Kamancheh Music Festival starts in Baku

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

First ever Kamancheh Music Festival has been held at the National Conservatory.

The artistic director of the festival is the National Conservatory's rector, People's Artist Siyavush Kerimi.

Professional kamancheh performers, including People's Artists Fakhraddin Dadashov, Agajabrail Abbasaliyev, Elshan Mansurov, Munis Sharifov, Shafiga Eyvazova, Honored Artists Togrul Asadullayev, Ismail Gamidov, Elnur Akhmedov, Rauf Islamov, musician Ogtay Sherifov and others took part in the festival. The festival aroused great public interest.

Kamancheh is a bowed string instrument, which is widespread amongst Eastern and Central Asian peoples under a variety of names.

The founder of the modern professional musical art of Azerbaijan, Uzeyir Hajibayli, considered  kamancheh to be the most melodic of musical instruments. 

The folk instrument is described in the works of medieval classical poets. Mir Seyid Ali, representative of the 16th-century school of painting, depicted the barbat (lute), daf (frame drum) and kamancheh in his work called "A Musical Gathering".

By the way, the only factory in the USSR for the production of musical instruments (tar, kamancha, nagara, gaval, gosha naghara) operated in Shusha.