Turmush correspondent gathered information about its creation and author.
The lyrics of the song belong to Ryskulbek Tursunaliev, who lived in the village of Ming-Bulak in the Bakai-Ata district of the Talas region. The melody was composed by his friend Sovetbek Usenaliev.
Dilbara Sakabekova, Ryskulbek's daughter, shared her memories of her father:
“Ryskulbek Tursunaliev was born in 1934. He was not only an artist but also a drawing and drafting teacher at a rural school, and later he headed the village club. From an early age, he was passionate about poetry. I remember that in the attic there was a suitcase filled with sheets covered in his poems, typed on an old typewriter. At that time, we did not realize their value, and my mother collected all his writings, hiding them in the attic.”
She also noted that "Torgoyum" was performed by artists such as Aitbubu Atamkulova in 1987 and Gulzat Batyrkanova, and today this song is sung by Nurmat Sadyrkov.
In 1953, Dilbara's father visited the village of Tömönkü Aral, where he met his future wife, Kumar. The couple soon got married, and Ryskulbek brought her to his native village. He often recounted how he crossed the Echkilik mountain, leading his beloved to his home. Their life together lasted only three months, after which he was called to the army in Vladivostok for three years. During this time, his mother-in-law stayed with his wife. Ryskulbek did not want anyone else to marry her while he was serving and did not want to leave his mother alone. When he returned, they had their first daughter.
“Torgoyum” was written when Ryskulbek was 48 years old, and he dedicated it to his wife, who was short in stature. His father often sang at weddings, sometimes after drinking. When he came home a little tipsy, his mother expressed her discontent, and he joked: “Now I will listen to the voice of my torgoyum.” He always called her that, rather than by her name [torgoy — sparrow]. Once he read her a poem dedicated to her, and she suggested writing a melody for it. Ryskulbek turned to Sovetbek Usenaliev, who quickly created the music. At that time, the concept of copyright was not widespread, and the song quickly gained popularity,” Dilbara said.
She added that her father passed away in 2010 after a serious illness.
“Currently, my sister Gulnara Tursunalieva is trying to establish authorship and has already contacted Kyrgyzpatent,” she noted.
“My mother Kumar Tursunalieva was born in 1935, she passed away three years ago,” Dilbara added.
