Bagpipes Of Azerbaijan: A Soviet Legacy

The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as the Azerbaijan SSR, was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. In 1977, a recording of Azerbaijani music was included in the Voyager Golden Record, a gold-coated copper phonograph record attached to NASA's Voyager I and II spacecrafts. The record features a selection of music from Earth, including a piece titled Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes, recorded by Radio Moscow. This piece, however, is not actually performed on bagpipes, but on balabans, reed-like instruments that produce a bagpipe-like sound. The inclusion of this recording in the Voyager Golden Record showcases the unique and diverse musical traditions of the Azerbaijan SSR.

The Azerbaijani bagpipe instrument is called the tulum

The tulum gained international recognition when a recording of the instrument was included on the Voyager Golden Record, a gold-coated, copper phonograph record that was sent into space on the NASA Voyager I and II spacecraft in 1977. The recording, titled "Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes," was 2 minutes and 30 seconds long and was recorded by Radio Moscow, likely in the early 1950s. The inclusion of Azerbaijani music on the Voyager record was intended to showcase the diverse musical traditions of Earth to potential extraterrestrial life.

While the tulum is a traditional instrument in Azerbaijan, it is not the only bagpipe-like instrument in the country's musical repertoire. Another instrument, the balaban, is often mistaken for a type of bagpipe due to its similar sound. In fact, the balaban is a reed-like instrument that produces a sound reminiscent of bagpipes. Despite this, the tulum remains the traditional bagpipe instrument of Azerbaijan and is an important part of the country's cultural heritage.

The tulum has likely evolved and changed over time, with different variations and playing styles emerging across the region. It is an important instrument in Azerbaijani folk music and is often used in traditional performances and ceremonies. The unique sound of the tulum adds a rich and distinctive character to Azerbaijani music, showcasing the country's cultural and musical diversity.

Azerbaijan SSR was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991

The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as the Azerbaijan SSR, was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991. The Azerbaijan SSR was established on 28 April 1920 when the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic brought pro-Soviet figures to power in the region. The first two years of the Azerbaijan SSR were as an independent country until it was incorporated into the Transcaucasian SFSR, along with the Armenian SSR and the Georgian SSR. In December 1922, the Transcaucasian SFSR became part of the newly established Soviet Union.

The Azerbaijan SSR was a crucial source of oil for the Soviet Union, supplying over 60% of the USSR's oil in the early 1930s. In addition to oil, Azerbaijan was also a significant producer of tea, becoming the second-largest tea producer in the Soviet Union after the Georgian SSR. The country's oil industry was nationalised, and new oil fields were discovered, such as Ilyich Bay, Qaraçuxur, Lökbatan, and Qala. By the end of the second five-year plan (1933-1937), Azerbaijan had become the third republic in the Soviet Union in terms of capital investment size.

During World War II, from 1939 to 1941, Nazi Germany was a major importer of oil from the Azerbaijan SSR due to its non-aggression pact and relatively normalised trade relations with the USSR. This changed when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. In the first year of the war, Azerbaijan produced a record 23.5 million tons of oil. The oil industry was crucial to the war effort, with oil workers extending their shifts to 12 hours a day, with no days off until the end of the war.

In addition to its economic contributions, the Azerbaijan SSR also played a significant role in the cultural life of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijani music, specifically a Mugham piece performed on balaban, a reed instrument that produces a bagpipe-like sound, was included in the Voyager Golden Record. This record, carrying sounds, images, and greetings from Earth, was sent into space on NASA's Voyager I and II spacecraft in 1977.

On 5 February 1991, the Azerbaijan SSR was renamed the Republic of Azerbaijan, and it became independent in October 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR ceased to exist in 1995, with the adoption of the new Constitution of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani music was included on the Voyager Golden Record

The inclusion of Azerbaijani music on the Voyager Golden Record is a fascinating aspect of the project's musical selection process. Launched in 1977, the Voyager spacecraft carried two identical phonograph records with sounds and images intended to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. The records were designed as a time capsule, a message in a bottle cast into the cosmic ocean, hoping to be found and understood by intelligent extraterrestrial life.

The selection of content for the Voyager Golden Record was a meticulous process, chaired by Carl Sagan of Cornell University. The musical choices aimed to represent the wide range of emotional expression found in human beings on Earth. Azerbaijani music, specifically a piece titled "Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes," recorded by Radio Moscow, was included alongside other diverse selections such as Bach, Beethoven, Peruvian pan pipes, and Navajo night chants. The Azerbaijani piece, with a duration of 2:20 or 2:30 minutes, is a type of modal music called mugham, which has historical roots in Azerbaijan's antiquity.

The inclusion of Azerbaijani music in the Voyager Golden Record is especially notable due to the country's then-status as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (AzSSR), a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. This fact adds a layer of complexity to the process of selecting music that represented the diversity of human cultures and expressions. The selection of Azerbaijani music, therefore, carries a significance that extends beyond the musical realm and into the geopolitical context of the time.

The choice of mugham, a traditional Azerbaijani musical form, showcases the country's rich cultural heritage. The performance by two balaban players, a type of reed-like instrument that produces a bagpipe-like sound, adds to the uniqueness of the selection. Despite some initial confusion and misnomers in the written description of the music, the exhilarating performance by the balaban players truly deserves its place in this interstellar collection.

The inclusion of Azerbaijani music in the Voyager Golden Record is a testament to the country's cultural significance and a symbol of humanity's desire to connect and communicate with potential extraterrestrial civilizations.

The Azerbaijani record on the Voyager is titled Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes

The Azerbaijani record on the Voyager is titled "Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes". The record is a selection of Azerbaijani music that was selected to be sent into space on the Voyager spacecraft, which launched on August 20 and September 5, 1977. The Voyager project was organised by NASA scientists, who wanted to send a message to potential extraterrestrial life, containing "our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings". The record includes music, greetings in 55 languages, a sound essay, and a photo essay.

The Azerbaijani record is a short, 2:20-minute-long piece, performed by two balaban players in the tradition of mugam, a type of modal music with roots in Azerbaijan's antiquity. The record was produced in 1960 by Smithsonian Folkways Records, under the album "Folk Music of the USSR". The piece was recorded by Radio Moscow, probably in the early 1950s, and brought to the US by American composer Henry Cowell.

The inclusion of the Azerbaijani record on the Voyager was the result of the influence of American folklorist Alan Lomax, who had spent his life studying and classifying the world's music. Lomax advocated for the inclusion of ethnic music in the Voyager record, and it was his compelling arguments that led to the inclusion of the Azerbaijani piece, at the expense of other pieces of Western classical music.

Despite the title of the record, the music is not performed on solo bagpipes, but on two balabans, which are reed-like instruments that produce a bagpipe-like sound. The tradition of the music is not "ugam", as described in the record, but "mugam". The players' use of a circular breathing technique creates a bagpipe effect.

The Azerbaijani bagpipe-like sound is produced by the balaban, a reed-like instrument

The balaban is a reed-like instrument that produces a sound similar to bagpipes. In Azerbaijani folk music, the balaban is played in a tradition known as mugam, a type of modal music with roots in the country's antiquity.

A recording of the balaban, mistitled as "Azerbaijan S.S.R., bagpipes", was included on the Voyager Golden Record, a gold-coated, copper phonograph record attached to NASA's Voyager I and II spacecraft. The record features a selection of music, images, and greetings in various languages, intended as a message to potential extraterrestrial life.

The balaban recording, performed by two musicians, was made by Radio Moscow, likely in the early 1950s, and brought to the US by American composer Henry Cowell. It was included on the Voyager record due to its unique, bagpipe-like sound, as well as to showcase music from a diverse range of cultures and geographical locations.

Despite the incorrect labelling, the balaban piece was praised as "exhilarating" and a worthy inclusion in the collection. The mistake in identification may have occurred due to the inaccessibility of information about Azerbaijan, which was then under the Soviet regime, as well as the similarities in sound between the balaban and bagpipes.

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