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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 February 2019
Except for a few casual remarks in the specialized works of historians, linguists, travelers, and ethnographers, the musical folklore of Kirghizia received virtually no attention in pre-Revolutionary publications. But, even though the scattered observations of pre-Revolutionary nonmusician scholars failed to convey a comprehensive idea of this folklore, they continue to provide valuable source material in terms of vivid first impressions of the people's musical life. All of the reports refer to improvisational song-creation as the most typical characteristic. And all remark upon its popular nature, traditionalism, and ties with the soil.
1 Radlov, V., Samples of the Folk Literature of the Northern Tiurkic Tribes, V (St. Petersburg, 1885).Google Scholar
2 New Monthly Compositions, part 14 (St. Petersburg).Google Scholar
3 Bartold, V., The Kirghizians (Frunze, 1943), p. 34.Google Scholar
4 Malov, S. E., The Written Language of the Yenisei Tiurks (Moscow-Leningrad, 1952).Google Scholar
5 Ibid., p. 8.Google Scholar
6 Bichurin, N. Y. [Iakinf], A Collection of Information about the Peoples Living in Central Asia in Ancient Times, I, II (Moscow-Leningrad, 1950).Google Scholar
7 Vinogradov, V., Kirghizian Folk Music (Frunze, 1958).Google Scholar
8 Cultural Construction in Kirghizia 1918–1929 (Frunze, 1957), p. 251.Google Scholar
