ARTISTIC-COMPOSITIONAL FEATURES OF TERMA IN THE BAKHSHI TRADITION OF SOUTHERN UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

This article examines the artistic and compositional features of terma in the bakhshi tradition of Southern Uzbekistan, with particular attention to the Surkhandarya-Kashkadarya epic environment, where poetic speech, instrumental performance, improvisation, moral commentary and collective memory operate as a unified artistic system. The study interprets terma not as a minor introductory song or an accidental lyrical fragment, but as a compact compositional unit through which the bakhshi establishes performative authority, prepares the listener for epic narration, formulates ethical judgment and demonstrates mastery of poetic-musical thinking. The relevance of the research is determined by the growing scholarly and cultural attention given to bakhshi art as an element of intangible cultural heritage, especially after its recognition in international and national heritage frameworks. The methodological basis of the article combines folkloristic genre analysis, structural-compositional interpretation, functional analysis and contextual reading of the Southern Uzbek epic tradition. The results show that terma is organized through thematic concentration, address forms, parallel syntactic construction, formulaic diction, rhythmic repetition, semantic intensification, improvisational flexibility and moral closure. In the Southern Uzbek tradition these features are strengthened by the epic temperament of regional bakhshi schools, particularly the Sherabad, Boysun and Qamashi environments. The article concludes that terma should be studied both as an autonomous lyric-didactic genre and as a functional component of the broader epic performance system, because its artistic value lies precisely in the mediation between short poetic expression and large-scale epic worldview.