Nature’s voice
Mongolia, a steppe country in Central Asia, is known for unspoiled nature, nomadic life, gers made of felt, the seemingly endless expanses of blue sky, the Gobi Desert, and the Altai Mountains. Mongolian traditional throat singing, khoomei, comes from these beautiful scenes.
Khoomei developed from the inner love of nature that the nomads felt for centuries. The animals, particularly camels and horses, the rivers and mountains, the winds of the steppes and desert are brought to life by khoomei singers.
Khoomei singer Hosoo and his band Trans Mongolia are well known in Germany. They have lived and created music there for almost 10 years.
Hosoo not only sings but also explains the content of the songs and tells the audience about the history and technique of their fascinating music.
He was born into a family of khoomei singers and grew up in the home of khoomei singing, the province of Chandman Sum in Khovd. In this province, it lies in the Altai mountain region of Western Mongolia.
Hosoo’s family sang khoomei during his childhood in an ensemble of 30 from their village.
He has been practicing khoomei since he was seven. He is a master of the technique in which the singer simultaneously produces two notes: a long-drawn buzzing tone, over which the melody rises to great heights.
In the 13th Century, the Great Khans had their own singers who praised and chanted Khan epic chants and accolades over the Mongol homeland.
There is a West-Mongolian legend about people imitating the sounds of nature.
The Dominican monk Andre de Longjumeau compared the singing of the Mongols to the howling of the wolves, as the peculiar Mongolian variety of sound and singing style differed considerably from the Western style.
The Mongolians, as nomadic tribes, occupied themselves primarily with hunting and stockbreeding.
They sat down, day in and day out and dealt with the elemental forces of nature, at the same time being closely connected to them.
Only a skilled, respectful relationship with nature secured them the favor of all visible and invisible forces.
The Mongols faced nature with great respect and reverence.
The Earth, the mountains and rivers were sacred to them, and they lived in perfect harmony with nature.
The famous West-Mongolian narrator of epics Avirmed said, “These people, who are worshipping mountains, celebrating with singing, telling odes, and epic tales, is the path of the ancient, who worshipped the fire and called out to the heavens of hunting.”
Khoomei is very popular in Tuva and across Mongolia.
It is a special sound made in unison with the tongue, teeth, larynx and palate. It is a replacement of musical instruments with all aspects of vocal organs.
The technique of throat singing may be easy to write about- but it is almost impossible to actually perform.
To perform the higher tunes, the singer should bend (or fold) the tongue, and tap sounds with the tongue point and whisper through the front teeth.
At the same time making lips conical makes the converged melody. As the basic tune resonates, a melodic buzzing sound also reverberates. There are three types of khoomei.
Whistling khoomei is itself subdivided into four groups.
Throat khoomei uses from the stomach that flows under high pressure. The sound is forms with the help of the tongue. The expansion and contraction of the larynx has a major role.
In chest khoomei, the breath is held in the chest. Once the tongue is bent in the back of the palate to the top, the air flows under pressure through the mouth and nose.
Singing Khoomei with simultaneous involvement of the abdominal muscles, the flow of air from the stomach is changed by the sudden stretching and compression of the abdominal muscle.
Charchiraa khoomei is the original type of khoomei singing. This type differs from the others due to its particular technique that creates magnificent and emotional melodies. With Charchiraa khoomei it is possible to sing epic songs and hymns of praise and even imitate the sounds of various animals.
In Schachaa khoomei, the tone is formed by vibrating movements of the throat muscles and oral cavity, whereby the tongue and the palate play an important role. This technique is particularly suitable for singing songs with a faster rhythm.
Khoomei developed from the inner love of nature that the nomads felt for centuries. The animals, particularly camels and horses, the rivers and mountains, the winds of the steppes and desert are brought to life by khoomei singers.
Khoomei singer Hosoo and his band Trans Mongolia are well known in Germany. They have lived and created music there for almost 10 years.
Hosoo not only sings but also explains the content of the songs and tells the audience about the history and technique of their fascinating music.
He was born into a family of khoomei singers and grew up in the home of khoomei singing, the province of Chandman Sum in Khovd. In this province, it lies in the Altai mountain region of Western Mongolia.
Hosoo’s family sang khoomei during his childhood in an ensemble of 30 from their village.
He has been practicing khoomei since he was seven. He is a master of the technique in which the singer simultaneously produces two notes: a long-drawn buzzing tone, over which the melody rises to great heights.
In the 13th Century, the Great Khans had their own singers who praised and chanted Khan epic chants and accolades over the Mongol homeland.
There is a West-Mongolian legend about people imitating the sounds of nature.
The Dominican monk Andre de Longjumeau compared the singing of the Mongols to the howling of the wolves, as the peculiar Mongolian variety of sound and singing style differed considerably from the Western style.
The Mongolians, as nomadic tribes, occupied themselves primarily with hunting and stockbreeding.
They sat down, day in and day out and dealt with the elemental forces of nature, at the same time being closely connected to them.
Only a skilled, respectful relationship with nature secured them the favor of all visible and invisible forces.
The Mongols faced nature with great respect and reverence.
The Earth, the mountains and rivers were sacred to them, and they lived in perfect harmony with nature.
The famous West-Mongolian narrator of epics Avirmed said, “These people, who are worshipping mountains, celebrating with singing, telling odes, and epic tales, is the path of the ancient, who worshipped the fire and called out to the heavens of hunting.”
Khoomei is very popular in Tuva and across Mongolia.
It is a special sound made in unison with the tongue, teeth, larynx and palate. It is a replacement of musical instruments with all aspects of vocal organs.
The technique of throat singing may be easy to write about- but it is almost impossible to actually perform.
To perform the higher tunes, the singer should bend (or fold) the tongue, and tap sounds with the tongue point and whisper through the front teeth.
At the same time making lips conical makes the converged melody. As the basic tune resonates, a melodic buzzing sound also reverberates. There are three types of khoomei.
Whistling khoomei is itself subdivided into four groups.
Throat khoomei uses from the stomach that flows under high pressure. The sound is forms with the help of the tongue. The expansion and contraction of the larynx has a major role.
In chest khoomei, the breath is held in the chest. Once the tongue is bent in the back of the palate to the top, the air flows under pressure through the mouth and nose.
Singing Khoomei with simultaneous involvement of the abdominal muscles, the flow of air from the stomach is changed by the sudden stretching and compression of the abdominal muscle.
Charchiraa khoomei is the original type of khoomei singing. This type differs from the others due to its particular technique that creates magnificent and emotional melodies. With Charchiraa khoomei it is possible to sing epic songs and hymns of praise and even imitate the sounds of various animals.
In Schachaa khoomei, the tone is formed by vibrating movements of the throat muscles and oral cavity, whereby the tongue and the palate play an important role. This technique is particularly suitable for singing songs with a faster rhythm.
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