OVERTONE SINGING
VOCAL MULTIPHONICS
Also known by the term Harmonic Singing, this is a specialvocal technique originating in the Altai - Tuvan -Mongolian region which allows the singer to produce morethan one musical note at once. The voice of each one of us(even whilst speaking) produce a range of overtones orharmonics simultaneously. The skill of the overtone singerlies in being able to focus upon each single one of theseseveral overtones at will. The indigenous use of thisextraordinary vocal technique resides in producing a basicdrone with a melody (created out of the range of overtones- commonly 1st to the 12th) surfing above. These melodiesare most often taken from popular songs - e.g. nowadays,after contact with the West, a popular tune to use is"Amazing Grace." However, there exist a range of suchvocal techniques in Mongolia:
o
uruulyn
/ labial xoomii
o
tagnain
/ palatal xoomii
o
xamryn
/ nasal xoomii
o
bagalzuuryn, xooloin
/ glottal, throat xoomii
o
tseejiin xondiin, xevliin
/ chest cavity, stomach xoomii
o
turlegt or xosmoljin xoomii
/ xoomii combined withlong songHowever, other regions have other terms. For instance, theTuvans give three basic categories:
o
sygyt
: an imitation of the gentle breezes of summer,the songs of birds.
o
hoomei
: wind swirling among rocks
o
kargyraa
: howling winds of winter; the plaintive criesof a mother camel after losing her calf.
o
I believe that this form of singing has its origins inshamanism. This being the region where shamanism is saidto have begun at the time of the last Ice Age manythousands of years ago. Whilst nowadays the melodies arefrom familiar tunes, I believe that the first use of thistechnique was to give expression to transcendent states of consciousness and to act as a vehicle for expressingrealities that go beyond everyday speech. I myself use itthis way in my own work.
The Mongolian folklore has a beautiful story regarding itsorigins: Rooted in its shamanistic past, the people of the
Chandman'
sum
believe that xoomii originated there andthey explain its origin in several ways. They claim that theunusual features of nature present in their mountains,lakes, rivers and birds together with the intrinsic link tothe magical or supernatural gave rise to this style of singing.
Chandman
sum
is surrounded on three sides bymountains and lakes. Its western border is formed by LakeXar Us Nuur in the north and two high mountain ranges,Zuun Jargalantyn Nuruu and Xuremtiin Nuruu. Theeastern border is formed by two lakes, Xar Nuur andDargin Nuur. The two largest lakes, Xar Us Nuur and XarNuur, are connected in the north by a much smaller lake,Dalai Nuur, and by a river called Chono Xaraix. To thesouth lies semi-desert. Certain birds also feature in thisstory and chief amongst these is the
usny buxl
bittern. This
bird buries its head beneath the surface of the lake andthen sings. Xhoomii is sometimes referred to as "bird'secho." These people also stress that the sounds heard inthe mountains have a special quality. For instance, MountJargalant is said to be able to 'hold' the very strong windswhich come from the west before releasing them into thesteppe below. Sometimes the wind is held for four to fivehours whilst at other times the duration is said to last forthree days. This gives warning to the people living in thatarea. During this time the mountain drones or makes ahollow sound. Older people from the area credit the samepower to the lakes saying that Mount Jargalant and LakeXar Us Nuur "attract and digest the sound of the wind".Some even speak of a musical communication existingbetween these two. In this region there are many waterfallsand rivers that produce different combinations of soundsdepending upon the type of stones over which they run. Aparticular river, the River Erv, is credited with magicalproperties and also as being the origin of this style of singing.
The first written records of this style of singing come fromthe sixteenth century. A few recordings of this vocaltechnique from Mongolia were released in the West duringthe early 70s but David Hykes from New York is generallycredited as being the first Westerner to actually performthis technique within a musical context. He went on toform The Harmonic Choir of New York under hisdirection. They met regularly at the Church of St. John theDivine and produced three albums and since then DavidHykes has largely followed a solo career albeitaccompanied by various other musicians. Davidexperimented with numerous innovations including
of 00
Overtone Singing
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| Upload Date: | 07/09/2009 |
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