Music of Chechnya
Encyclopedia
The music of Chechnya has a long history.
The first recordings of Chechen music were made by an exiled member of the Decembrist society in the middle of the 19th century. Composer A.A.Davidenko visited villages of Chechnya
in the 1920s and made recordings of a number of historical, ritual, love and dance tunes. Thirty arrangements of Chechen folk tunes were published, in one volume, in Moscow
, 1926.
Professional musicians of Chechnya:
Native musical instruments
- The pondur is the oldest of musical instruments of the Chechens, consisting of three strings and a wooden casing. Being similar to the Russian balalaikaBalalaikaThe balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
, the difference lies in the casing: the pondur is rather long, is made of one solid block of wood and has a soft, rustling voice. - The reed-pipe is played on a summer solstice marking the day of Pkh'armat, a legendary figure who brought fire to the Chechens via burning embers on a reed stalk, which was said to have burnt small holes in the reed, thus forming the reed-pipe.
- The chiondarg which resembles a fiddle. It was played in the fields and was believed to make grain grow faster and yield better crops.
The first recordings of Chechen music were made by an exiled member of the Decembrist society in the middle of the 19th century. Composer A.A.Davidenko visited villages of Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
in the 1920s and made recordings of a number of historical, ritual, love and dance tunes. Thirty arrangements of Chechen folk tunes were published, in one volume, in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, 1926.
Chechen contemporary music
Popular contemporary artists of Chechnya:- Marina AidaevaMarina AidaevaMarina graduated from the Almaty Conservatory, specializing in piano, and in 1999 she arrived in Moscow to debut in a concert with Chechen poet and songwriter Musa Geshaev, and since then she has toured throughout Russia as well as Germany, France, Belgium, and Norway. Her first album, "My Love",...
- Ilyas AyubovIlyas AyubovIlyas Ayubov is a Chechen pop singer.-Biography:Ilyas was born in 1986 in Grozny, the Chechen capital, where he spent much of his youth...
- Liza Akhmatovabulat
- Zina Anasova
- Aza Bataeva
- Eliza Betirova
- Sultan Makkayev
- Raisa Malsagova
- Tatyana Rostova
- Makka SagaipovaMakka sagaipovaMakka Umarovna Sagaipova is a singer from Chechnya. She is also a dancer in the Chechen dance ensemble, Lovzar.-Biography:...
- Maryam Tashaeva
- Fatima Turtulhanova
- Imran UsmanovImran UsmanovImran Hermanovich Usmanov is a renowned Chechen folk singer whose deep baritone voice and songs about love and friendship are regarded as classics in Chechen music.Born in 1953 to Chechen parents, Imran Usmanov is from Nozhai-Yurt, Chechnya...
- Malika Utsayeva
Professional musicians of Chechnya:
- Imam AlimsultanovImam AlimsultanovImam Alimsultanov was a popular Chechen bard and folk singer.-Biography:Imam was born in Kyrgyzstan in 1957 to Chechen parents, who had been relocated as a result of the forced deportations of most Chechens and Ingush to Central Asia on February 23, 1944. He returned to Chechnya and would...
- Valid Dagayev
- Ali Dimayev
- Amarbek Dimayev
- Said DimayevSaid DimayevSaid-Emin Umarovich Dimayev was a Chechen composer. His father Umar Dimayev was a legendary accordionist and folk musician, and his brothers Ali and Valid are professional Chechen musicians.-Biography:...
- Umar DimayevUmar DimayevUmar Dimayev was a legendary Chechen accordionist and folk musician. His sons - Ali, Valid, and Said - are professional Chechen musicians.-Biography:Umar was born into a family of peasant farmers on October 1, 1908 in Urus-Martan...
- Khas-Magomed HadjimuradovKhas-Magomed HadjimuradovKhas-Magomed Hadjimuradov is a Chechen nationalist bard.Khas-Magomed was born in the Zhambyl Province of Kazakhstan to Chechen parents, who had been forcibly removed from their homes in Chechnya as the result of the forced deportations of the Chechen and Ingush people to Central Asia on February...
- Sultan IslamovSultan IslamovSultan Islamov is a Russian actor and singer of Chechen origins.-Biography:Sultan was born in the village of Hidi in the Nozhai-Yurt farm area to a large rural family, with four brothers and four sisters. His father served as a brigadier in the Soviet Army and his mother was a housewife...
- Timur MucuraevTimur Mucuraev-External links: Digitized with audiocassettes albums in mp3 192 * * -References:...
- Ramzan PaskayevRamzan PaskayevRamzan Paskayev is a legendary Chechen accordionist and folk musician. He is regarded by many as the contemporary successor to late Chechen accordionist Umar Dimayev.-Biography:...
- Adnan Shakhbulatov
- Liza UmarovaLiza UmarovaLiza Sulimovna Umarova is a Chechen singer and actress. She is regarded by many as the most popular contemporary Chechen singer today, and her poignant music on Chechnya and the Chechen people has led many to call her the Chechen Edith Piaf.-Early life:Liza spent her childhood in Almaty,...