History of Kazakh musical instruments.
“I touched the long-necked dombra - and now
Two strings rang, dombra sings.
Have fun, play, young friends, -
Invisible, but the flight of our days is fast!
Ibrai Sandybaev. Song Balkuray.
Visiting cultural events in Kazakhstan.
Dombra- the most common Kazakh folk instrument. Dombra could be found in every yurt; it was one of the most necessary and obligatory subjects in the life of the Kazakhs. A very famous Kazakh instrument. Carved from solid wood. The most common dombra is two-stringed, but there are also three-stringed ones. A good dombra player will play like a whole orchestra on 2 strings.
The history of this instrument goes back centuries. During excavations of the ancient city of Khorezm, archaeologists found terracotta figurines of musicians playing two-stringed plucked instruments. Scientists have established that the Khorezmian two-strings existed at least two thousand years ago, they were one of the musical instruments of the Saka nomadic tribes.
These ancient two-strings are very similar to the Kazakh dombra and are its prototype. So, with the help of archeology, the ancient origin of dombra was proved. There are two types of dombra - western and eastern. Different forms of dombras were due to the peculiarities of the two performing traditions. To perform fast, virtuoso tokpe-kyui, it was necessary that the left hand could move freely and slide along the fretboard.
Therefore, the neck of western dombras was thin and elongated. These techniques were not applicable when performing on oriental dombras with a wide shortened neck. The size of the instruments and the shape of the bodies influenced the strength of the sound: the larger the size, the louder the dombra.
The technique of the right hand also influenced the nature of the sound: in tokpe-kuy, the sound was produced on both strings by strong hand strokes, and in shertpa, soft plucked string picking with individual fingers was used. Thus, there was a close connection between the arrangement of dombras and the kyuis that are performed on them. Dombra could be not only two-stringed, but also three-stringed.
In the past, three-stringed dombras were found in various regions of Kazakhstan, but at the present time they have survived only in the Semipalatinsk region. Shanak - the body of the dombyra, acts as a sound amplifier. Kakpak - soundboard of dombyra. perceiving the sounds of strings through vibration, it amplifies them and gives a certain color to the sound of the instrument - timbre.
The spring is a beam on the deck from the inside, in German it is called “der bassbalken”. There was no spring in the Kazakh dombyra before. The length of the violin spring is assumed to be in the range from 250 to 270 mm - 295 mm. At the dombyra, now, to improve the sound, a similar spring (from 250 - 300 mm long) is attached to the upper part of the shell and near the stand.
As a rule, it is made from spruce that has been aged for several decades without signs of rot. The shells are made from maple. The blanks should have such a thickness that when finishing the shells, depending on the density of the maple, their thickness is 1 - 1.2 mm. The stand is a very important functional element of the dombyra.
By transmitting the vibrations of the strings to the soundboard and creating the first resonant circuit along the path of vibrations from the strings to the body, the bridge is the true key to the sound of the dombra. The strength, evenness and timbre of the sound of the instrument depends on its qualities, shape, weight and tuning. The string is the source of sound vibrations of the dombyra. The dombyra was traditionally used with gut strings made from mutton or goat intestines.
It was believed that strings from the intestines of a two-year-old sheep had the best qualities. Such strings give a low sound and, accordingly, a low mood, characteristic of folk music. G-c, A-d, B-es, H-e. Of the sheep from different regions of Kazakhstan, preference is given to sheep from Atyrau and Mangystau regions. Apparently, the salinity of pastures for livestock in these places favorably affects the quality of strings made from mutton intestines.
For orchestral works of world classics, the low mood turned out to be inconvenient. Therefore, in the thirties, in connection with the creation of orchestras of folk instruments, the tuning of the d-g strings was chosen. However, the vein strings could not withstand it and quickly burst. Akhmed Zhubanov tried to use catgut, silk, kapron, etc. as a material, but ordinary fishing line turned out to be the most suitable in terms of sound.
As a result, today we have the only, widespread type of dombyra among the Kazakhs of a standard form with strings made of fishing line, which has lost its unique sounding timbre. Legend of dombra says that it was invented to tell the khan about the death of his only son. Khan did not want to hear about the death of his son and ordered to fill the throat with lead to anyone who dared to tell him about it.
The musician, who did not say a word, was able to convey the sad news to the khan by playing the dombra. Hot lead burned the wood, and a hole formed in the dombra. Many centuries later, in 1925, the Kazakh singer Amre Kashaubaev conquered the discerning public at the World Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris with his singing and virtuoso playing the dombra.
At the same time, his voice was recorded by the Paris Voice Museum. The famous composer and musicologist Akhmet Zhubanov in 1933 created a dombra ensemble at the Alma-Ata Music and Drama College. Since 1938, for the first time in the history of Kazakh music, the orchestra began to perform works from notes, reconstructed kobyz, dombras were introduced into its composition. In 1944, the orchestra was named after the folk singer Kurmangazy.
Kui Dombra.
"Play your kuy, dombra, play,
Spill a wonderful chant,
Bubbling like mountain streams
Yes, heart joy sing.
So that all the fog in the mountains disappears,
So that the clouds all come down from heaven,
So that everyone listens to you -
I love your tunes
Even stronger, dombra, play!
Three pegs and two strings
Yes, nine knots - dombra.
Yes, ten fingers that are free
Any cause wind.
Jump, fingers, like a horse,
In the most beautiful of all pursuits,
Play even stronger, dombra!
Hey, listen, working people,
How sweetly dombra sings
In the hands of the people's kuishi.
And the distance of the steppes, and the passion of the soul -
Everything turns into a kui game!
Play even stronger, dombra!
Hey, labor people singer,
Ruler of strings, connoisseur of hearts,
Excite me with joy.
I will forever remember yours
About a new life, young.
You, our wise chronicler.
Play even harder, dombra!” 
Dombra is a relative of the Russian balalaika and a stringed musical instrument of the Turkic settlements. Especially dombra can be attributed to the Kazakh people, because it is considered a Kazakh folk musical instrument. Photos of dombra can be viewed in various sources.
Origin
The musical culture of the Kazakhs plays an important role in the spiritual development of the population. There is a majestic heritage in Kazakh history, passing from one generation to another for many centuries. And this is dombra. The history of this musical instrument is incredibly interesting and unusual, as there are a huge number of beliefs about the creation of the Kazakh dombra.
In 1989, a drawing was found on a rock, which depicts a musical instrument and people who are passionate about dancing. This instrument is very similar to modern dombra. Archaeologists have established that the drawing was drawn during the Neolithic period. This means that the Kazakh dombra is more than 4000 years old. An interesting fact is that dombra is one of the first stringed instruments created in the world.
Creation legend
Once two brothers who were giants settled in the distant Altai. One of them had a beautiful sweet-sounding musical instrument dombra, the melody of which he bestowed on all people. The owner of the dombra was known a mile away and people came to listen to the magic sound. However, the other brother harbored anger and envy towards the younger one, because he gets all the attention. Vain forces moved him and he decided to build a bridge across the raging river, and such a bridge that the world had not seen before. And so he began to collect all the necessary materials for construction, and his brother kept strumming and strumming on a mysterious instrument, not wanting to help in the construction of the famous bridge. The idleness of his brother angered him, and with all his malice he tore out the mellifluous instrument and smashed it against the rocks. It was the only instance of the instrument, however, having crashed against a rock, the dombra left an imprint on it. Over the centuries, people who found the imprint began to make similar musical instruments. So this beautiful musical instrument saw the light.
The legend of the modification of dombra
A long time ago, the dombra musical instrument had five strings and did not have a hole in the middle. Once he was in the possession of a very rich dzhigit, who was captivated by the beauty of the Khan's daughter. He gave the order that the horseman needed to show his love for his daughter and prove the seriousness of his intentions. To which the horseman decided to play the dombra. He played and sang songs in a uniquely beautiful and long way, at the end he began to sing about the disgusting qualities of the owner himself. To which the khan became incredibly angry and ruined the instrument by pouring molten lead into it, which ate out a round hole in the middle and three more strings.
Tragic legend about the creation of the Kazakh dombra
There is another sad belief about the origin of dombra (musical instrument). The story begins with the fact that the Khan's daughter fell in love with a young man, and soon they were expecting their first child. However, the Almighty gave them twins. But all this time, the girl was watched by an evil sorceress who kidnapped the kids and tied them upside down to the top of the sacred Baiterek tree. The kids died, and the tree withered from bitter tears.
When the mother discovered the loss, she immediately ran in search of her children. She wandered far, far away and fell exhausted, losing hope. However, the girl heard a sad melody and felt that these were her children. She climbed to the top of a withered tree and found the remains of her children. Swaying in the wind, they made beautiful sounds, and the girl decided to make a musical instrument out of them - dombra. And so this sweet-sounding creation appeared.
Legend of the Khan's son
One day the son of the great khan died on a hunt. It was ordered that anyone who notifies the owner of the death of his only son will have his throat filled with molten lead. The servants went to the wise master for advice and he found a way out of the situation. For three nights he made a musical instrument - and created a dombra. Then the master went to the owner and began to strum on it. Dombra told him about the death of her son, after which he gave the order to pour hot lead into the round hole of the instrument.
Tool structure
This is a plucked octagonal instrument with two strings and two main parts, which are called the body and neck.
As long millennia passed, the mellifluous instrument changed, but on the whole it retained its form.
Shanak is the body of the instrument, which performs the function of amplifying the sound. There are several methods for making shanaks - assembly and cutting methods. The first one is much more economical and convenient. The device is made from pieces of pine trees, hazel, maple and other types of trees. The second method is very painstaking and difficult, since shanak is made (cut down) from a whole tree.
The kakpak (or deck), which is responsible for the timbre and rhythm of the sound, should be made from single-species pine trees.
The stand of the Kazakh dombra is the key that matches the melody of the instrument. The sound quality of the Kazakh dombra depends on the parameters of the stand.
It should be noted that before the Kazakh musical instrument dombra was without a spring. However, to improve the sound, they began to use it, to mount it near the stand. The length of the spring varies from 200-350 mm.
One of the main elements of dombra is a string that acts as a source of sound vibrations. The sound quality of the works performed on it depends on the material from which the dombra is made.
The strings give a magical sound and show what a beautiful and sweet-sounding dombra is a musical instrument. How many strings does it contain? Just two strings. In ancient times, the intestines of sheep or goats were used for them.
An interesting fact is that the best strings were those made from two-year-old sheep. They create a low tone for the instrument, which is very typical for folk music.
The dombra also consists of sills that separate the keys and shells, which are made of maple.
The musician can change the sound of the instrument by pressing the strings to a certain place on the fretboard. To fulfill this purpose, the nut is used, which are distributed along the neck in accordance with the system used.
Types of Kazakh dombras
There are several varieties of dombra, which are called western and eastern. They are due to specific characteristics of different traditions. For playing faster songs, it is important that the dombra player's left hand glides easily over the fretboard.
Dombra are:
- Two-string.
- Three-stringed.
- Widebody.
- Bilateral.
- Undergryphal.
- With hollow necks.
Differences between domra and dombra
Domra or dombra? The domra musical instrument is somewhat different from the dombra. For example, dombra is a two-stringed musical instrument, and domra is three- or four-stringed. Domra is a Russian folk three-string instrument, and dombra is a Kazakh two-string instrument. There is also a difference in size, because domra is more like a toy instrument, and dombra can reach up to a meter in size.
Songs performed on dombra
More than a hundred legends have been preserved in which poetic lines are mentioned, accompanied by an ancient two-stringed musical instrument.
Songs have played a huge role in the life of Kazakh settlements since ancient times. Not a single event took place without songs accompanied by a stringed musical instrument. Singers-akyns have always been held in high esteem and respect, they were always invited to weddings and various feasts.
wedding songs
At Kazakh weddings, special attention was paid to the song of the bride, which was performed at the farewell ceremony. The song "Zhar-zhar" was sung at the moment when the bride came to the groom's house. At the very beginning of the wedding, the singers performed the "Opening of the Celebration", thus retelling the entire process of the wedding ceremony.
Songs for ritual rites
At the funeral, the Kazakhs also performed folk songs on the dombra. Ritual compositions contained grief for the deceased and the grief that his death brought. At the funeral, the singers sang "Dauys", "Zhylau". There were also various tunes about the loss, for example "Zhyrma bes", which means "Twenty-five" in translation.
Historical legends
Everyone knows that Kazakhs love songs are very common. But the singers also loved to perform folk epic tales. The historical heritage of this people includes more than a hundred legends with thousands of poetic lines, which were performed using musical stringed instruments such as dombra or kyl-kobyz. An interesting fact is that epic tales have conveyed real historical events to the present day.
Legendary Kurmangazy
He was a great composer and songwriter for dombra. The Kazakh people are very proud of this man. He was considered a specialist in the field of legends, customs, and legends. From childhood, he learned to play the dombra, which is why he became a great musician, whom the Kazakhs call the "father of kyuis." Kurmangazy's composition "Adai" is popular not only in Kazakhstan, but also in other countries.
The work of Kurmangazy is a visiting card of the whole of Kazakhstan. Thanks to him, the whole world has an idea about the Kazakhs, their musical creativity and spiritual perception of the world.
Kurmangazy died in 1896 and now rests in the village of Altynzhar, Astrakhan Region, in the Russian Federation.
Tattimbet
Great composer and judge who lived in the 19th century. Received universal respect and vocation due to his musical activities. He is the author of more than forty kyuis.
Facts about dombra
- Dombra was included in the Guinness Book of Records after the Kazakh "Kenes" was performed in China by 10,450 dombra players.
- Dombra was decorated with eagle owl feathers.
- It is one of the most ancient instruments in the whole world.
Kazakh two-stringed plucked musical instrument, a relative of Russian and. It is also found in Uzbekistan (, dumbrak), Bashkiria (). The sound of the dombra is quiet, soft. It is extracted with a pinch, a blow with a brush or a plectrum.
Folk storytellers - akyns accompany their singing by playing the dombra. Performing musical compositions on the dombra is a favorite form of artistic creativity of the Kazakhs. Folk songs are performed to the sounds of dombra, dombra is also used as a solo and ensemble instrument.
It has a pear-shaped body and a very long fretboard. String - two. The strings are usually tuned in fourths or fifths. One of the founders of Kazakh dombra music is Kurmangazy, whose composition "Adai" is still popular in Kazakhstan and beyond.
In the early 50s of the XX century, archaeologists carried out excavations in Central Asia, in those places where the ancient state of Khorezm was once located. Among other finds, they came across several terracotta figurines. The figurines depicted musicians holding instruments in their hands. In these two-stringed plucked instruments, scientists recognized the ancestors of the dombra, which is still widespread in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
The legend of dombra
In ancient times, two giant brothers lived in Altai. The younger brother had a dombra, he loved to play it very much. As soon as he plays, he forgets about everything in the world. The elder brother was proud and conceited. One day he wanted to become famous, and for this he decided to build a bridge across a stormy and cold river. He began to collect stones, began to build a bridge. And the younger brother plays and plays.
So another day passed, and then a third. The younger brother is not in a hurry to help the elder, he only knows that he plays his favorite instrument. The older brother got angry, snatched the dombra from the younger and, with all his strength, hit it against the rock. A magnificent instrument broke, the melody fell silent, but an imprint remained on the stone. Many years later. People found this imprint, began to make new dombras on it, and music again sounded in the villages that had been silent for a long time.
Dombra in recent years
In 1934, the dombra was reconstructed and its orchestral varieties were created. In recent years, thanks to the efforts of Kazakh figures of musical art, dombra has improved significantly: the volume has increased and the sound range has expanded, dombras of high and low registers have appeared.
Video: Dombra on video + sound
Thanks to these videos, you can get acquainted with the instrument, watch the real game on it, listen to its sound, feel the specifics of the technique:
Sale: where to buy/order?
The encyclopedia does not yet contain information on where to buy or order this instrument. You can change it!
the site found out what this tool means for the Kazakh people and what is its history. And also what connects President Nursultan Nazarbayev with the national instrument. Photos and videos with the participation of the Head of State were provided by the press service of Akorda.
How did dombra appear?
The Kazakh dombra has many relatives, including the Russian domra, the Uzbek dombra, and the Bashkir dombra. It is impossible to say exactly how and when the Kazakh national instrument appeared. But researchers are sure of one thing: this is an object with a rich history. Archaeological finds indicate that the prototype of the dombra appeared more than 4000 years ago.
As evidence, they cite rock art found on the Maitobe plateau in 1989. The figure shows a musical instrument similar in shape to a dombra and dancing people. Archaeologist Kemal Akishev attributed the find to the Neolithic era.
Rock painting / Photo from abai.kz
The Saka tribes also played an instrument very similar to the dombra. During the excavations of Khorezm, archaeologists found terracotta figurines of musicians with two-strings in their hands. We also found a description of this instrument among the Cumans (the European name for the Kipchaks). They loved dombra and the tribes of the Huns. Even their kyui have survived to this day: "Kenes", "Sary ozen", "Shubar at".
Abu Nasyr al-Farabi in his writings described the tambour as follows: an instrument very similar to the dombra.
There are, of course, beautiful legends about the origin of the instrument. According to one of them, two giant brothers lived in Altai. The younger one was very fond of playing his dombra. And as soon as he started to play, he forgot about everything in the world. The elder was very vain. He wanted to become famous by building a bridge across the river. He began to collect stones and build a bridge. The older one works, the younger one plays. The day passed, the second, the third. The musician is not in a hurry to help his brother. Then the elder got angry, grabbed the dombra and hit it against the rock. The music stopped, but the imprint remained on the stone. After many years, people found this imprint, began to make new dombras in its likeness - the music sounded again.
Another legend says that Genghis Khan's beloved son Jochi died while hunting, the servants did not know how to inform their ruler about this, and brought a musician to him. He did not say a word, he just played the kui "Aksak Kulan" on the dombra. The Khan understood everything and ordered the dombra to be executed. Since then, a hole has appeared on the tool - a trace of molten lead.
Another interpretation of the previous story was not without a love component. Previously, dombra was with five strings and without a hole. Dzhigit Kezhendyk masterfully owned this instrument. And so he fell in love with the daughter of the local khan. Khan invited the horseman to his yurt and ordered him to prove his love for his daughter. Kezhendyk began to play. He played for a long time and beautifully. And he sang not only about love. He sang songs about the khan himself, about his greed and greed. Khan got angry and ordered to pour lead on the dombra. Then a hole appeared and only two strings remained.
There is some truth in beautiful legends. This plucked instrument, like no other, can convey the sound of the Kazakh steppe, the wind moving the feather grass, mountains resting against the sky, clouds blowing away into the distance. Kui can beautifully sing about beauty, and aitys can strike bitingly, recalling the basest qualities, after which the heroes will definitely want to fill the instrument with lead. It is not for nothing that brave akyns have been valued at all times. Music could say what people themselves were afraid to say. In the competition of aityskers, some even see the progenitors of modern rap battles.
For the Kazakh people, dombra has a special historical value. There is even a saying:
"Nagyz kazak - kazak emes, nagyz kazak - dombyra!" ("The real Kazakh -this is not the Kazakh himself, the real Kazakh is dombra!".
In 2010, dombra entered the Guinness Book of Records. In the regional center of Tola, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, 10,450 people simultaneously performed the Kazakh kui "Kenes".
The historical value of the dombra was also recognized by UNESCO. In 2014, the organization included the Kazakh kui, dombra and yurt in the heritage list.
The path to the power tool
Nomads made dombra from what was at hand, and from almost any material: wood, reeds, leather, bones, animal horns, horsehair. For the strings, the intestines of a goat or a ram were used.
In a later period and today, dombra is made from strong oak and maple wood. Moreover, art critics share two types of dombra: western and eastern. Western is a large dombra with an oval pear-shaped body and a thin fingerboard. Experts note that this instrument has a special rumbling sound and it is saturated with overflows with a low timbre. Oriental dombras, on the contrary, are very melodic. They have a wide spade-shaped body and a short neck.
Creating a dombra is a special skill, an art that is not subject to everyone. How dombra will sound depends on the smallest detail. The type of tree plays an important role.
In 2012, an electric dombra was created. The author of the invention is Nurzhan Toyshi, the founder of the unusual Aldaspan group. As Nurzhan says in numerous interviews, the idea to create such a dombra came to him back in the late 80s, but it was possible to start implementation only in 2009. And in 2012, the first and only band in the world that plays the electric dombra appeared.
Dombra Day
Nursultan Nazarbayev appreciates the dombra and has a good command of the instrument. He is convinced - and he taught this to his grandchildren - that dombra is an integral part of history, the heritage of the Kazakh people.
Nursultan Nazarbayev with his grandchildren, 1992 / Photo by the press service of Akorda
In January 2002, the President said in an interview with the Russian magazine Echo of the Planet:
"Dombra is a purely national instrument. To simply understand it, one must be born a Kazakh ... Its sound is completely unusual. It seems to speak of the wide steppes of Kazakhstan, our mountains, our ancestors, our history ...".
The newspaper "Kazakh adebieti" in 2006 also quoted the head of state:
"Kolym kalt etkende dombyraga kol sozyp, zhyr zhazatynym da sol bir armanshyl shaktan kalgan zhұқana da ("The habit of taking dombra in hand and writing songs has been formed since dreamy times")".
Nursultan Nazarbayev is not only a dreamer and sings about high feelings. At one of the events, the president played the dombra and sang about life and that the one who does, and not the one who talks a lot, deserves respect.
On June 13, the head of state signed a Decree, according to which the first Sunday of July in Kazakhstan was established as the National Dombra Day. On this day, throughout the country, thousands of dombra players will play the folk instrument.
Jazz
We always recognize jazz by ear. First of all, the composition of musical instruments in jazz attracts attention. Superiority here belongs to wind and percussion musical instruments.
The hoarse and passionate voice of the saxophone, the sharp cries of the trumpet, the distinct rhythmic pattern of the drums - you can't confuse their sound with anything. But jazz is not only a group of musicians, an orchestra. Jazz is also music for performance in such an orchestra.
This music is dominated by rhythm.
Here he begins to swing the sounds, and the whole orchestra, and behind him the listeners, fall into the element of this bewitching swing. This is one of the main styles of jazz performance - "swing"... It's like a man weary with hard work, swaying, sings a dreary hopeless song. Such songs were among the American Negro slaves. This rocking was brought to jazz music by Negro musicians. Such music was later called the blues.
But suddenly an orchestra or ensemble, obeying the jolts of a quick rhythm, almost lifts the audience from their seats. This rhythm is interrupted all the time, as if the musicians are choking in a tongue twister. And each of them tries to prove his "rightness" when he is given the floor. And then the instruments all together and in full voice begin to play each his own. However, they did not forget the general theme of the musical conversation, they talk about the same thing in their own way ... This is how the musicians improvise in a manner called "Dixieland".
The folk songs and dances of American blacks and the white population of America gave rise to the art of jazz. Jazz did not want to remain only musical accompaniment for fashionable dances. Real jazz strives to become independent music, which, gathering in large halls, people listen to with interest and attention.
The names of the famous jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong, pianist and composer Duke Ellington and other remarkable jazz artists are known all over the world.
Treble
If the bass is the foot, then the treble is the top of the sounding ladder of voices. In the old days, when choral art was hidden under church vaults, the role of high voices was entrusted to boyish voices - trebles. So there were choirs in which only boys sing. Their voices are stronger than those of little girls, and therefore the treble parts are entrusted to boys.
Domra and dombra
Don't confuse them. Domra (pictured left) is a Russian folk instrument, three-stringed or four-stringed, played on it with the help of a pick plate. Dombra (pictured right) is a two-stringed Kazakh folk instrument, which is played with fingers, rattling like a balalaika.
Brass band
Do you hear the music coming? Yes, yes, you are standing, and the music, the orchestra, is approaching you. Listen! Wind instruments sound - this is a brass band.
Most often, his music can be heard when military units are marching. Or walking in the park. After all, wind instruments (especially brass ones) have a very loud sound that spreads far, far away ...
