Sound formulas of Turkmen chants – lyale
Oral creativity of any nation surprises with its vitality and originality. One of such amazing genres of Turkmen folklore is the song entertainment “lyale”, which differs in sound formulas when performed.
In the work of Khoja Ahmet Yasawi, “The Book of Wisdom”, it is said that “lyale” or “lya-lya-i” – a term of Sufi literature, Sufis performed this specific work. And in folk art, this genre belongs to girls and women.
Since ancient times, “lyale” has played a significant role in the healthy upbringing of children. By the way, in Persian “la-la”, and in Tajik “lo-lo” means – educator, teacher. In earlier centuries, tutors of princes were called this way.
Over time, “lyale” and “lya-lya-i” changed their meaning, the place of the “lyale” genre was taken by “khuvdi” (lullaby), and the lyale itself became a song about girls’ dreams, love and happiness, about women’s fate. Here, the verses are performed solo, and the refrain – in chorus.
These tunes are distinguished by an unusual phenomenon of sound – the peculiarity of timbre and intonation. For example, “damak-lyale”, and in some regions it is called “bogaz-lyale” or “bokurdak-lyale”. They perform this kind of genre with tapping their fingers on the throat, which changes the timbre color of the voice.
There are also other amazing versions. For example, “enek-lyale” – with a twitch of the chin, “dodak-lyale” – accompanied by blows of fingers on the lips, “egin-lyale” – with a twitch of the shoulders. In all these varieties, the techniques of mechanical action change the voice. In some regions of the country, there are even “dyz-lyale” – twitching of the knees or “ayak-lyale” – intense swaying of the body when resting on one leg.
The content of the folk genre “lyale” is not limited to the expression of personal feelings only. There are many songs related to the history of the country, with life events of the Turkmen people. After all, the song-game genre asserts eternal universal values.
