Danatar Ovezov Music School celebrates its 90th year
Turkmen State Specialized Music School named after Danatar Ovezov celebrates a major anniversary this year. Ninety years ago, in November, a decree was signed on the creation of the Art College, on the basis of which a music school was established later.
Over the past time, the oldest secondary specialized musical educational institution of Turkmenistan trained hundreds of professional musicians: string, wind, percussion, as well as Turkmen national instruments players, choir and orchestra conductors, vocalists, bakhshi musicians, pop singers, and music teachers for schools.
The music school has always had an amazing staff - the names of teachers were known around the world. Among them are “golden” girl of the Friendship of Nations Fountain Gozel Annamamedova, Victor Hiruntsev, Nikolay Amiyants, Bayram Hudaikuliyev, Mylly Tachmuradov, Purli Sariyev and many others.
From the first years of its operation, the school had been one of the most important centers of music and concert activities in the country. It has become a good tradition to hold performances and open evenings both inside this school and at various higher and secondary educational institutions, on concert and theater stages of the country, to broadcast the performances of students and teachers on the Turkmen radio and television.
It is noteworthy that many Turkmen composers entrusted the premiere performances of their compositions to students and creative teams of this school.
Concerts did not stop even in the harsh war years.
- The concerts held at the school always aroused great interest among Ashgabat residents, Honored Artist of the TSSR Nina Alekseyevna Shumskaya recalled. Despite the difficult wartime, the hall was always crowded. There was a lot of excitement before the concerts. Sometimes I had to perform in a cold hall. Our teachers were very worried about us. They dressed us in their concert costumes, took in and pinned them to our height, gave us hot tea, which they brought with them in thermoses. Despite all the difficulties, the concerts invariably took place with great success.
The orchestra of Turkmen folk instruments, along with a symphony orchestra, is among the first student groups created in the then Art College. It was organized in 1933 as part of the ensemble of Turkmen folk instruments, and composed of 12 people, including dutar, gidjak and tar players. The Government of Turkmenistan allocated a significant for that time amount of 10.000 rubles for the organization of the orchestra and the reconstruction of national instruments.
Currently, the school’s Turkmen folk instrument orchestra includes more than 60 students. The music is played on gidjaks, tuyduks, dep, kanun, chang, plectrum dutars, flutes, oboes, clarinets, accordions, dutars family.
The repertoire of the orchestra is diverse. It includes the works by Turkmen composers and folk Turkmen music, foreign classics, modern pop songs, as well as traditional music of the eastern peoples.
The orchestra is always warmly welcomed at all music venues in Turkmenistan. But particular interest in the work of musicians is caused in youth. For them, this is not only an opportunity to enjoy folk music, but also to learn their history, better understand the secrets of the past centuries and strengthen the link between generations through traditional melodies.
Thus, the 90th anniversary of the music school was celebrated by the Orchestra of Turkmen Folk Instruments by a series of concerts at institutions of higher education in Ashgabat. The musicians performed on the stage of the Turkmen National Institute of World Languages named after Dovletmammet Azadi, continued at the Oguzkhan Turkmen Institute of Engineering and Technology, and completed their holiday procession at the International University of the Humanities and Development.
The concert programmes included orchestral adaptations of ancient Turkmen folk instrumental plays and bakhshi songs, performed by vocal students accompanied by the orchestra, and a number of performances, including choral, presented famous songs and duets of modern Turkmen composers such as Agajikov, Rejepov, Hudainazarov and Annamuradov. In addition, choreographic performances were given.
The organizers are trying to make the programme of each concert unique. In this musical series, the highlight was the performance by 4th year student Govher Tukhiyeva of the famous Turkmen folk song “Ala gaýyşly”, edited by conductor Gadam Jumaguliyev.
- The orchestra and the young singer were advised specially for this performance by People’s Artist of Turkmenistan, one of the prominent singers of Turkmen folk songs Gulshirin Alijanova. In the original form, this bright emotional song is one-voiced, but here it was adapted for the soloist and orchestra, Gadam Jumaguliyev said in an interview with our correspondent.
The enthusiastic spectators also had an opportunity to hear lyrical songs of Chary Nurymov, a setting of Bairam Hudainazarov’s song “Mähriban ýarym” for the old Turkmen folk baglama instrument, the works by Nury Halmamedov.
The popular all over the world Csárdás by Vittorio Monti, where the solo part was entrusted to gidjak player Hojamurad Babayev was impressing.
The concerts traditionally ended with the solemnly majestic song by People’s Artist of Turkmenistan, composer Bairam Hudaikuliyev “Bitarap döwletim bardyr” (My Neutral Country) for the soloist, choir and orchestra.
- Such concerts are useful for both spectators and performers. They cultivate a good taste in people, introduce them to the best examples of folk and professional composer music, and on the other hand, give young musicians a great opportunity to perform, demonstrate their talents and acquired performing skills, Gadam Jumaguliyev, a conductor, teacher at the special music school named after D. Ovezov, who kindly provided us with materials for this publication, commented.
