Circassian music

Circassian music is music of the Circassians (Adyghes, Cherkess, and Kabardays), people from Northern Caucasus, Russia. Their music demonstrates their traditions and habits.

Instruments

Circassian music is characterized by certain instruments, including:

• Pshina (Adyghe: Пшынэ), an accordion which is played in a specific way to produce Circassian tunes
• Pxachach, 2 sets of "wood blocks", each set containing about six pieces of wood held by hand; when a player strikes them together they produce a pure sound of wood to indicate the beat rhythm of the song.
• Baraban, a drum known as 'Dhol'; in Adyghe it is called "Shontrip".
• Pkhetaw, made from wood looks like a small table and it is used for hitting it with sticks for tempo.
• Apa-pshina, a three string lute.
• Qamlapsh, the Circassian flute.
• Shik'epshine (Adyghe: ШыкIэпшынэ), a Circassian stringed instrument.

Dances

In Circassian music, there are several dances that are performed differently.

Kafa (Adyghe: Къашъо; Kabardian: Къафэ) is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and usually this piece demonstrates the relationship between the Challa (male) and the Pshasha (female), this relationship which is built out of love, cooperation and strength. Usually 'Kafa' is the main piece to be played in a 'Djagu' (a Circassian dance party) and there are more than 100 kafas written by different Circassian artists.

Wuig (Adyghe: Удж) is a piece with (8:4) time signature, and usually this piece is played before Challas are going to war, but nowadays it is played at the end of the Djagu and usually it follows this rhythm each eight time intervals a new musical phrase is introduced, and this piece may be repeated several times since more than ten different Wuigs are available.

Tleperush is a dance which originates from the Black Sea coastal area. It is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and the word "Tleperush" means "leg kick" and usually this piece is faster than Kafa and Widj, almost equal in tempo to known "Lezginka" but different in style and follows this rhythm (1&2..3&4) and this rhythm is produced by Pshina and Pxachach and Pkhetaw (a wood hitting instrument for tempo). Abkhazians have this dance too, and they call it "Apsua Koshara"

Zefauk (Kabardian: Зэфакӏу) means "approach to each other". It is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and very similar to Kafa; the word "Zefauk" means (forward and backward) and it defines how it is danced by going 4 steps forward and another four backward exactly as the Kafa but with different musical taste.

Shishan (Kabardian: Щэщэн) means "horse behaving". The dance is a fast piece with (4:4) time signature; this particular piece is played differently by pulling the Bellows of the Pshina in and out rapidly to create an Off Beat Rhythm which produces a Rhythm two times faster than its time signature, and the word shishan is a Circassian word and it is not linked to Chechen.

Tlepechas is a fast dance and it is an improvisation dance it is considered to be one of the ancient dance of the Circassians, "Tlepechas" means "stick toes in the ground" the dance is based on the Nart sagas legends that used to dance on their toes.

Zighalat (Russian: Загатлят) means "be the top". The dance is very energetic and fast, and it considered to be the fastest dance in the Caucasus. It is danced in pairs, in which the male dances fast and strong to show his skills, and the woman dances gentle but moves fast.

Hakulash means "lame man move". At the beginning it was a joke and comedy dance to make the viewers laugh, but with time it became part of the Circassian repertoire; its leg moves look like lame moves but the dance is a fast dance.

Yislamey was named after the man who first danced it, "Islam". "Yislamey" means belong to Islam. A young man called Islam danced by imitating the moves of an eagle he saw flying in the sky, and the female who danced with him, understood his intention and danced with him as he did. There are two kinds of "Yislamey", this one is the "Bjedough Yislamey". <3

Qamachas is the dagger dance. The dancer shows his skill with the "Qama", the Circassian dagger, it is a fast dance and it is a competition dance between men, and sometimes it is danced as solo.

Oshha ches or Bighris is the mountaineers dance. It is a very fast dance, danced by men showing their skills. The moves are hard and strong, showing the character of the mountaineers.

Apsni Apsua is the famous Abkhaz dance. Abkhazians are considered part of the Circassians; they are very close in blood, language, culture, traditions with the Adyghe, in time Adyghe adopted their brothers' and neighbors' dance.

Circassian artists

The Adyghe Anathem was originally composed by Iskhak Shumafovich Mashbash and Umar Khatsitsovich Tkhabisimov, but after the diaspora almost all Circassians immigrated to different countries such as Jordan, Syria, Turkey and many more.

Notable artists from Turkey include:

• Şhaguj Mehmet Can, Instrumentalist
• Thazpel Mustafa, Instrumentalist
• Oğuz Altay, Instrumentalist
• Semih Canbolat, Instrumentalist

Syria include:

• Tambi Djemouk, Instrumentalist

Germany include:

• Murat Kansat, Instrumentalist

Jordan:

• Firas Valntine, Musician
• Ivan Bakij, Musician
• Orhan Bersiqu, Instrumentalist
• Rakan Qojas, Instrumentalist
• Blan Jalouqa, Instrumentalist
• Muhannad Nasip, Instrumentalist
• Timur Shawash, Musician

Composers

Composers of Circassian music differ in style but all are governed by the same theory of Folkloric Circassian music.

Back in the Kavkas, there are many Pshinawas (player) who produce Circassian music such as:

• Hapcha Zaodin - Lead Accordionist for Kabardinka.
• Hasan Sokov - Lead Accordionist for Kabardinka.
• Aslan Leiv - Well known as Aslan Dudar.
• Aslan Tlebzu - Solo Accordionist.

In other countries, there are composers not just of Circassian music but also for different musical genres, including:

• Saeed Bazouqa - Solo Producer/Composer.
• Ahmad Aiy - Solo Producer/Composer and Lead Accordionist for Elbrus.

See also

• Music of Adygea

References