Sariyev Himoyat Matchonboyevich
Xorazm Dostonlaridagi Cholg’u Kuylarining Ahamiyati (The Significance of Instrumental Melodies in Khorezm Epics) explores the artistic, aesthetic, and dramatic importance of instrumental melodies in the Khorezm school of Uzbek epic performance. The study presents folk epics as a richly syncretic art form in which narrative, vocal expression, and instrumental music work together. Focusing on the dutar, gijjak, bulamon, and doira, the book shows that instrumental passages are far more than accompaniment: they advance the plot, reveal the emotional world of characters, create transitions between episodes, and preserve the epic’s compositional unity. It also investigates the historical development of Khorezm epic traditions, the repertoires and performance practices of bakhshis and khalfas, and the modal, rhythmic, and structural features of epic melodies. By addressing an underexplored musical layer of Uzbek oral heritage, this work offers an important contribution to ethnomusicology, folklore studies, and cultural preservation.
