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Section 4. Study of art
Omarova Gulzada,
Doctor of Art Sc., Professor of Traditional Musical Art Department of T. Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts, Almaty, Kazakhstan
E-mail: ogulzada@mail.ru
The problems of comparative and tipological study of Turkic musical traditions (on the example of stringed instruments)
Abstract: The most interesting material for studying the history of musical cultures of different peoples is musical instruments. If existing of the stringed instruments of Siberia Turks connected with archaic layers of their cultures (ancient cultures, beliefs and rituals), the Middle Asia Turks — with epic creativity. For the comparative musicology the problem of further evolution of "kobyz-like" instruments in the cultures of West (Turks-Arabs-Western Europe; Turks-Slavs-Western Europe) and East (Turks-Arabs-Muslim East) is of a great interest.
Keiwords: stringed instruments, eastern Turkics, western Turkics, "kobyz-like" instruments, ritual and magical practice, epic creation, evolution of instruments.
The theme "Traditional musi of the Turkic Speacing World" raises very important for musicology problems of interaction and interference of cultures. In this connection, we should say that in defining of types of musical cultures of Turkic people the language (linguistic) factor is not critical comparing to the other Eurasian superethnoses (on the basis of the ethnolanguage commonality), for example, Slavic, German, Chinese and others, the Turkic super-ethonose is not that monolithic. It can be explained by the fact that Turkics, beginning from the early middle Ages were conquering and forming their states not only in Central Asia, but far beyond its borders. The area that, for example, separates today's Yakutia and Turkey show an enormous territory and the vector of centuries-old traveling of Turkics from east to west. Therefore, by the time of forming the national musical cultures the Turkic states were very scattered territorially and it is directly reflected on formation of different types of musical cultures of the Turkic peoples. In this formation the great role was played by the connections with neighboring regions and interaction of cultures, their ad-, sub- and superstrate relations.
With that said, we assume that "Turkic frames" in Eurasia are needed to be expanded since, at least, two superethnic commonalities have been developed there: Turkic-Mongolian — east and Turkic-Iranian — west [1]. They generated two cultural systems that are conditionally, considering religious factor, can be called, respectively, Turkic-Tengrian and Turkic-Muslim.
Speaking of the western Turkics (Uzbeks, Azerbaijanis, Turks, partly Karakalpaks, Turkmens, etc.) and the eastern Turkics (Kazakhs, Kirghiz, Khakasses, Tuvans, Yakuts, etc.) we note that their cultures are characterized in the first place by different types of economic activity. Accordingly, western Turkics relate to the world of sedentary agricultural east and the eastern Turkics relate to the world of nomads. Although, this division is not absolute (the most common typologies) different landscape and geographical zones in east and west of the Central Asia as on the main region of Turkic states leave no doubts in certain localization here the sedentary agricultural and nomadic systems. This ensue the most important classi-ficational and typological characteristics of the two types of cultures.
It is notable, that the area of ethnic music graphically demonstrates what happened with Turks in the time, i. e. in some way it is
possible to track the history of Turkic peoples on the examples of musical instruments, folklore and oral-professional genres of their traditional music. Music, by virtue of certain conservatism of its language suggests for example saving the indigenous connections of eastern Turks and Mongols, their deepest cultural kinship and close mentality. Since in the eastern (steppe) zone of Central Asia the nomadic lifestyle existed until twentieth century, it is the representatives of Turkic-Mongolian superethnos who preserved in their traditional cultures the most archaic layers of music and its core elements that form the basis of its Turkic musical thinking. Again, relying on the traditional music, we can talk about the actual cultural assimilation of western Turks, who after getting in the sedentary-agricultural oases, of course, settled there and fell under the influence oflocal cultures (in particular, cultures of the Near and Middle East). That is, if in regard to the language in western-Turkic states we can talk about superstrate correlations (dominance of the language of Turkics-aliens), in regard of music — about substrate relations (domination of the native language speakers). This conclusion is the most common. We should consider the facts of genesis of some cultures (for instance, Turkmens and Karakalpaks), as well as the fact that in Turkic folklore of the Central Asia some archaic features preserved, that make them close to the folklore of Eastern Turks.
The most interesting material for studying the history of musical cultures of different peoples is musical instruments. Thus, for example, basing on the comparative-historical and comparative-typological study of bowed string instruments we can draw some certain parallels, find general and particular features in the musical cultures. But the most importantly — on the example of string bowed instruments that different peoples have today we can not only track their historical processes of forming and development, but also visually have more or less clear picture of evolution of these musical instruments both in the World Musical Cultural existing and practice.
Thus, the hypothesis of Central Asian and nomadic origin of bowed instruments is considered to be proven [2; 3] with their further spreading on the other regions of Asia (the Middle and Near East) and Europe. Their evolution here led to the gradual forming of modern bowed string instruments in the frames of "Eastern" and "Western" cultures.
Section 4. Study of art
Bowed two-stringed instrument, which preserved the specific constructive feature — hair strings still exists among Turkic peoples of Central and Middle Asia, North Caucasus (Turkic and non-Turkic) and Eastern Europe (South Slavic). Despite their different variations of names and details of construction they have the same tuning (fourth and fifth) and these instruments called "kobyz-like" by us are relic in the traditional cultures of the peoples named. In our study we paid our attention to the facts that besides the standard design, similar ways of playing and similarity of musical stylistics (for example, drone two-voice), there is one more important detail in the names of instruments of most peoples of Central Asia and Northern Caucasus. This important detail is that almost all the instruments in their quite different names have Turkic word (morpheme) kyl (khyl, kil, kyi, khv, k) — hair: kyl-koby z (Kazakh, Karakalpak, Karahcai-Balkarian), kiyak (Kyrgyz), kissyn-fandyr (Os-etin), shikyepshyn (Adygian), ankhiyartsa (Abkhazian). Another no less significant detail is that sometimes the name of an instrument can include the amount of hair strings — eky (eki, iki, ykhi) — two, for example: eky + gyl = igyl (Tuvan), ikyly (Altaic), yykh (Khakas-sian), ih-khyr (Mongolian) [4]. These similar names of bowed instruments' of different cultures indicate ethno-genetic (common origin) and contact levels of commonality of ethnic cultures of these peoples. See our articles about the evolution of the word "kobyz" and prospects of ethno-instrumental study of the ancient Central Asian type of bowed string instruments [5; 6].
As important factor of a community of an origin historical links of east and western people act. So, for example, bowed instrument with hair strings of the Central Asian nomadic peoples functioned mainly in ritual and magical practice, related to cosmogonic (shamanic) presentation of ancient Turks. This is evidenced by legends, connected with the origin of instruments and their existing in the ancient times, and they were well preserved by Eastern Turks (including Kazakhs), Buryats and Mongols [7]. Discovering the same ancient example of bowed instruments of peoples of Eastern Europe, for example, Bulgarians are associated with the history ofXiongnu — ancient unity of tribes that came from the depth ofAsia and penetrated to the territory of the modern Western Europe. Bulgarian researchers investigating Proto-Bulgarian elements of their culture (Turkisms in their language, 12-year animal calendar, originality of art — music, ornaments, etc.), connect this with ethnogenesis of Bulgarian people, the basis of which is one of the Xiongnu tribes (Xiongnubulgar) [3].
Following this historical logic we find the explanation of existence of this instrument among Finn-Ugric peoples, once belonged to Volga-Kama Bulgaria, formed while disintegration of Great Bulgaria in seventh century [8]. Volga-Kama Bulgaria included also Mari, Komi, Chuvash and other Volga-Bulgarian peoples, including Tatars before the Mongol invasion. The process of assimilation of autochthonous people of Northern Caucasus and formation of many ethnoses here took place, as it is known, with participation of other ancient Turkic peoples, in particular, Ogyz, Alans and Kyp-chaks (Cumans), who also came from the Central Asia.
Another significant factor of a community bowed instruments is giving of special sacrality to instrumental music of these people. While moving to the west further functioning of the instrument in the epic tradition of Mongols, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Kyrgyz and peoples of North Caucasus can be explained by the fact that this sphere of nomads in the times of war and war democracy as well as the ritual and magical (rite) sphere is sacral. Thus, epic singing for Kazakhs-nomads is a rite of war magic in the context of ancestors' cult, and the bearers of the epic poetry tradition zhy-rau are transmitter of this cult [9]. Thereby, the epicenter of "epic"
of the instrument is the territory of Kazakhstan, the Middle Asia region: singing epos with kobyz, which Kazakhs lost because of declining their military lifestyle and becoming dependant on Russia, is well preserved by Karakalpaks. The epic tradition with kobyz of Kazakhs and Kirghiz evolved further in the epic instrumental tradition (kuis with epic legends). Also the Nart epos of Northern Caucasian peoples. is presented today along with solo and choral performance in the form of instrumental tunes (pshinatly).
In the course of comparative and typological studying of an existing bowed instruments the significant phenomenon, which is represented in Kobyz instrumental music (kuis) of Kazakhs, we can see the traces of shamanic and epic branch of Kobyz tradition [10]. It is interesting that in shamanic branch connected with the Firts baksy-shaman and the First musician Korkyt there are parallels with Zoroastrian (Iranian) mythology: Korkyt in the mythology of Kazakhs and Karakalpaks is close functionally to the demiurge (cultural hero) the son of Ahura Mazda Jamshid. The epic branch by and large correlates to Tengriism: this can be evidenced by an archaic layer of quinte kuis-legends that formed then in kuis of epic content. And they both certainly have a lot in common with the music of the Turkic-Mongolian people.
Astounding symbiosis in one national culture of different historical and musical traditions and musical styles explained in the first place by the fact that in the music of Kazakhs by virtue of medial location between Western and Eastern Turks, there are two different systems combined — Western Turkic and Eastern Turkic [11]. This is naturally reflected in the musical language of regional traditions ofWest and East of Kazakhstan, for example, in dombra kuis of different styles — tokpe (western Kazakhstan) and shertpe (eastern Kazakhstan) and accordingly in kobyz kuis of Korkyt tradition (relating to the western Syrdariya region) and epic tradition (relating to the eastern Arkyn region).
Kobyz-like instruments appeared in the Western Europe in the period ofMiddle Ages by two ways: 1) through the Slavs ofEastern Europe and Byzantium (Russian gudok, Bulgarian gudulka, South Slavic liritsa ■ fidel — viola — violin), 2) through Arabs, who borrowed the bowed string instruments from Persians (rabab ■ rebel — viola — violin). It seems to us that these two variants of instruments (European and Asian) became a source ofplay on European bowed string instruments — dagamba and dabraccio.
The question of studying of further penetration the bowed instruments to the west is also interesting. In the Middle and Near East stringed and bowed instruments had their own geographical distribution (through Middle Asian and North Caucasian regions in Iran, Transcaucasia, Arabic countries, Turkey, etc.) and its own way of evolution. We think that two names ofbowed instruments — gidzhak as Middle Asian (Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmens, Karakalpaks) and kemancha (keman) as Persian — reflects not only two varieties of instruments, but their different etymology. Probably, the etymology ofgidzhak can be explained in the context of Turkic language with the same meaning which was given by us relating to the word kyl (hair), i. e. kylshak. In the Middle Asian (Western Turkic) languages with more mild consonants this word maybe started to be pronounced as gylshak, gizhak, gidzhak. In Persian kemancha come from keman — a bow. In many Eastern cultures before bowed instrument with metallic (sometimes wire) strings there were instruments with hair strings that existed till twentieth century along with the "new" modernized instruments.
Thereby, in our article we emphasize the importance of musical comparison and the need for comparative-historical and comparative-typological researches in the sphere of the traditional music of Turkic peoples.
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