Songs of the Nymylan woman V’alyat (based on the materials of the Complex Expedition to Kamchatka in 1991)

For the first time, the paper presents the song creativity of Ekaterina Ivanovna Chechulina (Koryaks name V’alyat) - a native of the Karaginsky district of Kamchatka, bearer of the Koryak-Nymylan tradition. The research is based on the field materials of the well-known Siberian ethnomusicologist, Doctor of Arts, Yu. Sheikin, namely, on the materials of the Complex folklore and ethnographic expedition to Kamchatka in 1991. The research is carried out as a part of the preparation of the volumes of Koryak folklore in the series “Monuments of Folklore of the Peoples of Siberia and the Far East”. The author consistently examines the genres of song folklore of the Koryak-Nymylans on the example of V’alyat’s creativity: personal songs sininkin ӄuliӄul and tribal songs yanutsʔinav’ ӄuliӄul, fly-agaric songs lyllʔal ӄuliӄul, lullabies and cradle songs alulukin ӄuliӄul. The description of the song genres of Koryak-Nymylans is accompanied by samples of texts and notes, allowing us to get an idea of the lyrics and the nature of the melodies. This study made it possible to conclude that at the poetic, syllogorhythmic, and compositional levels, there are trends toward more systemic organization, while the modus and intonation components are more unstable, which is characteristic for early-song melodics (E. Alekseev). Based on the material of several songs recorded from one bearer of the tradition, the author reveals the diverse world of folk song genres of Koryak-Nymylans, interesting timbre, pitch, and rhythmic characteristics of this ancient, unique, and original cultural phenomenon.

Art · Creativity · Ethnomusicology · Folklore · Literature · Lyrics · Melody · Musical · Poetry · Discourse Analysis and Cultural Communication · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History · Psychology