Ancient Treasures, Modernized

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of women in the arranged folk music in Uzbekistan in the post-Soviet era. It looks at the rhetoric of Ro'za opa and her students, which focuses much more on musical literacy, virtuosity, and international standards. These priorities stem from the emancipatory impetus, during the Soviet period, to include women in the ethnonational project of creating folk orchestras. The chapter begins with a discussion of the assumptions of youth and femininity associated with certain dutar ensembles. It then traces the origins of dutar ensembles as they share history with similar ensembles from other former Soviet republics. It also presents the accounts of three prominent women musicians of the Soviet period: Faizila Shukurova, Firuza Abdurahimova, and Ro'zibi Hodjayeva. Finally, it considers the importance of Western art music to Tashkent's soundscape, and role that women play in this.