Estebes Tursunaliev (born 1931) — akyn-improviser, People's Artist of the USSR (1988), People's Akyn of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan (1995), laureate of the Toktogul State Prize, member of the Union of Writers of the USSR (1967). He was born in the village of Kara-Archa, now in the Manas district of the Talas region, in a peasant family. Estebes Tursunaliev's father was a good komuz player, and his mother was a кошокчу and жомокчу (lamenter and storyteller). Even as a fifth-grade student, Estebes participated in artistic amateur performances and came to the olympiad in Frunze.
In 1947, on the recommendation of Alymkul Usenbaev, Estebes was accepted into the Kyrgyz State Philharmonic and included in the artistic brigade led by Osmonkul Bolebalaev. Later, Estebes Tursunaliev wrote: "I consider myself a student of Osmonkul. He taught me his art, constantly worked with me until I thoroughly understood the nuances of improvisational art. If I made mistakes, the teacher made me work until I was exhausted, and in the end, he achieved the desired results."
Between his first song "Dynka" ("Andelek") and the major poem of his later period "The Girl and the Young Man" ("Kyz menen jigit"), Estebes Tursunaliev created numerous song works. The themes are wide-ranging. Among his songs and "terme" are, for example, the youth song — "Be Honest from a Young Age" ("Abiyirduu bolgun zhashyndan"), the labor song — "Zuurakan and Kanymbubu" (names), "Greeting to the Kazakh People" ("Kazak eline uchurashuu"), the lyrical song — "My Talas" ("Talasym"), the didactic song — "Let’s Not Violate the Traditions of Our Ancestors" ("Ata saltin buzbaily"), the satirical song — "Mad Water" ("Jindi suu"), and others.
The lyrical song-poem "Kyz menen jigit" is an expansive song-prose work. The akyn sings it from the perspective of two characters, and therefore it is defined as a quasi-dialogical play.
E. Tursunaliev is a vividly temperamental artist. Typically, his recitation, organized into large musical-poetic stanzas, sounds at a fast pace, rhythmically clear. The akyn masterfully possesses the performance style of "terme".
Since 1952, Estebes Tursunaliev has performed in "aytysh" with Toktosun Tynibekov. The akyn has repeatedly turned to the great epic, performing readings of certain episodes from "Manas".
In 1959, the first of six books, including texts of his solo and dialogical performances, was published. Since 1964, along with the ensemble of komuz players from the philharmonic, the akyn has performed in India, Sweden, Belgium, France, Japan, and other countries. The creative activity of Estebes Tursunaliev has been marked by government awards.
