Baga dorbet cycle of the Jangar epic: compositional features revisited

The article examines compositional peculiarities inherent to the three songs that compile the Baga Dorbet cycle of the Jangar Epic, namely: 1) The Song of How Bogdo Jangar Defeated Mangas Utu Tsagan; 2) The Song of How Bogdo Jangar Defeated the Mangas Khan Kürül Erdeni; 3) The Song of How the Famed Ulan Shovshur Defeated the Mangas Khan Shara Gürgü the Furious. Compositionally, the epic work is a sequential narrative that creates a coherent picture. The Baga Dorbet trilogy primarily seeks to glorify the deeds of valor performed by Bumba’s heroes in the name of Motherland, and the final poem also rhapsodizes the liberation of people enslaved by the foreign invader Khan Shara Gürgü. The Baga Dorbet cycle is distinguished by the presence of an important compositional part - prologue. It is the feast at Khan Jangar’s palace that serves as a starting point for the plot and action. The feast scene plays a certain compositional role: it is meant to single out a hero who ought to go to a crusade. The conflict situation to arise in the beginning of the song triggers action. Before the characters come into an open conflict, one of the opponents should reach a decision (solution). At a crucial moment, the heroes display courage and spirit in the struggle against their enemy who outnumbers and outperforms them. Each song is pinnacled by a duel of leading warriors. The jangarchi depicts scenes of the battle between the hero (accompanied by Jangar’s warriors) and a self-confident enemy with vivid artistic and pictorial means to create a panoramic picture of the battle aimed at capturing the listeners’ attention. The victory gained at the cost of inhuman efforts is perceived as a victory of spirit - the moral superiority of Khan Jangar and Bumba’s heroes over the bravery and strength of invaders. Being independent in terms of plots, the songs of the Baga Dorbet cycle are interconnected and arranged in a strictly defined order. The unity of the songs is maintained by such a compositional element as an extensive prologue -an introductory part repeated virtually unchanged in each poem. Another distinctive feature of the cycle is that the songs are characterized by internal plot-and-structural unity and are sequentially arranged to shape an interconnected narrative.