Nurpeis Baiganin (1860-1945), one of the greatest Kazakh akyns, the brightest representative of the folk epos, was born in 1860 in Temir District of Aktyubinsk region.
Nurpeis learned to sing and play the dombra from his mother. The singer’s talent appeared so vividly that he was called «zhyrshy bala» («a boy-narrator»). Having an extraordinary memory, Nurpeisov listened to the poets of West Kazakhstan with great interest: Abyl Tleululy, Alash Baitok, Sherniyaz Zharlygasuly, Nurym Shyrshygululy and sang their songs by heart. By the age of 17, Nurpeis Baiganin had already entered into competitions with well-known poets, where he always came out as a winner, no event was held without his participation.
His name and his works, such as: «Akkenzhe», «Narkyz» were known far beyond his native region: in South Ural, on the banks of the Syr Darya, in Karakalpakstan, Khiva, Turkmenistan. Akyn was a passionate performer of the folk tales — epics and heroic legends about glorious Kazakh batyrs. His repertoire consisted of masterpieces of Kazakh epos «Kubygul», «Torekhan», «Orak-Mamay», «Karasay-Kazi», «Er-Targyn», «Alpamys». Most of the recorded 26 variants of the epos «Kobylandy-batyr» belongs to Nurpeis Baiganin.
The language of N.Baiganin’s works is so imaginative and facile, that his lines entered the native language as aphorisms, proverbs and sayings. In due course, works by Nurpeis Baiganin were recorded by literary secretaries — Masele Zhanabayev, Akhmet Iskendirov, Kuandyk Shangytbayev, Mariyam Khakimzhanova, Erzhan Akhmetov and others.
The name of N.Baiganin became widely known in the Republic after his involvement in the anniversary celebrations dedicated to Zhambyl Zhabayev, where he performed the songs «Akyn shabyty», «Zhambylga», «Korimdik», «Gasyrdyn kart bulbuly». Many famous cultural workers like Alexey Tolstoy, Sabit Mukanov, Gabit Musrepov, Evgeny Brusilovsky, Akhmet Zhubanov, Kulyash Baiseitova, Mukhtar Auyezov visited the house of the famous aksakal.
In 1936, N.Baiganin in the delegation of masters of art of the Republic took participation in I Decade of Literature and Art of Kazakhstan in Moscow, where he performed a the Bolshoi Theatre and on All-Union Radio of the USSR. In 1939 akyn took participation of II Congress of writers, took participation in the work of the Republican meeting of akyns. In 1940 was held a big celebration in Aktobe, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Nurpeis Baiganin, where he was awarded an order «Badge of Honor». He dedicated a poem «Kuanysh zhyry» to this joyful event.
In difficult years of the Great Patriotic War, Nurpeis Baiganin encouraged people with his creativity, he raised the morale of people traveling around the viallges in the membership of propaganda team performing his works «Batyr turaly zhyr», «Batyr ulga», «Zhenis ushin», «Kazakhstan-maidanga» and others. The remarkable creative legacy of people’s akyn of Kazakhstan was included into Gold Fund of Kazakh Literature and Art.
The streets in Almaty and Aktyubinsk, the administrative district in Aktyubinsk region, a library and others were given his name. The photographs and documents from the personal archives of Baiganin’s family and Central State Museum of RK were presented on the exhibition, a documentary «Nurpeis Baiganin» was demonstrated, akyn’s grandson performed and N.Baiganin’s works performed by leading artists of Kazakhstan. The exhibition lasted until 12th November 2015.
