such as “ Asli and Kerem ” . Dastans are a longer genre, some of which lasted up to fifteen hours, and were read sequentially for several days. Usually the performer of dastans tells the story in a conversational manner, but when it comes to the dialogue of the main characters, these parts of the story are sung ^[2] .

In addition to performances in coffee houses, ashugs also perform at weddings and other special occasions. Before the Islamic Revolution in Iran, ashugs regularly appeared on radio and television in the provinces of Western and Eastern Azerbaijan ^[2] .

In Armenian literature, the term “ashug” was first found in the 15th and 16th centuries ^[8] . However, according to Oxford professor Theo van Lint, the word is already found in one poem by Kostandin Erznkatsi (c. 1250–1320), however, the manuscript that has preserved this passage dates back to the 17th century. Nevertheless, T. van Lint believes that the word “ashug” perfectly fits the content of the poem, and perhaps is part of the original text ^[30] . From the 16th century to the present, one can trace the development from the art of tags to the art of ashugs ^[31] . The ashug Armenian poetry was especially popular in the 17th-18th centuries, when it finally merged with the art of gusans and tagopevts ^[31] . As well as a tusher with gusans, the art of Armenian ashugs came from among ordinary citizens. Its performers played both for spectator aristocrats and ordinary people. The Armenian ashugs, resembling the gusans in terms of their social role and professional character, differed from them in the form and content of the music and some features of the performance ^[8] . In addition to this, unlike those who performed mainly as members of the theater troupe of gusans , ashugs were single poets ^[31] .

Armenian ashugs initially recorded and reproduced their work in various dialects of the Armenian language, but later switched to a more accessible literary language. Many of the Armenian ashugs were fluent in several languages ​​of the region. In addition to Armenian, they worked in Persian , Ottoman , Georgian and Azerbaijani languages, and sometimes several languages ​​were simultaneously used in their works. Ashugs mainly used classical versification, which they raised to a higher level. They adapted it to meet the needs of their language and ideas, creating new versions of the classical forms of ashug versification and even new forms. Of particular value is the average “rhyme complex” located on each line. Ashugi, using different technical devices, often improvised (especially in competitions) ^[8] . Since ancient times, the Armenians had a tradition of competition between singers, where ashugs performed songs of their own composition. After that, a winner was chosen, to whom the defeated, recognizing the superiority of his rival, gave his musical instrument ^[32] . The arrival of ashug in the village was a significant event for the Armenians. All residents, young and old, were going to listen to the singer-storyteller. As a rule, ashugas were received in the most ode to the ode (hall for the meeting of men), which was filled by men, and girls and women, as an exception, on the occasion of the arrival of ashuga, were allowed to stay indoors, being closer to the exit ^[33]

Structure

As the art of Armenian ashugs develops, intragenre units and the forms of their songs, their metro rhythm, and the laws of versification acquire a connection with the forms of oriental versification. As a result of this synthesis, the style of Armenian ashug music was formed, which adjoining the all-oriental music, represents an independent branch in poetic musical expression ^[31] . In ashug compositions, poetry, as a rule, is more important than the melody itself. In their works, Armenian ashugs use many traditional impromptu motifs (their number reached 60), which have a common property with the motives of the Middle East. But along with this, Armenian ashugs use their original melodies in their works. This has become a kind of national trait. Thus, in the works of Armenian ashugs, the main thing was not only poetry (as is customary with other ashugs), but also a single musical and poetic work. In addition, in order to preserve their authorship, Armenian ashugs, mentioning their pseudonym in the last couplet of each song, approved a new Middle Eastern tradition ^{[8] [9]} .

Compared to the tunes of the gusans, the works of Armenian ashugs also showed emotions, tension and pathos. The recitative , cantilena and dance character of the melodies was more obvious than in peasant folk music. In melodies, as a rule, mixing of meters and a relatively rich ornament are spread and widely used. In addition, melodies have individual characteristics that can reflect the creative personality of ashug and his source of folk music ^[8] .

Creativity

Armenian ashugs used personal and social plots in their works. Love was the main theme, sometimes it was expressed hyperbolically with touching spontaneity or in striking images. In addition, special attention was paid to social, philosophical and moral topics. Ashugs emphasized human virtues and condemned the negative aspects of society or the lives of individuals. In addition, in the works of Armenian ashugs there are historical descriptions, jokes, riddles, as well as Armenian versions of Middle Eastern tales. Over time, the ashug’s repertoire included themes of social significance and the national liberation struggle, after which new national ashug tales arose ^[8] . Due to the artistic influence of the Armenian ashugs and their ability to express national identity in general terms, their songs being very popular helped people to endure the hardships of war, exile and genocide , and songs such as the song of ashug Jivani “Bad days will come and go” matter, which is more than just artistic ^[9] . In addition, the Armenian ashugs, in addition to perpetuating their national traditions with their creativity and skill, also played an important role in the musical culture of other peoples of the region ^[35] .

Schools

There were different schools of Armenian ashugs, which had their own special traditions. The names of their centers were taken for the names of their centers: Vagharshapat (Echmiadzin), Alexandropol (now Gyumri ), Tbilisi , as well as schools of Persian Armenians, Turkish Armenians and so on. All these schools were distinguished from each other by the dialects of the Armenian language and manner of expression, the differences were present in the poetic theme and in the details of the musical style, as well as in composition and performance ^[8] . In the old days, according to tradition, young Armenian ashugs, having barely completed their studies, had to make a pilgrimage to the Surb Karapet monastery in Mush (now in eastern Turkey). Making their journey through the whole country, the newly made ashugs had to get acquainted with the life of the people, understand the issues related to the nation, and appreciate the charm of various dialects of Armenian folklore ^[35] . The poems of the best representatives of the Armenian schools of ashugs are preserved in the handwritten books of their authors, which were later printed. The melodies survived the oral transmission of creativity, and from the end of the 19th century they were put on notes and then published ^[8] .

Tools

Like gusans, Armenian ashugs use musical instruments, but only strings ^[8] :

• Saz is a lute with a pear-shaped body and a long neck, which usually has six to eight metal strings, and from ten to thirteen frets.
• Chungur is a four-stringed lute, one of the strings of which (with a pier in the middle of the neck) is shorter than the others.
• Tar is a lute with a long neck, a figure-eight body and a leather deck. Having from 5 to 9, and from 11 to 14 strings.
• Eve is a trapezoidal zither with 24 rows of triple strings with a total of 72.
• Santur - trapezoidal cymbal
• Kemancha - an instrument with three or four strings and a leather-covered case, often beautifully decorated
• Kemani (or Bambir) - 4-string musical instrument

Armenian ashugs perform solo (sing and play) or together with other musicians who performed important accompaniment. The art of Armenian ashugs does not use facial expressions, movement and dramatization ^[8] .

Ashik Garib

• Gusan
• Hanende
• Bakhshi
• Akyn

• G. Tarvedyan: “Armenian ashugs”.
• Kocharyan A., Armenian Folk Music, M.-L., 1939
• Mseriants L. M., Ashugi, Literary Encyclopedia, Publishing House Kom. Acad., 1930.
• V. Krivonosov: “Ashugs of Azerbaijan”, the magazine “Soviet Music”, 1938, No. 4;
• A. Mirakhmedov: Favorites, Baku, 1963, in the collection: “Anthology of Azerbaijani poetry”, volume I.

• ASHUGI // Literary Encyclopedia