Traditional culture and folklore of Turkmenistan (original) (raw)

Instrumental music

Musical folklore of Turkmen consists of different forms and genres of national songs and instrumental music, which are in most cases related to rituals, traditions, natural events and work. Namely, instrumental dutar music such as kirklar, saltiklar, mukamlar, navoi, etc. is a verbal, professional branch of art, which is performed by national professional musicians - sozanda. In contrast to them, the art of Turkmen bahshi (sotanchi and termachi) features original forms of performance and local performers' schools (Tashauz, Chardjou, Mari, etc.)

The Turkmen people love music. Up to the 1920s it was mostly song - bakhshi, the preservers of Turkmen poetry.

In the past, bakhshi (they accompanied themselves on the dutar) and tuidukists (performers of native melodies on a long instrument made from reeds and on whistles) were the main musicians. All festivals required their performances, including weddings, births and moving into a new yurt. The arrival of a bakhshi in an aul was itself a festival. Men gathered in the evening in a yurt to listen to his songs all night, interrupting him only to praise his singing with exclamations of joy. Bakhshi performed large excerpts of dastans and songs of popular poets. A famous bakhshi was the poet Mollanepes.

There is the word mukam in the national inheritance of Turkmen people. It includes a certain musical genre and its fret base. Mukam also means a melody in general. All Turkmen mukams are instrumental. They can be performed by one dutarist (i.e., a performer on a two-stringed plucked instrument), by a gidjakist (performer of stringed bowed instrument), or by an ensemble of dutarists. Some of these mukams are performed on duhlvlm kargi tyuyduk. All mukams are begun from the first string of the dutar.

There are seven mukams amongst Turkmen:

1. Mukamlar bashi - basic, main mukam
2. Gonurbash mukami- mukam of Gonurbash tribe
3. Erkeklik mukami- literally mukam - rewarded with a camel. In the past for excellence performance of a mukam, a camel was presented to the performer; that is where its title comes from.
4. Airalik mukami - separation mukam
5. Goshdepe gorindi- mukam of Gosh-tepe
6. Nyalar gorindi (literally "there is nothing I have not seen")- mukam now called by the title of the poem used in it.
7. Berkeli Chokay- mukam of Berkeli (famous performer and possibly creator of this mukam)

Turkmen mukams are full of emotions. They are metrically measured. Their form is vast. Melismatics are developed in them; they are dynamic on the whole. The main improvised section of all mukams is performed on one and the same fret, which is called "mukamlama".

In addition to these seven mukams, the instrumental piece "Burnishaak"(name of a mountain place) has to be mentioned. Its fret and rhythmical systems are close to mukams. It consists of four plays, performed in sequence.

Best performers of Turkmen mukams were: Kelgbashi, Shukur bagshi, Tochmamed Suhankuliev, Milli Tachmuradov, Purli Sariev, and Chari Tachmamedov.

Recently the bakhshi Sakhi Japarov has gained great popularity. There are more than a thousand bakhshi now, who sing at weddings, and about peace and friendship. Turkmen music is no longer monody, but has harmony and has developed new styles and subjects. Choral music is also developing.