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ORGANOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND SOCIO-CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AFGHAN RUBAB IN THE CONTEXT OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC SYSTEMS

Authors

  • Khakimov Orifjon Boboramazonovich

    Senior Lecturer, Department of Music Education, Termez State University
    Author

Keywords:

Afghan Rubab, Organology, Ethnomusicology, Chordophones, Central Asian Musicology, Musical Evolution, Cultural Identity

Abstract

This research provides a comprehensive organological analysis of the Afghan Rubab, examining its structural evolution, acoustic properties, and performance techniques. The paper investigates the instrument's pivotal role within the “Kabul school” (Gharana) and its broader influence on the development of North Indian classical instruments, specifically the Sarod. By analyzing historical treatises and contemporary performance practices, the study elucidates the Rubab's function as a primary vehicle for both courtly and mystical musical expressions in Central and South Asia

References

1. Baily, J. (1988). Music of Afghanistan: Professional Musicians in the City of Herat. Cambridge University Press.

2. Baily, J. (2001). “Learning to Play the Afghan Rubab. British Journal of Ethnomusicology., Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 27-30.

3. Sakata, H. L. (1983). Music in the Mind: The Concepts of Music and Musician in Afghanistan. Kent State University Press.

4. Doubleday, V. (2006). Three Women of Herat: A Memoir of Life, Love and Friendship in Afghanistan. Palgrave Macmillan.

5. Darmesteter, J. (1888-1890). Chants populaires des Afghans. Imprimerie Nationale.

6. Miner, A. (1993). Sitar and Sarod in the 18th and 19th Centuries. International Institute for Comparative Music Studies.

7. Slobin, M. (1976). Music in the Culture of Northern Afghanistan. University of Arizona Press.

8. Neuman, D. M. (1990). The Life of Music in North India: The Organization of an Artistic Tradition. University of Chicago Press.

9. Ustad Mohammad Omar. (2002). The Art of the Afghan Rubab (Instructional Manual/Archives). Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

10. Wilkinson, T. C. (2019). The Afghan Rubab and the Silk Road: Organological Transfers between Central and South Asia. Journal of Ethnomusicological Research., 14(3), 112-128.

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Published

2026-04-26