Mongolian Art of Singing: Khoomei
01 · Historical Records
The history of khoomei may be traced far back to the Xiongnu period, and it had certainly come into being by about the time the Mongol nationality took shape; it is said that when the recitation of heroic epics flourished on the Mongolian grasslands in the thirteenth century khoomei was already very prevalent. It has long circulated on the northern grasslands with the pastoral life of the Mongols and is an ancient singing art of the Mongolian people.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Khoomei is a marvellous singing art created by the Mongol people: a single singer, using purely his own vocal organs, sings two voice parts at the same time. The basic structure of the khoomei voice parts is a combination of a sustained drone and a melody moving above it. Among the folk songs of all the ethnic groups of China it is unique. According to research the history of khoomei can be traced far back to the Xiongnu period, and it had come into being at the latest around the time the Mongol nationality took shape. As a special folk singing form khoomei is an outstanding creation of the Mongols. It conveys the Mongolian people's deep philosophical reflection on and understanding of nature, the cosmos and all things in the world, and expresses the Mongolian people's idea of pursuing harmonious survival and development and their healthy and upward aesthetic taste.
Overtone Khoomei, Tremolo Khoomei and Composite Khoomei
The types of khoomei divided by voice-part relation and singing technique.
The Two-Voice-Part Structure of Sustained Drone and Flowing Melody
The basic structure in which one singer sings two voice parts at the same time.
The Four-Year-Old Sorrel Horse and Pastoral Song
Representative pieces in which khoomei is used to sing traditional Mongolian folk songs.
Transmission through Khoomei Training Classes
The transmission practice of training a great many khoomei singers through training classes since 2002.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
It may further be divided into “overtone khoomei”, “tremolo khoomei” and “composite khoomei”. Khoomei is distributed mainly in the Xilin Gol and Hulunbuir grasslands of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and the Hohhot area, in the Mongol areas of settlement along the Altai mountains in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and also in Mongolia and the Tuva region of Russia.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Mongolian Art of Singing: Khoomei.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Khoomei is one of the oldest art forms of the Mongol nationality; it retains more of certain elements of primitive singing and is a far-off echo from the depths of ethnic memory. It is closely bound up with Mongolian history and culture and has important value for the study of anthropology, ethnology and folklore. Saving and protecting khoomei, this marvellous singing art, so that it escapes the disaster of extinction, is an important and urgent task. (Associated bearer recorded in the official archive:) Hugejiletu, male, Mongol, born July 1961, a native of Taipusi Banner in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. He loved singing from childhood and from 1984 worked in the Inner Mongolia radio art troupe. He not only systematically mastered the techniques of khoomei singing but also creatively used khoomei to sing traditional Mongolian folk songs, expanding the khoomei repertoire. His representative pieces include The Four-Year-Old Sorrel Horse and Pastoral Song. He is a representative bearer of the fourth batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage items, Mongolian khoomei. With the Inner Mongolia youth choir he successively won the gold prize of the first International Olympiad Choral Competition and the gold prize of the second International Olympiad Choral Competition. Since 2002 he has trained a great many khoomei singers through training classes, and many students have become artistic mainstays of artistic troupes throughout the country. In November 2003 he was awarded the title of youth leader in Inner Mongolian artistic innovation.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Hugejileitu 04-1509
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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