The balalaika is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perfect fourth higher. The higher-pitched balalaikas are used to play melodies and chords. The instrument generally has a short sustain, necessitating rapid strumming or plucking when it is used to play melodies. Balalaikas are often used for Russian folk music and dancing.
The Dombra, also known as Dombyra or Tambura is a long-necked musical string instrument used by the Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Hazaras, Bashkirs and Nogais in their traditional folk music. The Dombura shares certain characteristics with the komuz and dutar instruments, such as its long, thin neck and oblong body shape. It is a popular instrument mostly among Turkic and Iranic communities in Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Kurmangazy Sagyrbaev was a Kazakh composer, instrumentalist, and folk artist. He influenced Kazakh musical culture. He was born in 1818 in the Bukey Horde. He is buried in the Astrakhan region of Lower Volga in today's Russian Federation.
Music of Russia denotes music produced from Russia and/or by Russians. Russia is a large and culturally diverse country, with many ethnic groups, each with their own locally developed music. Russian music also includes significant contributions from ethnic minorities, who populated the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and modern-day Russia. Russian music went through a long history, beginning with ritual folk songs and the sacred music of the Russian Orthodox Church. The 19th century saw the rise of highly acclaimed Russian classical music, and in the 20th century major contributions by various composers such as Igor Stravinsky as well as Soviet composers, while the modern styles of Russian popular music developed, including Russian rock, Russian hip hop and Russian pop.
Azerbaijani music is the musical tradition of the Azerbaijani people from Azerbaijan Republic. Azerbaijani music has evolved under the badge of monody, producing rhythmically diverse melodies. Music from Azerbaijan has a branch mode system, where chromatisation of major and minor scales is of great importance.
Music is an integral part of Mongolian culture. Among the unique contributions of Mongolia to the world's musical culture are the long songs, overtone singing and morin khuur, the horse-headed fiddle. The music of Mongolia is also rich with varieties related to the various ethnic groups of the country: Oirats, Hotogoid, Tuvans, Darhad, Buryats, Tsaatan, Dariganga, Uzemchins, Barga, Kazakhs and Khalha.
Traditional Vietnamese music encompasses a large umbrella of Vietnamese music from antiquity to present times, and can also encompass multiple groups, such as those from Vietnam's ethnic minority tribes.
The music of Central Asia is as vast and unique as the many cultures and peoples who inhabit the region. Principal instrument types are two- or three-stringed lutes, the necks either fretted or fretless; fiddles made of horsehair; flutes, mostly sige at both ends and either end-blown or side-blown; and jew harps, mostly metal. Percussion instruments include frame drums, tambourines, and kettledrums. Instrumental polyphony is achieved primarily by lutes and fiddles.
Modern Kazakh culture is mainly characterized as a synthesis of Tengrian nomadic and Islamic and European elements. Nomadic elements derived from predecessors, such as the Huns, First Turkic Khaganate, Golden Horde and Kazakh Khanate. Nomadism largely shaped its peculiar music, clothing, jewelry and oral literature. Kazakh culture also seems to be strongly influenced by the nomadic Scythians.
The kobyz or kylkobyz, or qobyz, is an ancient Turkic bowed string instrument, spread among Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Bashkirs, and Tatars. The Kyrgyz variant is called the kyl-kyyak).
Ulytau, literally meaning "the great mountain", is a popular Turkic instrumental folk metal trio from Kazakhstan. Their music combines the sound of the violin and electric guitar with the dombra, a traditional two stringed instrument from their country.
Fuat Mansurov was a Soviet and Russian conductor.
Turan Ensemble is a Kazakh folk music band, which was created in 2008 by several students of Kazakh National Conservatory named after Kurmangazy.
Dina Nurpeisova or Nurpeissova was a composer from the Western part of Kazakhstan in the Uralsk area. She was also a noted dombyra player. For her musical accomplishments, she was recognized as the National Artist of Kazakhstan. An orchestra, the Academic Folk Orchestra of Dina Nurpeisova, is named after her, as well as a small village, Dina Nurpeisova. On the 150th anniversary of her birth, in 2011, a postage stamp was issued to commemorate her.
Dinmuhammed Qanatuly Qudaibergen known professionally as Dimash Qudaibergen, is a Kazakh singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is university-trained in classical as well as contemporary music, and is known for his exceptionally wide vocal range. He has performed songs in thirteen languages.
Gakku TV is the first music channel in Kazakhstan that only airs content produced in Kazakhstan.
Q-pop or Qazaq pop is a music genre originating in Kazakhstan. It is a modern form of Kazakhstani pop music sung in Kazakh, incorporating elements of Western pop music, Kazakhstani hip hop, EDM, R&B and Toi-pop, with heavy influences from K-pop of South Korea. The genre first surfaced in 2015 when the first Q-pop group, Ninety One debuted. Since then the genre has experienced growing popularity among Kazakhstani youths, with more Q-pop artists forming and debuting.
Bibigul Akhmetkyzy Tulegenova is a Soviet-Kazakh opera singer, actress and teacher. Among her awards are Hero of Socialist Labor (1991), People's Artist of the USSR (1967), and the USSR State Prize (1970).
The State Concert Organization "Kazakhconcert" of the Ministry of Culture and Sports is the largest musical organization in Kazakhstan.
