Guide to Azerbaijani Music — Mugham & Beyond

Azerbaijan has one of the world's most extraordinary musical traditions — mugham, a form of classical improvised music so complex and emotionally powerful that UNESCO inscribed it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003.

Mugham is to Azerbaijan what flamenco is to Spain or jazz is to America — a deeply rooted musical tradition that defies easy categorisation. It is simultaneously composed and improvised, ancient and alive, spiritual and worldly. A mugham performance is built on a series of modal frameworks (called dastgahs or shurs) within which the vocalist and instrumentalists improvise in response to each other and to the audience.