The Music of China's Nomads - Part 8: Qinghe's Magic Flutes

While the dömbra is alive and thriving among Chinas Kazakh community, the vertically held flute called the sybyzghy is a rarity, played by a handful of masters and their students. The sybyzghy is one of the Altai regions oldest musical traditions, pairing the deep drone of Khomooi, or Mongolian-type throat singing, with the soft melody of the wooden flute. The slow layered sound of the sybyzghy is used by Kazakh masters to express hardship and suffering, and to speak of sadness. It is a solitary instrument, often played by herders as they tend their flocks during the summer months.

Unlike to the dömbra, the sybyzghy is traditionally played only by men. It is also very difficult to master. Playing even basic tunes can take more than two years of study with a teacher. Becoming accomplished in the instrument can take decades. The challenge inherent in mastering the flute means that the sybyzghys survival is contingent on the presence of the Kazakhs traditional lifestyle, and the maintenance of close master-student relationships. An abrupt change to the traditional environment can break the master-pupil chain.

The traditional learning arrangement was endangered for much of the 20th century, due to the upheaval both the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China. The Kazakh flute is said to have completely disappeared in Soviet Kazakhstan, so that by the early 1980s, the tradition remained alive only in Chinas most remote areas. Today, Chinas few remaining masters are striving to revive the sybyzghy, teaching students from both sides of the Chinese-Kazakhstani border.

This slideshow explores the rarely heard sound of the sybyzghy, profiling two masters from Chinas Altai Region. One of them, 70-year-old Baisal Nabi, is reticent to play, and speaks of the hardship of Chinas Cultural Revolution. Another master, Houtebai, is more upbeat. He recounts the deep historical roots of the sybyzghy in ethnic Kazakh culture, and how he has worked with more than 40 students in trying to promote the revival of the instrument.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• china
• xinjiang province
• urumqi
• uighur
• kazakh
• kyrgyz
• ethnic
• minority
• han
• nomadic
• music
• turkic language
• muslim
• islam
• dombra instrument
• doombra

[sunnycatch]

@batyr78 the region is peaceful and its people are beginning to ride china's growth. it's good to see that people are encouraged by government to promote their culture such as through music and hear that the rest of the country enjoys and respect its tradition, despite the negative tone in parts of the documentary. i think the challenge for kazakhs is keeping tradition in a progressive country and they can have both. peace bro

[batyr78]

This is not china's nomads, this is KAZAKHS. Early it was the Kazakhs land, named Altai.

[Jiyuu89]

Thank you so much for this documentary, it's wonderful! I hope these traditions will be allowed to continue. I have a feeling that recent intervention such as the UNDP project (still ongoing) will do more harm than good in trying to commercialise the music of China's ethnic minorities.

[ayanuhito]

thank you for the posting! i enjoyed this video very much.