Jazz
We always recognize jazz by ear. First of all, the composition of musical instruments in jazz attracts attention. The primacy here belongs to wind and percussion musical instruments.
The hoarse and passionate voice of the saxophone, the sharp screams of the trumpet, the distinct rhythmic pattern of the drums - their sound cannot be confused with anything. But jazz is not only a group of musicians, an orchestra. Jazz is also music to be performed in such an orchestra.
Rhythm dominates this music.
So he begins to swing the sounds, and the whole orchestra, and behind him the listeners, find themselves in the element of this mesmerizing swing. This is one of the main styles of jazz performance - "swing"... It’s like a man tired of hard work, swaying, singing a sad, hopeless song. American black slaves had such songs. This swing was brought to jazz music by black musicians. This kind of music was later called blues.
But suddenly an orchestra or ensemble, obeying the impulses of a rapid rhythm, almost lifts the audience from their seats. This rhythm is constantly interrupted, as if the musicians are choking in a patter. And each of them tries to prove that he is “right” when he is given the floor. And then the instruments all start playing together and in full voice. However, they have not forgotten the general theme of the musical conversation; they talk about the same thing in their own way... So the musicians improvise in a manner called “Dixieland”.
Folk songs and dances of American blacks and whites 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 whole world knows the names of the famous jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong, pianist and composer Duke Ellington and other wonderful jazz artists.
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. This is how choirs appeared in which only boys sing. Their voices are stronger than those of little girls, and therefore the treble parts are entrusted to the boys.
Domra and dombra
Don't confuse them. Domra (pictured left) is a Russian folk instrument, three-stringed or four-stringed, played with the help of a plate-mediator. Dombra (pictured on the right) is a two-stringed Kazakh folk instrument, which is played with fingers, rattling, like a balalaika.
Brass band
Can you hear the music coming? Yes, yes, you are standing, and the music, the orchestra, is approaching you. Listen up! Brass instruments sound - it's a brass band.
Most often, his music can be heard when military units are marching. Or while walking in the park. After all, wind instruments (especially brass) have a very loud sound that carries far, far away...
— It is noteworthy that in the republic they decided to designate a whole day of the year as the day of a musical instrument, and the dombra became this instrument. “Dombra is a symbol of musical culture from the nomads of antiquity to the present day,” Yuri Petrovich begins his story.
Instruments resembling dombra have existed since time immemorial. If you believe the stones with rock carvings of dancing people, exhibited in the Ykylas Museum of Folk Musical Instruments, our ancestors played them more than 4 thousand years ago. However, the first reliable information about dombra appears only in the 16th-17th centuries.
The ancestor of the dombra is the ancient Turkic musical instrument sherter. It is shaped like a dombra, but has an open body, three strings and a short neck without frets. The sherter was made from a single piece of wood, and a leather deck was stretched over the body.
The sherter was played either by plucking or striking the strings, or with a bow. Kobyz and dombra originated from sherter.
Traditionally, craftsmen hollowed out dombra from a single piece of wood. Any tree species that grew in the area was used as material. Over time, to improve the acoustic properties of the instrument, the method of its manufacture changed. Dombra began to be made from individual glued parts, and hardwoods began to be chosen as raw materials - pine, larch, spruce.
One of the main differences between modern dombra and instruments that were played Kurmangazy And Dauletkerey, - strings. Nowadays they are made from fishing line, but until the beginning of the 20th century, gut strings were used on dombra, made through a complex process of dressing lamb or goat intestines.
— The fishing line sounds very bright and powerful, but the gut strings give a special flavor, a very deep and soft sound. Frets - in Kazakh they are called “perne” - were also made from veins. Thanks to this, the sound of traditional dombra is rich in overtones and overtones.
Rich and deep sound
According to Yuri Petrovich Aravin, despite its simple design, the dombra, like other Kazakh musical instruments, has a powerful and rich sound.
— You can understand well how Kazakh musical instruments sound using the example of the kobyz. When a kobyzist plays the kyl-kobyz, he does not press the strings to the fingerboard, but only lightly touches them. Thanks to this, a mass of overtones is created. Kobyz strings are made from horse hair. When this instrument is played, it actually sounds like a choir of 46 individual hairs. The same can be said about the richness of the sound of dombra.
Experienced musicians, performing kuy, can reflect in their music the grandeur of the endless expanses of the steppe, the clatter of hundreds of hooves or the roar of an approaching army. Speaking about the power of dombra sound, Yuri Petrovich remembered a quote from the famous researcher of Kazakh folk music Alexander Zataevich:
— Zataevich, who perfectly penetrated into the peculiarities of Kazakh music, said that the dombra gives the impression not of something small up close, but of something large and even grandiose, but as if from afar, like the chime of a good table clock. A very apt comparison, because table clocks can sound like huge bells. Dombra gives the same amazing effect. You sit nearby, listen, and something huge sounds there, from afar. To feel this, just listen to the kuy “Aksak Kulan”.
According to the musicologist, the phenomenon of dombra lies in its depth and diversity. It can sound like an entire orchestra, conveying a wide palette of sound. Such music resonates in the souls of listeners and resonates with the human psyche. Long neck, rounded shape, soft materials and gut strings - such a simple design creates ideal acoustics.
What kind of dombra is there?
When imagining a dombra, most people keep in mind an instrument of a strictly defined shape. A round teardrop-shaped body, a long neck, two strings - this is how the dombra is depicted everywhere, from the cover of school textbooks to historical documentaries. In fact, there are many varieties of this instrument, which were made in different regions of Kazakhstan. The Arkin, Semipalatinsk, and Zhetysu dombras are well known. Traditionally, researchers distinguish two main types of dombra and schools of playing it - Western Kazakhstan and Eastern Kazakhstan.
The East Kazakhstan dombra has a flat back, a scoop-shaped body, a short thickened neck (neck) with 8 frets.
— Dombra in the central and eastern regions belonged to the Arkin school. It was used as an accompanying instrument to accompany singing. These regions had very rich vocal traditions. It was more convenient for singers to press the flat dombra to their body. It does not sound so loud and does not interrupt the voice.
The West Kazakhstan dombra has become the most widespread in modern times. This is a classic teardrop-shaped dombra, with a long thin neck and 15-16 frets on it. This dombra gives a larger acoustic range.
— Powerful dynamic kuis played on the West Kazakhstan dombra. Thanks to its sound qualities, it has gained popularity among professional musicians.
The collection of the Ykylas Museum includes unique dombras that belonged to famous akyns, kuishis, composers and poets. Among them you can also find many interesting types of this musical instrument. For example, on the front deck of a 160-year-old dombra Makhambet Utemisova Three small holes were cut instead of one. Also noteworthy is a copy of the famous dombra Abaya. In shape it is a typical East Kazakhstan dombra, but it has three strings.
— Abai’s three-string dombra should not confuse you. The fact is that the Kazakhs in this region came into close cultural contact with the Russian population. Abaev's dombra adopted three strings from the balalaika. Abai respected Russian culture and ordered just such an instrument for himself.
In the mid-30s, the dombra, along with other Kazakh folk instruments, acquired an orchestral sound. Akhmet Zhubanov On the basis of the music and drama technical school, he created the first folk instrument orchestra in the republic. An experimental workshop was opened at the technical school to improve and unify the dombra and kobyz for the orchestral range. To create new versions of dombra, Zhubanov attracted talented craftsmen - brothers Boris And Emmanuila Romanenko, Kambara Kasymova, Makhambet Bukeikhanova. This is how dombra-prima, dombra-alto, dombra-tenor, dombra-bass and other instruments appeared, which became an integral part of national orchestras.
— The Romanenko brothers had experience working with Russian musical instruments. The famous Russian orchestra of V.V. Andreev was taken as a model for the orchestra of folk instruments. Just as at one time the balalaika was remade to suit the orchestral sound, the dombra was transformed. For example, a huge double bass dombra sounds completely different compared to a standard dombra. Instruments made by Romanenko, Kasymov and their followers are still valued among musicologists.
Kuishi skill
Kazakh folk music, which was composed and performed on the dombra, is a complex, vibrant and abstract art. Poetry in it is inextricably linked with music. The works of famous zhyrau, sal and akyn interpret eternal philosophical questions through music and oral creativity.
— The creativity of the kuishi and akyns touches on deep themes. It cannot be taken literally. If, while playing the kyui, you seem to hear the clatter of horse hooves, then you need to understand that the author did not want to convey the horse’s running, but the impression of this running in his soul. Kazakh art is very meaningful and philosophical; it carries many meanings.
The professional school of oral and musical creativity reached its peak in the Kazakh steppe in the 19th century. Talented akyns and kuishi could devote all their time to composing and performing music, without worrying about other matters. Often they made the appropriate tool for themselves. In the villages, the performers were given shelter and food, clothes and horses. The winners of the aitys could count on a good prize and expensive gifts.
— A good performer of kyuis and songs on the dombra was welcome in any home or yurt. The tradition of patronage of the arts was very developed. The winner of the aitys could be given an ingot of gold or silver as a fee. There is a known description of how Abai’s mother gave a golden hoof Birzhan-salu, admiring his performing arts.
In our time, there is still debate about who was the most skillful composer of kyuis for dombra. In Soviet times, the cult of Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly was established, but Yuri Petrovich believes that the great kuishi had many equally talented contemporaries and followers.
— Kui Kurmangazy is very bright, memorable and eccentric, but in the storehouse of Kazakh music there are also stronger works. After the revolution, he was singled out among others because of his poor origin, relegating composers such as Dauletkerey to the background. Just listen to the song “Zhiger”! It contains such depth and tragic power... It is impossible to say who was the most talented Kazakh composer. There are many musical works for dombra, and everyone can find their favorite one.
Dombra in the daily life of Kazakhs
Dombra played an important role in the life of not only professional performers and akyns, but also simple nomadic cattle breeders. The dombra was an indispensable attribute in every yurt and hung in a place of honor on the keg. Children learned music by playing a miniature dombra - shinkildek. Adults knew the motives of famous songs and kues and could play the simplest of them.
— Kazakhs are by nature a very musical and aesthetic people. Long wanderings across the steppe contributed to the development of contemplation and music-making. We must also not forget that music was a means of communication. No one has ever played the dombra just like that, right off the bat. At first you told who you were, who you came from, where you were going and what you saw. Music certainly accompanied the word; it helped the perception of words. For example, to inform loved ones about the death of a relative, a kuishi was often invited to play estirta - a death notice.
The great importance of dombra in the life of Kazakh society is evidenced by many legends and myths in which this musical instrument appears. The most famous of them is associated with the times of the Mongol invasion:
— U Genghis Khan had a son Zhoshi, who ruled the territory of modern Kazakhstan. Zhoshi also had an eldest son who was very fond of hunting kulans. One day, during a hunt, the leader of a herd of kulans knocked the prince out of the saddle, and the herd trampled him. No one dared to tell Zhoshi the black news, because according to custom, the messenger could be executed for this. Then they invited kuishi, who played the khan on the dombra estirta, sad news. Through the sounds of the dombra, he conveyed the tramp of horses, the fear of the kulans, the courage of their leader and the voice of the soul of the dead young man. When he finished playing, Joshi understood everything and said: “You brought me black news and are worthy of death.” “I didn’t bring it to you, but my dombra,” answered the kuishi. Then the khan ordered hot lead to be poured into the dombra. This legend says a lot about the sound-image properties of dombra and the power of its impact on people.
Many Asian peoples have plucked string instruments similar to the dombra and similar to it in appearance, sound and manner of playing. The Uzbeks and Turkmen have a two-stringed teardrop-shaped instrument called the dutar. The Kyrgyz have a three-stringed instrument, the komuz. The Mongols, Buryats and Khakass also have musical instruments similar to the dombra.
— It cannot be said that the dombra is a unique and inimitable invention of the Kazakhs. Many nations have analogues, but dombra can be called one of the amazing options for musical perfection. This seemingly simple instrument is capable of expressing the deepest experiences of the human soul. In the past he was closely connected with the Kazakh people, and I hope that this will continue to be the case in the future.
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Dombra is the most beloved and most common instrument in the musical life of the Kazakhs. The Kazakh dombra is a plucked two-string instrument made of solid wood. It is used both as an accompanying and as a solo instrument, and as the main instrument in Kazakh folk music. Dombra has not lost its relevance to this day. Many modern musicians include the sound of dombra in their compositions.
The design of the Kazakh dombra differed slightly depending on the region. So in the west, in the Caspian steppes, the dombra had a rounded teardrop shape with a thin long neck. Pernet frets, like the strings, were made from lamb or goat intestines. In the central and eastern regions of Kazakhstan, dombras were made with a flat bottom and a short, thick neck. More often than not, dombra was made from solid pieces of wood: spruce, maple, plane tree, but there are also glued specimens of dombra. On East Kazakhstan dombras, 7-9 frets were imposed, which ensured the playing of accompaniment or the performance of song melodies.
The components of the Kazakh dombra are the same in all regions of Kazakhstan. This is a shanak - the body of a dombra, which acts as a sound amplifier. Kakpak is the soundboard of the dombra. 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. There were no springs in the Kazakh dombra before. Currently, to improve the sound, a spring with a length of 250-300 mm 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 of maple. The blanks must 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 dombra. 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 instrument’s sound depend on its qualities, shape, weight and tuning.
The string is the source of sound vibrations of the dombra. Dombra traditionally used gut strings made from lamb or goat intestines. It was believed that strings made from the intestines of a two-year-old sheep had the best qualities. Such strings produce a low sound and, accordingly, a low tune, characteristic of folk music. G-c, A-d, B-es, H-e. Among sheep from different regions of Kazakhstan, preference is given to sheep from Atyrau and Mangystau regions. Apparently, the salinity of livestock pastures in these places has a beneficial effect on the quality of strings made from sheep 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 folk instrument orchestras, the d-g string tuning was chosen. However, the vein strings could not withstand it and quickly burst. Akhmed Zhubanov tried to use catgut, silk, nylon, etc. as a material, but ordinary fishing line turned out to be the most suitable in 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 sound timbre.
There are two main methods of playing the dombra - by striking the strings with all fingers and by plucking the strings.
The compositional and performing art of dombra improvisations in the 19th century reached high artistic perfection. Abyl, Kurmangazy, Dauletkerey, Dina - in the West, Tattimbet, Kazangap - in the East, Kozheke - in the South, and dozens of other names - bright individuals, with their own style, their own schools, traditions. Dombra was also a faithful companion of professional traveling singers. The images of Birzhan-Sal, Ahan-Sere, Mukhit, Dzhambul, Amre and other famous akyns and singers are invariably associated with the accompanying dombra.
One of the greatest dombra players is the Kazakh folk musician and composer Kurmangazy, who had a great influence on the development of Kazakh musical culture, including dombra music: his musical composition “Adai” is popular in Kazakhstan and abroad. As for the history of the appearance of such an instrument as the dombra, there is evidence that the prototype of the modern Kazakh dombra existed more than 4,000 years ago, as evidenced by rock paintings found by archaeologists high in the mountains of the Almaty region on the Maitobe plateau in 1989. These drawings depict four dancing men with an instrument resembling a dombra in shape.
And during excavations of ancient Khorezm, terracotta figurines of musicians playing plucked instruments were found. Scientists note that Khorezm two-strings, which existed at least 2000 years ago, have a typological similarity with the Kazakh dombra and were one of the common instruments among the early nomads who lived on the territory of Kazakhstan. The most archaic examples of dombra and sybyzg Kazakh music include kui legends with the names birds and animals - “Akku” (“Swan”), “Kaz” (Goose), “Nar” (“Camel”), kui about lame creatures and unhappy hunting - “Aksak kyz” (“Lame Girl”), “ Aksak kulan" ("Lame kulan"), kui-cries for drowned children and young animals - "Zhorga ayu" ("Pacer Bear"), "Zarlau" ("Crying"), "Zhetym kyz" ("Orphan Girl" "), etc. All of them have preserved echoes of ancient forms of religion, cults and totemic ideas of the people and still carry within themselves the living history of silently passed millennia.
An instrument resembling a dombra in shape is also found on monuments of Saka and Hun origin, as well as among many ancient tribes that inhabited the Eurasian space in different periods of time.
Marco Polo noted in his writings that this instrument was present among the warriors of the nomadic Turks, who at that time in Rus' were called Tatars. They sang and played it before the fight to achieve the appropriate mood.
Many beautiful folk legends are associated with dombra, with the history of its origin and the acquisition of its modern form.
The legend about the origin of dombra says that in ancient times two giant brothers lived in Altai. The younger brother had a dombra, which he loved to play. As soon as he starts playing, he forgets about everything in the world. The elder brother was proud and vain. One day he wanted to become famous, for which he decided to build a bridge across a stormy and cold river. He began to collect stones and began to build a bridge. And the younger brother keeps playing and playing.
So another day passed, and a third. The younger brother is not in a hurry to help the older one, all he knows is that he is playing his favorite instrument. The older brother got angry, snatched the dombra from the younger brother and, with all his might, hit it against the rock. The 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 based on it, and music began to sound again in the villages that had been silent for a long time.
The legend about how the dombra acquired its modern form says that previously the dombra had five strings and no hole in the middle. Such an instrument was owned by the famous horseman Kezhendyk, known throughout the region. He once fell in love with the daughter of a local khan. Khan invited Kezhendyk to his yurt and ordered him to prove his love for his daughter. Dzhigit began to play, long and beautifully. He sang a song about the khan himself, about his greed and greed. The Khan got angry and ordered the instrument to be damaged by pouring hot lead into the middle of the dombra. Then a hole was burned out in the middle and only two strings remained.
Another legend about the origin of dombra is similar to the previous one. A local khan’s son died from the tusks of a boar while hunting, and the servants, fearing the khan’s wrath (he threatened to pour boiling lead down the throat of anyone who told him that something bad had happened to his son) went to the old master Ali for advice. He built a musical instrument, which he called dombra, came to the khan and informed him with music about the death of his son. Beside himself with anger, the khan ordered hot lead to be thrown into the round hole of the dombra.
Dombra is a virtuoso Kazakh philosophical instrument; in skillful hands, dombra can convey the entire gamut of human feelings and experiences; the dombra embodies the symbolism of Al-Rabi’s teaching about music as the highest abstraction accessible to human understanding. You can listen to another piece performed on the dombra here.
Dombra(Kazakh dombyra) is a stringed musical instrument that exists in the culture of the Turkic peoples. Dombra is considered a folk instrument of the Kazakhs and some Turkic peoples.
Device and sound
A relative of the balalaika, the dombra has a pear-shaped body with two strings and a long neck, on the neck of which metal frets are attached. By pressing the strings between the frets, you can get a more melodic sound. It is interesting that the Kazakh name “dombra” is formed by a combination of two words: “dom” means “sound”, and “bra” means “tuning the strings”. The birth of a Kazakh folk instrument begins with the choice of wood; traditionally, craftsmen cut out the body from hardwood - maple, oak, pine. The manufacture of each part of the dombra, and especially the soundboard with the spring that serves as a sound amplifier, requires precision and endurance. An error of even 1 millimeter leads to wheezing and rattling during the game. Previously, natural strings from lamb intestines were pulled onto the body of the dombra, so the instrument produced a deeper, lower and dull sound. Since the low tune is inconvenient for performing orchestral classical works, the dombra was Europeanized, replacing its strings with polymer ones.
The sound of the open strings of the dombra forms its quart scale. It can also be a fifth. The sequence of tones for dombra, starting with the first string, the highest in tone: G, D (small octave).
Intervals between strings: g(part 4)d (literal notation according to Helmholtz, part 4 - perfect fourth).
The musical range of the dombra with 19 frets on the fretboard is two full octaves (part of the small octave, the first and part of the second): from D of the small octave to D of the second octave.
Story
Archaeological finds indicate that two-string prototypes of the Kazakh dombra appeared more than 2000 years ago. Thus, during excavations of the ancient settlement of Koi-Krylgan-Kale, built about 2 thousand years ago, terracotta figurines of musicians with two strings in their hands were found. Neolithic rock paintings were discovered in the Almaty region, in which an ancient artist who lived more than 4,000 years ago depicted dancing men and an instrument similar in shape to a dombra. Legends are dedicated to Dombra, one of them says that one day a certain hero-hero, tired of military exploits, on the way to his yurt decided to rest. The hero carved a homemade piece from walnut wood, strung it with horsehair strings and tried to play the instrument, but it was silent. After unsuccessful attempts, the warrior fell asleep, and was soon awakened by the melody emitted by the homemade product. The hero discovered that someone had attached a wooden threshold at the junction of the head and neck of the neck. The warrior decided that this was the work of shaitan (an evil demon), and since then the people have adopted the name “shaitan-tiek” for the upper threshold of the dombra. In the 21st century, in the era of electronic music, dombra still arouses the interest of music lovers. For example, Kazakh ethno-rock bands combine the sound of dombra, violin and screaming rock guitars, creating a completely new sound. The old dombra is winning more and more new fans.
At the end of the last century, a Neolithic rock painting depicting four dancing people and a musical instrument was discovered high in the mountains of Kazakhstan. The ancient artist’s drawing depicted a pear-shaped instrument very similar to the dombra (a two-string folk musical instrument of the Kazakhs and Nogais). It turns out that the prototype of the current dombra is more than 4000 years old and is one of the first plucked instruments - the forerunner of modern musical instruments of this type.
According to written monuments, the dombra and related instruments of other peoples on the Eurasian continent have been well known since ancient times.
So, for example, the Saka nomadic tribes used two-stringed musical instruments similar to the dombra more than 2000 years ago. And during excavations of Khorezm (an ancient region and state centered in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River, now the territory of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan), terracotta figurines were found depicting musicians playing plucked instruments. Scientists note that Khorezm two-strings, which were in use at least 2000 years ago, are similar to the dombra and were one of the common instruments among the early nomads who lived in Kazakhstan.
Also, mention of the dombra is found in the works of the famous traveler Marco Polo: “this instrument was present among the warriors of the nomadic Turks, who at that time in Rus' were called Tatars. They sang and played it before the fight to achieve the appropriate mood.”
Legends about the origin of dombra
There are several legends about the origin of dombra, here are the most interesting of them:
Jochi Khan was the eldest and beloved son of Genghis Khan and the father of Batu Khan. Hunting in the Kipchak steppes, Jochi Khan was knocked off his horse and torn to pieces by the leader of a herd of kulans. No one dared to inform the formidable Genghis Khan about the tragic death of his beloved son. A cruel execution awaited the black messenger. Genghis Khan promised to pour molten lead down the throat of the person who informed him of his son’s death. Khan's nukers found a way out of the situation. They brought a simple dombra player named Ket-Buga to Genghis Khan’s headquarters and instructed him to voice the terrible news. Ket-Buga did not utter a word before the eyes of the formidable khan. He simply played his kui (music genre for dombra) “Aksak kulan” (Lame kulan). The beautiful music of the great zhyrau Ket-Bug conveyed to the khan the harsh truth about barbaric cruelty and inglorious death. The angry Genghis Khan, remembering his threat, ordered the execution of the dombra. They say that since then there has been a hole on the top deck of the dombra - a trace of molten lead. The mausoleum of Jochi Khan has been preserved on the banks of the ancient Kara-Kengir river in the Dzhezkazgan region.
Another legend about the origin of dombra says that in ancient times two giant brothers lived in Altai. The younger brother had a dombra, which he loved to play. As soon as he starts playing, the slacker forgets about everything in the world. The elder brother was proud and vain. One day he wanted to become famous, for which he decided to build a bridge across a stormy and cold river. He began to collect stones and began to build a bridge. And the younger brother keeps playing and playing.
So the day passed, and another, and a third. The younger brother is not in a hurry to help the older one, all he knows is that he is playing his favorite instrument. The older brother got angry, snatched the dombra from the younger brother and, with all his strength, hit it against the rock. The 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 based on it, and music began to sound again in the villages that had been silent for a long time.
Modern history of dombra
The Kazakh people say: “Nagyz Kazakh – Kazak emes, Nagyz Kazakh – dombyra!”, which means “a real Kazakh is not a Kazakh himself, a real Kazakh is a dombra!” This emphasizes the importance of the ability to play the dombra for every Kazakh, which emphasizes the special love of the Kazakhs for this instrument, and this is true, because the dombra is the most popular Kazakh musical instrument, but other nations also have instruments similar to the dombra.
Modern history of dombra. In the photo - Islam Satyrov Thus, in Russian culture there is an instrument of a similar shape - the Domra, and the famous Russian balalaika, according to one theory, is considered to have originated from the dombra. In Tajik culture there is a similar instrument - Dumrak, in Turkmen culture - Dutar, Bash, Dumbyra, in Uzbek, Bashkir and Nogai culture - Dumbyra, in Azerbaijani and Turkish culture - Saz, in Yakut culture - Tansyr. These instruments differ in the number (up to 3 strings), as well as the material of the strings.
The modern dombra has a pear-shaped body and a neck with 19 frets. Despite the fact that the instrument has only two strings, its musical range is two full octaves (from D of the small octave to D of the second octave). The instrument usually has a fourth or fifth scale. Traditionally, the strings used on the dombra were gut strings made from lamb or goat intestines. But the most suitable sound turned out to be an ordinary fishing line. As a result, today we have the only, widespread type of dombra of a standard shape with strings made of fishing line.
Dombra has become widespread as an accompanying, solo, and also the main instrument in Kazakh and Nogai music. The instrument has recently undergone significant changes: orchestral varieties of dombra appeared, the volume increased, the sound range expanded - dombras of high and low registers appeared. The instrument, due to its unusual timbre and bright ethnic expression, is often used in modern popular music.
The unique creativity of Islam Satyrov
One of the artists who actively uses dombra and other national instruments in his work, which I would like to talk about today, is (Islam Satyrov). Having received a musical education at the Astrakhan Music College named after. M.P. Mussorgsky, he, however, did not forget the slander of his adolescence, and as a musician living today, he creates absolutely unique material that continues the traditions of the Nogai people, bringing the culture and musical heritage of his homeland to the masses.
Islam recently released his debut album.
In the music of this talented person, who performed all the parts from the first to the last in the album, called “Zaman”, which means “time” in Russian, modern trends are closely intertwined with ethnic motifs.
The songs on the album are a reflection of what each of us faces during our lives - love, affection, family ties, national pride. From the first to the last note, the recording was performed by the musician himself, using rare acoustic instruments to give new life to the ancient melodies and rhythms of his people.
