Circassian Music
Encyclopedia
Circassian music refers to music
of the Circassians (Cherkess), people from Northern Caucasus
, Russia
. Their music demonstrates their traditions and habits.
s that are performed differently.
Kafa is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and usually this piece demonstrates the relationship between the Challa (male) and the Pshasha (female), this relationship which is built out of love, cooperation and strength. Usually 'Kafa' is the main piece to be played in a 'Djagu' (a Circassian
wedding or any Circassian gathering) and there are more than 100 kafas written by different Circassian artists.
Wuig is a piece with (8:4) time signature, and usually this piece is played before Challas are going to war, but nowadays it is played at the end of the Djagu and usually it follows this rhythm each eight time intervals a new musical phrase is introduced, and this piece may be repeated several times since more than ten different Wuigs are available.
Tleperush is a dance which originates from the Black Sea coastal area. It is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and the word "Tleperush" means "leg kick" and usually this piece is faster than Kafa and Widj, almost equal in tempo to known "Lezginka
" but different in style and follows this rhythm (1&2..3&4) and this rhythm is produced by Pshina and Pxachach and Pkhetaw (a wood hitting instrument for tempo). Abkhazians have this dance too, and they call it "Apsua Koshara"
Zefauk means "approach to each other". It is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and very similar to Kafa; the word "Zefauk" means (forward and backward) and it defines how it is danced by going 4 steps forward and another four backward exactly as the Kafa but with different musical taste.
Shishan means "horse behaving". The dance is a fast piece with (4:4) time signature; this particular piece is played differently by pulling the Bellows of the Pshina in and out rapidly to create an Off Beat Rhythm which produces a Rhythm two times faster than its time signature, and the word shishan is a Circassian word and it is not linked to Chechen
.
Tlepechas is a fast dance and it is an improvisation dance it is considered to be one of the ancient dance of the Circassians, "Tlepechas" means "stick toes in the ground" the dance is based on the Nart sagas legends that used to dance on their toes.
Zighalat means "be the top". The dance is very energetic and fast, and it considered to be the most fastest dance in the Caucasus in its origin, it is danced in pairs, the male dance fast and strong show his skills, and the woman dance gentle but moves fast.
Hakulash means "lame man move". At the beginning it was a joke and comedy dance to make the viewers laugh, but with time it became part of the Circassian repertoire; its leg moves look like lame moves but the dance is a fast dance.
Yislamey was named after the man who first danced it, "Islam". "Yislamey" means belong to Islam. A young man called Islam danced by imitating the moves of an eagle he saw flying in the sky, and the female who danced with him, understood his intention and danced with him as he did, there two kinds of "Yislamey", this one is the "Bjedough Yislamey".
Qamachas is the dagger
dance. The dancer shows his skill with the "Qama
", the Circassian dagger, it is a fast dance and it is a competition dance between men, and sometimes it is danced as solo.
Oshha ches or Bighris is the mountaineers dance. It is a very fast dance, danced by men showing their skills, the moves are hard and strong moves shows the character of the mountaineers.
Apsni Apsua is the famous Abkhaz
dance. Abkhazians are considered part of the Circassians; they are very close in blood, language, culture, traditions with the Adyghe
, in time Adyghe
adopted their brothers' and neighbors' dance.
almost all Circassians immigrated to different countries such as Jordan, Syria, Turkey and many more.
Notable artists from Turkey include:
Syria include:
Germany include:
Jordan:
In other countries, like Syria and Jordan, there are composers not just of Circassian music but also for different musical genres, including:
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
of the Circassians (Cherkess), people from Northern Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Their music demonstrates their traditions and habits.
Instruments
Circassian music is characterized by certain instruments, including:- Pshina, an accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
which is played in a specific way to produce Circassian tunes - Pxachach, 2 sets of "wood blocks", each set containing about six pieces of wood held by hand; when a player strikes them together they produce a pure sound of wood to indicate the beat rhythm of the song.
- Baraban, a drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
known as 'Dhol'; in Adyghe it is called "Shontrip". - Pkhetaw, made from wood looks like a small table and it is used for hitting it with sticks for tempo.
- Apa-pshina, a three string guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
look alike. - Qamlapsh, the Circassian fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
.
Dances
In Circassian music, there are several danceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
s that are performed differently.
Kafa is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and usually this piece demonstrates the relationship between the Challa (male) and the Pshasha (female), this relationship which is built out of love, cooperation and strength. Usually 'Kafa' is the main piece to be played in a 'Djagu' (a Circassian
Adyghe people
The Adyghe or Adygs , also often known as Circassians or Cherkess, are in origin a North Caucasian ethnic groupwho were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War of 1862.Adyghe people mostly speak Adyghe and most...
wedding or any Circassian gathering) and there are more than 100 kafas written by different Circassian artists.
Wuig is a piece with (8:4) time signature, and usually this piece is played before Challas are going to war, but nowadays it is played at the end of the Djagu and usually it follows this rhythm each eight time intervals a new musical phrase is introduced, and this piece may be repeated several times since more than ten different Wuigs are available.
Tleperush is a dance which originates from the Black Sea coastal area. It is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and the word "Tleperush" means "leg kick" and usually this piece is faster than Kafa and Widj, almost equal in tempo to known "Lezginka
Lezginka
Lezginka or Lezghinka is a national dance of many people in the Caucasus Mountains. It derives its names from the Lezgin people; nevertheless, Georgians, Chechens, Lezghins, Ossetians, Circassians, Karachays, Balkars, Armenians, Abkhazians, Kabardins, Ingush, Ingilos, Azerbaijanis, Iranian...
" but different in style and follows this rhythm (1&2..3&4) and this rhythm is produced by Pshina and Pxachach and Pkhetaw (a wood hitting instrument for tempo). Abkhazians have this dance too, and they call it "Apsua Koshara"
Zefauk means "approach to each other". It is a piece with (4:4) time signature, and very similar to Kafa; the word "Zefauk" means (forward and backward) and it defines how it is danced by going 4 steps forward and another four backward exactly as the Kafa but with different musical taste.
Shishan means "horse behaving". The dance is a fast piece with (4:4) time signature; this particular piece is played differently by pulling the Bellows of the Pshina in and out rapidly to create an Off Beat Rhythm which produces a Rhythm two times faster than its time signature, and the word shishan is a Circassian word and it is not linked to Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
.
Tlepechas is a fast dance and it is an improvisation dance it is considered to be one of the ancient dance of the Circassians, "Tlepechas" means "stick toes in the ground" the dance is based on the Nart sagas legends that used to dance on their toes.
Zighalat means "be the top". The dance is very energetic and fast, and it considered to be the most fastest dance in the Caucasus in its origin, it is danced in pairs, the male dance fast and strong show his skills, and the woman dance gentle but moves fast.
Hakulash means "lame man move". At the beginning it was a joke and comedy dance to make the viewers laugh, but with time it became part of the Circassian repertoire; its leg moves look like lame moves but the dance is a fast dance.
Yislamey was named after the man who first danced it, "Islam". "Yislamey" means belong to Islam. A young man called Islam danced by imitating the moves of an eagle he saw flying in the sky, and the female who danced with him, understood his intention and danced with him as he did, there two kinds of "Yislamey", this one is the "Bjedough Yislamey".
Qamachas is the dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
dance. The dancer shows his skill with the "Qama
Qama
The qama is a type of long and wide fighting knife, native to Georgia and neighboring regions. It resembles the Roman gladius in form. although it is native to Georgia it originates from Persia....
", the Circassian dagger, it is a fast dance and it is a competition dance between men, and sometimes it is danced as solo.
Oshha ches or Bighris is the mountaineers dance. It is a very fast dance, danced by men showing their skills, the moves are hard and strong moves shows the character of the mountaineers.
Apsni Apsua is the famous Abkhaz
Abkhaz
Abkhaz and Abkhazian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Abkhazia, a de facto independent region with partial recognition as a sovereign state, otherwise recognized as part of Georgia...
dance. Abkhazians are considered part of the Circassians; they are very close in blood, language, culture, traditions with the Adyghe
Adyghe people
The Adyghe or Adygs , also often known as Circassians or Cherkess, are in origin a North Caucasian ethnic groupwho were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War of 1862.Adyghe people mostly speak Adyghe and most...
, in time Adyghe
Adyghe people
The Adyghe or Adygs , also often known as Circassians or Cherkess, are in origin a North Caucasian ethnic groupwho were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russian–Circassian War of 1862.Adyghe people mostly speak Adyghe and most...
adopted their brothers' and neighbors' dance.
Circassian artists
The Adyghe Anathem was originally composed by Iskhak Shumafovich Mashbash and Umar Khatsitsovich Tkhabisimov, but after the diasporaDiaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
almost all Circassians immigrated to different countries such as Jordan, Syria, Turkey and many more.
Notable artists from Turkey include:
- Şhaguj Mehmet Can, musician
- Thazpel Mustafa, musician
- Oğuz Altay, musician
- Semih Canbolat, musician
Syria include:
- Tambi Djemouk, musician
Germany include:
- Murat Kansat, musician
Jordan:
- Firas Valntine
- Ivan Bakij
- Orhan Bersiqu
- Rakan Qojas, musician
- Blan Jalouqa, musician
- Muhannad Nasip, musician
- Httoqay
Composers
Back in the Kavkas, there are many Pshinawas (Pshina means "player") who produce Circassian music such as:- Hapcha Zaodin
- Hasan Sokov
- Aslan Leiv
- Aslan TlebzuAslan TlebzuAslan Tlebzu , born 24 February 1981, Teuchezhsk, Adygea, USSR; is a Russian Adyghe folk musician....
In other countries, like Syria and Jordan, there are composers not just of Circassian music but also for different musical genres, including:
- Ahmad Aiy
- Saeed Bazouqa