It is curious that the profession of “reader of the Quran” is combined with the mastery of secular arts, especially music and singing. These were often people educated in many areas, who belonged to the intellectual community. Secular music was also used by clerics and major Sufi sheikhs. Shaikh al-Islam ‘Abd al-Rahman Jami, the Persian-Tajik poet and Navoi’s teacher, compiled a scientific treatise on music; he composed music, and authored, among others, the work Naqsh-i Mulla.
The spiritual and intellectual atmosphere of that era, including its democratic principles, contributed to the spread and accessibility of music. What follows is a selection of the characteristic features of that time. According to the words of Zahir al-Din Babur, singing during feasts was a particularly beloved custom. It was not shameful to start dancing during a dinner party, or show off one’s ability to play musical instruments and sing. Zahir al-Din Babur wrote about Sayyid Mir Badr, who could feel surprisingly minute details of rhythm (usul) and perform special dances (raqs), which he apparently also invented. Another of Zahir al-Din Babur’s contemporaries, Yusuf ‘Ali Kukaltosh, also had an acute sense of rhythm and danced during feasts.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "The Musical Legacy of Uzbekistan in Collections of the Russian Federation" (Volume VI) from the series " The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan".
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