SEVEN GIRLS

“SEVEN GIRLS”, 1) Bashkir ethnic song, khalmak-kuy. First registered by L.N. Lebedinskiy from K. Akhmetzyanov in 1939 in Beloretskiy District. It is published in “Bashkort khalk yirdary”. The song is lyro­-dramatic. According to the version told by K. Islamov (from Isyanovo village, Baymakskiy district) to K.M. Diyarov, the song was composed in the first half of the 16th c. The legend tells about seven sisters, which escaped from Kazakhs’ captivity. While escaping from the chase in the reeds, six of them died. According to another variant of the legend, seven Bashkir beautiful girls decided to drown themselves in a lake to avoid marriage with some old men. The poetical text has the form of a young man’s monologue who is in love with these girls. The melody has soft descending intonations, moderate beat and implicit drama. There is also an instrumental dancing play in the melody. A musical adapta­ tion of “S.G.” was made for a solo with piano and for a choir with accompaniment by K.F. Akhmetov, for instrumental ensemble by T.S. Karimov, for an orchestra by K.Y. Rakhimov. The melody is used in the “Crane song” ballet by L.B. Stepanov and Z.G. Ismagilov and in “Dancing Suit” by M.M. Valeev.

2) Bashkir lyrical dance. Firstly staged pro­ fessionally by F.A. Gaskarov in 1941. The dance embodies the ethnic character of a Bashkir woman. It includes seven female dancers. The movement is very discreet, modest, soft. It does not have any wide or drastic moves. The bodies of the dancers are straight, their heads are raised and eyes lowered. Each movement is made syn­ chronically. It is one of the main dances of the Ethnic dance ensemble n.a. F. Gaskarov re­ pertoir. It also was a part of the Ethnic USSR dance ensemble (art director – I.A. Moiseev).

Artist K.S. Fazylov created the picture called “Bashkir legend. Seven girls” (2006) based on the legend. Sculptor K.M. Khabibrakhmanov created the “Seven girls” fountain in Ufa (2015).