Täräkämä (1)

Täräkämä is a quick dance whose name probabl originated in the village of Tarakama in southern Daghestan. The literal meaning of the word is "sweat of the back," and is derived from the fact that the dancer perform until exhaution. In the past the Täräkämä was played by an ensemble consisting of a solo instrument (zurnov, tar, komonchä) accompanied by the dämkäsh (playing a drone tone) and the ghovol (drum). Nowadays, it is performed by clarinet accompanied by gramoshka and ghovol. There are several melodies for this dance, all in the form of a rondo; the refrain is always in mugham Segah, while the other sections are improvisatory and modulate to other modes. Sometimes, as in this Täräkämä, an improvised section based on the ostinato rhytme of the drum (zarbi mugham) is included.

See also no. 19, another recording of Täräkämä piece.