Take a Musical Trip
The Magic of Tuvan Khöömei
Welcome back! Today, I am exploring the musical tradition of Khöömei, or Tuvan Throat Singing, an indigenous art form originating from the Republic of Tuva in Siberia (Russia). Unlike Western vocal music, which focuses on a single melodic line, Khöömei is defined by its ability to create two distinct pitches, a fundamental tone and a high-pitched overtone melody, simultaneously. This music is intrinsically linked to the nomadic, animistic culture of the Tuvan people.
Enjoy a traditional Tuvan performance by Huun-Huur-Tu in 2008. Note the nomadic sound and mimicry of nature. The distinctiveness of Tuvan Khöömei is driven by the unique manipulation of the vocal tract, resulting in a sound that sounds almost other worldly to listeners accustomed to Western music.
Texture and Timbre
The defining characteristic of Khöömei is its biphonic texture, or the simultaneous production of two notes by a single vocalist. The fundamental low tone or drone is produced normally. The second, high-pitched note (melody) is created by tightening the throat and meticulously shaping the oral cavity, tongue, and lips. This action isolates and amplifies a single harmonic overtone from the fundamental tone's harmonic series, turning a subtle, buzzing overtone into a distinct, high-whistling melodic line. This manipulation is key to the distinct styles. Kargyraa, a deep, guttural sound with a low fundamental pitch, illustrating powerful river currents and Sygyt, a high, whistling sound with an extremely amplified upper overtone, often mimicking the wind are two disctict Khöömei styles.
Harmony
Khöömei is fundamentally non-harmonic in the Western sense of chord progressions. The "harmony" is derived entirely from the natural acoustics of the harmonic 'series". The overtone melody can only utilize the notes available in that series, making the music sound perfectly resonant. You'll notice while the overtone changes pitch, the fundamental drone often remains static, reinforcing the texture and grounding the sound in a constant, earthy resonance, a practice known as drone-based monody.
Rhythm
The rhythmic elements of Khöömei are generally simple and functional, designed to support the timbre effects. Rhythms are often simple and repetitive, meant to evoke natural sounds like the galloping of a horse, or the steady rush of a river. The complexity lies not in rhythmic syncopation, but in the dynamic and timbral changes within the sustained tone. Many Khöömei performances begin with an extended, unmetered section, allowing the listener to focus entirely on the spiritual quality and purity of the vocal timbre before a noticeable rhythm is established.
Social and Cultural Aspects
Tuvan throat music serves as an auditory expression of the animistic worldview of the nomadic people of Northern Mongolia and Siberia. The function of Khöömei is not entertainment, but spiritual and environmental connection. The music is a sound map of the Tuvan homeland. By mimicking the sounds of wind, mountains, water, and animals, the singer is literally embodying and communicating with the spirits of the land. Historically, certain forms of Khöömei were used by shamans to enter trance states or summon protective spirits. Even in modern performance, the intensity and physical control required lend the music a ritualistic, meditative gravity. The music serves to affirm the singer’s identity as a person of the land.
Contemporary Styles
The power of Tuvan music is not trapped in tradition. Contemporary artists are redefining its function by fusing its distinctive sounds with modern instuments. A compelling example of this global evolution is the Siberian indigenous electro-folk group Otyken, who integrate the powerful, layered vocal timbre of throat singing into heavy electronic beats, creating a forceful, contemporary musical identity for the global stage. Otyken is a Siberian indigenous electro-folk group that integrates throat singing techniques into a modern framework, often with electronic beats and diverse indigenous instrumentation. Listen for how the powerful, layered vocal timbre is used not for spiritual invocation, but for creating a forceful, more new age musical identity. Please take a moment to enjoy the song "Storm" by Otyken (2022).
My Reaction
My initial reaction to Khöömei is one of awe and strangeness. This music is a sonic paradox: two notes are heard simultaneously, yet the texture remains singular and focused. The low timbre of the Kargyraa style creates a heavy, earthy gravity that is deeply unsettling and meditative, while the clear, high overtone melody of the Sygyt style feels nimble and almost otherworldly. My reaction is directly related to the cultural differences between Western music and Khöömei. The music sounds strange because it is not meant to be a Western narrative or entertainment. Instead it is an act of aural imitation and spiritual invocation. The unique biphonics and natural harmonic choices succeed in transporting the listener out of a conventional musical space and into a landscape of wind, horses, and mountains.
Works Cited
Alash. (n.d.). Alash - About Tuvan Throat Singing. Www.alashensemble.com. https://www.alashensemble.com/about_tts.htm
Folkways. (n.d.). Throat Singing: A unique vocalization from three cultures. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. https://folkways.si.edu/throat-singing-unique-vocalization-three-cultures/world/music/article/smithsonian
JARO Medien GmbH - Bremen. (2011, July 15). Huun-Huur-Tu - Live Berkely. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0djHJBAP3U&list=RDi0djHJBAP3U
OTYKEN. (2022, April 28). OTYKEN - STORM (Official Music Video). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqwrwwOzVcQ&list=RDCqwrwwOzVcQ
UNESCO - Mongolian traditional art of Khöömei. (2009). Ich.unesco.org. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/mongolian-traditional-art-of-khoomei-00396
Researchers Solve Mystery of Tuvan Throat Singing | University of Arizona News. (n.d.). News.arizona.edu. https://news.arizona.edu/news/researchers-solve-mystery-tuvan-throat-singing
Otyken. (2024, February 20). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otyken
Your study on Tuvan Khöömei is quite interesting! I loved how you talked about how important this music is to your culture and religion. This is what makes it so different from Western music. I think the idea of sound as a link to nature and the environment is interesting, and your explanations of the different genres, Kargyraa and Sygyt, were very detailed. I think it's interesting how current artists like Otyken are making this unique art style more popular by connecting the past with the present.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie, I really enjoyed how you intricately broke down the elements of these Indigenous performances. I never heard anything like this before and was intrigued by the different sounds that were involved within one breath as mentioned in your post a biphonic texture or two notes sang by one vocalist. The low toned drone reminded me of the Aboriginal Didgeridoo yet observing how large the Didgeridoo is, it's incredible to witness a similar tone coming from pure vocals. Here is a link with an example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG9ZX1FS20A.
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