Kazakhstan Songs tours.

 "Like a swan's call,
Like the ringing of a breeze, over the sleeping plain of Saryarka I hear your voice, as if through a light sleep,
And clouds of visions fly over me."

(Kasym Amanzholov "Dombra"). 

Most interesting museums of Almaty.

Museum of Musical Instruments is located at an altitude of 809 meters above sea level, located on Zenkov Street, 24a, in square of streets: Shamshi Kaldayakov, Kazybek bi, Gogol, 30 meters to west of park named after 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, in Medeu district of Almaty. 
On August 1, 1980, by Resolution No. 358, the Republican Museum of Folk Musical Instruments of the Kazakh SSR was established.
On April 24, 1981, the museum opened its doors to the general public. The creation of the Museum is associated with the name of Uzbekali Zhanibekov (1931 - 1998) - a historian, ethnographer, a major statesman and public figure. On March 11, 1990, a decision was made to name the Museum after Ykhlas Dukenuly (1843 – 1916) – a Kazakh folk composer, kobyz player, and one of the founders of the kobyz school.
In 2012-2013, as part of the Year of Culture, the museum underwent a large-scale reconstruction. On May 15, 2013, the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments reopened its doors to the general public. Not only has the appearance of the exhibition changed, but the concept of the museum has also completely changed.
Museum of Musical Instruments in Almaty consists of six halls:
"Origins of Folk Music" - the history of musical instruments of the Turkic peoples.
"Hall of Wind and Percussion Instruments" - tells about such instruments as dauylpaz, dudyga, shyn, asatayak, dabyl, kos dunkildek and shyndauyl.
"Hall of Masters" - instruments-prize winners of the first Republican competition of instrument makers "Anyz dombyra".
"Hall of Kobyz".
"Hall of Musical Instruments of Turkic Peoples" - 27 musical instruments from 14 Turkic-speaking countries.
"Hall of Musical Instruments of Peoples of the World" - 81 musical instruments from 27 countries.
The museum is one of the cultural attractions of the "southern capital". The museum's collections contain ancient Kazakh musical instruments from all over Kazakhstan, musical instruments of the peoples of the CIS countries and the world.
The collections contain over a thousand storage units, 60 types and varieties of folk musical instruments. The music of improvisational singers Abay, Birzhan, Dina Nurpeisova, Ykhlas, poets and composers Kenen Azerbayev, Manarbek Erzhanov, A. Zhubanov, and other authors has been restored based on ethnographic descriptions by folk artists B. Sarybayev, O. Beisenbayev, and others.
The folklore and ethnographic ensemble "Sazgen" has been created. The museum is named after Ykhlas Dukenov (1843 - 1916), the legendary classic of kobyz music, the author of the kyuis "Akku", "Zhezkiik", "Zhalgyz ayak", "Kambar-Nazym", "Kazan".
The museum's exposition includes personal dombras of poets, zhyrau and composers Abay, Zhambyp Zhabayev, Makhambet, Amre Kashaubayev, Dina and other famous figures of the musical art of our country. The museum is located in a wooden building - an architectural monument, built in 1907.
The origins of the musical culture of the Kazakh people go back to ancient times, to the ethnic history of the Kazakhs, as evidenced by folk legends, epic poems, heroic tales, as well as the results of archaeological research, materials of written sources, field expeditions.
Very valuable information about folk musical instruments are found in Abu Nasr al-Farabi (870 - 950), in the travel notes of many Arab and Western European travelers. Descriptions of a number of ancient musical instruments are contained in the works of Sh. Valikhanov, Potanin, P. Pallas.
Attention has been paid to the collection of Kazakh folk musical instruments since the middle of the 19th century. However, it was only during the years of Soviet power that their in-depth study and improvement became possible. Beginning in the 1930s, musical writing began to be introduced, and along with the oral tradition, musicians mastered Russian and Western European classics.
The expositions of the Republican Museum of Folk Musical Instruments present more than forty types and varieties of Kazakh folk musical instruments. Some of them, mainly dombra, kobyz, dangyra, kepshik, syldyrmak, as well as individual Russian, Uyghur, Dungan instruments were transferred to the new museum from the collections of museums in Kazakhstan.
Such instruments as zhetygen, adyrna, sazgen, dudyga, tokyldak were discovered as a result of scientific research in the wake of folk legends, written sources and restored by folk craftsmen based on ethnographic descriptions. Some of the instruments were purchased from the population.
Musical instruments of outstanding performers of the past, singers-improvisers and composers Abay, Birzhan, Ikhlas are also exhibited here. Walking through the halls of the museum, the visitor can learn how, in the process of long historical development, the Kazakh people created the richest musical heritage, including the most complex instrumental symphonic developed works - kyuis, performed on dombra, kobyz, shan kobyz, sybyzgy and other instruments.
Numerous folk performers preserved in their memory hundreds of remarkable examples of original folk musical creativity, the richest musical folklore was passed down from performer to performer, from generation to generation. Traditional instrumental music served as the basis for the development of professional training on folk musical instruments.
An important role in the development of musical culture in the republic was played by the State Academic Orchestra of Kazakh Folk Instruments named after Syrtay Kurmangazy, to which a special section of the museum is dedicated.
The museum's expositions also tell about the significant contribution to scientific research and improvement of folk instruments of famous musicologists and composers, people's artists of Kazakhstan. The tour of the museum halls is complemented by a performance by the ensemble of folk musical instruments "Sazgen" (translated as "Storehouse of Music"), whose program is composed mostly of folk kuys, ancient songs and dances, tape recordings reproduce the sounds of various instruments - exhibits.
Address of Museum of Musical Instruments:
050010 Almaty, Zenkova St., 24a.
Open for visitors:
From Tuesday to Sunday: from 10.00 to 19.00
Monday is a day off.
Phone:
+7 (727) 291 - 69 - 17 - administration
+7 (727) 248 – 40 - 71 - scientific department
Geographical coordinates of Museum of Musical Instruments: N43°15'33 E76°57'24

Authority:
A small part of the information was used from the book "The City of Verny and Semirechensk Region" 2009, author A.G. Lukhtanov. The other part of the information was collected from various sources by A. Petrov Encyclopedia "Kazakhstan", 4 volumes, 1989.

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.