Trabzon University State Conservatory © 2017-2018 Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2018 Research Article Musicologist 2018. 2 (2): 166-182 DOI: 10.33906/musicologist.493221 ANNA OLDFIELD (1) BEHRANG NIKAEEN (2) Coastal Carolina University, USA Tehran University, Iran [email protected] [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-9461-2002 orcid.org/0000-0003-3734-0650 The Azeri Aşiq in Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan: Towards a Transnational Comparison of a Diverging Tradition1 ABSTRACT KEYWORDS circulated through the Caucasus and Northern Iran for over 500 years. The Azeri aşıq tradition is a genre of musical storytelling that has AzerbaijanAzeri Aşıqs travelled between regions to perform, and practitioners th Iran remained in contact for most of the genre’s history. This contact was disrupted in the early 20 century, when northern Azerbaijan was Caucasus incorporated into the USSR. Divided between two countries, the aşıqs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Northern Iran have developed along separate paths. This paper will compare contexts,contemporary and gender. aşıq Bardic performances as observed in The Republic of Azerbaijan and Northern Ashiq Iran, focusing on historical factors, performance regions since the 1990s may influence the future of the genre. This Musico-Poetic Finally, it will consider how increased interaction between the two Aşıq hrang Nikaeen in Iran. Dastan study is based on the fieldwork and research of Anna Oldfield in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Be 1 of Limerick in 2017 and at the International Mu at the Trabzon UniversityWorking researchin 2018. Won this paper was presented at the ICTM World Conference at the University sic and Dance Studies Symposium e are thankful to everyone who discussed the paper with us in both venues andReceived: would December like to specially 07, 2018; acknowledge Accepted: December Lois Anderson 16, 2018 for her encouragement and suggestions. 166 Aşıq In(Ah the-SHUGH southern Caucasus and northern Iran, professional Azeri bards called aşıq, ) have been singing and playing for over 500 years. The genre, alsodastan, called is the Azeri people’s oldest vehicleaşıq for oral narrative, including epic lyric poetry, and verbal dueling. The is deeply embedded in the Azeri cultural imaginationceremonies. Aşıqsand holds an important role in weddings and other life cyclelive, travel to perform, and can be found wherever Azeri people includingnorthern Iran.in the Once Republic a common of Azerbaijan, tradition neighboring that circulated areas through of the Caucasus,the region, and it diverged in the 20th century as Azeri aşıqs mutually su were separated into two powerful and aşıqs spicious states, the USSR and Iran. Since the fall of the USSR in 1991, in the two countries have been in closer contact, but now embody two different trajectories of the same genre. aşıq e as observed This paper is a working comparison of contemporary performancgenre has been in the Republic of Azerbaijan and northern Iran. Although the researched in both regions, there has been little comparative work across the border. This paper aşıqseeks to open this comparison by focusing on some initial questions: How are arts different on both sides of the Azerbaijan/Iran border? st Whatin the factors 21 may have contributed to these differences? How is the genre changing century now thatuestions. the border The is first more section, open? OneThis Tradition, paper discusses Two Paths: our initialContemporary exploration Performance of these, q aşıq offers a window into contemporaryEvolution performance of the Aşıq in theGenre, Republic gives aof historically Azerbaijan framedand northern overv Iran. Section two, Split in Two: th th Political Division in the 20 century, iew of the tradition. Next, century historical aşıq describes the impact of 20 andPerformance political Contextsforces on and Repertoireperformances and Genin bothder inregions. Aşıq Performance, Sections four look and more five, closelyContemporary at aspects Concerns that and differ Future between Possibilities the two regions. The final section, direction for further research. , concludes the paper and offers One Tradition, Two Paths: Contemporary Performance Inof Baku,the bardic the capital aşıq of the Republic of Azerbaijan, it’s not difficult to find an example genre, which is performed frequently at concerts, festivals, and 167 l and in other regions. While conductin holidays(2004-6 andboth 2017 in the- capita g her fieldwork 18), author Anna Oldfield observed a number of performances, from spontaneous home concerts to very formal events aşıqsstaged at prestigious state venues. Although there are manyaşıq possibilities to see perform at concerts, weddings, and on television,aşıq an event in Baku will usually be carefully planned and staged. At a typical concert event you will saz,arrive the to long see neckeda stage lutefestooned of the withaşıq, flowers or banners and a graceful AzerbaijaniAparacı [Master of Ceremonies] - leaning on a podium. As the show begins,aşıq himan or herself - often a scholar or poet, sometimes an will introduce the proceedings.ages, dresse You are likely to be in an audience consisting of men and women of all children andd teenagers formally -for a night out. Whole families have come- but out in fact,with manytheir the latter on their cell phones, of course adults in the audience will use their phones to record the event as well. You will find the crowd both enthusiastic and knowledgeable as they cheer the appearance of beloved performers and respond to their favorite songs with applause. aşıqs aşıqs Youand willa Caucasian probably papak see many perform in one evening. Male will wear boots colorful traditional or evening(lamb’s dress. wool Eachhat) or a dark suit, while females will wear about 5- erformingperformer musicalwill sing dialogues one or twoin duossongs orof ensembles.minutes All aşıqs length, sometimessaz p will play the ,balaban, most of them will sing, and they may be accompaniedend in a gala ofby aşıqs a double reed wooden and/or percussion. The concert will and accompanyingAparacı musicians on the stage all playing together, with closing words from the . It is a night to celebrate Azerbaijani music, poetry, and heritage, and your experience will be focused and mediated by the formal context of the performance. 168 Figure 1. Aşıqs Aşıq Gülarə Azaflə andPhoto Roman by Anna Azaflı Oldfield. with ensemble at the Jubilee of Rustemov held at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall, April 2017, Baku, Azerbaijan. – an OccasionallyAzeri aşıq from a special over theguest border may be in introduced northern Iran. to a hushed,The guest expectant audience brought to the stage and introduced by the Aparacı performer would be 2 to play one or two the songs author to enthusiasticunderstood thatapplause. the aşıqs During conversations with Azerbaijani scholars, of dastannorthern Iran are perceived to be heirs to a purer tradition, one in which whole epics are still told, in which older sazperformance hava and rituals have not given way to popular culture, and where rare regional singing styles are preserved. In concert, the author observed that performersaşıqs and fromtheir northernaudiences. Iran were met with admiration and respect by Baku aşıq Back home in Iran, the same may have a very different performance experience. As author Behrang Nikaeen aşıqsobserved during his fieldwork in Zanjan in 2015, people reportconcert having mostly seen performing at weddings rather than onstage at a . If you are a man, you would be attending a specific men’s ceremony (if you 2 - i aşıq This is based on consultation with a number of Baku based Azerbaijani scholars on Azer arts in Iran, including Məhərrəm Qasımlı , Azad Nəbiyev, Sanubar Baghirova and Kəmələ Dadaşzadeh, as well as interviews with Aşıq Isa Tabrizli, who lives in Iran but often performs in Baku. 169 aşıq are a woman you will see the play later at a mixed gender part of the wedding). You are seated comfortably on a richly decorated carpet on the floor, eating and chatting with your friends,aşıq who all settle down on two sides of the room in anticipation. Soon the starts his performance,balaban and striding a qaval confidently between the lines of seated men, often followed by a frame drum. People are still talking as he recites the dastan,opening telling rituals the to narrati hush the audience into paying attention. Soon he will begin a ve portions of the story in dramatic prose, singingsaz dialogues between characters in song with the accompaniment of his , making amusing digressions and responding to audienceseated requests. As he strides back and forth through the centerdastan of the room full of men,adventures his interactive of heroes suchperformance as the star pulls-crossed you intolovers the Asli and Keremto experience or the lonely the Aşıq Garip. 3 lasted over Hean closeshour. with a series of rituals and prayers after a performance that has Figure 2. Aşıq Mehdi Najafi, and his ensemble, September 2015, Zohreyn Village, Zanjan, Iran. Photo byaşıq Behrang’ Nikaeen. These performances are both called ‘ and are both performed by Azerbaijani bards who identify with a single tradition. The performers choose most of their 3 ng Nikaeen in 2015. Several performances of this type were recorded by Behra 170 music from the same stock of hava4, and most of their sung lyrics from the same stock of Azeri oral literature5. However, there are important differences: in the Republicby an Aparac of Azerbaijanı audiences will most often see a stagedaşıqs performance