Interaction of the traditions of epic and song art, Жыр және ән дәстүрлерінің сабақтастығы, Взаимодействие традиции эпического и песенного искусства

<jats:p>In regions where the epic tradition is highly developed, folk songs and the works of orally trained professional composers generally remain on the periphery of scholarly attention and, as a consequence, are insufficiently represented in academic discourse. The Syrdarya region, due to the widespread presence of the epic tradition and its active functioning within the local environment – in the forms of listening, performance, and intergenerational transmission – is perceived and characterized as a “land of storytellers”. In this context, a view has emerged and become widespread regarding the limited nature of the region’s song repertoire. This study seeks to demonstrate the relevance of song forms shaped by the zhyr tradition. Accordingly, the aim of the article is to identify the continuity between epic and song through demonstrating the impact of the epic tradition on song art and through an analysis of the songs of Nartay Bekezhanov. The scientific significance of the work lies in its comprehensive examination of the interaction between epic tradition and song art, as well as in offering a new perspective on the formation of the song culture of the Syrdarya region. Furthermore, the undertaken analysis of Nartay Bekezhanov’s (creative work) provides a scholarly basis for substantiating the continuity between the genres of zhyr and song, thereby expanding the research field of national musicology in this direction. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of applying its results in the educational process of higher education institutions in the fields of musicology and art studies, as well as in the development of repertoires for performers of traditional music and in cultural and educational activities. In the course of the research, the works of folklorists, art scholars, and zhyrshy performers were used as the methodological foundation, being widely employed in informational, source-based, and theoretical-analytical aspects. The main results of the study and the conclusions drawn from the analysis have made it possible to establish that the influence of the epic tradition on the song genre manifests itself not only at the level of content, but also at the melodic, structural, and performance levels. </jats:p>