The Urtiin duu or “long song” is one of the two major forms of Mongolian songs, the other being the short song” (bogino duu). The Urtiin duu is a lyrical chant, which is characterized by an abundance of ornamentation, falsetto, an extremely wide vocal range and a free compositional form. The rising melody is slow and steady while the falling melody is often intercepted with a lively rhythm. Performances and compositions of Urtiin duu are closely linked to the pastoral way of life of the Mongolian nomads on their ancestral grasslands.

China,Mongolia 2008

The Limbe is a side-blown wind instrument, mostly made of hard wood or bamboo. It is considered as one of the valuable traditional musical instruments among Mongolians for its unique technique and characteristics such as hidden tune associated with circular breathing, and its performing techniques of skilful and delicate movements of fingers and tongue. The "Circular breathing" is a great achievement of nomadic Mongolians derived from their creativity, result of the exploration and necessity of their daily life. The origin and development of circular breathing is closely bound up with the skills and knowledge of ancient craftsmen or metalsmiths who specialized in gold and silver. Early Mongolian craftsmen used circular breathing techniques for crafting various decorative and ornamental items including valuable jewelleries.

Mongolia 2011

The Traditional Coaxing ritual expresses the peculiar relationship between a man and animal. The ritual comes under the domain of “social practices, rituals and festive events” and in cases where there is participation in the ritual by a singer and musician, or by a few musicians, it might also come under the domain of “performing art”. While elsewhere spring is a pleasant season for peasants, it isn’t convenient for Mongolian herdsmen. The mother animals give birth to their young in a harsh and dusty spring, so there is a big risk of losing a mother or a baby animal. Mongols have a variety of rituals relating to husbandry in traditional Mongolian society. One of them is a chanting ritual for a new-born baby animal and its mother. To chant is to stimulate, through the use of special words and melody, the adopting of a baby animal to a mother. There are different gestures, melodies and chanting techniques for the five types of livestock in Mongolia. Coaxing (khuuslukh) a camel is a ritual for a mother who rejects her baby; or for adopting an orphan baby to another female who has lost her baby, because only a suckling mother will have milk in harsh spring time. For the nomadic Mongols the camel milk has been not only the source of food and drinks in the severe Gobi Desert conditions, but also the basic means of preventing illness or for healing diseases. Therefore, the coaxing rituals originated from the everyday occurrence of the herdsmen and became one of the important elements of Mongolian folk knowledge and ritual. The performance of the ritual continues for a few hours at early morning or at twilight and requires a high skill of handling camels and a singing talent or skill for playing on a musical instrument such as the horse head fiddle or flute. Most herdswomen engage in techniques and methods of coaxing, but these techniques and methods aren’t enough sometimes, for performing the ritual successfully. If there isn’t a singer or musician in the family, the owner of the camels will invite a coaxer or a few masters in coaxing and players of a musical instrument, from another place. In this case, the coaxing ritual will compose of a small performance by several actors: a singer along with a horse head fiddle, flute or mouth-orlgan players. A mother is tied close to the calf, nearby to a yurt. A singer will begin gently their monotone song ""khuus"", ""khuus"" with a horse head fiddle or without any musical instrument. A mother will bite, savage or spit and show her ignorance to a calf at the beginning of the ritual. The coaxer can change their melody, depending on the mother’s behavioural reaction. Most musicians will perform the ritual traditional Mongolian -sad stories about camels- songs such as “Unchin tsagaan botgo”, “Goviin undur” etc. The musician performs his play with different sounds of walking, running and bellowing of a camel and absorbs words into poems, songs and epochs. When a mother camel is being coaxed into accepting a rejected or an orphan calf, it is said to break into tears at the gentle sound of ""khuus"" and the enchanting melody of the horse head fiddle sung and played by someone skilled in the art of casting spells on animals. In some cases, to perform the ritual more effectively herdsmen use additional techniques such as skinning a dead calf and covering the orphan camel calf with the hide, tying a mother together with a baby quite a far distance from the ger camp for the whole night, or soaking the calf in salt, saltpetre or in the mother’s milk. Also it was common to place the ankle bone of a wild sheep (there is a myth that wild ewes never reject their babies) around the neck of a mother or a calf. But nowadays it is very hard to find these anklebones, as wild sheep are enlisted to the endangered-species list. There is also an exotic remedy in the coaxing ritual where the mother is led to a ger at twilight and shown the fire inside. (A camel can’t enter a ger, because of its size.) All participants in the ritual wear good clothes, remain attentive and focused, using their own psychic vision and imagination in the coaxing process, because the participants express their gratitude to gods of the camels, mountains and waters within the ritual. After finishing the ritual a coaxer or small group of masters will be honoured guests of the family. A person, who had performed coaxing rituals prosperously, will be invited again and again by the families in need of the ritual. When, where, how many times they have been invited - is the main criteria for evaluating the talent of a cultural bearer of this ritual. The evaluation is a prerequisite to their popularity in a society. The coaxing ritual has been transmitted from generations to generations and been enriched by the exchange of camel herding knowledge between the herders of Umnugovi, Bayankhongor, Dundgovi provinces, which are the main territories of Mongolia’s Bactrian camel population. “We should not forget this ritual while we are herding camels, because in both the animal and the human - it transcends genre to become a deeply affecting allegory about the importance of patience and acceptance in so many relationships” that is the conception of elders, the cultural bearers’ communities and camel herders. The knowledge and skills relating to the ritual’s transmission occurs from parents and elders to youth, in home tutoring: Elders with long experience of herding, herdswomen with singing talent and the talented musicians, who can influence the camel’s behaviour, are the main actors of the coaxing ritual. The ritual acts as a symbolic medium for creating and maintaining the social ties of individual nomadic families and dependencies to the community, because it is one part of the traditional intangible cultural heritage of the relationship between man and livestock.

Mongolia 2015

Inscribed in 2008 (3.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (originally proclaimed in 2003) Pansori is a genre of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer.This popular tradition, characterized by expressive singing, stylized speech, a repertory of narratives and gesture, embraces both elite and folk culture. During performances lasting up to eight hours, a male or female singer, accompanied by a single barrel drum, improvises on texts that combine rural and erudite literary expressions. The term Pansori is derived from the Korean words pan, meaning “a place where many people gather”, and sori meaning “song”. Pansori originated in south-west Korea in the seventeenth century, probably as a new expression of the narrative songs of shamans. It remained an oral tradition among the common people until the late nineteenth century, by which time it acquired more sophisticated literary content and enjoyed considerable popularity among the urban elite. The settings, characters and situations that make up the Pansori universe are rooted in the Korea of the Joseon period (1392-1910). Pansori singers undergo long and rigorous training to master the wide range of distinct vocal timbres and to memorize the complex repertories. Many virtuosos have developed personal interpretive styles and are renowned for their particular manner of performing specific episodes.

South Korea 2003

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea As a drum dance handed down in Tongyeong (Chungmu), Gyeongsangnam-do, it was performed by barmaids and boys. During the Japanese Invasion of Korea (1592-1598), Admiral Yi Sun-sin had this dance played to boost the morale of his troops or celebrate the victory of battles. Many dances performed in Tongyeong, a naval town, were called Seungjeonmu (Victory Dance). Only the Mugo (Drum Dance) was designated as important intangible cultural heritage under the name Seungjeonmu in 1968. Nine years later, Geommu (Sword Dance) was included in said designation. Looking at how a victory dance is performed, four dancing women in ceremonial dress with long white cuffs make movements, gathering in the direction of the drum placed at the center and then scattering in four directions with soft steps after beating the drum; thus creating a grand, joyous atmosphere. Samhyeon dodeuri (dodeuri rhythm music by three strings) and taryeong (Korean folk song) were used as accompaniment in music. The overall dance movements are simple and antiquated, carrying unique local characteristics. Dancers performing a sword dance wear white jacket, red skirt, black sleeveless coat, military official’s hat, red belt, and jacket with long, multicolor-striped undershirts while holding a sword in each hand. The tools used and dancers’ movements in Seungjeonmu are similar to the Mugo performed at the Royal Palace. The elegant dance movements, melodies of music, and overall exquisite arrangement make it a dance with high artistic and traditional value.

Trường Yên Festival is also known as Tràng An Festival, Hoa Lư Festival, held on the 10th day of the third lunar month, to commemorate King Đinh Tiên Hoàng's efforts to quell the rebellion of 12 Warlords, establish the country, and efforts to defeat foreign invaders of King Lê Đại Hành. The ceremony includes rituals: temple opening ceremony (King Đinh temple, King Lê temple), water procession ceremony (in the middle of Hoàng Long river), incense offering ceremony (King Đinh temple, King Lê temple), fire procession (procession from Đinh Tiên Hoàng temple in Gia Phương commune, Gia Viễn district to King Đinh temple in Trường Yên commune), Mộc Dục ceremony (using water from the Hoàng Long River in the water procession ceremony), offering ceremony (three students - buffalo, goats, and pigs), palanquin processions (pavilions and temples worshiping generals of the Đinh and Lê dynasties carrying palanquins to worship the king), sacrificial ceremonies (nine song offerings and female mandarin offerings) and flower lantern festivals (monks and Buddhas). Prince releases lanterns on Sào Khê River, praying for peace and prosperity. The festival has interesting folk games such as reed chess exercises, boat racing, stick dancing, human chess, word formation, shuttlecock throwing, cheo singing competitions, wrestling, cursive script writing, gong performances, stilt walking, array fighting, crossbow shooting, etc. Among them, the performances "Reed Flag Exercise" and "Thái Bình Scrabble" are the most special, recreating the childhood and illustrious career of Emperor Đinh Tiên.

Nanyin is one of the oldest music genres in China. It lasts for thousands of years and prevails in Minnan area (including Quanzhou, Xiamen and Zhangzhou, with Quanzhou as its center). Between 4 AD and 13 AD, the musical culture of central China went down to the south. It continuously integrated with the local arts and finally gave birth to the nanyin. The playing modes of nanyin are related with many forms of music and instruments, such as Xianghege (literally “Song of Harmony”) and Qingshangyue (a music genre) popular in the Han and Jin dynasties (B.C. 206-420 A.D.), and Yanyue (a kind of court banquet music) and Daqu (a grand piece) popular in the Tang Dynasty (618 -907). The singing of nanyin follows the Quanzhou dialect since it came out. The musical instruments adopted and only found in nanyin mainly include dongxiao, an end-blown bamboo flute originated from the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220 AD-420 AD) (found in the murals found in No. 6 tomb in Jiayu Pass) and pipa, a kind of crooked-necked and horizontally played instrument widely used in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) (found in the murals at Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang). Nanyin also adopts some hand percussion instruments described in Yueshu (Book of Music) by Cheng Yang (1068-1128) of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), including clappers (made of five pieces of litchi wood), erxian (a two-stringed plucked instrument), sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), siguan (a kind of pipe), xiangzhan (a kind of small bronze horizontal gong), xiaojiao (a kind of small bronze percussion instrument), sibao (a kind of bamboo clappers), shuangling (double-bell) and biangu (a kind of flat drum). The sculpture of apsarases playing musical instructions in Daxiong Hall and Jietan (the place for monastic vows) of the Kaiyuan Temple reflects the musical culture in the Tang Dynasty. The musical instruments in the sculpture can be found today in the performances of nanyin. The most popular combination of the musical instruments includes pipa, dongxiao, erxian, sanxian and clappers currently. The sounds played by the combination coincide with each other in different orders and give forth the peasant and lingering melodies. The melodies contain fixed alternation system on basis of seven tones in the diatonic scale. The singing and the musical performance in nanyin are very difficult. Both the music and the sound must “be steady, flow smoothly at starting, be deeply moving in the middle and sound strong and round at the end”. The musical notation in nanyin is the inheritance of Chinese ancient musical notation. It uses five Chinese characters of “乂, 工, 六, 思, 一” to represent five musical notes. The signs of pipa zhigupu (music notation) and time-beating are attached beside the characters, including the concerned diction in midst. From the Three Special Melodic Phenomenon in the Instrumental Music of Nanyin published 420 years ago (one special melodic phenomenon is kept in the Cambridge University Library in Britain, and the other two are kept in Sachsen-based state library in Germany) to the various folk manuscripts, it shows that nanyin had widely adopted the accurate musical notation. Nanyin consists of three components, namely, pu (qiyuequ, refers to suites of instrumental music that carry no texts), zhi (taoqu, a kind of suites with lyrics, notation and pipa’s fingering), and qu (sanqu or qingchang, refers to “qu singing”). Nanyin involves legends in different generations, social customs and public feelings, and is very instructive. Among the more than 3,000 existing pieces of works, Qu accounts for 90%. It also contains many famous poems of the Tang and Five dynasties (907-960), including In Memory of A Maiden of Qin (The flute plays) by Li Bai, An Epigraph in Praise of My Humble Home by Liu Yuxi, Sheng Cha Zi (The crescent moon) by Niu Xiji, and Waves Sifting Sand (The rain gurgle outside the curtains) by Li Yu. Some lost plays of nanxi (southern opera) in the Song and Yuan dynasties (1127-1368) such as the Wang Huan, a masterpiece, can be found in nanyin. They are the precious heritages in the history of ancient Chinese musical culture. Nanyin is a common hobby and an important component of life for people in Minnan (south of Fujian). Nanyin is shown in various places such as courtyards, teahouses, squares, stages, halls and chambers, and different occasions including weddings, funerals and festivals by multi-means. As Nanyin is a common hobby and an important component of life for people in Minnan (south of Fujian). Nanyin is shown in various places such as courtyards, teahouses, squares, stages, halls and chambers, and different occasions including weddings, funerals and festivals by multi-means. As Minnan people moved to other areas, nanyin was also brought to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and the Southeast Asia. Wherever there are people from Minnan, there would have nanyin performance. Nanyin is the sound of hometown and motherland in the mind of Minnan people. Nanyin has become indispensable to the people's cultural life. An integral cultural event is composed of the sacrificial activities in spring and autumn, the ceremony for worshiping god of music (Meng Chang, 919-965), the master-disciple ceremony, the mutual visiting ceremony, social events and the nanyin performance. Nanyin is passed down and recreated by the local people in the long history of development. Various operas including puppet shows and Gaojia opera borrow ideas from nanyin. Nanyin lays a firm foundation for the growth of local opera music. Learning the musical and performance elements from local operas, nanyin greatly enriches the expressive force. By the innovation of integrating old tunes and new texts, nanyin advances with the times and meets the needs of environment and history.

China 2009

The Sấng Cọ singing, also known as Ví singing in Lưu Tam , has existed for a long time. It is a lyrical folk song genre written in the seven-word form, created by simple farmers. These songs are preserved and practiced orally or recorded in ancient Chinese characters. The Sấng Cọ singing has three main types: ritual singing, Ví singing and love singing, each of which reflects the thoughts, feelings and desires of ethnic people in their daily lives. Participants are divided into groups to sing in response to each other on many topics, and can sing according to available lyrics or improvise. Although the lyrics are rustic and simple, they have rich content and high educational value. The Sấng Cọ singing can be sung anywhere such as in the house, on the street, at the edge of the forest or on the fields... expressing the unique customs and practices and is the pride of the Sán Chay ethnic people for generations.

Originating from royal court singing, Huế Folk Songs gradually became folklore to reach the public. It was formed and developed around the 17th and 18th centuries and was most prosperous in the 19th century, under Tự Đức. The performance environment is a narrow space, with a limited number of performers and listeners; and not sing under the sun. A singing performance consists of 8 to 10 people, in which a standard orchestra has 4 or 5 instruments in the classical quintet (moon lute, pipa, 2-chord fiddle, 16-string zither, and monochord). Depending on the type of instrument, musicians play techniques such as pressing half a step, one step, one half a step, 2 to 3 steps, pressing strokes, pressing pecks, pressing jumps, pressing vibrato, pressing finger flips; tap, enjoy, peck, press, cover, tap, flash, flick, fly, spread., etc to be creative while accompanying music. Huế Folk Songs currently have 31 original songs, of which 13 are Northern tunes, 5 are Southern tunes, 5 are Xuân Nam tunes, 2 are Northern tunes (Cổ bản) and Southern tunes (Nam Bình), which are sung in dựng breathe. When singing, the singer must be careful in pronouncing and pronouncing words in standard Hue language, clearly understanding the tempos and speeds of each musical song, the typical licks, how to sing together, sing about, and sing in parallel breath, external rhythm singing, mature and authentic singing, how to take a breath, express strong and light nuances in each verse of the Huế Folk Songs system. Singers and musicians must be musically talented and must have a long training process.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea When a person died on Jindo Island after a long life, villagers came to console the bereaved family and had professional entertainers perform all night, which was part of the custom of praying for the peace of the spirit of the dead. Dasiraegi is a term referring to this custom. Goguryeo (circa 37 BC – 668 AD) tomb murals and books on the history of Goguryeo and Silla (57 BC – AD 935) show that people sang and danced during the funeral period. Jindo Dasiraegi is composed of five acts. In Act I, a person pretending to be a member of the bereaved family exchanges jokes with mourners. In Act II, a blind man, a female member of the troupe and a monk engage in a round of play. In Act III, mourners carry an empty bier on their shoulders and sing a funeral song. In Act IV, the mourners assume an act of digging a tomb, while singing a song. In the final Act, food and liquor are served to the invited entertainers. Jindo Dasiraegi is the country’s only folk play performed during a funeral period and handed down among professional entertainers belonging to Sincheong (an organization of exorcists and music performers). It is a valuable source of material for those studying funeral customs and folk plays.

Pa Dung, also known as "Pa Dung" or "Pao Dung", is a folk song of the Dao people. These are songs composed and passed down by the people, born a long time ago, originating from production labor and ancestor worship. Pa Dung, meaning singing Vi, is a popular folk music form of the Dao people. Pa Dung has two singing styles: daily Pa Dung and religious Pa Dung. Daily Pa Dung includes: lullabies, singing for fun, singing love songs, singing between men and women, singing lament...; Religious Pa Dung - customs includes songs used in traditional ceremonies of the Dao people such as coming of age ceremony, wedding ceremony, funeral or full month offering,… Singing in the daily style mainly relies on the "improvisation" talent of the singer, based on a number of available melodies, depending on the circumstances and the audience, a theme has different lyrics. In "Pao Dung", the Dao people divide singing into three forms. The first is singing (Pao dung), in this form, people sing with the longest breath; the second is reading singing (To dung), which is a form of singing with average breath, not taking as much breath as "Pao dung"; the third is speaking singing (Coong dung), this is the fastest form of singing, almost like talking to each other, sometimes with chanting and prolonging the voice. Through singing Pa Dung, Dao people express their thoughts, feelings, and wishes for a better life. Therefore, Pa Dung has a very important spiritual and cultural value for Dao people. With its typical value, Pa Dung of Dao people was included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism under Decision No. 4069/QD-BVHTTDL dated October 30, 2018.

Then Ritual is a long-standing form of cultural and religious activity of the Tày Cao Bang people. Then are songs and dances of the ritual folk song genre, used in rituals to cure illness, relieve drought, pray for good harvests, new rice ceremonies, granting ceremonies, etc., performed by Then practitioners. During the Then ritual, Then masters use props such as lutes, squirrel beams, squirrel balls, tokens, chain gods, amulet strings, fish snares, yin and yang cards, drums, gongs, and scrapers. tarpaulins, spikes, slats, etc. Classify Then according to the form of expression, including fan Then and linear Then. Fan Then was born before nature Then. The fan Then melody is slow and long, while the linear Then has a fast and intense melody. The fan then has no musical accompaniment, but the linear then has lute, squirrel, and musical fruit accompaniment. Classify Then according to content, there are peaceful then and festive then. The peaceful Then period includes making Then, praying for peace, and wishing. Peaceful Then includes sections: earth gong, phat pang, earth spirit, grave, kitchen king, ancestors, bridging, flower praying, midwife, drought relief, council, three jewels, king, kham hai. Then festival is practiced on the occasions of praying for a good harvest, entering a new house, granting food, green rice, and Then hot pot. The Then festival includes stages: disinfection, mosaic sea, singing four seasons, "tuc bach" or "phu thu" fan, Pụt Luông (lord of agricultural gods), magic house, council, three jewels, Tam Quang market, father king,etc. In Then rituals, Then the Sắc is the most unique performance, in which Then masters express their best through dancing, acting, trance, etc. , especially then dances with delicate artistic qualities.

Viet Nam 2019