On the question of genre repertoire of zhyrau of the XV-XVIII centuries, its genesis and evolution

Abstract

The article deals with the complex problem of the Turkic epic studies – highlighting of the genre repertoire of heroic singers of the XV-XVIII centuries in the aspect of the genesis of individual genres and historical evolution. Being a spiritual leader of tribes, having a high social status, a heroic singer was the keeper of the sacred covenants; in the Soviet science, he was regarded as «a person glorifying the patriarchal and feudal reality». Since the mid-60s the research of various aspects of this vibrant artistic phenomenon has been tsarted by a new generation of scholars – E. Tursunov, M. Magawin, S. Negimov, A. Abylkasymov and other researchers with their modern approaches and advanced methodologies. For example, taking into consideration the process of creating songs of praise on the funeral feasts for a deceased hero by a heroic singer, marked by E. Tursunov, we got a fairly extensive complex of genre repertoire with its creative style, stylistics, poetics, special ceremonial functions, ritual, ethics and aesthetics, closely related, in our opinion, with the principles of meritocracy – «election», «sanctity», «power of knowing». This heroic song (ode) has become the most important structural component in shaping the future of the heroic sagas.