Between Heritage and Modernity: Button Accordion Arrangements of Kazakh Dombra Kui in Musical Transculturation Zaure Smakova Nigmetkyzy [Зауре Смакова Нигметкызы, Gulnara Kuzbakova Zhanabergenovna [Гульнара Кузбакова Жанабергеновна], Aigul Imasheva Tillyabekovna [Айгуль Имашева Тиллябековна] ASIAN-EUROPEAN MUSIC RESEARCH JOURNAL 17 (2026) https://doi.org/10.30819/aemr.17-07     pp: 86-100     2026-06-03

Between Heritage and Modernity: Button Accordion Arrangements of Kazakh Dombra Kui in Musical Transculturation

Stichworte/keywords: cultural dialogue, dombra kui, button accordion arrangement, Kazakh music, hybridization

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Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of button accordion arrangements of Kazakh dombra kui in the context of musical transculturation. The aim of this work was to reveal the patterns and artistic mechanisms of transforming the traditional kui in the button accordion performance practice of Kazakhstan. The study is based on the concept of transculturation by Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz, which includes three interrelated stages examined in detail in the methodology section. The methodological foundation consists of historical-cultural, musical-analytical, and comparative-typological methods, as well as a transculturation approach, which made it possible to consider button accordion arrangements of kui as the result of interaction between traditional and academic cultures. The empirical material includes published scores and recordings of more than 50 works by Kazakh composers and performers, as well as anthologies, pedagogical collections, and archival sources. As a result, it was found that button accordion versions of kui are not mechanical adaptations but rather a form of cultural dialogue in which the European instrument assimilates the Kazakh modal system, and the Kazakh tradition acquires new artistic forms. Three types of arrangements were identified—perelozheniy (arrangements), transkriptsii (transcriptions), and concert interpretations, differing in the degree of creative transformation of the material. The analysis showed that the process of transculturation leads to the formation of a new synthetic genre—the button accordion kui, which manifests a synthesis of national content and academic forms. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the application of Fernando Ortiz’s concept to the analysis of musical material, which made it possible to consider button accordion arrangements of kui as independent cultural phenomena reflecting the transition of the tradition from the oral sphere into the professional-academic space. The results of the research expand the understanding of the interaction between folk and academic traditions and contribute to contemporary musical-cultural studies in Kazakhstan.