Music of Kyrgyzstan

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A group of Kyrgyz musicians performing in a yurt camp in Karakol

The back of the Kyrgyz 1 Som banknote shows some traditional instruments, including a komuz (centre)

A traditional Kyrgyz Manaschi performing part of the epic poem

Kyrgyz music is nomadic and rural, and is closely related to Turkmen and Kazakh folk forms. Kyrgyz folk music is characterized by the use of long, sustained notes, with Russian elements also prominent.

Modern interpreters of Kyrgyz traditional music include the Kambarkan national folk ensemble ^[1].

Travelling musicians and shamans called manaschi are popular for their singing and komuz-playing. Their music is typically heroic epics, such as the most famous story, the Manas epic (20 times longer than Homer's Odyssey), which is the patriotic tale of a warrior named Manas, and his descendants, who fight with the Chinese ^[2]. There are modern reciters of the Manas who are very popular, such as Rysbek Jumabaev and Sayaqbay Karalaev ^[3].

Aside from the komuz, Kyrgyz folk instruments include the kyl kiak, a two-stringed bow instrument, sybyzgy, a side-blown flute, chopo-choor and the timur komuz, a jew's harp. The komuz is considered the national instrument of Kyrgyzstan. It is a plucked string instrument. The kyl kiak, however, is also an important symbol of Kyrgyz identity. It is a string instrument, related to the Mongolian morin-huur, and is associated with horses and the vital role they play in Kyrgyz culture ^[1]. Shamanistic elements of Kyrgyz folk culture remain, includind the dobulba (a frame drum), the asa-tayak (a wooden device decorated with bells and other objects) and the qyl-qiyak (two-stringed upright fiddle).

A widespread variety of instrumental music called kui (or küü) tells narratives that revolve around a musical journey ^[2]. The narrative, which is entirely expressed without words, is sometimes punctuated with exaggerated gestures to mark important parts of the story ^[1].

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Welcome to Kyrgyzmusic.com. Kyrgyzmusic.com. Retrieved on September 27, 2005.
2. ^ ^{a b} Broughton, Simon and Sultanova, Razia. "Bards of the Golden Road". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 24-31. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
3. ^ Almaty or Bust. Central Asia in Words and Pictures. Retrieved on September 27, 2005.

[edit] External links

• Kyrgyz music - samples of folk music available for download
• The BBC Musical Nomad A travelogue site with extensive insights and recordings of Kyrgyz, Kazak and Uzbek music.

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