Musical Trip to Mongolia
Mongolian Throat Singing.
For my Musical Trip blog, I wanted to go into Mongolia. More specifically their throat singing. While it is more commonly known as Tuvan throat singing due to the people of Tuva, Siberia, and Mongolia practicing this kind of singing. "Throat singing originated among the indigenous Turko-Mongol tribes of the Altai and Sayan mountains of southern Siberia and western Mongolia" (Britannica). Originally it came from male herders as a way of sounding like nature and their surroundings. It was forbidden for women to throat sing as it was believed that it would cause infertility. Lucky, that belief was overthrown and now there are many women throat singers.
"The popularity of throat singing among Tuvans seems to have arisen as a result of geographic location and culture. The open landscape of Tuva allows for the sounds to carry a great distance. Ethnomusicologists studying throat singing in these areas mark khoomei as an integral part in the ancient pastoral animism still practiced today. Often, singers travel far into the counrtyside looking for the right river, or go up to the steppes of the mountainside to create the proper environment for throat singing" (Wikipedia).
In the different regions and cultures, throat singing goes by different names. "In the western Mongolian Altai, throat-singing is called höömii (also khöömii or xöömii) and is practiced traditionally by the western Khalkha, Bait, and Altay Urianghai peoples. Indigenous peoples in Altay, Khakassia, and Tyva call throat-singing kai, khai, and khöömei, respectively" (Britannica).
The styles also varies in different regions and cultures. "In western Mongolia styles are identified by the parts of the body that figure most prominently in the manipulation of pitch and timbre. For example, the Bait people refer to the "root-of-the-tongue" style, and western Khalkhas distinguish labial, nasal, glottal or throat, palatal, and chest-cavity or stomach styles. The western Khalkahas also use a deep bass, nonmelodic throat-singing style, and certain specialists can combine a number of styles with lyrics. Tyvans, by contrast, often classify styles in relation to the landscape" (Brittanica).
For this post, it is hard to focus on Mongolian throat singing in specific because in most cases, it is referred to Tuvan throat singing or khöömii. Because Tuva is a land west of Mongolia, it is sometimes clumped in the same country. Also every time I look up Mongolian throat singing on YouTube, I find Altai music or a mix of different regions. So, trying my best, I found a song that most fits the old style of Mongolian throat singing.
In my opinion, I like all Mongolian throat singing and particularly enjoy the HU and the Altai-Kai group. While I won't post their songs on here, I do recommend looking into their songs if you are interested.
Resources Used:
Pegg, Carole. "Throat-singing". Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Dec. 2015, https://www.britannica.com/art/throat-singing . Accessed on 21 Oct. 2021.
Rybka, Martin. "Batxorig Vaanchig- Mongolian Throat Singing." YouTube. 22 Sept. 2016, https://youtu.be/6W1I24rv g .
Thome, Aria. "What is Mongolian Throat Singing?" Take Lessons. 20 Dec. 2020, https://takelessons.com/blog/2020/12/what-is-mongolian-throat-singing . Accessed on Oct. 21, 2021.
Wikipedia. "Tuvan throat singing." Wikipedia. Last updated on 15 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvan_throat_singing Accessed on Oct. 21, 2021.
Hi Emily! I had never really heard of throat singing before; how interesting! I loved reading the history you provided and think it's funny how the singing has different names in different cultures and regions. It's interesting to me that one type of music can be the same, but so different at the same time. I enjoyed seeing the culture through the video you shared here. It's not my favorite kind of music and probably not something I would listen to on my own time, but I do think this music is impressive in the way it showcases their culture. Great references, but remember you should have referenced two different musical pieces and the musical elements found in them!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, I always wondered what this style of music was called. I have heard many times watching movies and thought it was pretty cool. Of course these movies were all old war movies, Gengis Khan old. This tradition is very cool and honestly I feel that it could amp you up to do something dangerous, almost like a trance.
ReplyDeleteThe vocalist you posted a video honestly reminds me of a Didgeridoo with the way his voice vibrates and drones. I have never heard anything like this. It is really cool to hear something different and unique. The sound of it is almost familiar to auto tune or that of a robot you would see on a kids cartoon.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that this style of music was called throat singing. It's so neat how the harmonies between the instruments and the throat singing line up so perfectly. I also agree with Molly Wilson when she said that the vocals kind of sound like a Didgeridoo because they definitely sound very similar! I liked reading the history about this style of music. Great post :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting choice! I have been following Shina Novalinga, an Inuk woman from Montreal who has been learning her traditional throat singing from her mother. She explains the culture behind her singing in this interview:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMZHqCim8FE
I love how she is using her platform to bring awareness of her culture. She also has recently been featured in Sephora Canada advertisements recently.
Heya Emily! Loved the analysis and the example you've given us, awkwardly enough reminds me of the background music in some medieval media. The instrument also has this awesome drone that you can keep hearing in the back of your head. The "throat singing" part of the name of the style also leads you to believe the dynamic of the song would be extremely loud, but that's actually not the case in part of this video, and the singing, along with the instrument's drone and melody mixes well together! The Inuit in Alaska, but mainly Canada also has their own throat singing! Heard about it while I was down in Sitka and doing research, I could only find it being called "Inuit women's throat singing" and I've linked a video done of Kathy Keknek and Janet Aglukkaq singing together! Be prepared when you hear the two singing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnGM0BlA95I&t=94s
ReplyDeleteI really liked this blog post that you did.