Falak (literally "heaven," "fate," "universe") is a style of music native to the

Pamir Mountains The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia and Pakistan. It is located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among the world ...

of Central Asia, particularly the

Badakhshan Badakhshan is a historical region comprising parts of modern-day north-eastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic Ba ...

region of northeastern Afghanistan, southeastern Tajikistan, and northern Pakistan. Falak lyrics can involve religious-mystical themes of divine love, separation and reunion (often drawn from Persian

Sufi poetry Sufi literature consists of works in various languages that express and advocate the ideas of Sufism. Sufism had an important influence on medieval literature, especially poetry, that was written in Arabic, Persian, Turkic and Urdu. Sufi doctri ...

), or secular and melancholy lyrics of human love and suffering.

Music theory

Falak music is generally in a descending scale, with a limited range often limited to a

hexachord In music, a hexachord (also hexachordon) is a six-note series, as exhibited in a scale (hexatonic or hexad) or tone row. The term was adopted in this sense during the Middle Ages and adapted in the 20th century in Milton Babbitt's serial theor ...

(six notes).

Instrumentation

Falak may be sung a cappella, accompanied by instruments, or instrumental. Falak instruments include the

ghijak The ''ghijak'' (also spelled ''ghidjak'', ''ghichak'', ''gidzhak'', ''gijak'', ''g'ijjak,'', or ''ghijek'' ( ug, غىجەك, ғиҗәк, ghijek, or occasionally ug, غىرجەك, ғирҗәк, ghirjek; Chinese: wikt:艾捷克, 艾捷克 ''aijiek ...

(spike fiddle), nay (Persian flute), and

dombura The ''dombra'', also known as ''dombyra'' ( kz, домбыра, uz, dombira, ba, думбыра) is a long-necked Kazakh, Uzbek and Bashkir lute and a musical string instrument. The dombyra shares certain characteristics with the komuz ...

(long-necked lute), as well as percussion instruments.

References

{{reflist Central Asian music Afghan music Tajik music Sufi music