According to social scientists, the music of a nation is a reflection of its mores and psyche. It is also an expression of its love for life. Pleasant harmonic music delights the senses of man everywhere, and the Circassians, in spite of imperfection of their music, were charmed and cheered by it. Music was indispensable at festivals as accompaniment to dances and recitals of ancient and traditional poetry, and it certainly livened up their conversations.
Circassian music has always been rich in dance tunes and melodies, which are in general produced by an orchestra, as pposed to a single musician. The solo accordian player producing melodies for the songs and dances is a relatively recent introduction. The rhythm of the music was made to be in tune with the singing words by using different techniques and ad-lib modulations, which also served to dorn the melodies. Generally, dance music was played in 2/2 or 6/8 time with a background chorus(R. Adighe, 1956, p. 101).
Musical lore had been preserved by minstrels until the 1930s, by which time much of the music and songs had been collected and preserved. Some songs commemorate events that go back to the fourth century AD.
Collection of music and songs started in the 19th century. However, systematic work only began in the Soviet period when many song collections were published. Books on history of Circassian music were also issued, toeing the line of Communist historiography. Nevertheless, they remain seminal works indispensable in the study of Adiga music.
"An arrow bolted from the Hero's bow,
Shimmering accross the sky,
Presaging certain death to the Khan,
And his inimical black swarms.
His dutiful steed Yemish,
Crushed the skulls of the Kalmyks
With his mighty hooves,
Laying myriad corpses all around,
The Tatar vanguard,
Witnessing such a carnage,
Took to its heels,
Consumed with fear.
After his demise, he was survived by
His one true friend: his Sabre."
~Amjad Jaimoukha
