The Tradition of Musical and Cultural life of Kokand at the End of the 19th Century

The Tradition of Musical and Cultural life of Kokand at the End of the 19th Century

Since independence all the spheres of life and society of Uzbekistan have been undergoing cardinal changes. Demand of the people to learn the history of Uzbek culture of the former Turkestan has grown tremendously. The Uzbek people is again gaining its identity and restoring its historical, cultural and spiritual tradition. Awareness of history, the mattes of education and spiritual enrichment, occupy a specific place in the policy of our state pursued by the President of the Republic. At present stage of radical changes in cultural and spiritual-moral life of Uzbekistan, it is of special importance to learn the past of our Republic as a whole and historically established cultural centers, where for ages flourished our national culture, in particular.
One of these cultural centers is the town of Kokand. At first the town was known as «Khavokand», which translation stands for «beautiful» and also «the town of wind», then it was called «Khukand». and later - «Kukon». With the advent of the Russian population the town was started to be called «Kokand». According to historical and archeological data, Kokand was founded in the 10th century. In the 13th century it was destroyed by the Tatar-Mongol conquerors and later it was restored again. Thanks to its favorable geographical location Kokand used to gain strength and significance from the process of mutual influence and enrichment of different cultures. Located in the Fergana Valley the town had brought up and given to the world such prominent poets-democrats as Mukimi. Furkat. Zavki. Uvaysiy, Nodir, Dilshod-otin, anbar-otin, Chulpon, Charkhiy, and the poets-educators Sattarkhan Abdugafurov, Abdulgazi Khodja Kokandi, and a number of scientists, musicians, actors and singers. Within the cultural life of Kokand, being one of the original centers of the formation and development of literature and arts, for many centuries different types of people's musical amateur art, theatrical and concert art have developed as well as stable traditions of performing skills and musical education have been forming.
As is well known, as early as at the end of the 18th century-there in Kokand had been formed the troupe of Bidiyorshum - a prominent figure in traditional Uzbek theater, an expert of acting, musical and performing arts -, who united such young, talented actors and musicians of Kokand as Khudoyberdy Ustoz, Rustam Khofiz, Abdurahman Pari, Saydali Khofiz, Muhammad Mekhtar and well-know actors of Kokand's theater of maskharaboz into the original troupe «Kasabai sozanda» (Union of performers). The successor of Bidiyorshum's tradition had become the leader of Kokand's acting group Zokir Eshon (1824-1898) nick-named Zokir Gob who was one of the brilliant representatives of the theatrical art of Kokand khanate in the 19th century, and also the son of the outstanding musician Rustam Mekhtar. This troupe (as well as other theatrical unions) used to stage their performances both at people's festivities and on solemn occasions in the court of Khudoyar-khan. The performers would entertain the audience with singing, dancing, and also with satiric and comic scenes, acrobatic tricks, kurash (national wrestling), which usually were accompanied by instrumental music.
Specific performances were also carried out on the women's half. Here as well as on the men's part there were staged comic scenes with singing and dancing, were performed lyrical and ritual songs and also traditional Uzbek songs of terma, Iapar and yalla genres.
In Kokand there used to be peculiar songs-dialogs where singers competed in performance skills trying to overcome the opponents in audje (singing was often accompanied by doira). This competition would also occur on the women's half. It was, for example, when women performed the version of the song «Layzogul».
In Kokand there also used to exist corporations of musicians that included all the ensembles of Uzbek instruments of the town. On the eve of peoples festivities - sailey - each ensemble would set itself on the roof of houses and, under the sounds of surnay, karnay and nagora, announce about the beginning of the holiday.
In 1896 a group of folk singers-instrumentalists and witty-talkers (20 persons in total) was formed in Kokand under the leadership of a famous singer Abboskori Babayev.
It was also a tradition in Kokand to carry out once a year the procedure «the oriental evenings* lasting up to three days. These were of some kind musical and theatrical festivals in which all amateur troupes, musical corporations «Kasabai sozanda» (the union of performers), popular folk khofizi (performers of makom and kata-ashula) musicians, kizikchi and askiyachi, troupes of darboz and maskharaboz were taking part. During these mass festivals (carried out with the purpose of donating orphans, old and ill people) there were simultaneously book sale, fighting of kuchkars (horned rams) and cocks arranged.
It is without question that Khamza Khakim-zade Niyaziy was the central figure among Kokand's Uzbek national cultural workers. In 1915 he set up the first amateur theatrical group from among Kokand's Muslim youth and staged his play «The Poisoned Life».
In Kokand amateur theaters (they were also known as "khovli teatr» as the performances of theatrical groups were staged in the open air) they used to perform sketches of local life. These plays presented something like musicals where one character is talking a story and another one is singing a song. Between them there is taking place a dialog, while the third one is commenting the development of the situation between the both former performers. This phenomenon may be referred to as the beginning of the formation of the national dramatic art. The play «Saira bulbul*. written on the basis of Khamza's verses (Safar gul, Kizil gul etc.). is a brilliant example to it.
The first piece written and staged in Kokand, as the specialist in drama study M. Akbarov confirms, was that of «Gengiz Khan» by unknown author and producer, that was performed by an amateur troupe «Urfon». Many popular pieces from the repertoire of Tatar and Azerbaijan troupes were translated and staged almost in all amateur theaters. For example, the play «Balli-Bodu» (the author of which is unknown) was translated from the Azerbaijan language by the director Mirakilov and was staged by the troupe «Turon». Just that amateur troupe performed such plays as «Til bilmaslik» (from the life of the Turkish people, directed by Khamza), «Uch Khotin bilan turmush» (translated from Tartaar), «Man ulmisham». «Khor-khor» by the Azerbaijan author Muzailyan.
An important event of the musical life of the town of Kokand was musical performances carried out by the Petrograd Theater of musical comedy (the leader of the theater V.I. Boyarskiy). The repertoire was consisted of popular in that time musical miniatures, vaudevilles, operettas and joyous parodies the authors of which normally were the actors and producers of that theater. The Russian collective acquainted Kokand's audience with the following performances: the operettas «Hamlet Sidorovich and Ofelia Kuzminishna» by A.Lenskiy. «Women's curiosity*, by L.G. Yakovlev, «The secret of a Harem» by V. Boyarskiy, «A little toy» - a snatch from the operetta by L.I.Gulyayev-Leonidov, the musical parodies «They are amusing themselves* by V. Mantsevilov. the pastoral opera «The porcelain chimes» by V.I. Petrov, and a great number of vaudevilles.
Alongside with the performances of musical collectives, in Kokand quite often performed Russian dramatic theaters. May 1916 witnessed the performances of the Moscow troupe of drama and comedy (under the direction of I.G. Kalabukhov) that acquainted the public of Kokand with A. Tolstoy's play «Evil spirit». Right in that year the tour of the Moscow Arts Theater under the direction of M.I. Kashirin (the plays: «Senile love» by S. Solovyov, «Seamen» byV. Garin. «The beginning of the сагеег» by N. Rizhikov, etc.) took place in Kokand.
And again the troupe of the Moscow Arts Theater led by Z.A. Malinovskaya and A.N. Dvinskiy was also assumed by the Kokand people with success. In April 1916 in the building of «Public Assembly* there performed an Armenian theatrical troupe with the plays «Uncle Baltazar» by S. Tsaryanyan whose comedy «Kyrt-Kyrt» was performed even in three languages: Armenian. Russian and Tatar.
Not only the performances of Russian impresarios promoted the development of theatrical arts in Kokand but also the performances of Tatar troupe led by Gali Askar Kamal and the troupe of Kamarlinskiy, the Aserbaijan troupe under the direction of Sidki Rukhillo and others. These theatrical troupes were very popular among the people of Kokand. The Kokand's youth troupe of Khamza also participated in these performances.
The performances of different troupes and theatrical collectives on a tour influenced on the development of the theatrical and musical arts of the town. Mutual influences of Uzbek, Russian, Tatar, Armenian and Azerbaijan cultures turned to be of particular importance. Simultaneously under the influence of these performances and concerts there in the town were organized Russian amateur musical and dramatic circles, musical societies, brass bands in the organization of which famous musicians and bandmasters were taking an active part.
In such a way in Kokand there was organized «the Kokand artistic circle* the purpose of which was to popularize the works of Russian play-writers and writers. Actively participating in the theaters of the town the circle gained a great popularity and wakened among the people an interest to theatrical arts. Judging from press reviews the performances were a success among the public, which expressed its wish to see also musical performances staged by the «artistie circle*. The most popular performances became the joyful miniature «Twins» and «Magician» staged in the theatre of «Apollo».
Kokand - one of the centers of the theatrical life of pre-revolutionary Turkistan - with its reach traditions has played a decisive role in the arrangement and development of the up-to-date theatrical arts of Uzbekistan.