Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

Narrative Instrumental Küi Performance: Action through Music

My final project was conceptualized out of the lecture and readings from week 6 Narrative and Instrumental Performance: Kazakh küi. I will be presenting a piece of original program music which is constructed around a quasi-epic narrative and crafted loosely into a Kui style. My project will include a piece of program music that I will write and perform on my bass guitar. Since the highest strings of the bass are tuned to a perfect forth, I thought there was a connection between those registers and the two stringed dombrya. I also have been developing a strumming and finger-picking style which hopefully will capture the gestures of the music I have been hearing this semester. I will only use the two strings to keep close as I can to the spirit of the dombrya sound. The performance will be put together as a 5-minute audiovisual program. The listeners can follow the portion of my essay explaining my reasoning and processes. I will use the technique on the dombrya of dividing the neck into four sections: bas bun (lowest register) negizgi bun, orta bun, and sagha (the highest register). I will use these divisions as compositional elements which I will arrange to go with an original story that reinforces some of the themes in the song. While the outline of the piece is laid out by the arrangement, the actual phrases will all be spontaneously composed on the spot in an attempt to convey the images I am seeing in my mind. What is most important to me is that this performance in no way attempts to mimic an actual Kazakh küi or for that matter any particular Central Asian Music style. The project would be a failure if it was perceived as a form of culture-miming. What I am trying to achieve is simply to build a bridge between my own musical philosophy and this ancient form of communication. What I identify with is the idea of music being the oldest and most pure form of communication spiritually. The particular style I am playing is, I hope, more the result of inspiration than appropriation.

Pure Sound

I have always been fascinated with the concept of communicating purely through music. As children we seemed to do this more naturally, often exploring the world around us in terms of music/sound. Simple objects became musical instruments. Pots and pans became cymbals and gongs. Tubs, boxes, spoons and sticks could be used as percussion. My first stringed instrument was actually a thick rubber band which I found, if stretched tight enough, could play different notes by adjusting my fingers. I also thought of the world around me in terms of sound. I remember spending hours in the woods, hearing the music of trickling streams. The rhythm and Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

echoes of the trees I struck with sticks. On trips to the beach, I can still remember how my voice would make strange leaps off the water at the end of the jetty. I recollect listening to the ocean in the conch shells on the beach. This was made even more magical when I discovered the sound still survived even when I brought the shell home. These were the purest notions of music I can remember. In these terms sound and music were something I used as a vehicle to explore the world around me. It is important to stay in touch with these kinds of early conceptions of exploring sound. It is an ideal centered on both the interpretation and documentation of the world around us. The material of this work are instruments, culture, and the modes of music which express their meaning. This semester we saw great examples of this. Tuvan throat singer Ayan- ool Sam gave us beautiful and powerful examples of throat signing. Mohammadgeldi Genldinejad played his sharing stories of his training as a youth. And Raushan Orazbaeva composed a hauntingly beautiful performance on the gobyz. There was a common thread which ran through all of their performances. Each musician found their own way to extract the mood of a narrative and use it to color their respective pieces. What I took away most from these performances was the state of mind that all of the musicians seemed to be in while performing. This is key to the philosophy of Central Asian Music.

The Instruments

Central Asian musician’s instruments are also central to the development of their musical traditions. They believe the instruments they use are imbued with magic qualities, sometimes representing the morphology of a living being (Daukeyeva ,2020). This is particularly true of stringed instruments such as the dutar and dombrya. There are actually competing narratives about the creation stories of the stringed instrument which is proof of their importance to the competing cultures within . In Turkman culture, the creator of the first dutar is recognized as Baba Gambar, while Kambar is known to be the creator of the komuz, the three stringed (Levin et al. 2016: 26). The story of Kambar tells of a hunter named Kambar who found a monkey that had be impaled in a tree which its intestines stretched between the branches. As they dried a great wind came which vibrated the intestines creating a beautiful and magical sound. This gave Kambar the inspiration to carve the first komuz using dried animal intestines for Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

strings(ibid). No matter their origin, the construction of musical instruments was certainly inspired by local traditions and used local materials constituting the development of regional repertoires. The regional raw materials used to construct these exceptional instruments help to capture the sounds of the environment from which they are crafted. The dombrya was no exception. One of the primary instruments in a Kazakh Kui, the dombrya is an instrument with a diverse sound capable of the extended range needed to capture a variety of images. The design of the instrument takes full advantage of the tonal range of the instrument, dividing the fingerboard into sections meant to represent the thematic progression of the piece (ibid: 285).

Figure 1. A dombrya-neck divided by range(ibid:285)

In the following diagram 2. we can see how the division of the fingerboard can be expressed visually highlighting different iterations of phrases within the küi. We saw an example of this Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

kind of progression in visual diagram form in the lecture on narrative program music. Figure2.

(Daukeyeva, powerpoint,2020)

The division of the fingerboard helps musicians to orient themselves within the structure of the küi:

Many tokpe küi are structured as a succession of thematically related sections in progressively higher pitch areas or registers (buyn) on the fingerboard of the dombrya: the initial section, serving as a refrain, produced in the lower pitch aera close to the pegboard of the dombrya (bas buyn);the middle section produced in the middle pitch area of the fingerboard (orta buyn); the culminating section of the küi marked by attainment of the high pitch area close to the body of the instrument (sagha)(ibid:285).

Within these structures the musician is free to improvise the moods within the phrases. In other words, this diagram could be used to play the same piece in a variety of different ways. Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

Inspired by this concept, I divided the neck of my bass into different sections in order to represent different characters in my narrative Figure 3.

My divisions are based on the idea that the registers of the instrument define the major themes of the respective characters' moods and actions. This is a simpler interpretation of the system used in the Kazakh Kui. The Horse and Wind sections of the -board are clear enough to understand. The Steppe section represents a field on which the two characters can explore a common register. I see this as a metaphorical realm where both the spiritual and the physical/ the upper and lower realms intersect.

Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

Composing the piece

When I was conceiving the project, it was important to me to find interesting ways in which to use the divisions of the neck as a guide to guide connecting me to the material without the traditional kind of arranging process usually employed in Western composition. One of the considerations was the actual mode or harmonic quality I would approach the piece from. To get a sound or mood that felt exotic I used a G Harmonic minor scale figure 4.

The harmonic minor is often associated with Eastern music and is often referred to as the Mohammedan scale. One reason for this is the large jump in scale-degree, in this case the jump from the Eb to the F#. This is not a common sound in Western compositions so it denotes images of “the other”. I also devised a unique way for me to set the general arrangement of the piece. Rather than relying on conventional organizing units such as measures to fit the phrases into, I relied instead, on the action of the story to guide the changes in phrasing from buyn to bas buyn or orta buyn. This was an interesting arranging exercise because it required that I first not only memorize the story but also to internalize the moods of the characters in the story. The only drawback was that it took many hours of doing a musical form of “method-acting”. In other words, I had to play the piece many times internalizing the story in order to find the sound of the characters. For example, the difference in sound between jumping over a river verses racing Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

through the cannons. From a creative point of view this process is very effective. From a logistical standpoint it did takes a bit longer than writing a chord chart. However, the result was much richer and I will definitely develop this method moving forward. One last thing of note is that it was important to me was that I made the piece physically demanding. This was one way that I identified with the characters racing in the story. Part of the narrative is about endurance and I felt the performance should be a physical.

Recording

In order to achieve this, it was important for me to capture the right sound for the performance. This required that I overcome the inherent differences between the electric instrument that I am using and the natural acoustic sound of the dombrya. At first, I considered not using an amplifier at all. Instead, I tried a close-microphoning technique in order to mimic an acoustic sound. It sounded fine in person, however resulted in a very hollow and weak sound when transmitted to digital audio. One of the problems of trying to capture these kinds of natural acoustical events is that the overtones, particularly on a bass, are easily lost when recording to digital. I thought it might sound more organic if I caught more room sound, so I put an analog microphone in the room using an amplifier and found that the overtones were much more realistic. However, certain sound qualities, particularly the gain, was very inconsistent in terms of level. I finally settled on using the preamplifier of a Tascam DP-2 Porta studio going through a dry-mic effect. This effect is essentially a compressor which suggests a room-microphone sound. It also gives me the warm tone I need without the inconsistent rise and fall in overall gain. Once I had the sound set, I thought about different ways in which I could make a video to go with the performance. It was important that the performance was not overshadowed by any kind of suggestive imagery. This is why I decided to simply record the performance on Zoom with a close focus on my hands. This was how we experienced most of the fine performances we have seen this semester so I thought it would be visually congruent with the format of all our performances. The performances themselves can be found on the project platform. The video consist of three video performances of the küi. The first represents the earliest version of the song accompanied by a sample of a Malfuf drum at 100BPM. This drum is describe as being Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

used in Eastern and Islamic music so I thought I worked well. The Addition of the drum was one way for me to explore syncopated rhythms within the piece. The second video is an example of a solo performance using no percussion. The third is again with percussion at a faster tempo120BPM. This last video is an example of me developing the techniques I used to feel the galloping action during the narrative. I thought it would be interesting to see a throw- away/development take.

The Inspiration

The storyline I composed was inspired by epics we heard this semester, particularly the folk küi- legends, “Asqaq qulan” (Lame wild horse) performed by Rustembek Omarov and “Ak-Tamak- Kok Tamak” (White throat gray throat) performed by Namazbek Uraliev. Both stories use the visual images of animals to convey emotion to the listener. Both narratives are also centered on a conflict which is explored throughout the music. In “Lame wild horse” the music is conveying the excitement, action and danger at the height of a hunt (2016: 281). In “White throat gray throat,” on the other hand, a more domestic competition between two birds is explored through the music (Daukeyeva lecture. 2020). Both of these examples use narratives which are ripe for exploring emotion and movement. This gave me the idea to depict a race between the wind and a colt. Both subjects of the story represent images which recall different emotions depending on the respective listener. The wind is a mystical character which could be imagined by some as an ancient and unpredictable spirit. The colt, on the other hand, may be perceived by some as the physical representation of freedom, strength or speed. Images such as these have deep associations with other folktales or stories, I have heard both in the Central Asian and Western traditions. We remember these images in relation to stories and characters building a kind of catalog of symbols which we link to emotions. These emotions are used to suggest a universal state of mind which captures the fundamental meaning of the piece (2016: 280-281). The goal of my piece is to use my own catalog of stories and images, connecting them to the moods explored in my playing.

Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

There were a few elements which drew me to küi narratives. One was the genre’s absolute dedication to imagery through sound and moods therein. The other was the idea that one must embody the mood of the performance in real time (Daukeyeva lecture:2020). This gives the musician the flexibility to explore different variations of color depending on the energy of a particular performance. What makes this so challenging is the fact that there is only a loose structure through which to achieve this. In other words, additional improvised music, such as jazz or avant-garde, have basic structures, a key signature and time signatures at the very least. The küi style is primarily based on imagery that the musician has in his head. The difficulty is in recalling those images in music, while doing it in a way that imparts those images to the listener. If the musician’s narrative has not been rigorously analyzed and reflected upon by the performer, the execution can lack quality (ibid). In this case, the narrative is presented prior to the performance of the music (see story provided). In one context this can be an advantage because it can set the structure and tap into imagery that listeners already connect to words and stories. On the other hand, once an image has been established, the musician is tasked with making that image come to life.

Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

The Colt and The Wind

There was once a colt who was clever and fast with wide eyes and alert ears. His speed and agility were only matched by his long beautiful mane. One morning at the rise of the sun, the colt introduced himself to the wind and challenged him to a race.

The wind was from the realm of the spirit world inhabiting the sky. He was bold and arrogant because he was ancient, wise and had seen many challengers. So, the wind accepted and postured as he descended onto the steppe.

They agreed to race as long as the sun was in the sky. The winner would be whoever was ahead as the sun dipped below the horizon. They sped through the valley, cutting through the cannons and leaping over rivers, never tiring. They tested each other’s skills as they ran, mimicking each other’s motion in order to gain an edge. But they were both too skillful.

Late in the day, the horse began to tire, but he only pushed harder. The wind became frustrated that this mortal creature was keeping his pace. Neither wanted to quit. The wind began to notice the heavy grunts and breathes from the colt. When he saw this, he was convinced the colt could never make it. The wind's arrogance made him complacent and thinking he would certainly win; he took a moment to enjoy the setting sun. The wind was so moved by its beauty that, for a moment, he forgot the race. The clever colt noticed the wind’s mistake and dashed to the finish line, his beautiful mane trailing behind. The wind at the last minute noticed the trick, but it was too late. All the wind could do was touch the colt's mane to try and stop him as the sun set, and they crossed the finish-line. At the moment of transition, the wind’s spirit was trapped into the colt’s long flowing mane.

To this day the spirit of the wind resides in the manes of all horses. The spirit of the wind is forever linked to the image of the horse who is free to run under the spirit’s sky aided by the breath of the wind. The story represents the merge between the upper, spiritual and lower, physical world.

Jason Torello Final Project Central Asian Music 297 12/09/20

References

Levin, Theodore, Saida Daukeyeva, and Elmira Köchümkulova (eds). 2016. The . Bloomington: Indiana University Press

Saida Daukeyeva. 2020.Lecture “Narrative Instrumental Performance: Kazakh Kui and Kyrgyz Kuu” Wesleyan University Middletown.