Throat singing: unique splitting of the voice – treasures of folk culture

Throat singing, or “two-voice solo,” the predominant owners of which are the peoples of the Sayan-Altai region, Bashkiria and Tibet, awakens many mixed emotions in a person. At the same time I want to be sad and happy, think and meditate.

The uniqueness of this art form is its specific guttural singing, in which the performer’s two musical voices are clearly audible. One stretches out a bourdon, the other (melody) makes sound amplitudes.

A look at the origins

Ancient master performers were always inspired by nature to create. The ability not only to imitate it, but also to penetrate into the essence was valued. There is a legend that says that in very ancient times, throat singing was widespread among women, and not among men. Centuries later, everything turned the other way around, and today such singing has become purely male.

There are two versions about its origin. The first insists that the basis is the Dalmaist religion. Only the Mongolian, Tuvan and Tibetan lamas sang harmonic polyphony in parts with a guttural sound, that is, they did not split their voices! The second, the most plausible, proves that throat singing was born in the form of song lyrics, lyrical and love in content.

Two-voice solo styles

Based on their sound qualities, there are five types of this gift of nature.

• Crow imitates wheezing or wheezing-like sounds.
• Hoomey acoustically it is a heavy, buzzing sound of extremely low frequencies.
• It’s tight, most likely, comes from the verb “whistle” and means lamentation, crying.
• Not loaded (from “borbannat” – to roll something round) has rhythmic forms.
• And here is the name “by master” interesting enough. When riding a horse, the saddle cloth glued to the saddle and the bridle come into contact with the stirrups. A special rhythmic sound is produced, to reproduce which the rider must occupy a certain position in the saddle and ride at an amble. The fifth element of style imitates these sounds.

heal yourself

Many people know about music therapy and the effect of music on the human body. Throat singing exercises have a beneficial effect on a person’s health and mental state. However, so does listening to him. It’s not for nothing that such music was a tool of meditation, with the help of which one became familiar with the language of nature. This quality was also used by shamans in their rituals. By emitting harmonizing sound vibrations, they moved as close as possible to the “healthy” frequency of the diseased organ and healed the person.

The popularity of throat singing today

Since ancient times, this type of vocal art has accompanied holidays, rituals, and was reflected in heroic legends and fairy tales, which were carefully preserved and passed on from generation to generation for centuries.

Now such an extraordinary phenomenon as throat singing adequately envelops large and small halls in Russia and the CIS countries, excites the vastness of Canada and the entertainment venues of America, surprises Europeans and fascinates Asians. Master performers adequately promote their creativity, creating musical groups, and teach young people the ancient craft.

Listen to throat singing: