Kobys
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Kobys , also qobyz , Kazakh қобыз , is a bowed neck lute in the folk music of Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan , which is also called qyl qobyz ("horse hair kobys") to differentiate it from the jew's harp kobys . The two- stringed string instrument is said to have magical abilities.
Design
The instrument type, manufactured in very different designs, belongs to the oriental short-necked lute, the most famous representative of which is the oud , and has two strings made of horsehair and a sound box made of wood. Compared to the music of the Uzbeks and Turkmens , Kazakh music has retained more Turkish forms of music .
The body can be elongated and tailored from one piece or divided into an upper and lower chamber. Two-part versions are covered in the lower part with a camel or goat skin, which supports the bridge as a body cover . The upper part of the sound box made from a block of wood has a sound chamber open to the strings and shows a resemblance to the Afghan and North Indian string lute sarinda . Other instruments have a glued body that is closed at the top. The types of wood used are birch or mulberry . The bow is also made of horse hair.
The two strings are tuned to a fourth or fifth apart and produce a soft, blurred sound with many overtones .
Cultural meaning
The kobys is used because of its magical powers in the rituals of the shaman (Baqsy) and is used in a healing ritual to drive away evil spirits. The instrument is mostly played by men, women with kobys are generally considered to be shamans.
At the same time, the lute is the accompaniment instrument of the Kazakh epic poems that go back to the 15th century. Its mythical origin leads back to the legendary figure Dede Korkut , who is considered the oldest singer and shaman. The Jyrau (from jyr, "epic poetry") used to be the carrier and mediator of the great epics . Like the Turkish and Azerbaijani Aşık, he belonged to a tradition of poet-singers spread throughout Central Asia. Similar to the shaman, he was able to come into contact with the spirits of the dead, the souls of the deceased heroes and with guardian spirits. The Jyrau did not go through the social changes in the 20th century during the time of the Soviet rule . For the Soviet communists, he represented the feudal era to be overcome and superstition . Jyršy is active in its place today . In contrast to the Jyrau, he has no political power and cannot see into the future, but also conveys moral values through the performance of smaller epics and enjoys a certain respect.
Originally Jyrau performed the epic lyrics without accompaniment, only later did he play the kobys to his throaty overtone singing . He has a fixed melody repertoire and certain playing techniques available for this. If he had come into contact with spirits and ancestors in the course of his lecture, he could no longer be interrupted. Jyršy, who after independence from the Soviet Union resumed the traditions of the epics, do so within the time frame of western performance practice and limit themselves to short, impromptu verses (terme) . Song singers who specialize in this are called Termeši.
The Kobys is also the typical accompaniment instrument in the folk songs of the Karakalpaks . In contrast to the Kobys-playing singers and poets, the Aqyn, who accompanied each other on the Dombra , were favored as folk singers during the Soviet era.
In Almaty , the country's cultural capital, pieces of Kazakh music as well as adaptations of Western classical music are performed in concert by large orchestras. In interaction with violins , kobys can take over the part of cellos according to their pitch .
literature
- Jean Durin: Central Asia. In: Ludwig Finscher (Ed.): Music in History and Present (MGG), Sachteil 9, 1998, Sp. 2322–2326
- Muchtar Muchanovič Magauin, Pavel Petrovič Kosenko: Kobyz i kop'e. Povestvovanie o kazachskich akynach i žyrau 14-18 vekov. Alma-Ata: Žazušy, 1970
Sound carrier
- Kazakhstan. Le Kobyz. L'ancienne viole des chamanes. CD published by Auvidis Inedit, 2004.
Web links
- Kobyz. saisaibatake.ame-zaiku.com Photo of a sarangi-like Koby
Individual evidence
- ^ A Documentary Film Project. Kazakhdervish.com
- ↑ Vladimir N. Basilov: Islamic Shamanism Among Central Asian Peoples. In: Diogenes, No. 158, Sommer 1992, pp. 5-18, here p. 8
- ↑ Baksi and Jyrau, Duutar and Kobyz. About traditional musical culture of the Karakalpaks. sanat.orexca.com
- ^ Howard Smith: Kazakhstan's City of Music. A brief but exotic musical journey in Central Asia. In: STRINGS, Volume XVII, Number 4, Issue 106, November / December 2002, p. 45.