Two Groups of Storytellers: Performers of "Manas" and Performers of "Semetei"
The storytellers were divided into two groups: manaschi (performers of "Manas") and semetei (performers of "Semetei"), with the former being those who performed all three parts of the trilogy, while the latter performed only "Semetei" and "Seitek," and from "Manas" only separate episodes. Whether this division existed from ancient times or was a sign of the fragmentation of the singers' function is hard to say.
It is interesting that among separate storytellers, the profession was passed down from generation to generation just as it was among the performers of Russian bylinas (for example, the Rybinin family). The transmission of the art of storytelling, apparently, occurred in a number of cases not without the involvement of the storytellers themselves. For instance, it is said about Tynibek that none of his relatives continued his work. Before his death, he called his son Sooronbay and nephew Baibagish, asked them to sing excerpts from "Manas," and with satisfaction stated that Baibagish had become a good storyteller.
Based on this data, one can conclude that the storytellers of "Manas," having preserved their main activity, development, and performance of the epic, were folk akyns. And akyns are, in essence, the same as French jongleurs, German spielmänner, and Russian skomorokhs, who existed in the Middle Ages,
However, noting this commonality, it is necessary to make a reservation. As A. N. Veselovsky points out, jongleurs and spielmänner mainly went through two stages of creative development. Initially, these folk performers were simultaneously actors and entertainers, amusing the public with various games. But already in the 13th century, differentiation began: representatives of poetic creativity separated from entertainers, bear leaders, and other performers of games.
Evaluating the activity of Kyrgyz storytellers over the last half-century, we must state that our akyns have also passed the first stage noted by Veselovsky. They also exhibit separate elements of entertainment and clowning. Moreover, each akyn, performing their repertoire, to a greater or lesser extent uses mimicry, applies gesticulation, and accompanies singing with playing the komuz. However, pure entertainment and clowning remained characteristic only for akyns-humorists and satirists; specifically, for performers of humorous and satirical genres, while among the performers of epic songs or tales, these techniques were completely absent.
The performance of "Manas" had another peculiarity. Manaschi usually did not accompany their performances with music from a musical instrument; they were also not declaimers but presented their repertoire in oral sung performance, often changing the melody depending on the content of the episode being narrated. If it was about a battle, the episode was performed with battle melodies; if it recounted some tragic event, the melody was chosen to match the tone. Additionally, singing was accompanied by rich gesticulation and mimicry, with which the storyteller artistically reproduced the main techniques of battle and the psychological experiences of the heroes of the epic.
Deepening the comparison of the storytellers of "Manas" with the performers of folklore from other nationalities, it can be noted that the creativity of the former carries elements characteristic of contemporary singers of Russian bylinas and ancient Greek aeds - performers of the "Iliad" and "Odyssey." Both groups exhibit a departure from the profession of storyteller, and among the performers of Russian bylinas, this process should be considered already completed, while among manaschi, it is just beginning.
For instance, as noted by one of the researchers of Russian folklore, academician Yu. M. Sokolov, contemporary performers of Russian bylinas are not professional singers, for whom their profession as a singer is the source of income. The storytellers of "Manas," however, mainly continued to remain professionals until recently, but as we mentioned above, among them, people who live on other incomes have already begun to appear.
Aeds - performers of ancient Greek epic songs, unlike rappers, singers of fixed texts, brought their creativity into the works they performed. Manaschi are also a creative entity. This can be seen when comparing both contemporary variants and recordings of "Manas," made almost 100 years ago, with contemporary ones.
However, among separate Kyrgyz masters, there is more similarity with rappers than with aeds.
For instance, there are singers who do not know the full text of the epic and perform only separate fixed excerpts from it, adding nothing of their own. But storytellers of this type constitute a clear minority.
From the Improvisation of Manaschi to Storytelling Activity