Karamoldo Orozov (1883—1960) — a great author and komuz player, whose music has been preserved not only in the folk memory but also in the musical transcriptions of renowned folklorists. In the last decades of his creative activity, he recorded his repertoire on the republican radio.
Karamoldo is the author of such masterpieces of instrumental music as "Syngan Bughu," "Ibarat," "Kara Ezgey," "Kokoy Kesti," "Chon Kerbez," "Nasiyat," "Terme Kambarakan," "Zhas Kerbez," and others. He was one of the first to be awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of the Kyrgyz SSR (1935) and was a laureate of the All-Union Competition of Folk Instrument Performers held in Moscow in 1939 (2nd prize).
Karamoldo (Toktomambet) Orozov was born in 1883 in the village of Korumdu on Issyk-Kul. He learned to play the komuz from his father. The younger brother of the future musician, Usup, was also a komuz player. His father sent Toktomambet to a local Muslim school — a madrasah, where the boy studied for five years. He learned to read and write in Arabic, for which he earned the respectful nickname Karamoldo (dark-skinned mullah).
Karamoldo's professional development was aided by meetings with famous komuz masters such as Chyngyshbay, Burulcha, Baigabul, Abak, Bokoton, Maylybay, and Kudaybergen.
Among Kyrgyz komuz players, there has long been a tradition of musical tournaments, typically featuring particularly gifted musicians. Karamoldo Orozov participated in two such competitions. The first was against the komuz player Baigabul, and the second brought Karamoldo together with Murataaly Kureneev. These tournaments, which ended in Karamoldo's victory, became significant events in his creative life. The blessing he received from Murataaly was especially dear to him.
Karamoldo Orozov became a recognized master. In 1928, when A. Zataevich was invited to the republic for the notational recording of folklore, Karamoldo was among the musicians presented to him. Zataevich recorded 30 pieces from him, of which 29 are works for the komuz.
A. Zataevich believed that Karamoldo Orozov's playing style was noticeably different from that of other komuz players: "He always and everywhere maintains an unchanging calmness and seriousness, and only occasionally does his performances reveal a hidden temperament and expansiveness, allowing him, with immense technique, to effortlessly overcome any difficulties." This feature of Karamoldo's style was noted by other researchers as well. It is characteristic of the academic school of komuz performance.
Orozov also actively performed as a komuz player at the Kyrgyz State Musical Drama Theater. Since 1936, he was a soloist of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Kyrgyz folk instruments, where he worked until the end of his life. In 1939, Karamoldo Orozov became a member of the Union of Composers of the USSR. He actively participated in the decades of Kyrgyz art in Moscow (1939, 1958). From 1940 until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Orozov trained in melody courses in Moscow under the Union of Composers of the USSR.
During the war and afterward, Karamoldo Orozov toured with the theater throughout the republic. From 1958 to 1960, at the Kyrgyz State Musical College named after M. Kureneev, he taught a class on the komuz, where he trained future renowned komuz players such as Ch. Isabaev, B. Jandaro, and Ch. Kozhomzharov.
Karamoldo Orozov was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor (1939) and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1958). His name was given to the orchestra of Kyrgyz folk instruments at Kyrgosfilarmonia (1961) and to a music school in the city of Naryn.
The majority of Karamoldo's work is connected with performance activity. He performed both as a soloist and as an orchestra artist. There are accounts that Karamoldo performed the Kazakh folk dastan "Girl Daryika" ("Kyz Daryika") accompanied by the komuz. However, he also composed a lot. In the most fruitful period, from 1901 to 1953, as evidenced by Karamoldo Orozov's personal file stored in the Union of Composers of Kyrgyzstan, he created 23 kyus.
With the komuz in his hands, Karamoldo transformed it from a chamber instrument into a universal one, thanks to the extensive use of register and timbral techniques. He significantly expanded the boundaries of the performance possibilities of the komuz. K. Orozov's instrument was exceptional in the beauty of its timbre and the brightness of its sound. Masterpieces such as "Syngan Bughu," "Ibarat," and "Terme Kambarakan" were performed with great dynamic range. According to contemporaries, Karamoldo Orozov played very cleanly, without the use of external effects.
Orozov had an exceptional musical memory and hearing, as recalled by the People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic J. Kypchakov: "In 1958... specialists from the All-Union House of Radio came to record Kyrgyz folk singers and musicians on tape. When recording Karamoldo Orozov's kyus, the working day was coming to an end, and another take was needed. They decided to record him the next day, but were very doubtful about success since the take had to be in the same key. The specialists were astonished when, on Monday, the komuz player tuned his instrument exactly as before..."
