Music of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz music is remarkable because it is in tune with nature and life in the mountains. The lyrics of many of the songs talk about the everyday life of nomads, and even the songs that have no words subtly convey the appropriate mood. There are many musical instruments in Kyrgyzstan. The most iconic is the komuz, a three-stringed instrument that resembles a small guitar. The komuz is used to play both lyrical melodies and percussion tunes that sound like the clatter of horses' hooves. Komuz masters are called komuzchi. They demonstrate their skills by playing complex passages with the instrument behind their backs, on their heads, and even upside down. The komuz songs vary widely in their content: some tell specific stories, others describe the beauty of a landscape, while others are simply humorous. At the World Nomad Games, about 1,000 komuzchis performed "Mash Botoy," one of the most famous pieces written for komuz. The kyl-kyak is a string instrument with a bow. It is made of the same wood as the komuz, with two strings and a jaa bow. The kyyak is in the shape of a dipper, with the upper half open and the lower half covered with camel leather. It is believed that the kyl-kyak and other stringed instruments of Central Asia were the first stringed instruments in the world. Along the trade routes, they were brought to China, where they appeared similar erhu, the Middle East (rebab or rubub), India (esraj) and Europe (violin). Temir-komuz is a plucked reed musical instrument, which enjoys great popularity in Kyrgyzstan. Chopo-chor (clay "chor") is the ancient wind instrument. The instrument is played by holding it near the mouth and using fingers to break through the holes along the length of the chopo-choor. The timbre of the instrument is deep and clear in the low sounds, a bit of a whine. Kyrgyz music cannot be imagined without the use of percussion instruments, such as drums. Songs and verses were the element of wandering musicians - akyns. Unlike manaschi, who retell the epic Manas, akyns traveled from village to village and sang songs of their own composition. In the times when Kyrgyzstan was a part of the Russian Empire, the famous manaschi and akyn Toktogul Satylganov lived and created. He was falsely accused of participating in the rebellion against the Russian power and was sentenced to imprisonment in Siberia. He managed to escape and return to Kyrgyzstan, and has since become one of the most celebrated musicians here.