Uzbek Musical Culture of the National Period as Intangible Cultural Heritage

The article examines Uzbek musical culture of the national period – from Uzbekistan’s independence in 1991 to the present day – in the perspective of its contemporary status as an object of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). It analyses the key directions of institutionalisation and cultural practice of this period: the revival and scholarly reception of maqom performance, including the establishment of the Yunus Rajabi Institute of National Musical Art in 2020; the formation and development of festival and competition infrastructure – the Sharq Taronalari festival (since 1997), Boysun Bahori (since 2002), Asrlar Sadosi (since 2008) and the International Maqom Competition (since 2018); the composer school of the national period and its engagement with traditional heritage; the international recognition of objects of Uzbek musical culture on the UNESCO Representative List of ICH – Shashmaqom (2008), the cultural space of the Boysun District (2008), Katta Ashula (2009) and the art of lazgi (2019). The author justifiably concludes that the national period is characterised by the systematic institutionalisation of Uzbek musical culture as an element of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). This process encompassed both the development of relevant institutions and practices and the implementation of regulatory norms, established by the 2003 UNESCO Convention and the national legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

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