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Tuvas ethnic group promotes musical legacy

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail CNTV, February 27, 2012
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Preserving a legacy is of concern for most groups. The Tuvas are a people from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Like many ethnic minority groups in China, they have their own language and music. The Tuvas are extraordinary singers and dancers, and proud of their culture and legacy.

Living on the shores of Kanas lake, under the shadow of the almighty Altai mountain, this nomadic tribe has developed a unique musical tradition. It combines throat singing and a rather unusual instrument.

Throat singing is ancient. It demands a certain disposition, and lots of practice to produce more than one tone simultaneously. Young adults spend lots of time training, and are eager for the voices - and all of their tones - to be heard by the outside world.

Chu'er, an wind instrument. It's played by blowing air through the noise. It's a three-hole flute, and produces a very rare, unusual sound. Expert musicians here, say it takes at least 5 years of training to become a proper Chu'er player.

Chu'er said, "we also have other melodies which are sad and ancient."

But few people outside their tribe know about their musical legacy, let alone appreciate it.

To remedy this, ethnic musicologists are trying to collect and document Tuvas music. This man has collected ten traditional pieces along with their lyrics, that he hopes to soon transcribe and translate.

And the government has come to their assistance. They are encouraging the Tuvas to record an album of traditional music. The hope is to preserve and transmit the incredible musical diversity existing in China and available to all, if only one has the time to listen.

 

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