Sayitijiang Sidike

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Sayitijiang Sidike, Male, Uyghur, from Xinjiang, is a fifth-batch national representative bearer of Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang (Ⅱ-70). The tradition is documented in Xinjiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang in Xinjiang: Uyghur muqam art of Xinjiang is a large comprehensive art form that combines singing, dancing and instrumental music; it is distributed mainly in the Uyghur settlements of southern, northern and eastern Xinjiang, and is also current in large, medium and small towns such as Urumqi. In the course of its development within its cultural space, Uyghur muqam art of Xinjiang formed the schools of the Twelve Muqam, the Turpan Muqam, the Hami Muqam and the Dolan Muqam, which are the most representative of them. Uyghur muqam art began in folk culture and developed in the courts and official residences of the oasis city-states; through integration and development it formed an artistic style that is diverse, comprehensive, complete, improvisatory and popular, and became a distinguished form of expression of the Uyghur people.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Uyghur, born in May 1954 in Yining County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. At the age of seven he began learning muqam singing and playing from his parents, and at fifteen he began studying music and related subjects, the Twelve Muqam and Ili folk songs with the local muqam artists Xir Muhammad and Zikri Alipatar; in 1972 he undertook systematic music studies at the Xinjiang Arts School. He can sing and play the entire repertoire of the Ili Twelve Muqam, with a thorough command of seven muqam suites: Rak, Chabiyat, Mushawrak, Ushshaq, Panjigah, Nawa and Uzhal. In playing he follows the technique of his predecessors, with accurate fingering and clearly articulated sections; his singing is in a pristine folk style, strongly marked by regional character and deeply moving. Within the documented technical tradition of Uyghur Muqam of Xinjiang in Xinjiang: The sung texts of Uyghur muqam art of Xinjiang include the maxims of sages, the admonitions of prophets, village ditties, folk tales and the like, comprising both folk songs and the poetry of men of letters; they are a vivid expression of the mind of the Uyghur people. Uyghur muqam art is rich and varied in musical form, with many kinds of tonal system, elaborate modes, and accompanying instruments of many different metres, rhythms and combinations of formation; it displays a distinctive national character and a strong power of appeal. The Twelve Muqam consist of twelve suites of large-scale pieces, each of which comprises three main parts: the Qongunaiman (literally the “great tune”, a series of narrative and lyrical songs, instrumental pieces and song-and-dance pieces), the Dastan (a series of narrative songs and instrumental pieces) and the Meshrep (a series of song-and-dance pieces). Each suite contains twenty to thirty pieces and the twelve suites together number close to three hundred, so that a complete performance requires more than twenty hours. The Twelve Muqam current in Kashgar, Hotan, Aksu and Ili are of the same origin, yet in structural pattern, melodic style, the use of instruments and other respects each has features of its own. The Twelve Muqam are the form of art most beloved by the Uyghur people, sung and danced at public gatherings and family parties of all kinds. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Rak Muqam": One of the twelve suites of large-scale pieces of the Twelve Muqam, and also the opening suite of the Turpan Muqam. "Chebiyat Muqam": One of the twelve suites of large-scale pieces of the Twelve Muqam. "Nawa Muqam": One of the twelve suites of large-scale pieces of the Twelve Muqam. "Three-part structure of each Muqam": Each suite of the Twelve Muqam consists of three main parts, the Qongunaiman (great tune, comprising a series of narrative and lyrical songs, instrumental pieces and song-and-dance pieces), the Dastan (a series of narrative songs and instrumental pieces) and the Meshrep (a series of song-and-dance pieces); each suite contains twenty to thirty pieces, and a complete performance of the twelve suites requires more than twenty hours.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

Representative bearer of Uyghur Muqam Art of Xinjiang (the Twelve Muqam), a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Since 2012 he has trained many well-known singers. In 1997 the Uyghur opera Gu Lan Mu Han (Gulammuhan), to which he contributed, won the Five One Project Award of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and an individual music composition award from the Ministry of Culture.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Sayitijiang Sidike · National Representative Bearer Archive