From Hovd Travel in Mongolia
The Art of Khoomii (Throat Singing)
Legend has it that the otherworldly sound of Khoomii (sometimes known as overtone or throat singing) originated during the time of Chinggis Khan. Khoomii is an art practiced in western Mongolia, characterized by a special sound made in unison with the tongue, teeth, larynx and palate. A Khoomii (pronounced like "Who me?") song begins as a low bass rumble, the singer next begins to generate multiple tones at the same time by diminishing the strength of the fundamental tone while simultaneously enhancing the harmonics. The overall effect is of someone singing an entire chord rather than a single note. But on top of this collection of bass notes the best Khoomii singers add one more tone- a high-pitched, ethereal bird-like whistle. The result is that a person can sing a melody in the upper octaves while simultaneously accompanying oneself.[1] It is difficult to pinpoint when Khoomii originated, but as an art it started to develop in the 19th century. Within Mongolia, the motherland of throat singing is Chandmani soum in Hovd aimag. [2]
To hear Khoomii for yourself, please watch the following videos. They were taken at a Khoomii performance at the Hovd Theater on January 16, 2009. The performance featured Hovd's very own master Tserendavaa of Chandmani, with his 18 year-old son Tsogtgerel as he starts his own professional career.
A Khoomii performance at the Hovd Theater on January 16th, 2009.
Hovd's legendary Khoomii performer Tserendavaa from Chandmani
soum with his son Tsogtgerel at his son's first headlining
performance. The Khoomii portion of the performance starts at
00:23 on this video.
Solo performance by 18 year-old Tsogtgerel at the Hovd Theater.
The song starts in the Khoomii style, then at the 00:12 mark it
shifts to a style known as Magtaal.
Perhaps to demonstrate that the Khoomii style need not be
confined to the traditional songs it is associated with, Tsogtgerel
sings Andrea Bocelli's signature song "Time to Say Goodbye"
Khoomii style.
The final song of a two hour performance. Three singers from
Hovd using three different styles to render one of Hovd aimag's most
famous songs (about the Buyant River) in a completely new way.
(Note: Cameraman would like to apologize for the shakey camera
from 00:26-00:31, he was simply responding to the singer in the
middle's gesture for the audience to stand.)
