A Mana
阿玛娜
A Mana is a master of Uyghur Muqam from the Kashgar region of Xinjiang. She began learning the twelve Muqam suites from master Seitwali at age 15 and has performed across Xinjiang and internationally.…
A Mana is a master of Uyghur Muqam from the Kashgar region of Xinjiang. She began learning the twelve Muqam suites from master Seitwali at age 15 and has performed across Xinjiang and internationally. She leads the Kashgar Muqam Ensemble, preserving and transmitting the complete Muqam repertoire to younger generations.
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
新疆
Region
Northwest China
Level
national
Status
active
Born
1958
Heritage DNA
Classification
National Inheritor
Status
active
Year of Birth
1958
Age
68 years
Location
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Region
Northwest China
Next Master
Chang Xiangyu
常香玉
See the Craft
in Motion
The Cultural Network
Heritage is not a static artifact; it is a living web. Our mapping engine traces the cross-pollination of techniques across three millennia, revealing how A's thread vibrates through the broader tapestry.
Territories of
Heritage
Geography shapes identity. Journey through the historical corridors that defined a civilization, from the arid Silk Road to the lush Tea Horse Road.
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Northwest China
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How A Mana connects to the broader network of heritage.
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History & Development
A Mana bears the Twelve Muqam, the Uyghur classical music cycle of Xinjiang that binds sung poetry, dance suites, and instrumental interludes into twelve grand suites requiring more than twenty hours for complete performance. Twentieth-century musician Turdi Akhun and scholar Wan Tongshu documented the full cycle in the 1950s, saving it from fragmentation after court patronage collapsed.
UNESCO proclaimed the Uyghur Muqam a Masterpiece in 2005 and moved it to the Representative List in 2008. Bearers like A Mana sustain regional variants and train conservatory ensembles in the modal systems and improvised ornamentation that notation alone cannot capture.
Cultural Traditions
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Suite Architecture
Each muqam unfolds through chong naghma songs, dallah percussion dances, and meshrap sections, modulating within a defined pitch center that governs hours of performance.
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Improvised Ornamentation
Melodic skeletons allow extensive melisma, and master singers differentiate regional schools through ornament choices invisible to casual listeners.
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Court-to-Community Path
Muqam thrived in Kashgar and Yarkand courts before dispersing to village gatherings, giving the tradition parallel scholarly and folk transmission lines.
Common Questions
How long does a complete muqam performance last?
All twelve suites exceed twenty hours, so events present selected movements; the muqam tradition page maps the full cycle structure.
What instruments accompany the songs?
Rawap lute, tambur long lute, ghijak fiddle, and daf frame drum form the classic ensemble, each following modal conventions tied to specific muqam centers.