The musical creativity of Tattimbet and Toka in their kuis “Saryzhailau” and “Bozaigyr”: the experience of comparative-typological analysis

Abstract

This study examines selected works by Tattimbet Kazangapuly (1815–1860), the founder of the Arka Shertpe dombra school in Central Kazakhstan, and Toka Shongmanuly (1830–1914), who developed a distinctive performance tradition within this school. It focuses on a comparative analysis of the kuis Saryzhailau, associated with representations of nature, and Bozaigyr, reflecting animal imagery. The composers’ creative contributions are outlined in the first section and the comparative study are presented in the second part of the work. The researcher has fulfilled a musical-stylistic analysis that was indicated in the methodological part (S. Utegalieva) having covered such aspects as modal-intonational and thematic, compositional and metric-rhythmic features as well. The historical-comparative, and typological, and systemic-ethnophonic approaches were applied (I. Matsievsky) along with the similarities and distinctive features in the pieces of Tattimbet and Toka, who were able to demonstrate the influence of their styles. The highlighted materials were drawn from the instrumental collection “Saryarqa Sounds” by Bilal Iskakov. Moreover, the author had examined the works of Kazakhstani and international ethnomusicologists and dombra masterpieces composed under the Kazakh ethnic musical traditions. Indicating their compositional layout, rhythmic flow, metrical organization and modal–intonational coloring it is possible to affirm that the compositions “Saryzhailau” and “Bozaighyr” are not similar completely and differ substantially. At the same time the strong Tattimbet’s artistic manner shaped Toka’s style and such comparative analyses is important for understanding both the shared foundations and the subtle distinctions within Kazakh dombra music.

Keywords

• Shertpe style
• Arka school traditions
• comparative analysis
• dombra
• Kazakh instrumental music
• kui
• kuishi
• Tattimbet and Toka

Supporting Institution

The study was conducted without external financial support.

Ethical Statement

The author hereby declares that this manuscript is an original scholarly work and has not been published previously, nor is it under consideration for publication elsewhere, in full or in part. All sources, materials, and scholarly contributions used in the preparation of this study have been properly cited in accordance with academic standards. The research was conducted in full compliance with ethical principles of academic integrity, including transparency, objectivity, and respect for intellectual property. No part of the study involved procedures requiring special ethical approval, and no personal, confidential, or sensitive data were collected. The author confirms that there is no conflict of interest—financial, academic, or otherwise—that could have influenced the research process or its outcomes. The manuscript fully adheres to the ethical guidelines and publication standards of Rast Müzikoloji Dergisi. All the authors contributed to the development of the research concept, data analysis and manuscript preparation equally. The authors declare the absence of any conflict of interest. Toka’s work has been examined in Kazakh ethnomusicology for the first time as well as the kuis of Tattimbet and Toka called “Saryzhailau” and “Bozaigyr”, which were analyzed within a comparative framework. The English-language editing and proofreading of this manuscript were performed by a professional academic editor – a native speaker of English. The authors did not use artificial intelligence in the preparation of this manuscript. The authors uploaded two Turnitin and IThenticate certificates to confirm the originally of the work.

Thanks

The authors express their sincere gratitude to the Library of the Kurmangazy Kazakh National Conservatory and to the kuishi, performers B.Iskakov and Akhat Baibossynov for providing published materials for analysis.

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