Vocal & Instrumental Music of Mongolia (Various
artists) : (orginally 2
tangent LP’s) Topic records TSCD909 (Rec. April/May 1974)
These fascinating field recordings were made by
ethnomusicologist Jean Jenkins. The Two khöömii tracks feature the great late
Sundui. Unlike most Mongolian CD’s, the milking songs, finger/bone game songs and
praise songs give a insighrt into the way song is an intrinsic part of traditional
Mongolian life. There are solo recordings of most of the Mongolian musical
instruments including a great bamboo jaw’s harp played by Chimmidorj (maybe the
khöömii singer).
Vocal
music
1
Long song The sun that shines above the earth
(Uyahan Zambutivin Naram)
Duet, sung by Sumya and Orchibat,
accompanied on the morin xuur or horse head fiddle. The
one couplet
given here speaks of the warm sun which
rises again & again throughout the entire
world, unendingly. This is
a good example of the extended range & elaborate vocal
ornamentation of the song. Rec. Arvay
Heere, Overhangai Aimak, Central
Mongolia
2a Shortsong The ten fingers of the hand (Garyn Arvan Huriin)
Sung by
Monyi, a camel herder of south‑west Mongolia. This popular song, with its
small
range and simple melody is dramatically
different from the older form of the previous band.
The words tell, in the two verses sung here,
of the long straight fingers with the ring of pure
gold,
and then ask why he has hemmed his sleeves in black silk and given his love to
a
foreigner.
It is sung frequently on the radio,
from which Monyi probably learnt it.
b Another short song by Monyi The
fifteen day moon (Arvan Tauni Sax)
The text speaks of the 15 day old moon, which
is the lantern of the sky as the 15 year old girl
is
the lantern of her parents; the 25 day old moon, however, lights all the
universe as the 25
year old
woman light's her lover's life.
Both rec. in Khalium, Gobi Altai district, South West Mongolia
3 Long song My Beautiful brown horse (Ort Saikhan)
It is
sung by a famous long song singer, now in his seventies, Dorj Dawa, and is
accompanied on the Morin xuur and
flute. The words tell of a devoted horse, who ran 2000 kilometres back from
Peking to die in his native Mongolian homeland
Rec. in
a permanent encampment near the capital ofMongolia,
Ulan Bator
4 Praise song In praise of horses
(Morni magtaal)
Chanted
by Jambal, now, in his seventies. It praises the strong and fast horses of the
Gob! Altai region which have been running in the national horse races. This
form
of song, sometimes sung and sometimes chanted, is common in Mongolia. The
singer is given a subject and after a few minutes must produce a praise song
on the
topic. Many of the traditional phrases are re‑employed by singer after
singer, but the more original the contribution the more highly esteemed is the
singer
and his
praise song.
Rec. Biger, Gobi Altai region, South West Mongolia
5 Praise song in praise of life in a ger (Geriin magtaal)
In which Tserendulam enumerates the parts of
the ger (Mongolian tent, which is called yurt in Russian), how they are made,
what they remind her of, how good
luck
stays in the family ger, each motif or decoration and how it resembles the
natural flowers and animals of the Gobi.
Rec.
Away Heere, Overhangai region, Central Mongolia
6 Long
song My little light bay horse (Djaham sharakh)
Sung by Lamja, and accompanied on the morin
xuur or horse head fiddle. Both the singer, a professional musician, and the
song, are from Sukhe Bator in the
Eastern Gob!. The song, only one couplet of
which is given here, tells of a bay horse, now tired and running slowly, and
compares it with the young girl he loved,
and for whom his heart grieves. The vocal
embellishments and extended range of the long song are notable here.
Rec. Ulan Bator, Central Mongolia
7 Mouth music (Khöömii or xöömii)
This is a complicated technique producing the
vocal equivalent of the Jew's harp by means of considerable tension and strain
on the uvula and pharynx, and using
the
mouth cavity for resonance. As with the Jew's harp (in Mongolia as in south
east Asia and the Far East, traditionally made of bamboo) changing the shape of
the
mouth cavity changes the notes by allowing different resonances to predominate.
Few people today can produce this type of mouth music. Here Sundui, who
comes from the province of Kobda in the extreme
western part of Mongolia and who is now a professional musician, performs the
melody of first, a love song,
and second, a song about the high mountains
of the Gobi.
Rec. Ulan Bator
8 Milking songs
These differ not only from place to place,
but more important differences occur with each type of animal.Each man or woman
sings to his own animal, to soothe
her; the combined voices gives a polyphonic
(or possible heterophonic !) effect.
a Goats; women
sing Rec. Khurimt, near Khalium, Gobi Altai district, S. W. Mongolia
b Cows and the
hybrid cow/yaks; men sing
c Camels; men
sing and keep the newly‑born calves away from the mothers. Rec. Teriget,
E. of Biger, Gobi Altai district, S. W.
9 Wrestler's song (Buohiim taal)
The wrestler announces his team for the great
match; he praises the skill, determination, bravery, tricks and strong muscles
of each wrestler. This type of praise
song precedes each wrestling match, and
wrestling is a traditional sport in Mongolia. The announcer is Dolamjov.
Rec. Arvay Heere, Overhangal district,
Central Gobi
10 Finger games (Dembee and Khualakh)
Finger games (each player holds out a number
of fingers and the one who correctly predicts the total wins). The opposing
players, and onlookers as well, use
sung
rhymes to count up the points. These vary from place to place and even from
family to family. The men's game is called Dembee, the woman's Khualakh.
Five types are indicated briefly to give an
idea of the varieties.
Men a) Rec. Arvay Heere b) Rec. Ulan Bator
c) Rec. Ulan Bator
Women d) Rec. near Ulan Bator e) Rec. near
Ulan Bator
11
Shagai‑harvah
Shagai
harvah is an old and traditional game played by men, in which a box with bones
"tenpins" are hit or "shot" with a bone projected at them
from a distance
of
four to five yards. The players are divided into teams and both they and those
who are watching hum in chorus. Here too there is considerable regional
variation; two fragments are given here.
a
Rec. Arvay Heere b Rec. Gobi Altai
12 Long
song My beautiful Hangai land (Seruun saikhan Hangai)
Long song, sung by Sumya, who is accompanied
on the morinxuur played by Orchirbat. The extended range, the vocal
ornamentation, and the love and longing
for
the homeland of the long song are beautifully in evidence in this song.
Rec‑ Arvay Heere, Overhangai district,
Central Mongolia
Instrumental music
13
Morin Xuur Solo
The two‑stringed fiddle with a
trapezoidal body and skin face has a long, thin neck ending in a horse head
scroll; the strings are of twisted horsehair. Formerly all
men were expected to be able to play the
morin xuur,' today in towns it is a more specialised activity and the modern
professional musician uses a greatly
strengthened fiddle with wood replacing the skin face, and
employing modem bowing techniques. Here are two versions of Morayi Tovorgoon or
"The Galloping
Horse", the first played on an old‑style fiddle and the
second by a professional on a new fiddle.
a Solo
by Demidinsun Rec. Biger, Gobi Altai province, S. W. Mongolia
b Solo
by Gemain Gornbodrij Rec. Ulan Bator
14 Limbe
solo
The limbe is the transverse flute,
usually made of bamboo but occasionally nowadays of metal. This type of flute
is found throughout the Far East, and the best
ones still come from China. This one has 6 finger holes and one
hole covered with a membrane; the player of solo (a) learned from his father in
the Middle Gobi
forty years ago. Two Solos are presented
here. The first, Durvamtsag or "Four Seasons" is played by a
professional musician; the second is played by a
herdsman.
a Solo
by Dorj Maidar Rec. near Ulan Bator
b Solo
by Cholumbat Rec. Biger, Gobi Altai district, S. W Mongolia
15 Hoxuur solo
The hoxuur has a small cylindrical body,
face usually covered with snakeskin, and a long thin neck. The bow is fastened
between the two (or sometimes two
pairs of) strings, and the strings are
pressed from below or from the side rather than onto the neck. Found throughout
the Far East, this form probably originated
in
China. The song is Sungidma, a girl's name, and is played by Dambijantson Gogoy.
Rec. near Ulan Bator
16 Shanz
Solo
The
shanz is a long‑necked instrument, whose rectangular body (edges slightly
rounded) is made of heavy wood and its face covered with snakeskin. The three
strings are plucked with a plectrum, and it
is played by women. Like the hoxuur, the shanz is a Chinese instrument. Here
Khahtar is playing a tune of the Torgut
people, entitled Chadar.
Rec,
Gobi, S.W Mongolia
17
a Yatga solo
The yatga belongs to the family of long
zithers found in many variants throughout the Far East. The Mongolian
orchestras at the ancient Chinese courts played the
yataga or yatga. The local Mongolian type seems to have
disappeared in the past few decades, and can be seen only in museums. Its use
is now being revived
with instruments and teacher imported from Korea, where as in
China, Japan and Vietnam, it was used
in court ensembles. Here Monghur plays Hoir sit gild or
"The love of two young men"
b Tsenherien
Haragdah Uul or The faraway blue
mountains A love song by Monghur, accompanying herself on the yatga.
Both rec. Gobi Altal, S. W. Mongolia
18 Morin xuur solo
Another version of The Galloping Horse
(see band 13a and 13b) here played by Aiyush. Rec. Gobi Altai, S. W. Mongolia
19 Long
song
Accompanied
by morin xuur played by Orchibat; the singer is Sumya. Here the morin xuur plays its
role of following, Intertwining with, and ornamenting the vocal
line, already richly decorated. The song is
Bor Toirmun Byalzuhai, in which, as so often, the love of the countryside, the
beloved and the horse are intermingled.
Rec. Arvay
Heere, Overhangai province, Central Mongolia
20 Long
song Domun, (the name of a horse)
Sung
by Dorj Dawa, accompanied by morin xuur and limbe, both of which follow the
main melody. Rec. near Ulan Bator
21 Jew's harp solos
The
small rectangular bamboo Jew's harp is often used by girls and women, who can
attract a man with this music. (The large steel Jew's harp, with a tongue of
silver,
copper or bronze was mostly used by shamans to call the spirits.) Here a
professional musician, male, named Chimiddorj, plays on a bamboo Jew's harp
the melody of:
a Tsenherien Haragdah ‑ The hazy
mountains
b Goji Nanna (The name of a man) Both rec. Ulan Bator
22 Mouth
music (Khöömil or xöömii)
Although
this is not instrumental music; it is an imitation of the Jew's harp music, and
is presented here for comparison. (Mongols of the west also have mouth
music which imitates the flute, limbe, or the
3‑holed whistle flute tzur into which the player also hums.) The original
place of Khöömii in Western Mongolia
is
where
a river passes between two cliffs and the people tried to imitate the sound;
this is a local legend.
The
musician here is Sundul and the melodies are about a horse. Rec. Ulan Bator
23 a Yenchin
solo
The Yenchin is a trapezoidal dulcimer,
struck with light beaters. The instrument originated in Persia and spread both
westwards and eastwards into China, where
it was called Yang 'chin or foreign zither to
differentiate it from the long zither with an arched soundboard found throughout
the Far East. Although a fairly recent
arrival, it is popular throughout China as
well as the whole of Central Asia, and the heavy, elaborate type is now coming
into use in Mongolian ensembles. The
melody here is "The Black Horse"
and the player is Endenchimig.
b The yenchin, played by Endenchimig, and the
shanz, played by Sarantsetseg, accompanying the love song "The Blue and
Hazy Mountains sung by Horlov.
Both
rec. Khalium, Gobi Altai province, S.W. Mongolia
24 Morin
xuur solo
A
tune of the Hotan people, played by Nonar. Rec. Gobi Altal, S. W. Mongolia
25 Morin
xuur solo The boundless space (Sarvetol)
It
is played by Gemain Gombodrij, and it is a song of his birthplace in the
Eastern Gobi desert. Rec. near Ulan Bator
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Lyrical Translations
1Do
you not know that the gentle warm sun rises again and again
throughout the entire world without setting?
2a(Your) ten fingers are not crooked but
straight,
Your ring is not impure but pure gold.
Why have I hemmed my
sleeves in black silk?
Why have I given my
love to you the foreigner?
The
moon on the 15th is the lantern of the sky;
The
15‑year old girl is the lantern of her parents.
2b The moon on the 25th
is the lantern of the universe.
The young lady, 25 years old, is her
lover's lantern
3.My beautiful slim brown horse,
Has been running from far away;
I have been staying far
From my sweetheart, of whom I have never tired.
4You (race horses) are symbols and omens
of our developed nation,
You
are the horses of our beautiful strengthened country;
You
are the mounts of the rich Altai,
Who
have raced relentlessly in the happy Naadam (National Holidays)
You
(race horse) have beautiful ears like a doe
Four
legs (as strong as) an elephant's
Four
legs like sandalwood, (i.e. beauty)
Six
vertebrae in your neck.
Your
head is your beauty.
There
is no question about your fitness
Your
chest is like a male antelope's
And
your hips are Wide.
You
can run a far distance.
You
are like a lion,
You
come first among the thousand geldings,
You
can stretch an iron bit,
You
approach the great tent (end of the line)
Through far away mountain passes.
Running
fast as the wind, relentlessly running in the race.
The
dust stirred up in your heart,
you
are the symbol of a fine gelding.
The
sound of hooves is sweet,
You
are the beauty of beauties.
You
have a beautiful bird's forehead and male antelope's horn
Wild
asses (stir up ) high dust.
You
are like a flying arrow.
The
outstanding one.
Bless
our ten thousand mounts
5 Although the beautiful doorframe was made with
a tree from the Hangai (Mountains), it has the shape of a seal.
Although the beautiful tent poles were made
of nicely fitted split pines they have the shape of leaves and flowers.
Although the lucky
thread‑shaped lattice was made of criss‑crossed willow wood,
Happiness and joy are
full in it.
Although the firm
smoke hole of the tent was made with many gaps.
It looks like shining
precious stones.
After building the frame with timbers,
the (felt) cover was made of young sheep and lamb's wool seven inches thick,
Which was wetted with
graceful heavenly water and stretched by a racehorse.
(When the Mongols made felts they spread the
wool first and wetted it, rolled it and pulled it by a strong horse).
(The felt) is beautiful
It looks like a white Printed
letters are decorated
Creations of a
goddess.
(I) Am holding a long pair of scissors in my
skilful hand;
I was taught by my
mother and directed by my elder sister
Regarding my skill and
knowledge I was educated by the Nation;
Regarding the
structure and shape (of the tent) I have built it better than anyone.
Heart and mind have
been satisfied with the structure,
Covered it with the
best felt which flaps like the King Bird. (Garuda is the king bird in Indian Mythology)
(The tent) is
protecting the people from the world's powerful winds and bondless whirlwind.
The hair rope (for tying the tent) was made of the wild chestnut horse and the long
hair of the mating bull camel.
The hair ropes were
nicely reinforced and tied down firmly.
The twelve leather
ropes are like the People's heroes' bowstrings:
Four top ropes of the
tent. Have been tied down with ten ropes.
6.My
little bay horse,
Runs slowly, panting tired.
Thinking of the girl I loved,
My heart grieves.
7 The chants for Ewes and mother goats Not to
reject their lambs and kids. This is the meaning of the song, the words of which are not actually sung. See sleeve
note.
8Hark, hark! The
western side herald. Shall we announce our wrestlers.
On the 54th anniversary of our People's
Revolution of the (Mongolian) People's Republic.
I will announce
Dotgorsuren as our wrestler who is a National Nachin (falcon ‑ occupies
5th rank in wrestling)
of our Great National
Holiday, and who is from Khujirt Sum of Overhangai Aimag.
He has brought much
happiness to his local people and he is an outstanding heroic wrestler
with strong muscles
and brave determination.
You must wrestle with
all your might and come first in the Great Naadam.
The brilliant
forefront, you will make all the people happy
(I shall introduce)
the young Nachin Dolgorsuren. (The Herald of the eastern side says)
I will have
Sosorburam, who is from Taragt Sum of Overhangai Aimag,
He is an Arslang (the
first winner of an aimag wrestling)
and he has completed
three rounds and he will test his skills and tricks.
9a 1 Only
one, just one thumb
2 United two; loving two
3 Solely three (three year old cow)
4 Beat you by four
5 Guess by five
6 Racing by six
7
Seven high, beat you by seven
8 Eight friends; beat you by eight
9 Nine blue, secret nine
10 Ten
in all, all out ten,
11 Nil
(he did not show any finger)
9b Only there is eight
(It) has two eyes three feet.
Who is going to drink the cup of spirit ?
Who is going to guess it is five ?
If you say it is five, who of us can guess ?
If you say it is seven it will be the same.
If you say it is eight then we are the same
If you say it is five, it is alright
If it is steel iron,
it has no harm,
We have to follow the
tune of fire
Confusing you it has
no harm done.
But 1Ishall follow my
friend's tune.
(The sense of these words is not important as
they are only used as an accompanient to the game)
10 No
exact translation available.
Mongolia,
more than half a million square miles of high plateau, of
mountains, forests and formidable Gobi desert, is landlocked in northern
Central Asia between the borders of the Soviet Union and China. Once a great
empire, many of its figures are legendary today. It was from this region that
Atilla the Hun, greatest of all the barbarian rulers, invaded and conquered
much of Europe in the 5th century A.D. from here, in the 13th century Genghis
(Chinghis) Khan, head of a united Mongol force of nomadic tribesmen, led his
superb horsemen/warriors to Peking in the east, throughout the Islamic world to
the Adriatic in the west. His capital, Karakorum, with its elaborate palace,
was not only the centre of government with ambassadors from many parts of the
world; it contained temples, mosques, a church, cattle and grain markets, an
area devoted to craftsmen of all types, and bazaars with carpets, pottery, gold
and silver, and silks. One of his Mongol successors, Kublai Khan, ousted the
Sung Dynasty, he moved his capital to China where there was a magnificent court
and internal peace and order (this on the testimony of Manco Polo) although
externally the wars of conquest and re conquest continued, notably in Russia
where the Golden Hord was engaged in constant battles. Another Mongol, Timur
(Tamerlane) became master of Central Asia, with his capital Samarkand; he
adopted the culture of the area, including Islam, and his conquest of northern
India brought a new spirit to that region. A glimpse of the Mongol empires and
their famous characters, does not, however, give us much idea of day‑to‑day
life in Mongolia, either past or present. Their songs, on the other hand, give
an insight into the lives of these million and a half people who graze their
horses, yaks, cows and cow/yaks, sheep, goats and the two‑humped Bactrian
camels on the seemingly limitless high steppes; people who live in the round
white felt tents or gers which are easily transportable and ideally adapted to
protect them from the bitter dry cold and wind, who value greatly the manly
sports of horsemanship, archery and wrestling, and who are today part of an
independent country, the Mongolian People's Republic. Their lives have changed
enormously in the past fifty years with the advent of road and air transport,
schools, electricity, industry, blocks of flats, government‑sponsored
theatre groups and musical ensembles, and most of all with the growth of the
towns where the majority of them live today. The traditional music of Mongolia
reflects all aspects of their lives and thoughts, past and present.