TAR
Tar is a traditional Azerbaijani long-necked stringed musical
instrument played with plectrum. Throughout its history, tar has
undergone a substantial evolution with the number of strings
gradually increasing from 2 to 6. The famous Shusha-based
musician Mirza Sadygh, also known as Sadykh-Jan (1846-1902),
introduced the most recent improvement to the instrument by
adding 6 more strings and thus bringing the total number to 11.
Sadykh-Jan’s modifications reduced the instrument’s size and
playing position by moving it from knees to upper chest. This new
position of tar enabled performers to better manage the sound
vibration.
It was this most recent version introduced by Sadygh-Jan that
made tar a kind of symbol of the folk Azerbaijani music and the
leading instrument in traditional trio performing mugham, a very
peculiar piece of Azerbaijan’s musical art recognized as a part of
the world cultural heritage by UNESCO (2003).
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The National History Museum of Azerbaijan, 4379
19
th century