Kalyk Akiev (1883—1953) — a poet-improviser, komuz player, People's Artist of the Kyrgyz SSR (1939), member of the Union of Writers of the USSR (1938). He was born in the village of Kulzhagach in the Jumgal district of the Tian Shan volost (now Naryn region). His father, Akı, was engaged in hunting and craftsmanship. Kalyk became interested in singing at an early age and was already known in the area as a poet by the age of 18.
In his work, he often addressed themes of poverty and social injustice. This is reflected in songs such as "Life Lived in Slums" ("Jer kepede otkon kun") and "In the House of Chiybyl" ("Chiybyldyn uyunda"). It is known that the author was greatly influenced by Toktogul Satylganov, his mentor.
Toktogul and Kalyk often made "touring" horseback trips to villages and performed in "aytysh" competitions. This is known from Kalyk himself and from poetic texts in the form of dialogue recorded by folklorists. These include "Greeting" ("Salamdasuu"), "Song Performed at Karymshakov" ("Karymshaktykinda yir"), "On the Side of the Andijanians" ("Anzhiyan tarafynda"), "Farewell" ("Koshtooshu"), "Gardener Kebekchi" ("Bakchy dyikan Kebekchi").
A significant event in Kalyk Akiev's life was his participation in 1919 in the city of Verny (Almaty) at the first congress of the Turkestan Republic as a delegate. At the ceremonial concert, he performed the song "Greeting to the Congress" ("Syezdge kuttuktoo").
In 1923, a holiday of the peasant union "Koshchu" was held in Almaty, where Kalyk was the announcing akyn (jarchi). Performing the role of the host, he sang welcoming songs "salamdasuu yry" and "kuttuktoo yry" according to the tradition of the folk festive ceremony.
Kalyk Akiev learned the alphabet (first Arabic, then Latin) and, as he himself said, at the age of 45, he first took up a pen. He independently recorded all his poems — in the 1930s, three of his poetry collections were published.
In 1936, along with other folk musicians and singers, Kalyk moved from the Kyrgyz State Musical and Dramatic Theater to the newly organized Kyrgyz State Philharmonic and played in the orchestra of folk Kyrgyz instruments under the direction of P. Shubin.
Due to trips to Moscow — in 1936 for the All-Union Olympiad of Folk Musical Creativity and in 1939 for the first Decade of Kyrgyz Art — Akiev created two akyn songs: "Song about Moscow" ("Moskva zhenunde yir") and "The City of Moscow is Amazing" ("Moskva shaaryna tatz kaldym").
In 1940, Kalyk Akiev actively participated in recording the legacy of Toktogul (conducted by V. Vinogradov by special government decision for the 80th anniversary of the great akyn's birth). A total of eight works by Toktogul were recorded in Akiev's performance: four recitative songs with instrumental accompaniment and the same number of kyus for the komuz.
V. Vinogradov, who highly valued Kalyk Akiev's performance mastery, characterized him as follows: "He improvised easily, without hesitation, and apparently very smoothly. ... Kalyk's recitative was somehow expansive, dynamic, revolving within a wider range than that of Alymkul." The musicologist emphasized the brilliant nature of the akyn's performance style, inherited from Toktogul.
In the pre-war period, a throat illness forced Kalyk Akiev to interrupt his artistic activity. He moved to the Jumgal district, where he began writing an autobiographical essay, published after the akyn's death in 1964.
The Great Patriotic War inspired K. Akiev's songs "To the Hero Panfilov" ("Panfilov baatyrga") and "Great Victory" ("Uluu zhechish"). Only their poetic text has survived.
One of the main genres in Kalyk Akiev's work was the small epic. He memorized and sang many folk dastans and poems, accompanying himself on the komuz. His versions of the poems "Janış-Bayış" and "Kurmanbek" have been recorded and published, as well as recordings of the poems "Karagul botom," "Karach dev," "Ak Meer," "Ömür jana Bolot."
Only one lyrical song by Kalyk has reached us — "Akishim" (a female name), recorded in the performance of the akyn Estebes Tursunaliev.
Kalyk Akiev was one of the most active representatives of the akyn profession, a worthy student of Toktogul and a promoter of his work, a literate poet and musician.
