TRADITIONAL MONGOLIAN MUSIC AND DANCING

Laments about the open steppe, nature and horses are popular themes of traditional Mongolian music.

The Urtiin duu or “Long songs” is one of the major forms of Mongolian singing. The other one is called Bogino duu or “Short song”. The original long songs were written about 800 years ago and their special songs written for weddings, festivals and religious ceremonies. Urtiin duu can also be heard at the Naadam, annual celebration of the independence of Mongolia where the “Three manly sports” featuring wrestling, archery and horseracing take place.

There are traditional Mongolian string and wind instruments, as well as drums and gongs. Mongolians have made their music through the ages using metal, stone, bamboo, leather and wood. The most popular musical instrument is the Morin Huur (the horse fiddle) which is said to represent the movement and sounds of a horse. It is a square fiddle with a long, straight handle curved at the tip and topped with a carving of a horse's head. Every Mongolian family strives to have a Morin Huur in their ger although they are hand-made. Small flutes and pipes are also popular.

Many musical instruments are used purely for religious ceremonies. A shell shaped bugle called 'Dun' is used to gather lamas before a ceremony and Ganlin horns are still used to dispel bad spirits. The Ganlin is made from the femur of an eighteen-year-old female virgin (who died of natural causes) and is filed down to size. Examples of this controversial instrument can be found in Choijin lama museum in Ulaanbaatar (See the city guide section) and Manzushir monastery (See the Bogd Khaan National Park section) 50 kilometers south west of the capital.

Mongolia's Buddhist temples host the spectacular Tsam dances during special religious ceremonies. Lamas wearing huge, ornate masks and brilliantly decorated costumes sway and circle to the sound of gongs and trumpets. It is a theatrical art by those bearing the external appearance and characters of different apostles and devils, legendary animals and figures. The scenery, opening, inaction, musical climax and outcome of Tsam dance reflect the character of the participants in different ways: cruel, calm or humorous.

Mongolia's best known traditional music is Hoomii, described as "double-throat singing". During singing two simultaneous tones, a high and a low one are produced with the vocal cords. It is a rare skill that requires special ways of breathing. Hoomii is considered as an art form and not exactly a singing but using one’s throat as an instrument. Perfecting this eerie beautiful, acoustic singing takes lengthy training. Hoomii originates from western Mongolia, but is performed across the country.