Reference · reviewed 2026-06-08

Mugham glossary.

The modes, instruments and terms of Azerbaijani mugham, defined. A reference for musicians, researchers and anyone using the studio.

Mugham: The principal art music of Azerbaijan: a modal tradition of improvised, ornamented melody built on seven primary modes. UNESCO-listed; documented in the Tabriz, Baku and Şamaxı schools since the medieval period. Azerbaijani spelling: muğam.
Mode (muğam): A mode in mugham is more than a scale — it is a grammar with its own characteristic phrases, cadences and emotional register. Each of the seven modes is performed in a recognisable order of sections (a dastgah programme).
Şur: The everyday mugham mode. Broad and melodic; the mode most modern Azerbaijani songs draw on. Associated with an evening, reflective character.
Çahargah: A ceremonial mugham mode — stately and heroic. Traditionally opens weddings and festive performances.
Bayatı Şiraz: A mugham mode of longing. Bittersweet and reflective; well suited to lyrics about absence and memory.
Rast: The principal mugham mode against which the others are measured. Clean, grounded and comparatively light on ornament.
Segah: The love mode of Azerbaijani classical music. Warm, gentle and deeply melodic; one of the most widely loved mugham modes.
Şüştər: A grieving mugham mode. Built on dense, descending phrases that carry the weight of loss.
Hümayun: A court mugham mode — ornate and theatrical. Tradition pairs it with the recitation of classical poetry.
Tar: A long-necked, plucked, double-bowl lute and the lead instrument of most mugham programmes. The Azerbaijani tar is recognised by UNESCO; its craft and performance are a living tradition.
Kamança: A bowed spike fiddle held upright on the knee. In mugham it acts as the melodic counter-voice to the tar.
Qaval: A single-headed frame drum, the principal percussion of mugham. Often played by the vocalist (xanəndə) to mark rhythm.
Naghara: A two-headed cylindrical drum used for ceremonial accents and louder, festive pieces.
Dastgah: The traditional suite form of a full mugham performance — an ordered sequence of sections within a single mode, moving through rising tension to a resolution.
Xanəndə: The mugham vocalist, who leads a performance and often plays the qaval. The xanəndə improvises the melodic line within the chosen mode.