Throat singing is Mongolia's invaluable contribution to
world. Although this type of unique
singing developed in Mongolia in its
classical form, it is also performed in India, Bashkir, and Tuva. But what
exactly is throat singing? It is a
special sound made in unison with the tongue, teeth, larynx and palate. To put
it simply, it is a replacement of musical instruments with all aspects of vocal
organs. To hear it for the first time is a wonder. It is said that there is
no other nation in the world that can combine such human physical capacity in
place of musical instruments, than the felt walled nation* The famous Russian Scientist, P. Chukot measured
throat singing with sensitive sound equipment and discovered that it was formed
from converging tunes of different scale octaves between lower tone (which
incidentally makes up the primary tone) and a combination of high peaks.
The technique of throat singing may be easy to write about- but it is
almost impossible to actually try to perform. To perform the higher tune, the
singer should bend (or fold) the tongue, and tap skilled sounds with the tongue
point and whisper through the front
teeth. At the same time the converged melody is made by making lips conical. As
the basic tune resonates, a melodic buzzing
sound also reverberates.
Because of the unique skills needed to master this
type of venerated singing is rigorous,
there are not very many throat singers. The mother land of throat singing is
considered to be in Khovd aimag, (in western Mongolia,). It is said that almost
everyone there can throat sing. But although almost everyone can throat
sing, very few actually can perform it
professionally. It is estimated that only one out of two hundred children
eventually master this demanding skill. Mr. Zulsar is one such gifted vocalist.
He has traveled with the National Folk Song and Dance Ensemble to roughly fifty
countries presenting the wonders of throat singing. Mr. Zulsar firmly believes
in order to be a throat singer, one must not only have a capacious throat, but
more importantly- the ability to refine through hard work and demonstrate a
real patience for the continuous development of it.
“It is difficult to pinpoint
the period when throat singing actually started, but as an art it started to
develop during the 19th century. Khoomii is not studied well.
Shorter forms of Khoomii was sang. In 1954 Tsedee, a singer from Chamdmani
soum, Khovd aimag sang, Eulogy of Altai Kaan (long song about Altai
mountain) in the throat singing form during the Khovd aimags Arts Days in
Ulaanbaatar- That song was a revolution in the Khoomii art!" Zulsar
asserts.
In Mongolia, this creative sound is at its’ zenith largely due to the performers imaginative aesthetic
impressions of nature in which he/she is a part of. For instance, songs from
Khovd aimag sound eerily similar to wind whistling over rocks and crevices, as
they impersonate their aimag surroundings, which is windy and rocky.
There are three genres of Khoomii: Khoomii
from chest or lower tune buz; cascading Khoomii, devided into two-cascading
and rapids; whistling or thin Khoomii.
This is believed to be suitable for songs concerning legends and epic poems.
The other place, where khoomii is popular: Tuva (
there is even a widely acclaimed movie, Chinggis
Blues about a throat singer from Tuva, joining talents with a blues singer
and developing a special style of music as they travel and perform). Tuva also
has its’ unique own sound. In Tuva,
epic poems and legends cascade into a vocalized rhythmic melody. Whereas generally in Mongolia, the cascading
is more similar to instrumental sounds. For a foreigner hearing khoomii for the
first time is unforgettable, and practically impossible to understand how such
a unique sound can come from the mouth. "I was even asked to show what I had in my mouth, or was
asked to bring my arms in front instead of keeping them hiding behind my back" smiles Mr. Zulsar.
Although khoomii is rarely
studied by dedicated artists, there is
the Mongolian Khoomii Association,
which has been established by several throat singers, in order to ensure that
it is not lost in Mongolia.
* Nomads often refer to their country as the felt walled nation. The term is related to the felt covering
their gers which dot the expansive landscape.