The study is devoted to the periodization of the history of Kazakh music in the 20th century which is necessary for an objective reflection of all the complex musical and cultural processes of this time. Based on the existing approaches to periodization (U. Jumakova, M. Drozhzhina, V. Nedlina), as well as the methodology of V.R. Dulat-Aleyev, a universal basis for periodization was searched. Different approaches to the periodization of the musical culture of Kazakhstan in the 20th century one way or another take into account the aspect of the change of cultural paradigms, as a result of which the main time boundaries coincide. The reasons for periodization are the change of generations of composers (U. Jumakova), the interaction vectors of the center and periphery of culture (M. Drozhzhina), intercultural interaction (V. Nedlina).

In this study, another, broader basis for periodization is proposed – a change in the paradigms of culture. It involves a semiotic interpretation of musical culture. The division of the recent history of Kazakh musical culture is consistent with the predominance of monomodality (until the 1920s), bimodality (1920-1970s) and polymodality (1980 – present). The paradigm of culture acts as a universal foundation and allows us to combine musical and cultural processes in different musical and creative forms (traditional music, composer creativity, mass art), and also take into account the wide Eurasian context of Kazakhstani music.