Dombra in Kalmyk folklore and Lyrics of the 20th – early 21st centuries: poetics of a musical instrument

The relevance and novelty of the article is determined by the fact that the poetics of a musical instrument was not the object and subject of research in Kalmyk folklore and poetry. Among the national musical instruments, the dombra retains its functionality at the present stage. The study of dombra as a thing and as a musical instrument in the translation of folk culture and art is of interest in a historical-functional, comparative-comparative sense when referring to both folklore and poetry, since it demonstrates the tradition, the continuity of the works of poets on this topic. In Kalmyk oral folk art, the dombra as a musical instrument is often found. It is mentioned in epics, fairy tales, legends, riddles, and songs. The material for the article were selected folklore works and representative poems of Kalmyk poets of the 20th – early 21st centuries. The purpose of the article is to consider the poetics of dombra as a thing and a musical instrument in Kalmyk folklore and lyrics to identify the continuity of traditions in the modern period. Results. The Kalmyks, unlike other Turkic-Mongolian peoples, apparently have not preserved folklore works about the appearance of the dombra as such, since it is considered a borrowed instrument. There are no such poems in Kalmyk lyrics. In Kalmyk folklore, the dombra is shown in its musical function; usually it does not have a plot-forming role. Among Kalmyk poets, poems about dombra are usually associated with the Dzhangarchi’s performance of folk epic songs, with folk rituals and holidays, singing and dancing. Depending on the time and space reflected in such texts, dombra is shown against the backdrop of historical and personal events, demonstrating a thematic range. A number of texts are dedicated to famous performing musicians and masters of dombra art. The analysis involved poems created in the Kalmyk and Russian languages, and also compared the original texts and their Russian translations.