UZLYAU

UZLYAU, the Bashkirs solo two‑voice guttural singing, in which on the background of low tone (bourdon) there is a high whistling sound of a fioritric nature (combination of overtone sounds and derivatives from the lower tone). Similar to the kuray and kubyz playing technique. The earliest information about U. was provided by I.I.Lepyokhin, V.I.Dal and V.S.Zefirov. For the first time, the U. technique was described by S.G.Rybakov in his The Music and Songs of Ural Muslims with an Essay of Their Everyday Life book. I.V.Saltykov recorded the U. on the phonograph in 1929. The notations performed and published by L.N.Lebedinsky in his The Bashkir Folk Songs and Tunes book. U. are mainly used for dance melodies, marches, sound imitations, more rarely — the uzun-kyuy tunes. Traditional forms of performance — solo and ensemble with kuray and kubyz. U. is often used in the performance of epics and kubairs, and while playing on kurai and kubyz. R.A.Zagretdinov is among the U. masters. Also spread among the Mongols, Tuvans, Kalmyks, Khakas and Altaians.