Dombra of Dina Nurpeisova (Kazakhstan)

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Dombra of Dina Nurpeisova (Kazakhstan)

The photograph shows a dombra, a plucked, two-stringed musical instrument. Without doubt, the dombra has long been – and still is – the most widespread and popular musical instrument in Kazakhstan. Historical accounts and numerous ethnographic studies show that the dombra has been in use since the earliest times. The annals of Kazakh history record the names of many musicians renowned for their mastery of the instrument, most of them men – Zhambyl Zhambaev, Dauletkerey, Tattimbet, Kurmangazy and others. Although many women have also played the dombra, there are really only two who are widely celebrated: Akyn Sara and Dina Nurpeisova.

The dombra pictured here belonged to Dina Nurpeisova (1861–1955). Nurpeisova grew up in western Kazakhstan and, like most children in Kazakh families, she learned to play the dombra from a young age. The famous Kazakh akyn (folk poet and composer) Kurmangazy was astounded by her playing and when she was nine years old he became her mentor. At the age of 19 Nurpeisova got married and had several children. After the death of her husband, Dina married his brother, as was customary, and went on to have more children.Altogether, she gave birth to more than 10 children, although not all of them survived the famine of the 1930s.

In the mean time, the art of dombra playing was being developed at the national level, probably as part of the political and cultural integration policy known as ‘korenizatsiya’, which was intended to reduce tensions between the central Soviet authorities and local populations. In 1934, the advancement of the art of dombra playing received renewed impetus with the creation of the first national folk orchestra, the Kurmangazy Kazakh Orchestra of Folk Instruments. The instruments, which had previously only been made when master craftsmen received commissions from individuals, began to be produced on a large scale by the Osakarov Music Manufactory and by the music workshop of a furniture factory in Almaty.

In 1937 the Second Kazakh National Talent Competition was held in Almaty which provided Dina Nurpeisova with one of her first major performance opportunities (at the age of 81). She won first place, was awarded the title of Honoured Artist and went to work with the Kazakh Philharmonic.

Two years later, Dina Nurpeisova began to prepare for the All-Union Competition of Folk Instrument Players in Moscow. Master instrument maker, Arystan Yermekov, was specially commissioned to make a dombra for Nurpeisova (see photo). Once again, Nurpeisova was amongst the winners.

The dombra made by Arystan Yermekov also accompanied Nurpeisova to the Third Festival of Music of Kazakhstan and the Central Asian Republics which was held in Tashkent in 1944. Following this event she was awarded the title National Artist of Kazakhstan. Dina Nurpeisova’s repertoire included renditions of both traditional Kazakh songs and Soviet ones, including ‘8th March’, ‘Hero of Labour’, ‘The Delegate’, ‘The Dairymaid’, ‘Victory’ and ‘Toi Bastar’ (about the national festival to celebrate the Soviet Constitution).

Songs accompanied by the dombra were always sung in Kazakh. The dombra became inextricably linked to the propaganda disseminated by the Soviet regime among the Kazakh-speaking people, as evidenced by the repertoire performed by the country’s leading musicians, such as Zhabaev, Nurpeisova and Kurmanov.

In Almaty Nurpeisova lived in a house next door to the family of educator and linguist, Shamgali Sarybaev (1883-1958) and his wife Nasima. Sarybaev and Nurpeisova were both originally from the same region of Kazakhstan. She taught their younger son Bolat to play the dombra. To celebrate his graduation from the Almaty Conservatoire in 1950, Nurpeisova gave Bolat her favourite dombra (see photo) and her blessing.

Bolat Sarybaev (1927-1984) went on to establish Kazakhstan’s first collection of ancient musical instruments. He also produced the first technical descriptions of these instruments and revived their playing, founding Otrar Sazy, the first orchestra of ancient musical instruments. Dina Nurpeisova’s dombra was one of the original exhibits in the unique collection which he set up as a museum in the study of his home in Almaty, at Apartment 27, 113 Abylay Khan Prospekt.

Sources
1. Sarybaev, B. Sh. Kazakhskie muzykalnye instrumenty, Almaty, Zhalyn, 1978.

Dinara Assanova specialises in women’s history, women’s museums and biographical research. Founder of Women of Kazakhstan NGO which runs a virtual museum dedicated to the Women of Kazakhstan.