Materials
Traditional Musical Instrument
ICH Materials 203
Videos
(14)-
2. Case of Kyrgyzstan: Influences and Effects of ICH Festivals on Local Communities
The ICH festivals in the Kyrgyz Republic are a great way to safeguard the cultural heritage. Kyrgyzstan has a rich ICH and embraces all ICH domains including the oral traditions andexpressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive event, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship. Festivals feature various ICH domains such as arts and crafts, cuisine, folklore, felt, hunting with birds, horse games, etc. For instance, the festivals Kyrgyz Shyrdagy and the Oimo International Festival are held with the aim of safeguarding and popularizing traditional knowledge and skills of handicrafts, for safeguarding and promoting traditional games, various birds of prey festivals are held, such as Salbuurun and Kok Boru. Moreover, festivals are dedicated to safeguarding oral traditions, such as Aitysh, the art of improvisation as well as many other festivals reflecting traditional cuisine, folklore, etc.
South Korea 2020-11-18 -
Aitysh/Aitys, art of improvisation
Aitys is a contest centred on improvised oral poetry spoken or sung to the accompaniment of traditional musical instruments – the Kazakh dombra. Two performers (akyns) compete with one other to improvise verses on topical themes in a battle of wits that alternates between humorous ripostes and penetrating philosophical reflections. During the competition, the performers sit opposite one another improvising a dialogue on topics chosen by the audience. The winner is the performer considered to have demonstrated the best musical skills, rhythm, originality, resourcefulness, wisdom and wit. The most meaningful and witty expressions often become popular sayings. The element is practiced on a variety of occasions, ranging from local festivities to nationwide events, where practitioners often use the contest to raise important social issues. Although it was traditionally performed only by men, many women now participate in Aitys and use the contest to express women’s aspirations and viewpoints.
Kazakhstan -
Uwang Ahadas - A Yakan Virtuoso
▶ Play Video 8. Uwang Ahadas A Yakan Virtuoso\nCourtesy of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Executive Committee\n\nThe Yakan inhabit the island of Basilan just off the southern tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula of western Mindanao, particularly in the municipalities of Tipo, Lamitan, Sumisip, and Tuburan, and the islands of Sacol, Malanipa, and Tumalutab east of Zamboanga. The Yakan belong to the widespread Sama group, and their culture has become too specialized to be distinguished as a distinct group.\n\nThe Yakan’s language is closely related to the Sama, but their culture is more land orientated rather than the sea based. Agriculture consists largely of upland rice, although copra is also widespread. The main religion is Islam with syncretic elements from traditional and indigenous beliefs.\n\nThe Yakan are well-known for their elaborate dress, which is similar for males and females. For instance, both wear trousers. Noteworthy articles include the kandit, a fifteen-meter-long red sash worn by men, and the pinantupan, the women’s overskirt. Textile weaving done on the backstrap loom is much sought after, especially because of the intricate and beautiful motifs. The Yakan is one of the few groups that use tapestry loom producing the sophisticatedly woven pis syabit (headscarf for men) and seputangan (head cloth for women).\n\nThe Yakan have a rich musical tradition based on the pentatonic scale. Their musical instruments are usually made of bamboo, wood, and metal. The daluppak is a digging stick with a bamboo clapper. The kopak-kopak is a bamboo clapper on a stick. The kwintangan kayu is a percussion instrument consisting of five wooden beams suspended horizontally. The ends of the beams are tapered, and these are beaten. It is associated with planting and played to enhance plant growth. The wooden tuntungan is a suspended wooden ercussion plank with jar resonators, played with a pole during the harvest season for the purpose of giving thanks. The gabbang is a bamboo xylophone with five bars. The suling is a bamboo mouth flute used by men in courting. Another used by men to express love or admiration is the kulaing. The kulintangan or kwintangan consists of five bronze gongs arranged according to size and used during celebrations. The agung is a large deep gong used in ensemble performance.
Philippines 1996 -
Gamelan: A Sound That Beats with the Heart
Gamelan is the generic term for traditional instrument ensembles found throughout Indonesia. The history and complexity of gamelan are comparable to those of the symphony orchestras of Europe. Gamelan ensembles consist of various instruments, mainly percussion. Gamelan music runs the full gamut from fast, powerful dynamics to slow, meditative, and quiet set pieces. \n\nThe drummer leads the gamelan orchestra as there is no conductor nor musical score. Gamelan is played widely on a variety of important occasions, such as weddings, celebrations, national events, and holidays.
Indonesia 2019 -
Gong Boun
The Gong khle or Gong Boun (four gongs) is a traditional instrument of the indigenous people, Bunoong living in Mondulkiri province. This instrument is performed for the purpose of entertaining during festivals or other occasions in indigenous villages. This form is in danger due to the lack of transmission. In response to the current situation, the Provincial Department of Culture and Fine Arts has been implementing a number of activities to support the promotion of indigenous peoples’ culture living in Mondulkiri. \nThe instrument is made of copper mixed with silver with a specific measure by the experts. These musical instruments are inherited from their ancestors and they do not know whether other indigenous groups play these instruments. Today, they cannot afford to produce it themselves.\n
Cambodia 2022 -
Lesu Sagwyechibul (three strings Banjo)
The ancestors wore the raincoat made of rope twisted the coconut fiber. After discovering the pleasing sound produced by striking the rope of coconut fiber tied the toe, they untied the rope from the toe and fixed at the wood. Then, they played it for the musical sounds. This instrument was addressed as "Chibul" referring the rope untied from the toe. Chi stands for the tip of the foot and "bul" means untying. The frame of banjo is carved out of hard Poezar wood cut during the cold season. The soundboard is closed with the leather in the previous time but with the plywood in the present time. Three strings are fixed it. The sound holes are bored at the up and down walls of the banjo. The strings are fixed at the wood tuning pegs. 12 sounds can be tuned with this banjo including three different sounds of three strings, three pressing sounds, three pushing sounds and three pulling sounds. This banjo is played in the New Year festival, traditional dance, fun fair, and wedding ceremony.\n-2 feet of length\n-7 inches length of the soundboard\n-3 inches height of the soundboard\n-13 inches circumference of the soundboard\n-1 feet 5 inches length of the banjo's arm
Myanmar 2014-08-16 -
Jor/Htaung Tayaw (Upright Violin)
Yamanay or Mahorgani wood is used to make Htaung Violin (Upright), one of Mon traditional string musical instruments. Its scroll is curved into the shape of Kainnayi or Hintha birds. There is an endpin under the lower bout. When playing 3-stringed Mon Htaung violin, the instrument is upright and leaned against the player's body. It is played with a bow which is made of horse hair. The first string is tuned to NgaPauk (Fifth Note), the second string to ThanHman TaPauk (First Note), and the third string to LayPauk (Fourth note). The strings are made of silk or nylon. There is no fret on its finger board, and it must be played by pressing the strings with the fingertips from up to down. It can play the scales of flat and sharp notes.\n-29 inches in length\n-5.25 inches in height of body
Myanmar 2014-07-02 -
Circular breathing technique of the Limbe performance
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 -
Tajikistan Naburz and children's highlight
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2016 Navruz is celebrated in Iranian cultures such as Tajikistan. As it is a happy festive day to welcome the spring after the long winter, the children enjoy various games. This video shows the children at play. Girls wear traditional Tajik costumes, and boys wear formal clothes while playing games like pebꠓble tossing and catching, kite flying, stick tossing, skipping rope, hacky sack, arm wrestling, swinging, breaking eggs. They also sing, allowing viewers to also feel cheerfulness of a festive day and become quite comfortable.\nLabchang, a musical instrument known from ancient times, received its name because it is placed between the lips and is played by a finger. Some old people in a few areas of Tajikistan continue to play labchang, so the art of playing has almost disappeared. The young generation generally doesn’t even now about the instrument. This film is dedicated to the methods of play on various types of labchangs in different parts of Tajikistan.\nVarious dance forms are performed in relation to nature throughout Tajikistan. The dances are varied, mainly having an imitating character. Performed by folk artists, the dances are transferred from generation to generation. Some of the rare dances are gone with their performers. The Pamiri people perform a rare mourning dance that is currently performed only in Bartang Valley and is on the verge of disappearances. Other dance forms are being revived day by day.
Tajikistan 2017 -
Bakhshi (narrator) art
Bakhshi - is an epic creator. The Bakhshi art is one of the specific genres of folk performing art. Bakhshi is a master and improvisator of words and stories, a skillful musician (skillfully plays on certain musical instrument) and singer (possesses the skills of traditional singing), who can accompany his performance with mimicry and plastique. He should be familiar with the life of his nation, with its culture and history. Moreover, he should have a rich vocabulary and masterly use popular language, be able to play with words, use their diverse forms. And all these features are connected with the art of bakhshi (bakhshichilik), which has centuries-long history. The repertoire of Uzbek storytellers and narrators includes heroic, historical and romantic dostons, which incorporated ancient cultural traditions, memory of the nation, its spiritual world and historical destiny, its civic, moral and aesthetic ideals. In dostons it is possible to find the ideas of patriotism and humanism, commitment and love, friendship and brotherhood. At the same time, freedom of fantasy, which is observed among bakhshis, makes possible artistic realization of folk ideals. It should be noted that doston is not about verbal performance only. It is also the work of art which is prosaic, poetic and musical. Indeed, bakhshi does not read doston but sings it. The singing is accompanied by playing on dombra or by instrumental ensemble. The whole artistic composition, all figurative means and expressions of doston are aimed at improving the perception of listeners.
Uzbekistan -
Vat-gine (Crescent-shaped Gong) Mon Traditional Crescent Gong
Vat-gine or crescent-shaped gong is one of the Mon traditional musical instruments that has been used since the ancient time. The original crescent-shaped gong was consisted of 14 gongs and used to be played only in Nat (Spirit) propitiation ceremony. But, an additional gong tuned to Nga Pauk (Fifth Note) is added to play since the late 1962. The Crescent-shaped gong consists of 14 gongs which are arranged in ascending order from right to left. The pitch of gongs is higher from left to right and the player has to strike them with two mallets. This crescent-shaped gong is played in Mon national celebrations, Hin-tha dance, solo dance performance, Mon traditional dance and national ceremonies such as Union Day and Mon National day.\nFirstly, the two ends of fine Yamanay wood is smeared with mud. After its bark is stripped off, the log is smeared with mud again and left for six months to dry by itself so that the wood becomes well seasoned. The rattans are attached to arrange the 13 crescent-shaped gongs. It is painted with the original color of the wood and embellished in Mon traditional decorations. The left side of instrument is carved into head of Kainnayi bird and the right one its tail. The stands are carved into the two legs of this bird.\n-68 inches in length\n-46 inches in height\n-9.25 inches in the breadth of middle hollow\n-9 inches in length of Kainnayi Head\n-7.25 inches in tail
Myanmar 2014-07-02 -
Secret of Hair’s Melody
Traditional Art of Morin Khuur Music (Horse-Head Fiddle) Mongolia (Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2008) \nThe morin khuur, a unique two-stringed musical instrument with a horse-head, is an aggregation of traditional Mongolian culture. The strings and bow are made of horse-tail hair and can produce an expansive musical range, excellent sound expressions, and a perfect harmonization of tune and melody.
Mongolia 2017