Materials
vocal
ICH Materials 274
Videos
(10)-
Marzai and giingoo, the songs of the horse-jockeys
This melody is the specific part of ritual that dedicated to the swift horse and jockey for relaxing before and after the horse race. Mostly, this melody is singing at the before the race and after race and also in the long-distance training of swift horse. The tradition of singing a giingoo (jockey songs) before race or during the title recitation meant to encourage and calm the horses. The giingoo (zeengoo) and marzai share similar features with urtiin duu songs as wide-ranging vocal melodies and rhythms. The marzai is a well-wishing religious spell of Odserjmaa deity for well-being of jockey and a horse.
Mongolia -
Mongol Tuuli, Mongolian Epic
Mongol Tuuli is an oral tradition comprising heroic epics that run from hundreds to thousands of lines and combine benedictions, eulogies, spells, idiomatic phrases, fairy tales, myths and folk songs. They are regarded as a living encyclopedia of Mongolian oral traditions and immortalize the heroic history of the Mongols. Epic performers are distinguished by their prodigious memory and skills, combining singing, vocal improvisation and musical composition coupled with theatrical elements. Epic lyrics are performed to musical accompaniment on instruments such as morin khuur and tovshuur. Epics are performed during social and public events, including state affairs, weddings, a child’s first haircut, naadam and worship of sacred sites. Epics evolved over many centuries, and reflect nomadic lifestyles, social behaviors, religion, mentalities and imagination. Epic performers cultivate epic traditions from generation to generation, learning, performing and transmitting techniques within kinship circles, from fathers to sons.
Mongolia -
Mongol Khuumei Today
Traditional Art of Khuumei (Throat Singing) (Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2010)\nKhuumei is a wonder of culture created by nomads, a unique phenomenon of traditional Mongolian music, an ancient art form, and the highest form of art produced by the vocal organs. Khuumei is considered one of the most significant and unique musical cultures, passed down from generation to generation through home training for hundreds of thousands of years, among nomads. The wonder of “whistling khuumei” as it is called lies in producing two or more pitches simultaneously, one of which is a fundamental pitch from the chest and the other a higher pitch resonating to the hard palate.
Mongolia 2017 -
Thailand, Khon, Masked Dance Drama
Inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018\nKhon is a performing art that combines musical, vocal, literary, dance, ritual, and handicraft elements, traditionally transmitted in royal or princely courts, and in dance masters’ households. It tells the story of Ramakien—the localized Thai version of the Ramayana epic. The drama is enacted through dancing accompanied by a piphat classical xylophone ensemble, singing, and narration. On one level, Khon exemplifies the refined artistic traditions nurtured by the Thai courts throughout centuries. On another level, as a captivating theatrical production, it offers a rich experience that can be appreciated and understood by individuals from diverse social backgrounds.
Thailand 2023-04-23 -
Mak Yong
This ancient theatre form created by Malaysia’s Malay communities combines acting, vocal and instrumental music, gestures and elaborate costumes. Specific to the villages of Kelantan in northwest Malaysia, where the tradition originated, Mak Yong is performed mainly as entertainment or for ritual purposes related to healing practices.
Malaysia -
Mak Yong Costume Wearing, Malaysia
This ancient theatre form created by Malaysia’s Malay communities combines acting, vocal and instrumental music, gestures and elaborate costumes. Specific to the villages of Kelantan in northwest Malaysia, where the tradition originated, Mak Yong is performed mainly as entertainment or for ritual purposes related to healing practices.
Malaysia -
Katta Ashula
Katta ashula is a vocal direction, a song genre typical for the Ferghana Valley, in which peculiar style and manner of singing is observed. It is performed by two or more singers in turns and without accompaniment of musical instruments. Katta Ashula is characterized by laconism (in means of expression), expressiveness (in music language), dynamism (in melodic development) and bright emotionality. Its figurative structure (or style) is closely connected to the traditional (classical) poetry of lyrical and philosophical nature. And ghazals of Navoi, Lutfi, Mashrab, Khazini, Muqimi, Furqat, Zavqi, Miskin serve as main poetic texts in this genre. Though, since the XX century the poems of contemporary Uzbek poets (such as Sobir Abdulla, Charkhi, Chusti, Akmal Polat, Khabibi, and others) as well as examples of folk poetry have been widely used. In terms of subject matter katta ashula songs can be divided into love-lyrical, didactic, religious and contemporary ones. The origins of katta ashula genre should be looked for in ancient folk-ritual chants, songs of "praise" (such as marsiya, navkha, ayolgu), agriculture- and labor-related songs with their original combination of recitative-declamatory beginning and chanting; and in distiches of ghazals (ghazalkhonlik), written in aruz prosody. Performance with high-pitched voice, existence of culmination parts, clarity of words for and their impact to the listeners – all these are features of this type of song. Katta ashula has several genres, such as “Yovvoi maqom” (“Yovvoi Ushshoq”, “Yovvoi Chorgoh”),"Yovvoyi asula" ("Yovvoyi Tanovar", "Yovvoyi Munojat"), "Yakkahonlik" ("Ohkim, gulzorim qani topmadim").\nNotably, the emergence and development of Katta ashula genre is closely linked with existence of corresponding performance schools, which stand out with their style of interpretation, manner of singing and bearers. From among katta ashula performance schools it is possible to mention Qoqand, Margilan, Andijan, Namangan and Tashkent performance schools.
Uzbekistan -
ThinTo (bamboo harp)
Mjaun bamboo is chopped during the month when bamboos are chopped and they had to be smoked or dried fumed or desiccated. Bamboo is peeled to get double layers that is outer layer and inner layer like as a bamboo chip or bamboo fiber. Then they have to be made flawless and smooth. The small blocks of bamboo are placed under them to strike as key. The inner layer produces the original key. Long ago it made with eight strings of bamboo and it composed of four bass vocal cords. Five rhythm vocal cords. Nowadays, guitar string is put on it instead of bamboo string. There is put on it because of guitar string.\n-11 inches in diameter\n-3 inches in Girth
Myanmar 2014-06-14 -
Shashmaqom music
Shashmaqam (means the six Maqams (modes)) is a Central Asian musical genre (typical of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) which firstly developed in Bukhara. Shashmaqom (in Farsi - "Six maqoms") is a leading musical-cyclic genre of musical heritage of Uzbek and Tajik people. It includes a cycle of complex and perfect instrumental as well as vocal compositions encompassing different types of melos, forms, usuls (rhythmic formulae) and performances. Shashmaqom is a cycle consisting of six maqoms, namely Buzruk, Rost, Navo, Dugoh, Segoh and Iroq. Each of these consists of two parts respectively, i.e. instrumental one (which is called "Mushkilot") and vocal one (which is called "Nasr"), representing more than 250 cycles of instrumental and vocal compositions in total. Shashmaqom got formed in urban environment, and its bearers of traditions were well-known musicians and singers. Its vocal part was performed in Uzbek and Tajik languages. The texts were mainly taken from the poems of classics of oriental poetry (i.e. Rudaki, Jami, Lutfi, Navoi, Babur, Khafiz, Fizuli, Amiri, Nodira, Zebuniso, Ogahiy and others) and were dedicated to love-related, lyrical, philosophical, didactic, religious themes. Folk poetry examples were also used. Most widely used musical instrument was tanbur. It is based on tuning tanbur that the tonal basis of maqoms emerged. Instrumental part of each maqom included instrumental compositions such as "Tasnif", "Tarje", "Gardun", "Mukhammas" and "Sakil", performed either solo or by instrumental ensemble. However, each part differed with its own tune, character of melody, structure and usuls of doira. Vocal parts are considered the most difficult and complete ones in terms of structure, melos and form and are divided into two cycles (shuba): the first one includes "Sarakhbor", "Talqin", "Nasr" and "Ufar", performed by leading singer - hofiz (their melodies are more developed, of great range and complex form). Between main parts "Tarona" was sung by vocal ensemble as a connecting one (it is a small vocal piece, which has its own tunes, feature and forms). The second cycle (shuba) includes five-part cycles "Moghulcha" and "Savt" (except maqom "Iroq"). In addition to main parts, each maqom incorporates additional compositions: instrumental one (naghma, peshrav, samoyi, hafif), and vocal one (uzzol, ushshoq, bayot, chorgoh, nasrullo, oraz, khusayniy, navrozi sabo, khoro and ajam), the creators of which were bastakors (creators of oral musical tradition). Shashmaqom got formed, has been preserved, mastered and transmitted from generation to generation verbally, based on "Ustoz-shogird" ("master-apprentice") method of learning.
Uzbekistan -
Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements of Ferghana Valley: Collection on Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements of Ferghana Valley (Performing Arts)
It includes folklore music, dancing, and art performance shows. The folklore music sphere includes various forms of maquoms, feruzs, and tanovars, and different genres, including alla, o‘lan, yalla lapar, madhiya, terma, and khalfachi. The dancing sphere includes geographically diverse national styles as solo performances, duets, group dancing, men’s dancing, women’s dancing in addition to the forms of Khorazm, Bukhara, Ferghana, and Surkhon oasis dances.\n\n1. Katta Ashula\nKatta ashula (a song performed with a plate) is specific to the Uzbek traditional song trend of Ferghana Valley. Usually, it is performed a cappella by two to five singers of the same vocal range who use a plate or tray to project their voices in different ways. In most cases, katta ashula is performed by singers with a high-pitched, wide-ranging voice, and these are some of the distinguishing features of the complex performance style.\n\n2. Lapar\nLapar, a folklore song genre performed without musical instruments, is characterised by the narrow diapason and rhyme reiteration, which are not complicated by the melodic composition. The lapar is performed by girls and boys who compete with each other in the form of dialogue. In this competition, any girl in the circle can address any boy with lapar question, and the boy has to respond with lapar song. If the answer is appropriate, the boy is presented with gift of a handkerchief or a belt-kerchief.\n\n3. Askiya\nAskiya (witty joking) is a national art peculiar to Uzbek people. Askiya cannot be found in the cultural traditions of other people, in terms of humorous wit with the participation of many people in the form of live contest. Askiya is made up of plays on words and puns, both of which require life knowledge, skill, creativity, wisdom, and a high level of intelligence. Askiya masters who compete before big audiences openly and good-heartedly make sharp and witty jokes about the events and shortcomings of daily lives of their contemporaries.\n\n4. Show Arts\nIn Ferghana, the unique national customs, habits, and traditions are preserved. One of them is dorbozlik (ropewalking), which has been passed down for centuries from one generation to the next. These show programmes demonstrate colourful performances of diverse groups such as puppeteers, askiya jokers, lapar and o‘lan singers weightlifters, ropewalkers, snake charmers, all of whom are held with high regard and interest.
Uzbekistan 2012-01-01