«While the music of the soul sounds» or few words of the bard song
The author’s song as a genre arose in the history of musical culture as a result of original creativity, songs to the guitar at a fire, in the students’ company. Then, in the 1960-ties, the verses sung to the guitar began to be named «the author's song». And already later these songs entered into the public and active workers of the bard movements began to bring together the whole stadiums.
Vladimir Gasumyants who is now well-known much for the Ashgabat residents, stood at the roots of the basis of Ashgabat club of bards. In the 1960-ties, being still a schoolboy, young Volodya was fond of playing the mandolin, visited a string club of the palace of pioneers and did not think of any guitar, and especially about the composition of songs which would be written by him much later.
- The mandolin was inherited from my grandfather. The Italian instrument of 1911 by miracle escaped in the Ashgabat earthquake. The grandfather purchased it for small money in the flea market and this mandolin was played by my father who also taught me later. I can tell that this musical instrument - our family relic, - Vladimir says. - Then I became a student of Turkmen agricultural institute, studied as an engineer-ameliorator.
However, the love to music prevailed and a casual meeting with active worker of the tourist club "Siyakhat" Sergey Antonenko who arrived in Ashgabat from Dnepropetrovsk for practice, was an incitement to disclosing of creative potential of Vladimir.
- During our study we often would go to mountain campaigns, guys would take with themselves guitars, sang songs around the fire. Sergey Antonenko was “afflicted” with the bard song, told us about Bulat Okudzhava, Yuri Vizbor, suggested to teach all who wish to write songs. I very much liked to compose, especially in a satirical genre. Sergey gave us creative tasks: for thirty minutes to write a song and who could do it, he would pick up chords for it. To play the guitar I then was not able yet, but till now I remember my first work written in the form of chastooshka.
Then Sergey Antonenko created a club of bard songs in Ashgabat and Vladimir became one of its main active workers. Being fond of creativity of bards more and more, he anyway learnt some chords on the guitar. The first ironical songs of Gasumyants wrote in 1982, being inspired by themes, which were then popular among people. The bard jokes that now puts the guitar aside only before going to bed.
- Any event, any news, dedicated to friends, but even in the event that I write about love, can inspire me, I would like to "engage in hooliganism" a little. «The love is given as charisma. The affaires d'amour stroke without aiming almost. I love you, what nightmare! Oh, fie, sorry, what charm» - smiling, the author sneers. - even in days of the first occurrence of bard songs told that it "died", without being born, argued with each other much, to prove something to someone, but personally for me the bard song is incomparable with one musical direction. In it there is hearfulness, sincerity, depth, it touches minds and completely carries away. And though I am not a professional musician, but regularly rehearse, constantly I play fragments of favourite melodies.
All who happened to visit Vladimir know that without «a musical gift» from the bard nobody will leave. With the true assistant – the guitar which does not lie somewhere in the corner, but is always near at hand, Vladimir tries to enrich his repertoire, sings songs of those authors, whose ironic style of performance is close to him:
«. Nerves are not treated by sorrel,
The organism grieves rushes about.
Meat asks. Tigers, citizens,
Do not eat thistle! »
- If one would like to sing - sing, but only what your heart is in it, - Vladimir Gasumyants advises. I know that the rap is now popular, in due time all listened to the rock, but everyone has his own. It is not obligatory at all to become a professional vocalist to sing: «After all, if it is a dream, this dream is fine while the music of the soul» sounds.
Selbi Charyeva
