An organological study and reconstruction of the Azerbaijani Ergan based on Abd al-Qadir al-Maraghi's descriptions

Abstract

This study examines the Azerbaijani Ergan from an organological perspective by investigating its historical development, etymology, place in classical Azerbaijani literature, and morphological characteristics based on the descriptions of Abd al-Qadir al-Maraghi, and presents the first practical attempt at its reconstruction. A document analysis method was employed. The study comparatively analyzed Abd al-Qadir al-Maraghi's musical treatises together with the works of Abbasgulu Najafzade, Saadet Abdullayeva, and Efrasiyab Badalbeyli, as well as classical Azerbaijani poetry and the international organological literature. The findings indicate that the Azerbaijani Ergan is a keyboard aerophone equipped with a bellows-driven air supply system, pipes of varying lengths, and a button-operated sound control mechanism. Furthermore, classical literary sources demonstrate that the instrument occupied a significant place in the musical culture of medieval Azerbaijan. Based on the historical evidence, the morphological characteristics of the Azerbaijani Ergan were reinterpreted, and the first physical prototype of the instrument was developed through the collaboration of Teymur Huseynov, a master craftsman of wind instruments at the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, and the author of this study, Enver Sadıkov, using the technical drawing prepared under the supervision of Abbasgulu Najafzade as the principal reference. In conclusion, this study not only clarifies the historical and organological characteristics of the Azerbaijani Ergan but also presents the first applied reconstruction model of this forgotten instrument, thereby making an original contribution to the fields of Azerbaijani music history and organology.