ETHNIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

ETHNIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. Modern field research notes that traditional musical instruments of people of Bashkortostan has preserved their peculiarities and keep developing: Detailed descriptions of the harmonica appeared in 1985 in different constructive and national variants, then the dumbyra was reconstructed, then 46 more ethnic instruments were studied; and 54 more instruments were studied in the period after 2013. The group of electrophones became a part of E.m.i. in 2018.

Bashkir ethnic instruments as well as the instruments of other peoples that live in Bashkortostan, can be divided into aerophones – kayin-kubyz, tuzyn-kubyz, kamsy, ulyan khabagy, khyzgyrtmak, sgueezebox, bayan, byzyldak, yaprak, kuray, kamysh-quaray, buz, khornay and others; idiophones or autophones - tayak, kalak, toyak, salgy, kyngyrau, kabyrsak, shakyldak, sesmeu, shongor, kubyz, batmus, bizre and others; membranephones - kile, dybyl, dongor, nagra, dumburzyak and others; chordophones - yankyl-kubyz, gezle, yatagan, dumbyra, mandolina, kyl-kubyz and others. Sgueezebox (sound production is based on idiophonic and aerophonic features), yankyl-kubyz - musical bow (mix of idiophone and chordophone) and uzlyau throat singing that relates to a vocal and instrumental type of music production are the exceptions from this division.

Traditional diatonic quaray is the most famous aerophone. Almost all the ethnic groups of the republic that live on the territories where cane grows play similar open flutes. After a series of successful performances of the quaray player Y.M. Isyanbayev in Europe in 1925-28 this kind of instrument was characterized as “Vertical flute simulated to Bashkir quaray”. This group includes the Russian kalyuka, which became popular after the performances of “Uzoritsa” folklore band of Ufa musical school for children № 4. I.K. Ilbakov, a quaray player elaborated a technique to chromatize the traditional quaray in 1987, he elaborated his own variant of a flute which has a chromatic sound order called “ishquaray”. Playing the instrument professionally was encouraged. Harmonic is the most common N.m.i. of multinational Bashkortostan. It is widely used in different traditional constructional variants as a solo or as an accompanying instrument. Recently the reconstructions of the Bashkir aerophones became an object of scientific research and of wide use for performances: khornay (Russian name - zhaleyka) and kamysh-quaray (Pan flute) successfully became a part of the musical youth subculture. Shubar is a Chuvash bagpipe, which is widely used in Miyakinskiy and Yermekeyevskiy Districts of RB. The Mari people from Mishkinskiy District also use it. They call it shyuvyr. Also, the Bashkirs that live near the Dyema river call it buz (shugur). There is a tradition to make and play Mari shiyaltysh in Mishkinskiy District, RB.

Idiophones (autophones) are instruments which have no fixed upper limit of sound (noise). However, there is an exception a group of maul- trommels (idio and hetegoglottic variants) have an oscillating reed that makes the sound tone fixed. Almost all the idiophones have classificational analogues among the instruments of Bashkortostan peoples. The differences are mainly in the names and minor constructive variants (Russians have vargan, Bashkirs and Tatars - kubyz, Maris - kovyzh and others).

Membranophones is the smallest group of Bashkir N.m.i., they are often substituted by applied idiophones in ethnic performance practice. Despite the fact that the materials to make membranophones (processed animal skin, horsehair and barrel-shaped vessels) are abundant in the Bashkir household, this group of instruments was not very common because of different historical and social reasons. Nowadays we know only the names for some of them (dybyl, dongor, nagra); some of them became toys for children (teyes and kabak). The modern sphere of sound intonation needed to have traditional membranophones reconstructed. The Dongor made by I.K. Baybuldin appeared to be the most successful. Membranophones are very popular among Maris. One of the instruments - tumyr has a rather complicated tradition for making and is actively used in rituals and performances in the republic.

Chordophones are a specific group of string E.m.i. that produce plucked and frictional sounds. A plucked dumbyra is a multifunctional musical instrument of oral tradition masters. The instrument is used for concerts and leisure time and it has specific timbral and constructional features. The kyl-kubyz and the violin have different origins despite their similarities and attempts to combine two instruments: the main function of kyl-kubyz is to serve sacred needs, it is associated with archaic ritual norms of shamanism; the violin is an instrument with aesthetic function and European mentality from the very beginning. The reconstructions by N. Starostin and Baybuldin are most interesting. The Yatagan is a Bashkir chordophone that has ethnic analogues. There are traditional chordophones that have minor constructional differences and different names varying according to a region in each ethnic group of RB (Maris have iya kovyzh, Udmurts - krez, Russians - gusli, Chuvashes - ksle and others).

Institute of Arts, Salavat musical college, Sibay art college, Ufa art college, Uchaly art and culture college train professional E.m.i. players.

The Bashkir region is unique because playing ethnic instruments, performing authentic melodies and naigryshes are popular here, archaic multinational instruments as a sample of material and spirit culture are important and continuing.

R.G. Rakhimov

Bashkir aerophones (according to L.F. Ishmurzina)

Bashkir idiophones (according to L.F. Ishmurzina)

Bashkir membranophones (according to R.R. Sagitov)

Bashkir chordophones (according to R. R. Rakhimov)