Kazakh Aitys
01 · Historical Records
The Aytes of Aksay Kazak Autonomous County in Gansu was brought there by Kazakh pastoralists who had migrated to the area. It shares a common lineage with the antiphonal singing of Ili, Tacheng and Altay in Xinjiang as well as of Barkol and Mori, and has been transmitted for more than two hundred years.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Aytes means "gathering the essence", "selecting the finest" or "collecting the best". It is one of the quyi forms of the Kazakh people and belongs to the category of admonitory songs. It gathers the essence from Kazakh proverbs, maxims, poetry and other literary and artistic works, then sets it to a tune for singing. Aytes has a history of more than two hundred years to date. It circulates mainly in the Kazakh-inhabited areas, including Aksay Kazak Autonomous County in Gansu Province, and the Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture (Ili, Tacheng and Altay) as well as Barkol Kazak Autonomous County and Mori Kazak Autonomous County in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. When Aytes is sung it is accompanied by a single dombra and kobyz; according to its content it is divided into two categories, traditional antiphonal singing and akyn antiphonal singing. Traditional antiphonal singing is closely bound up with the celebration of a birth and with ritual greetings at festivals. It has no fixed vocal style, and men and women answer one another in song; the music is warm and unrestrained, full of zest and interest. Unlike traditional antiphonal singing, akyn antiphonal singing is a more advanced and more standardized form of antiphonal singing with fixed vocal styles, and is divided into two types, "ture" and "sure". The finest pieces in circulation include Antiphonal Singing of Aisaite and E'ersi Hongjiang and Antiphonal Singing of Biljiang and Sala; their subject is the display of skill between two tribes, their language is ornate, they lay stress on rhythm, and their tunes are lively and compact with a passionate melody.
Antiphonal Singing of Aisaite and E'ersi Hongjiang
Unlike traditional antiphonal singing, akyn antiphonal singing is a more advanced and more standardized form of antiphonal singing with fixed vocal styles, and is divided into two types, "ture" and "sure". The finest pieces in circulation include Antiphonal Singing of Aisaite and E'ersi Hongjiang and Antiphonal Singing of Biljiang and Sala; their subject is the display of skill between two tribes, their language is ornate, they lay stress on rhythm, and their tunes are lively and compact with a passionate melody.
Antiphonal Singing of Biljiang and Sala
Unlike traditional antiphonal singing, akyn antiphonal singing is a more advanced and more standardized form of antiphonal singing with fixed vocal styles, and is divided into two types, "ture" and "sure". The finest pieces in circulation include Antiphonal Singing of Aisaite and E'ersi Hongjiang and Antiphonal Singing of Biljiang and Sala; their subject is the display of skill between two tribes, their language is ornate, they lay stress on rhythm, and their tunes are lively and compact with a passionate melody.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In Aksay, Aytes is sung with accompaniment by a single dombra and kobyz, and is divided by content into traditional antiphonal singing and akyn antiphonal singing: traditional antiphonal singing is linked to celebrations of childbirth and to the blessings of festival rituals, has no fixed vocal style, and has men and women answering one another in song; akyn antiphonal singing has fixed vocal styles, is likewise divided into "ture" and "sure", and takes as its subject the display of skill between two tribes.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Kazakh Aitys.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Aytes is the artistic crystallization of Kazakh wisdom. It uses refined, plain and beautiful poetic language to summarize the experience of life, to express an understanding of the vast world, and to voice love of fine nature and respect for scientific knowledge. It reflects the typical characteristics of traditional Kazakh culture, and is of considerable reference value for research into Kazakh folk customs, social history, culture and art. Vosrhan Ganemuhan (official archive record of the associated inheritor): male, of Kazakh nationality, born in July 1968, native of Aksay Kazak Autonomous County, Gansu Province. From 1978 to 1989 he began to learn the singing of Aytes, starting from the playing of the dombra. From 1986 onwards he took part formally in Aytes exchange activities and studied the art on his own from books such as Words of Eloquent Speech and A Study of Aytes as Sung and Played by Akyns. He has fully mastered the singing techniques of the Kazakh Aytes performance and the playing technique of the dombra, and is skilled at blending ethnic stories, life customs and everyday life into improvised lyrics in "Sule antiphonal singing" and "Tule antiphonal singing", enjoying a certain influence nationwide. Representative inheritor of Kazakh Aytes in the fifth batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects. He actively takes part in the various Aytes competitions held at county and township level and has won prizes many times.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Bubimali Jiahefubai 03-1167
- Jiamaleihanhalabate 04-1714
- Wosierhan Jianimuhan 05-2502
- Hasimuhan Watehan 05-2503
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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