UNESCO listed Mongolian throat singing
The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or
UNESCO, listed Mongolian throat singing as an art native to Mongolia.
Since the beginning of this year, the Culture and Arts Policy Department
of Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has submitted over 10
intangible heritages to register with UNESCO including assembling of a
traditional dwelling ger, spring game, the traditional Mongolian script
and contortion. The throat singing and Mongolian three manly national
sports were submitted back in 2009. At its recent meeting
in Nairobi the UNESCO Council inscribed Mongolian Khoomii in the
Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of mankind.
It
is believed the art of throat singing has originated from south western
Mongolia in today's Khovd and Govi-Altai provinces. Nowadays, throat
singing is found throughout the country and is often considered as the
most active place of throat singing in the world. 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 Inner Mongolian Autonomous region of China, the
Russian Biriatia and Tuva. Throat singing 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. 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 Mongolia. The famous Russian Scientist, P. Chukot measured throat
singing with sensative 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. 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. The
Mongolian art of singing: Khoomei or ‘throat singing’ is a style of
singing in which a single performer produces a diversified harmony of
multiple voice parts, including a continued bass element produced in the
throat. Khoomii singers may perform alone or in groups. Traditionally
performed on the occasion of ritual ceremonies, songs express respect
and praise for the natural world, for the ancestors of the Mongolian
people and for great heroes. The form is reserved for special events and
group activities such as horse races, archery and wrestling
tournaments, large banquets and sacrificial rituals. Khoomei has long
been regarded as a central element representing Mongolian culture and
remains a strong symbol of national or ethnic identity. As a window into
the philosophy and aesthetic values of the Mongolian people it has
attracted attention around the world as a unique form of musical
expression. The most commonly practiced style Khöömii can be divided up
into the following categories.
- uruulyn / labial khöömii
- tagnain / palatal khöömii
- khamryn / nasal khöömii
- bagalzuuryn, khooloin / glottal, throat khöömii
- tseejiin khondiin, khevliin / chest cavity, stomach khöömii
- turlegt or khosmoljin khöömii / khöömii combined with long song
Mongolians also sing many other styles such as "karkhiraa" (literally "growling") and "isgeree" whistling.
The
Mongolian Government accessed and ratified the UNESCO Convention for
the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2005 and Convention
concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in
1992. The UNESCO launched an initiative to release and declare ‘Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’ in 2001, while the third release of the list was issued in 2005, there
being over 80 items of intangible cultural heritage inscribed in the
list. As intangible cultural heritage created by the Mongolian
nationality, ‘morin khuur’ (horse head fiddle) was declared ‘a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’ in 2003, as well as whereas
‘urtiin duu’ (long song) in 2005 so that they were incorporated in the
‘Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ in
2008 based on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage. The Parliament of Mongolia passed a ‘Law on
Protecting Cultural Heritage’, and the Mongolian President issued a
Decree on promoting and developing traditional culture of morin khuur,
long songs and huumii, while the Government has implemented a ‘National
programme for promoting tradutional culture’ and other initiatives, such
as the ‘Morin khuur and long songs’ action plans. Past
May Mongolia inscribed three of its heritages to the UNESCO intangible
heritage urgent safeguarding list including Mongol bielgee - Mongolian
traditional folk dance, “Tsuur”- Mongolian traditional music of tsuur,
Mongol tuuli - Mongolian Epic singing.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire