Mongolia is located in northern Asia, between China and Russia
Traditional Mongolian Music
Mongolian music greatly differs from Western music. A dissimilar thought system and way of perceiving time and space constituted the foundation for the development of different musical traditions in Mongolia and in the West.
Traditional Mongolian music displays great internal diversity determined by different influences, formal criterions, musical instruments, vocal styles and most of all by ethnic origin. The music of the Oirats (Western Mongols) is thus hardly comparable to that of the Mongolian Khalkha majority, and considerable differences can be found also among the musical traditions of the various Oirat tribes.
Mongolian music has always been subjected to changes, diverse in their manifestation, but constantly present in every historical period. Many of them resulted from of the achievement of individual artists (autodidactic learning). Others were caused by the absence of written records.
In the socialist era music was influenced by political factors. Traditional music of the different ethnic groups had to serve folklore and also the revolution. National musical trends were determined in the capital Ulaanbaatar, whose politics led, in the case of the Western Mongolian ‘biy’ dance, to atypical mixings with Khalkha songs and accompaniment with the horse-head fiddle ‘morin khuur’. Ensembles in Ulaanbaatar started to employ European musical styles and instruments, sometimes combining Mongolian music with foreign styles, sometimes performing only ‘foreign repertoire’.
In 2009, Tsuur music of the Uriankhai was added to the List of Intangible Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Tsuur music simultaneously blends sounds from a three-holed pipe and the human throat. This tradition has faded due to neglect and disrespect of folk customs and religion. Touching the Tsuur mouthpiece with the front teeth and applying the throat produces a unique timbre comprising a clear, gentle whistling sound with a drone.
Traditional Music of the Western Mongolian Zakhchin People
Singer Otgonbayar Chuluunbaatar has dedicated a lot of time to the preservation of the traditional music of the Western Mongolian Zakhchin People. She sings short songs (bogino duu) and long songs (urtiin duu), those which are permitted to perform by women. The songs are sung vocally only or accompanied by the tobshuur.
Mongolian Musical Genres
Hooliin Chor – The Mongolian art of singing: Hooliin Chor (’throat harmony’) or Khoomei, 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. These singers may perform alone or in groups.
Hooliin Chor is practiced today among Mongolian communities in several countries, especially in Inner Mongolia in northern China, western Mongolia and the Tuva Republic of Russia. 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. The timing and order of songs is often strictly regulated.
Hooliin Chor 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 Mongol people, it has served as a kind of cultural emissary promoting understanding and friendship among China, Mongolia and Russia, and has attracted attention around the world as a unique form of musical expression.
The traditional Mongolian art of khöömii was added to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010.
Recordings: An Anthology of Mongolian Khöömii (Buda Musique, 2017)
Mongolian Musicians
Altangerel Khishigtogtokh
Khusugtun
Otgonbayar Chuluunbaatar
The Hu
Tserendavaa
Urantugs Jamiyan
In the early 2000s, Börte performed traditional Mongolian music combined with chamber music and jazz. Band members included Dagvan Ganpurev on ikh-khuur (bass fiddle) and undertone vocals; Chuluunbat Munkh-Erdene on yatga (plucked zither); Sharav-Arildii Boldbaatar on morin khuur (horse head fiddle); Jambal-Dorj Bat-Bayar on bischguur (trumpet) and overtone singing; and Battumur Gankhulug on percussion and yochin (dulcimer). They released three albums: Börte 1 (2000), Börte 2 (2002) and Muruudlyn Salkhi – Wind Of Dreams (2003).
Mongolian Musical instruments
Morin khuur (horse-head fiddle), ikh khuur (double bass), tovshuur (lute), dombra (lute), yatga (zither), tömör khuur (metal mouth harp), khulsan khuur (bamboo mouth harp), numan khuur (musical bow) and the booglin (shaman mouth harp).
Mongolian Music Books
Mongolian Sound Worlds (University of Illinois Press, 2022). Cloth 978-0-252-04437-3; Paper 978-0-252-08644-1; and eBook 978-0-252-05336-8.
Sources: Khusutgun, Otgonbayar Chuluunbaatar, UNESCO, World Music Central
