Music of Mongolia
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Image:Mongolian Musician.jpg Mongolia is a nation located in Asia, and its people form a distinct ethnic group composed of several smaller tribes and clans. The Russian Republic of Tuva and parts of China (including Inner Mongolia) also include large minorities of Mongols. Music is integral part of Mongolian culture. Communism in Mongolia lasted from 1924 and 1992; during this time, many aspects of indigenous culture were repressed throughout the country. The Mongol minorities in China and Russia were similarly repressed, at least for certain periods of the 20th century.
In Mongolia, Communist control led to the forced cultural domination of the Khalkhas, who are the largest ethnic group in the country. Traditional styles of music were modernized and standardized, sometimes adding European elements. Traditional long-songs are one of the greatest features of mongolian music.
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Long-songs
Long-songs are generally sad, and are sometimes perceived as being morose. Lyrical themes vary depending on context; they can be philosophical, religious, romance, or celebratory, and often use horses as a symbol or theme repeated throughout the song. Eastern Mongols typically use a moriin khuur (horse-head fiddle) as accompaniment, sometimes with a type of indigenous flute. Western Mongols typically sing long-songs unaccompanied.
Horse-head fiddle
The horse-head fiddle, or moriin khuur, is a distinctively Mongolian instrument, traditionally played by the uligershin (bards) of that culture, and is seen as a symbol of the country. The instrument is two-stringed and is bowed like a cello. There is some controversy regarding the traditional carving of a horse on the upper end of the pegbox. Some scholars believe that this is proof that the instrument was originally a shamanistic instrument, as the staffs of shamans have a horse similarly carved on top; the horse is a much-revered animal in Mongolia.
UNESCO proclaimed the traditional music of the moriin khuur a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7, 2003.
Throat singing
Perhaps the best-known musical form of the Mongols is the throat-singing tradition, extant among all or most Mongols though best well-known internationally from Tuva. Sung differently than traditional vocals from Mongolia or almost anywhere in the world (with the exception of a few specific areas, such as Switzerland or Canadian Inuits). In Mongolia, the most-famous throat-singers include Khalkhas like Gereltsogt and Sundui, while the Tuvan group Huun-Huur-Tu has an international following. This unique type of singing involves the performer generating two notes at once, one much higher than the other.
Pop music
Largely unknown outside of Mongolia, there is a thriving pop mop scene centred in the city of Ulaanbaatar. Actually, this is a mixture of various kinds of popular music. Other Western genres include heavy metal bands like Hurd, boy bands like Camerton, girl groups like Lipstick, hard rock bands like Haranga and hip hop groups like Lumino. There is also a long established and distinctive "Mongolian pop" genre that occupies the same place on the musical spectrum as Japanese Enka music or Western soft-pop-oriented folk music or country music. Classic performers from the late 20th century include Batsukh and Tumurhuyag. Some of the repeatedly heard lyrical themes are very distinctive for Mongolia: heartfelt tributes to the songwriter's mother, for example, or paeans to great horses. This type of music is not considered world music in the west and was long generally unavailable outside Mongolia, but can now be downloaded from various Mongolian websites. It may be filed under the designation Зохиoлын Дyy (literary music).
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References
- Pegg, Carole. "Sixty Horses in My Herd". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 189-197. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Central Asia in Words and Pictures: Mongoliabg:Музика на Монголия