THE RETURN OF THE DOMBRA: FROM OFFICIALDOM TO AVANTGARDE

If you were to ask a Kazakh who has never studied music theory what is played on the dombra, they would likely say ‘Küi’, and when asked what a küi is, they would answer, ‘Well, it's what they play on the dombra.’ In reality, küi is the traditional music not only of the Kazakh people but also of many other Turkic nations, and it's performed not only on the dombra but also on other instruments.iKüi compositions are characterized by simple, blended, and flexible meter, featuring diverse forms that span from uncomplicated melodies to complex multi-sectional structures such as rondos. Küi music may incorporate some elements of pentatonic scales but is based on diatonic scales. Most pieces are two part, but there are also one-part and three-part compositions. The texture of some küi includes subvoice polyphonic passages, parallel movements in predominantly fourth-fifth (and less often in second-third) intervals, imitations, sequences, organ points, and more. Küi music is played in such diverse ways that it can essentially fit into any musical genre.

Although küishiia person who composes or performs küi playing the dombra, qobyz, shanqobyz, sybyzgy flute, and other instruments have been around since ancient times, küi did not remain exclusively in the realm of folk music. More than a century ago, the dombra and küi entered symphonic music. Beloved compositions by Kurmangazy or Tattimbet are now performed not only by Kazakh folk instrument ensembles but also by large symphonic orchestras. The credit for this largely goes to Akhmet Jubanov, who collaborated with Russian composers Yevgeny Brusilovsky and Boris Yerzakovich in the 1930s. In 1934, the first Kazakh opera Qyz-Jibekimusic by Y. Brusilovsky and libretto by G. Musirepov was performed, immediately winning the affection of opera enthusiasts and soon becoming a classic.

Cinema also played a role in popularizing national motifs, notably through films like Shaken Aimanov's Our Dear Doctor and Angel v Tiubeteike (An Angel Wearing a Chapan) with music composed by the versatile Aleksandr Zatsepin.

The dombra is a relatively quiet instrument on its own, with gut or nylon strings, and it would be drowned out as part of a rock band. Thus, new technologies were required. It's believed that the first electric dombra appeared in 2012, played by a member of the group Aldaspan. However, if memory serves me, some Kazakh bands tried to use pickups and nickel-coated stringsithe kind used on electric guitars on this instrument back in the 1990s, but they were not very successful. At that time, a flood of ‘forbidden music’ from the West was pouring into Kazakhstan, and so interest in the national culture was at an all-time low. Even relatively successful groups that incorporated elements of folk music into their work could, at best, hope to open for Western or Russian stars.

In this regard, the growing popularity of world music was a lifesaver. This trend emerged in the West in the mid-1980sithanks to artists like Paul Simon and his album Graceland and became mainstream by the early 1990s. It helped young Kazakh musicians get noticed by influential Western record companies who were searching for something new and exciting.

Today, there is a genre with folk music and pop elements, sometimes playfully referred to as ‘küi-pop’.isimilar to Qazak pop or Q-pop Within this genre of ethnic house is a trio of women who perform under the band name Asyl (Асыл), and they not only sing but also play the kobyz. Bastau (Бастау) is a dombra duo that makes ethno-modern music. Modern küishi Asylbek Ensepov calls his style DECKO: dombra, entertainment, computer, küi.

The dombra and küi are not just Kazakhi heritage—they are also on UNESCO’s 2014 Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Since 2018, Kazakhstan has celebrated National Dombra Day on the first Sunday of July. There is an old saying that still rings entirely true: ‘A true Kazakh is not just a Kazakh; a true Kazakh is the dombra!’

Aldaspan

Named after the heavy Kazakh saber, these pioneers of the electric dombra play appropriately heavy and slashing music. In 2012, Aldaspan was second on the American chart of the well-known label Roadrunner Records.

Ulytau

Ulytau’s (translated as Great Mountain) victory at the World Championship of Music Performers in Hollywood in 2001, where they won the grand prix and a gold medal, was a real sensation. Five years later, in 2006, their first album, Zhumyr Kylysh,icalled Two Warriors in the European version was mixed in the United States. This album featured rock adaptations of songs by Kazakh and other world musicians including Kurmangazy, I. Iskakov, Mahambet, N. Tlendiyev, Shalmyrza, Kazangap, Vivaldi, and Mozart. In 2007, this album sold over half a million copies and reached gold.

In 2009, Ulytau toured Europe with the heavy metal group Manowar, a clear testament to Kazakh hard rock’s ability to compete with Western music. Despite several changes in their lineup, Ulytau remains active to this day. Last year, I watched them perform in Kok-Tobe at a concert organized by the French Embassy in Kazakhstan, and it's safe to say that our ethno-rockers matched the energy of the French star Gaëlle Buswel, who was also invited to perform that evening. It seemed like the mountains were resonating with the band's enthusiasm. In this trio, the dombra was not just a weak exotic note against the backdrop of electric guitars and violins; it had the full-fledged, powerful voice of a true rock instrument that was capable of delivering both fiery solos and working as part of a band.

Turan

The annual celebration for Almaty's world music enthusiasts is the International Festival of Contemporary Ethnic Music Spirit of Tengri, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2023. Opening the jubilee festival was the ensemble Turan. This band has been captivating audiences around the world for fifteen years at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to the Kremlin Palace, introducing them to Kazakh musical culture. Although words like ‘traditional compositions’, ‘traditional instruments’, and ‘traditional national costumes’ might seem boring and dull, Turan always manages to surprise their audience with their modern, energetic sound. Despite the area near the festival stage being packed to capacity, young fans of trance and techno were dancing away. The five multi-instrumentalists of Turan switched between various instruments, as if competing with each other. A musical duel (küi tartys) between two musicians with huge drums was a particularly memorable experience that evening.

HasSak

Another Kazakhstani ethno-folk group HasSak, which translates to Real Sak, hails from the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory and uses only traditional instruments for their music, just like Turan. However, their sound is much more gentle and romantic, and at times even melancholic. Perhaps this is because, unlike the all-male lineup of Turan, HasSak has two female members. In the ten years of their existence, the group has released two albums, toured different countries, and won the grand prix at the international competition World Folk Vision in 2019.

Beles

One of Kazakhstan's most unusual folk groups is Beles.itranslated as Stage of the Path Its members play traditional Kazakh instruments like the kobyz, dombra, shanqobyz, and sybyzgy, as well as the tamtam, Scottish bagpipes, and bayan. This makes perfect sense as the musicians have spent many years in the Presidential Orchestra of the Republican Guard, where they performed music from various countries for foreign delegations on official visits. The group's motto is a Kazakh benediction: Belesten beleske jete beriConquer the summit that lies beyond the summit. Surprisingly, conquering foreign heights seems easier for the group than finding success at home. In Ankara, 40,000 people gathered for a performance by Beles, but in Astana, where the musicians live, they are yet to perform to such a crowd. Hopefully, this will change because Beles doesn't just perform traditional song adaptations; their music is a true fusion of melodies from various countries, with one composition featuring not only Kazakh but also Armenian, Chinese, and even Peruvian influences. According to the musicians themselves, creating one composition can take over half a year or more until complete harmony is achieved.