He shared this information with a Turmush correspondent.
To date, Janishbek is the author of over a hundred melodies, of which about fifty songs have already become popular among the people and entered his repertoire.
Kochkorov received his education at the Tokmok Cultural and Educational College, which he graduated from in 1974 after enrolling in 1971.
As the composer notes, the process of creating melodies always depends on the text. For short lines, he prefers to create light and cheerful melodies, while long lines require more serious and restrained musical solutions.
“The melody should serve the text. If the words lack deep feelings — pain, love, or longing, then a true melody cannot be born,” he asserts.
The Creation of the Song “Kimibizde”
One of Kochkorov's notable works is the song “Kimibizde,” written to the words of poet Dooronbek Sadyrbaev. The creation of the melody took almost a whole year, filled with searches and deep experiences.
“In this composition, the poet's inner sufferings and his profound feelings for his spouse are expressed. For example, in the texts:
“While my feelings have not frozen (Kөңүлдөрүм музтөр өрдөп бара электе)
While tears have not formed a lake (Көз жаштарым көл шал болуп ага электе)
My light, let my sensitivity flow like water, (Жаркыным суу кое көр сезимдерге)
While their roots have not dried up…” (Тамыры такыр кургап кала электе)
there is deep psychology embedded. The melody had to convey this sadness,” Janishbek shares.
The composer emphasizes that the prolonged vocal embellishments in the song are not just decorations, but reflect the inner cry of the author, characteristic of the Kyrgyz mentality, where pain is experienced deeply inside. In other words, the prolonged “eh iyiy,” “ah iy-iy-iy” — this is Dooronbek's cry. The composition is full of tragedy and sorrow.
Before creating the melody for another song by Dooronbek titled “Kusalyk,” Kochkorov contacted the poet and requested permission to change the word “Kusalyk” to a line from the last verse “Kıyalda birge jürüluq,” receiving consent. This became necessary since the song “Kusalyk” by A. Kerimbaev was already widely popular.
Unfortunately, Dooronbek Sadyrbaev never heard the melody written to his verses. The composer recalls that when the People's Artist of the KR came to Kara-Kul and stayed in a hotel as a deputy, he did not have the opportunity to meet him due to the large number of people wanting to see him.
“Zheneme” — A Song Born from a Joke and Became Folk
The song “Zheneme,” written in 1987, emerged thanks to the joking words of daughters-in-law from the Aksy district (“zheneler”). All the words and melody belong to Janishbek Kochkorov.
“When I came with a concert to my native village Malgaldy, the daughters-in-law jokingly said: ‘Why haven’t you written a song about us? You write and sing for the girls of Kara-Kul, but can’t for us?’ In response, I began to hum the lines:
“The name of my native land is Malgaldy, (Жеримдин аты Малгалды)
No strength left to reach it. (Жетүүгө дарман калбады)
Among all the daughters-in-law (Жеңелердин ичинен)
How is my Jezmunchok zhenе?” (Жезмончок жеңем аманбы?)
They suggested continuing the song. So, upon returning to Kara-Kul, sitting along the rivers Kara-Suu and Kayındy, I completed the full text, and the melody was born instantly,” he shares.
Interestingly, this song was later translated into English and performed with an orchestra.
A Song About the City of Kara-Kul
The composition about Kara-Kul was created during the Soviet era by social order. At that time, the composer worked at the “Energetik” House of Culture.
“The first secretary of the city invited me and suggested writing a song about Kara-Kul. I immediately composed the first verse, but then stopped. Acquaintances advised me to show the text to a teacher named Dosov. He read it, praised the first verse, and suggested adding images of the Toktogul Hydroelectric Station, the Naryn River, and telling about the people who grow old here. Following his advice, I completed the text and melody in three days,” Kochkorov recalls.
This composition was performed at an important event of the Naryn hydroelectric construction and shown in the Moscow television program “Vremya.”
// Turmush
“Ömür Dayra” — The Path to Classic
This is one of the most famous songs among the people, with lyrics written by the poet from Bazar-Korgon, Karybek Begimkulov.
“The song appeared during a trip to Bishkek. I stayed overnight at the house of Shamsybek Ötöböev. At night, when they returned from Bazar-Korgon with guests, they woke me up and asked me to sing. During the singing, one of the guests, a sister named Kurmanjan, passed a poem written by her friend, asking me to write music for it. I put the paper in my pocket. Later, at the “Pishpek” hotel, sitting with Narynbek Moldobaev, we began to hum and joke, and I didn’t even notice how the melody had already formed,” the composer recounts.
The next day, Dinara Akulova and Mergen Turgan came asking for new songs. In response, I hesitated a bit, recalling yesterday’s melody. I hadn’t written it down and remembered it poorly. Then they gave me a komuz and suggested trying to remember. I started to play and sing, and Dinara really liked the song. She immediately requested permission to perform it with the komuz, and she was the first to bring this song to the people,” Kochkorov emphasizes.
Later, the composer met with the author of the lyrics, Karybek Begimkulov, who expressed gratitude and noted that he indeed creates excellent songs.
About Time and Music
As Janishbek Kochkorov asserts, over time, listeners' tastes change. Many old melodies are now being updated with modern arrangements to suit the current audience. Nevertheless, despite the change in form, the inner meaning and spiritual depth of the music must remain unchanged.
“Music renews over time, but the novelty of the words and the heart of the melody must be preserved,” he concludes.
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