Akyn Creativity is a unique layer of Kyrgyz song tradition. Its significance is determined by the diverse functions performed by the carriers of this remarkable form of folk artistic creativity within national culture. The activities of akyns are the best indicator of a careful attitude toward cultural heritage. This is a living and timeless art that contains a powerful intellectual force.
Akyn creativity is not only a phenomenon of folklore and music. It goes far beyond the boundaries of poetry and music. It encompasses and interacts with elements of various forms of art. In the commonly accepted traditional sense, an akyn is a multifaceted artist skilled in poetic, compositional, singing, instrumental performance, and acting arts. Four main criteria are highlighted as fundamental: the presence of a poetic-improvisational gift, vocal abilities, proficiency in playing string instruments (komuz and kyl kyak), and artistry.
Akyn song creativity has grown within the system of mass folk song, absorbing many of its artistic components. It should be noted that the relationship between song folklore and professional akyn culture is not only close but also flexible. Regarding Central Asian and Transcaucasian musical cultures, N. Shakhnazarova wrote: “In principle... it is impossible to draw a clear line between folklore and the professional art of oral tradition, which is strictly defined in European musical culture. Here, on the contrary, the boundaries are fluid, conditional, and at their intersection, there exist intermediate forms of activity that bear traits of both folk and professional creativity (for example, the creativity of ashugs).”
As is known, poetic recitative is an inherent property of the Kyrgyz oral-musical tradition. As a consequence of the development of individual forms within mass, collective song folklore, akyn song creativity is based on its progressive tendencies. As a result of such interconnections, a high level of musical-poetic culture is achieved, and the akyn's personality gains a high social status among the people.
The feedback is also evident, whereby the extraordinary popularity of akyns in Kyrgyz society significantly contributes to the development of mass folk song. Thus, a mutual system is formed, in which mass song folklore gives birth to professional singers, who, in turn, exert a stimulating influence on it, mobilizing creative potential. The process of such interaction between the two genre divisions of Kyrgyz folk music constantly creates new prerequisites for internal evolution.
The word akyn has ancient etymological roots and is characterized by polysemy. According to linguists, it unites Kazakh, Uyghur, Tatar, as well as Iranian-Persian vocabulary. “Akyn” is a transformed variant of the word “akhun” (“akhund”), which means “teacher, sage” and undoubtedly fits into the circle of characteristics typical of the civic image of Kyrgyz akyns.
Moreover, the concept of “akyn” evidently originated from “ak” (“white, true”) and “agyn, agym” (“stream, flow”), which in one way or another corresponds to the character and style of akyn performances. The swift flow of akyn eloquence (“kızıl til” — literally, “red tongue”) pours down on the listeners, captivating them not only with vivid artistic images but also influencing public opinion.
In the Kyrgyz language, “akyn” also means specifically “poet, improvising singer.”
In the 20th century, the concept of “akyn” expanded to the realm of written culture. Hence, there arises a need for clearer differentiation. Firstly, an akyn is a traditional type of creator working in the oral musical-poetic genre, and secondly, a poet-literary figure (jazgych akyn). Both have grown from the same root system of traditional art but have developed their own special creative methods, resulting in the formation of two types of professionalism — oral improvisational and written-literary. Furthermore, in the current century, an intermediate type of folk akyn-writer has emerged in Kyrgyzstan, equally skilled in both traditional improvisation and literary poetry.
In the folk environment, the term “tekme akyn” is widespread, meaning the specialization of a professional improvising akyn (“tekme” — literally, “scattered, flowing”). The definition “jamak-chy” (literally, “singer”) is also encountered — a predominantly non-professional singer performing small akyn genres as well as folk songs.
Akyn is one of the oldest artistic professions, a bearer of the moral-ethical and philosophical-aesthetic representations of the Kyrgyz people. Unlike storytellers of large and small epics,
who narrate ancient history, the creativity of akyns is deeply contemporary and relevant in any era. It is destined to unite the past and present, man and society, to evaluate the actions of people and historical facts. Hence, the high authority of each akyn and their vast repertoire: works of traditional akyn genres, mass folklore, small epics (as well as episodes of large epics), and instrumental genres.
The art of the akyn is passed down from teacher to student. It is revered by the people as a sacred gift. In terms of the weight of their social functions, Kyrgyz akyns are akin to Kazakh akyns, Turkmen bakshi, Tajik ghafiz, Azerbaijani and Armenian ashugs.
The akyn performing culture is characterized by improvisation and a variety of individual styles. However, it is based on artistic norms, techniques, and means that have been refined over centuries, without which such a complex and branched art could not exist and develop stably.
The main means of vocal expressiveness for an akyn is terme (literally, “composite”). Figuratively speaking, the akyn “collects” poetic lines and corresponding melodic phrases into a single artistic-meaning whole. In each completed stanza-reply, there are five to six to ten to twelve melodic lines. In the provided example of 37, there are six such phrases. They are separated by intermediate caesuras and brief komuz interludes, which is extremely characteristic of akyn “terme.”
Melodic lines adhere to the laws of versification, modal structure, and tempo-rhythm of a specific genre of akyn repertoire. As a rule, these are numerous variations of one main phrase, individually belonging to the akyn.
“Terme” is the foundation of akyn improvisation in all genres, a performance method and style, by the degree of mastery of which listeners assess the skill of the akyn.
Akyn art is multifaceted. It includes both specific akyn genres and non-specific genres, solo and dialogic, vocal and (rarely) instrumental, as well as narrative genres. The numerous genre varieties of akyn creativity are primarily connected with its rich thematic content. The melodic aspect of “terme” is more constant, serving as a typical constant of this musical specialization. Thus, the vocal creativity of akyns represents a unity in diversity. In this complex system, all means of expressiveness actively “work.”
The most important among them is poetry. Next in importance are the intonational expressiveness of singing, voice quality (vocal abilities), clarity of diction, virtuoso mastery of the instrument, and artistic image. “Terme” is a combination of these means; without any of them, “terme” loses its artistic value.
Finally, the komuz (or kyl kyak) is an essential musical instrument for the akyn, a “conversation partner” and “co-author.” Its general function is accompaniment, more specifically — supporting the voice in terms of modal tonality, tempo-rhythm, and creating an emotional background for the sounding verses. The northern tradition of akyn creativity required mandatory proficiency in the instrument, while the southern tradition leaned towards “terme” without instrumental accompaniment. However, in the 20th century, the northern tradition significantly overshadowed the southern one in Kyrgyzstan.
