Shayilaxi Jiaermuhamaiti

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Shayilaxi Jiaermuhamaiti, Male, Kazakh, from Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang, is a fifth-batch national representative bearer of Kazakh Kubuzi (Ⅱ-155). The tradition is documented in Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Kazakh Kubuzi in Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang: It is also distributed in countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia and Mongolia. Scholars differ over the origin of the kobyz; the majority hold that both its creator and its transmitter was the sage Korkut. Others maintain, however, that the making of the Kazakh kobyz can be traced back to the eve of the Common Era to about the 3rd century CE, far earlier than the 7th to 8th centuries in which the sage Korkut lived.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, of Kazakh ethnicity, born in March 1956 in Qinghe County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. As a child he learned kobyz solo performance from his uncle. In 1993 he entered the Song and Dance Troupe of Ili Prefecture, Xinjiang, to receive professional training. He not only inherited and mastered the traditional kobyz playing technique but also inherited the craft of making the kobyz and other Kazakh ethnic instruments. His representative works include Si Le He Mu, Lie Ren De Tong Ku (The Hunter's Sorrow) and Bai Ha Ba, which were broadcast on China National Radio and Xinjiang People's Radio and were highly praised by a wide audience. He has consistently devoted himself to kobyz performance, the collection of materials and the training of successors. Within the documented technical tradition of Kazakh Kubuzi in Yilihasakezizhi, Xinjiang: The kobyz is an ancient bowed string instrument of the Kazakhs; the body is wooden and consists of a neck, pegs, a bow and a sound box. The kobyz is transmitted mainly among the Kazakh populations within the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture and Barkol Kazak Autonomous County. The Kazakh kobyz project comprises three parts: the craft of making a kobyz, the art of playing the kobyz, and kobyz pieces. In ancient times the kobyz was mostly used by the Kazakh bakhshi (shamans) in their ritual performances, and was transmitted chiefly through oral teaching from master to apprentice. The kobyz is played with the bow in the right hand, while the left hand sounds the strings with the nail roots of the index, middle and ring fingers; its playing techniques are flexible and varied, including left-hand skills such as vibrato pressing, trill, harmonics, double stops, slides and struck notes, as well as bow skills such as bowed notes, jumped notes and pizzicato, which make kobyz pieces melodious, moving and rich in content. The many different playing techniques make the rhythm of kobyz pieces very rich. Various simple metres, compound metres and mixed metres are common in kobyz pieces. Some pieces drive their development through combined changes of several metres and rhythms, creating a strong artistic effect, and the augmented metres that appear from time to time give the pieces an additional distinctive flavour. Common modes in kobyz pieces include the Do and Sol modes, which have the characteristics of major modes, and the La and Re modes, which have the characteristics of minor modes. Modulation and modal shifting are also important means of driving the development of a piece and of producing artistic expressiveness. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Kobyz making craft": The Kazakh kobyz project comprises three parts: the craft of making a kobyz, the art of playing the kobyz, and kobyz pieces; the body of the instrument is wooden and consists of a neck, pegs, a bow and a sound box. "Kobyz playing technique": The bow is held in the right hand and the strings are sounded by the left hand with the nail roots of the index, middle and ring fingers; there are left-hand skills such as vibrato pressing, trill, harmonics, double stops, slides and struck notes, as well as bow skills such as bowed notes, jumped notes and pizzicato. "Silegem": One of the representative pieces of the bearer of Kazakh kobyz tradition; it has been broadcast by China National Radio and the Xinjiang People's Broadcasting Station. "The Hunter's Sorrow": One of the representative pieces of the bearer of Kazakh kobyz tradition.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

National representative bearer of the Kazakh Kobyz, a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He is the ninth-generation transmitter of the Kazakh kobyz. He actively takes part in performances of various kinds and has won awards on many occasions. He has founded classes and ensembles and voluntarily teaches kobyz playing skills at local schools, training numerous successors in the kobyz.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Shayilaxi Jiaermuhamaiti · National Representative Bearer Archive