INTERVALLIC STRUCTURE AND VOCAL PRODUCTION IN FERGHANA-TASHKENT MAQOM

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between intervallic structure and vocal technique in the Ferghana-Tashkent branch of Uzbek maqom, a tradition within the broader Shashmaqom complex. Unlike its Bukharan counterpart, which underwent significant notation-based codification during the Soviet era, the Ferghana-Tashkent style has retained a stronger oral character, privileging flexible intonation and richly ornamented melodic lines. Through analysis of recorded performances and ethnographic observation of contemporary masters, this study argues that specific intervallic patterns - particularly the augmented second, the neutral third, and the variable fourth - directly condition vocal production in terms of register shifts, laryngeal positioning, and timbral coloration. The article further demonstrates that Ferghana-Tashkent singers employ what may be termed “intervallic kinesthesia,” a embodied knowledge wherein pitch relationships are not merely heard but physically felt through specific adjustments of the vocal tract. This research contributes to the growing field of ethnomusicological voice studies by situating maqom singing within a framework that unites cognitive, acoustic, and pedagogical perspectives.