REPERTOIRE SELECTION AND VOCAL TECHNIQUE ADAPTING FERGHANA FOLK CLASSICAL SINGING FOR STRUCTURED UNIVERSITY SYLLABI

Abstract

The integration of Ferghana folk classical singing into the structured university syllabi of Uzbekistan presents a unique pedagogical challenge. Unlike the codified Shashmaqom tradition, which benefitted from Soviet era institutionalization, Ferghana vocal music including Tanovar, Katta ashula, and lyrical Ferghana songs has historically relied on oral master apprentice transmission (ustoz shogird). This study examines how repertoire selection and vocal technique instruction can be systematically adapted for conservatory and university settings without losing the genre’s essential aesthetic features. Through a mixed methods approach combining syllabus analysis from four Uzbek higher music institutions, interviews with twenty three vocal pedagogy faculty, and comparative observation of master classes and university lessons, I identify three principal areas of tension: the standardization of ornamentation, the pacing of repertoire difficulty, and the notation versus aural learning debate. Results indicate that successful adaptation requires a tiered repertoire model progressing from short Ferghana folk lyrics to extended Tanovar forms, alongside a vocal technique framework centered on four Ferghana specific competencies: controlled laryngeal flexibility for ishkala ornaments, breath management for melismatic phrasing, microtonal pitch stability, and text driven emotional modulation. The discussion proposes a semester by semester syllabus template that preserves oral transmission through required listening and imitation hours while using notation only as a memory aid. The study concludes that Ferghana folk classical singing can be effectively taught in university settings when repertoire selection respects regional stylistic boundaries and vocal technique is reframed not as Western bel canto but as an embodied Ferghana aesthetic.