Music of Altai
Encyclopedia
The Altai Republic
is a region in Russia
, composed primarily of ethnic Russians
and Altaians. Prominent modern performers include Alexei G. Kalkin, who performs epics like Maadai Kara.
The Ministry of Culture of the Altai Republic operates several folklore organizations dedicated to preserving traditional culture, including music and dance, each dedicated to a particular region. These regions include Ust-Kansky District
, Onguday, Kosh-Agach, Ust-Kok, Chemalsky, Shebalino
, Gorno-Altaysk
, Choysky District
, Turachaksk, Ulagansky
and Mayminsky District
s.
Traditional instruments from Altay include:
The performance of traditional epics, accompanied by the topshur, is an important part of Altay music. These are usually narrated in a falsetto
voice and enunciated in the low bass register. They are pentatonic and include melismatics. Performers include N. Ulagashev, P. Kutshiyak and Deley, while more modern vocalists include Aleksey Kalkin, S. Aetenov, Shunu Yalatov, Tovar Tchetsiyakov, Tanishpai Shinshin.
The most popular traditional musician from Altay may be Nohon Shumarov, from Yaman
, a small village in the mountains, who worked in theater in Gorno Altaysk beginning in 1977. He now works at the School of Classical Music, which is the only institution of its kind in the region to teach traditional music. He has performed across Russia and Central Asia, as well as far away as Vietnam
, Germany
, Latvia
, Austria
, Slovenia
, Switzerland
and Lithuania
.
Altai Republic
Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:...
is a region in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, composed primarily of ethnic Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
and Altaians. Prominent modern performers include Alexei G. Kalkin, who performs epics like Maadai Kara.
The Ministry of Culture of the Altai Republic operates several folklore organizations dedicated to preserving traditional culture, including music and dance, each dedicated to a particular region. These regions include Ust-Kansky District
Ust-Kansky District
Ust-Kansky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the ten in the Altai Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Ust-Kan. District's population: Population of Ust-Kan accounts for 22.8% of the district's population....
, Onguday, Kosh-Agach, Ust-Kok, Chemalsky, Shebalino
Shebalino
Shebalino is the name of several rural localities in Russia:*Shebalino, Altai Krai, a selo in Shebalinsky Selsoviet of Biysky District of Altai Krai...
, Gorno-Altaysk
Gorno-Altaysk
Gorno-Altaysk is the capital town of the Altai Republic, Russia, situated east of Moscow. Population: This only town of the republic lies in a narrow Mayma Valley in the foothills of the Altay Mountains...
, Choysky District
Choysky District
Choysky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the ten in the Altai Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Choya. District's population: Population of Choya accounts for 21.4% of the district's population....
, Turachaksk, Ulagansky
Ulagansky District
Ulagansky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the ten in the Altai Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Ulagan. District's population: Population of Ulagan accounts for 22.5% of the district's population....
and Mayminsky District
Mayminsky District
Mayminsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the ten in the Altai Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Mayma. District's population: Population of Mayma accounts for 58.3% of the district's population.The district was established on...
s.
Traditional instruments from Altay include:
- Amirgi-Marok: a wind instrumentWind instrumentA wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
used to coax deer - Adishi-Marok: a wind instrument made of birchBirchBirch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
bark - Ikili: a stringed instrument with a long neck and strings made from animal sinews and played with a bowBow (music)In music, a bow is moved across some part of a musical instrument, causing vibration which the instrument emits as sound. The vast majority of bows are used with string instruments, although some bows are used with musical saws and other bowed idiophones....
- Komus: a jaw harp made of wood traditionally, though now more frequently metal
- Shagay: a wind instrument made from the bones of a sheep
- ShagurShagurShagur is a wind instrument like an elongated flute like those of the Bashkirs and the Caucasians. Shagur a similar wind instrument to the shoor but with holes on the side and made of wood, only about 30 to 40 cm long.-External links:*...
: a wind instrument made of wood with holes on the side - Shatra: a rattleRattle (percussion)A rattle is a percussion instrument. It consists of a hollow body filled with small uniform solid objects, like sand or nuts. Rhythmical shaking of this instrument produces repetitive, rather dry timbre noises. In some kinds of music, a rattle assumes the role of the metronome, as an alternative to...
- Shoor: a long wind instrument, similar to a fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
.Ergek shoor, tuyuk shoor, achyk shoor, altyn shoor. - TopshurTopshurTopshur is a two-stringed plucked or strummed lute played by the Altayans. Related instruments include the Kazakh dombra, the Mongolian tovshuur and the Tuvan doshpuluur. The topshur's strings are tuned to an interval of a fourth...
: two-stringed instrument, carved from pinePinePines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
and covered with leatherLeatherLeather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
, using strings made from horse tails and tuned to an interval of a fourth - Ungurek: a wind instrument made of clayClayClay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
The performance of traditional epics, accompanied by the topshur, is an important part of Altay music. These are usually narrated in a falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
voice and enunciated in the low bass register. They are pentatonic and include melismatics. Performers include N. Ulagashev, P. Kutshiyak and Deley, while more modern vocalists include Aleksey Kalkin, S. Aetenov, Shunu Yalatov, Tovar Tchetsiyakov, Tanishpai Shinshin.
The most popular traditional musician from Altay may be Nohon Shumarov, from Yaman
Yaman
*Yaman , a raga in Hindustani classical music*Yemen*Yaman ; a political party in 19th and early 20th century in Palestine. The adversaries of the Qays , or Qais, see Husayni...
, a small village in the mountains, who worked in theater in Gorno Altaysk beginning in 1977. He now works at the School of Classical Music, which is the only institution of its kind in the region to teach traditional music. He has performed across Russia and Central Asia, as well as far away as Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
.