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TRAN QUANG HAI: Overtones in Central Asia and in South Africa

Posted by Tran Quang Hai on April 6, 2008 at 9:00
Tran Quang Hai: Overtones in Central Asia and in South AfricaGENERAL VIEWThe most well-known area for overtone singing is found in Central Asia, more specifically Western Tuva and Northwestern Mongolia. A great number of singers practice overtone singing, a tradition going back to the time of the Silk Road trade, according to some references in Tuvan songs. There is a rich culture of overtone singing, as demonstrated by many different styles, the great regional and even personal differences and the number of singers. In Tuva four basic styles exist: called kargyraa, borbannadyr, sygyt, and ezengileer. Borbannadyr was called in some regions, but the latter indicated in orther regions the general term for overtonesinging.Nowadays, it still has this function, but xoomej can at the same time be the name for a separate style, apart from borbannadyr. In addition to these styles some sub styles exist, such as folk and middle sygyt, steppe and mountain kargyraa, and the "stil Oidupa". The latter is a substyle of kargyraa named after the singer who invented it , and it is considered as the first city style. The parametres for this emic - or folk classification, seem to be the melody of the fundamental, the melody of the overtones and the sound colour or over all sound.The Mongols did not have a traditional, general classification of their styles of overtone singing. The late folklore specialis Badraa and the singer Tserendavaa attempted to make such a classification of Mongolian xoomij. Their results seem to be based on two criteria: the places of origin and the palce of resonance in the body when singing xoomii. they cameup with six different styles: uruulyn (labial) xoomii, tagnain (palatal) xoomii, xamryn (nasal) xoomii, bagalzuuryn (glottal or throat) xoomii, tseejiin xondiin or xevliin (chest cavity or stomach) xoomii and xarxiraa. The latter style is somewhat controversial, since different singers have different opinions about what constitutes it, and whether or not it is xoomii.In addition to Tuvan and Mongolian styles Khakassian "xaj" and Gorno-Altaian "kaj" overtone singing, usually accompanying epic songs, should be mentioned. while Tuvan and to a lesser extent Mongolian musicians travel around the world performing their xoomej, little is known about other Central Asian styles.A special case is the "uzliau" or "tamak kurai" of Bashkirs, who live in the european part of Russia, some few thousand kilometers from Tuva. It is the name for their overtonesinging, with melodies similar to those of ordinary folksongs. The Baskirs are a Turkic people, who moved from Central Asia or Saiano Altai in the first millennium. Wainshtein advanced the opinion that they could have taken with them this peculiar singing style when moving westward from Central Asia. If this is so, he writes, then xoomej existed before their migration, i.e. in the second harl of the first millennium.The Tuvan vocal phenomenon Khöömei (literally Throat) since the last ten years has thrilled World music audiences around the world from the USA to Holland, from Canada to Germany, Sweden, from France, Spain to Japan, Australia.In 1969,I started my overtone research with Mongolian xöömij style which was very closed to Tuvan Sygyt style.Then, I wrote an article on my "discovery of this split-tone singing style" on the acoustical point of view, in cooperation with Denis Guillou in a book published by Japan Foundation in 1980. Another important article with Hugo Zemp on my experimental research on overtones was published in Geneva in 1991. The film the Song of Harmonics, made by Hugo Zemp in 1989 with me as co-author was released in 1989 in Paris.Only in 1977 I heard the Tuvan overtones for the first time from the LP edited by Melodia GOCT 5289-68 "Pesni i Instrumental Nye Melodii Tuvy " (Songs and Instrumental Melodies of Tuva) with the cover notes by G. Tchourov.Lebedinskij ,in 1948, wrote : "It is unnatural for a person to be able sing two notes at the same time. The timbre is alreasy unnatural, not to mention the principal notes and the harmonics, or overtones, and what is downright unnatural is the length of time the breath is sustained ".Aksenov, the first Russian researcher, wrote an important article on Tuvin Folk music in 1964 (an English version was published in Asian Music Journal - New York, USA, in 1973).Since the years of Perestroika and with the disparition of the USSR at the end of the '80s, Tuva has rebuilt the traditional music and Tibetan Buddhism. The "cultural rebirth" has started since. Competitions, Khöömei Song Contests were organized in 1992 and 1995 in Kyzyl, capital of Republic of Tuva.By chance I was invited in Tuva in 1995 and was nominated as President of the 2nd International Symposium and Festival of Throat-Singers from 19 to 21June 1995.The Tuvan singers generally use overtones from 6th to 13th. Renowned singers can reach overtone 18. During the Russian domination, throat singing was not encouraged by the Soviet authorities, but it survived. In the ancient time, overtone singers specialized in a single style or two related styles. Nowadays, it is frequent to see singers perform several styles arranged in short segments.If an overtone singer cannot master the five basic styles (khoomei, sygyt, borbannadyr, ezengileer, kargyraa ), he is not considered a good singer. Young singers like combining throat singing with rock, pop, punk and disco music.National Khoomei competititons have been taking place for severel years, in which often more than thirty to forty singers take part. Young talent is discovered like the 11year old Schaktar Schulban has taught himself throat singing by listening to Khoomei singers on radio and Television since he was five. He can sing kargyraa style with 70Hz as fundamental pitch and changes to sygyt style (H1=240Hz) during the same song and raises his overtones to H12= 2880Hz (it is very difficult for an adult throat singer to reach that overtone pitch). Onda Mongun-Ool (17 years old) is a virtuoso of sygyt style, and Bujan Dondak (20 years old) is a specialist of kargyraa style.SommaireFIVE STYLES OF OVERTONES IN TUVAIt is necessary to have a clear idea about the five basic vocal styles of Tuvan overtone singing before analyzing the different items recorded in these 2 compact discs reviewed in this paper.Khoomei is a vocal style which enables the singer to produce two sometimes three simultaneous voices: one fundamental with low sound considered as a drone, and the other(s) with overtones giving one or two formantic melody (ies).In acoustics, harmonics are sounds the frequencies of which are integral multiples. If the singer sings the fundamental pitch of 200Hz (written H1=200Hz), harmonics 2 (written H2) will be 400Hz, H3=600Hz, etc...In this paper, whenever I mention H2, H3, that means overtone 2, overtone 3.Khoomei is the common term for overtone singing, the origin of all styles. It means literally "throat, pharynx". It is considered as the oldest style by many Tuvan singers. It sounds like the sygyt style with high pitch fundamental, but less tension, softer overtones in the mouth. The use of rhythmic ornamentation accentuates the beat of the song. Nowadays khoomei is often faster and louder. Grace notes become tremolos as in borbannadyr style (after Mark Van Tongeren) Sygyt (also written Sigit ) is a high overtone singing sounding like a flute, a whistle, mostly combined with text. The term sygyt means "whistle". Songs in sygyt style start without overtones. At the end of a line, the melody ends with a sustained fundamental on which the singer surimposes a second melody with overtones (generally H9,H10 and H12, sometimes with H8,H9,H10,H12,H13). The best singers in Sygyt are Mongush Mergen, Tumat Kara-ool, Chuldum-ool Andrej Borbannadyr is sung from a fundamental in bass or baritone range. It is characterized by a pulsating asymmetrical rhythm and is not normally sung with text. The term is derived from the verb borbanna (to roll over). The singer employs the tremolo of overtones, and can create the triphonic effect with the fundamental , the first overtone level in fifth parallel (harmonic 3 : one octave + a fifth higher), and the second overtone level which gives the melody. This style is sung in a higher register than the one used in kargyraa with more nasal resonance. Mikhail Dopchun, Tumat Kara-ool, Anatolii Kuular are the best exponents of this style.Ezengileer is produced by rapid vibrations of the lips, and is sung over a low fundamental. It creates soft shimmering overtone melodies.Both the high (nasal) and low (throat) sounds are important. The alternation of the two different sounds seem to define the style. It is characterized by a pulsating galloping asymmetrical rhythm which suggests riding on horseback.Ezengi means strirrup the metal parts of a bridle. Songs in ezengileer style were usually sung when riding on horseback. To-day the ezengileer style is rarely performed and is considered rather difficult. Mongush Mergen and Ondar Marzhymal are the best singers of this style.Kargyraa is a very low overtone, singing with long breath and open vowels (u, o, ö, a ) used in songs in which texts are sung. The term kargyraa is a homonym of the onomatopoetic verb kargyraa which means "to expectorate". The pitch of the fundamental varies from 55 Hz to 65 Hz.Apart from the five main styles, we can find other sub-categories:Opei-khoomei is a lullaby khoomei, similar to the rhythm of rocking a baby to sleep. It is sometimes called tönmes khoomei (never ending khoomei).Khovu-kargyraa is a steppe kargyraa practised when riding a horse on the steppe with the wind blowing at the right angle into the mouth with lips curled. The wind amplifies overtones.(this style can be heard in the compact disc Tuva - Voices from the Center of Asia - Smithsonian Folkways CD SF 40017, track 1)Dag-kargyraa is a mountain kargyraa, practised in the mountains, producing an echo and singing with it. Tempo and timbre have a different rhythm than khovu-kargyraa.Chelbig-kargyraa is a fan kargyraa, sung while continuously moving a fan in front of the mouth. The air circulation produced by the fan genereates different kargyraa effects.Sygytting borbannadyr is sygyt singing in borbannadyr style, also known as the Gennadi Tumat style because he has developed it.Chilandyk is a combination of sygyt and kargyraa alternating between high and low registers. It is named after the chilandyk (cricket) which produces the same sound.Dumchuktaar (from the nose) means khoomei singing through the nose, with mouth almost or completely closed. It can be combined with other styles such as kargyraa, sygyt, khoomei with nasal character.Kangzyp is a special kind of overtone singing for someone who is depressed or sad. The word kangzyp is probably derived from the verb kangzyyr which means "to wail" (like a dog) or figuratively " to annoy".Xörekteer (xörek means breast). It refers to singing with the breast of the melody before or in between actual overtone singing style. It is sung with words. If it is sung in the lower register, it is called xörekteer. Gennadi Tumat has sung it.SommaireOVERTONES IN TIBETAlso famous for its mysterious harmnoic sounds are some Tibetan monasteries, namely those of Gyuto and Gyume, where "tantras" (Buddhist scriptures) are intoned in such a way that two or more harmonics are audible. Probably this technique was introduced by Je Tzong-khapa in the 15th century A.D. The words of these tantras cannot be logically understood, since they do not contain ordinary Tibetan language. Rather, they carry symbolic meanings, and the multiplicity of their words gives them a magical character. this magical character is reinforced by the overtones by means of this special singing technique. Here, overtones can in a very real way be seen as an extension of language, since they are uttered only when the tantras are sung, and thus they becom associated with the magical meaning of the words.The style these monks sing to some extent resembles Tuvan "borbanndyr" on account of its sound and mouth position. The use and function of their singing is yet so different from that of the Central Aisan nomads, that it is unclear to this moment whether or not they shared a common tradition.SommaireOVERTONES IN SOUTH AFRICA: UMNGQOKOLO NGOMQANGIThe South African case demands special attention, since it stands alone in the African continent, and at the same time shows a highly evolved and unique culture of overtone music. The peoples in question are the Xhosa, living in the South-Eastern part of the Republic of South Africa, where the musicologist Dave Dargie undertook intensive research. All material concerning the Xhosa can be found in his book "Xhosa Music" (1988).Listening to instrumental music of South Africa and adjacent countries the number and diversity of instruemnts producing strong overtones are striking. Of course there is the Jew's harp, among the Xhosa called "isitolotolo" using the same principles as the Tuvan "xomus", but played in a very rhythmical fashion. An equivalent of the Tuvan "igil" or Mongolian "morin xuur" can be found in Namibia and Botswana. A wealth of other chordophones exist, using harmonics as basic melodic material, such as a gut pluriarc from Botswana and the friction bow "chizmabi from Zimbawe. A more universal instrument is the Xhosa mouth bow umrubhe, bowed with a stick while being held against the mouth. By changing the shape of the mouth cavity, overtones are resonated, and the performer may whistle at the same time. Until the beginning of this century such an instrument, called "ca" (bow) could be found in Tuva as well.Besides some similarities in instrumental music, Xhosa and Tuvan music have overtone singing in common. In 1980 Dave Dargie discovered this remarkable way of singing by Xhosa women, with a sound quality somewhat similar to the Tuvan "kargiraa". It is called "umngqokolo" (the q standing for a typical African clicksound made with the tongue) and the overtones are purposely produced with any of four different fundamentals (F,G,D,F). This general style does not resonate the harmonics very clear, but one Xhosa woman, Mrs. NoWayyilethi Mbizweni, has a very clear personal style, that she claims to have found all by herself. Her singing, called "umngqokolo ngomqangi" strongly reminds one of the sounds of the umrubhe mouthbow. she claims to have been inspired by the playing of an "umqangi" beetle, though. Boys pin this beetle down on a thorn, hold the buzzing insect in front of their mouth, and resonate the overtones with their mouth cavity.As far as is known now, this technique is not widespread in Africa. there is at least one other area in South Africa where overtone singing is performed, but it has not yet been sufficiently investigated.Last but not least, overtone singing may occur while singers do not really know that they produce harmonics. The scientists "etic" or analytical evaluation may speak of overtone singing, while the singers themselves are not conscious of this feature of their singing. Hopefully fieldwork will give us a deeper insight in the conceptions and psychoacoustical experiences of these singers.Bibliographie, Discographie OVERTONESBibliographyAKSENOV, A.N. 1964: Tuvinskaja Narodnaja Muzyka, Moscou.AKSENOV, A.N 1967: "Die Stile der Tuvinischen zweistimmigen Sologesanges", Sowjetische Volkslied- und Volksmusikforschung : 293-308, Berlin.AKSENOV, A.N. 1973 : "Tuvin Folk Music", Journal of the Society for Asian Music 4(2):7-18, New York.BADRAA, Z. 1981 : "Xöömij" i "Urtyn duu", specificeskie Javienija Mongol'skoj tradicionnoj klassiceskoj muzyki", Professional'naja Muzyka Ustoj Tradicij Narodov Bliznevo Vostoka i Sovremennost : 116-119, Tachkent.BADRAA, Z. 1986 : "L'art Xöömij", Les Nouvelles de Mongolie (9): 18-19, Mongol Press.BATZENGEL 1978 : "Urtyn duu, Xöömii and Morin Xuur", Muscial Voices of Asia: 52-53, Tokyo.BELFER, R. 1986 : "Chant harmonique: découvrer votre deuxième voix", Médecines Douces (77): 50-53, Paris.BOREL-MAISONNY S. et CASTELLENGO, M.1976: "Etude radiographique des mouvements oro-pharyngée pendant la parole et le jeu instrumental", Bulletin du Groupe d'Acoustique Musicale (86): 35p, Unversité de Paris VI.DESJACQUES, A. 1993: Chants de l'Altai Mongol, PH.D Dissertation , new regime, supervised by Prof. Manfred Kelkel and Prof. Jacques Legrand, Université de Paris IV - Sorbonne, 389p., Paris. (chapter 1: Le Xöömij : 7-108), with an audio cassette.DARGIE, D. 1985: "Some Recent Discoveries and Recordings in Xhosa Music", Papers presented at the 5th Symposium on Ethnomusicology,University of Cape Town, International Library of African Music (ed): 29-35, Grahamtown.DARGIE, D.1988: Xhosa Music / Its techniques and instruments, with a collection of songs, David Philip (ed), 235p., Cape Town & Johannesburg.DMITRIEV, L. CHERNOV, B. & MASLOW, V. 1983: "Functioning of the Voice Mechanism in Double Voice Touvinian Singing", Folia Phoniatrica 35 : 193-197.GUNJI, 1980: "An Acoustical Consideration of Xöömij", Musical Voices of Asia : 135-141, The Japan Foundation (éd), Heibonsha Ltd, Tokyo.HAMAYON, R. 1980: "Mongol Music", New Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians 12: 482-485, Stanley Sadie (éd), MacMillan Publishers, Londres.HARVILAHTI, L.1983: "A Two Voiced Song With No Word", Suomalais- ugrilaisen seuran aikakauskirja 78: 43-56, Helsinki.HARVILAHTI, L. & KASKINEN, H. 1983: "On the Application Possibilities of Overtone Singing", Suomomen Antropologi (4): 249-255, Helsinki.LANERI, R. 1983: "Vocal Techniques of Overtone Production", NPCA Quarterly Journal, 12(2&3): 26-30, Bombay.LEIPP, E. 1971: "Considération acoustique sur le chant diphonique", Bulletin du GAM n° 58: 1-10, Paris.LENTIN, J.P. 1986: "Je fais chanter tout mon corps", Actuel (81-82): 142-145, Paris.LEOTHAUD, G. 1989: "Considérations acoustiques et musicales sur le chant diphonique", dossier n° 1 Le Chant diphonique : 17-43, Institut de la Voix (éd), Limoges.PAILLER, J.P. 1989: "Examen video du larynx et de la cavité buccale de Monsieur Trân Quang Hai", dossier n°1 Le Chant diphonique : 11-13, Institut de la Voix, Limoges.PEGG, C. 1992: "Mongolian Conceptualizations of Overtonesinging (xöömii )", The British Journal of Ethnomusicology (1) : 31-53, London.SAUVAGE, J.P. 1989: " Observation clinique de Monsieur Trân Quang Hai", dossier n° 1 Le Chant diphonique : 3-10, Institut de la Voix, Limoges.TISATO, G. & MACCARINI, A.R. 1991: "Analysis and Synthesis of Diphonic Singing" (Analyse et synthèse du chant diphonique), Nouvelles Voies de la Voix, 1ère partie, Bulletin d'audiophonologie 7(5&6): 619-648, Besançon.TISATO, G. 1989: "Analisi digitale dei suoni multifonici", Proc. of III CIM (Colloquio di Informatica Musicale): 107-128, Padova.TISATO, G. 1989: "Il canto degli armonici", Nuove tecnologie et documentazione etnomusicologica , Cultura Musicali n° 15 & 16.TONGEREN, M.Van 1994: Xöömij in Tuva: New Developments, New Dimensions, M.A Dissertation, supervised by Dr. Ernst Heins, Ethnomusicologisch Centrum "Jaap Kunst", Universiteit van Amsterdam, september 1994.TRAN QUANG HAI & GUILOU, D. 1980: "Original Research and Acoustical Analysis in Connection with the Xöömij Style of Biphonic Singing", Musical Voices of Asia : 162-173, The Japan Foundation (éd), Heibonsha Ltd, Tokyo.TRAN QUANG HAI & ZEMP,Hugo. 1991: "Recherches expérimentales sur le chant diphonique" (Experimental researches on the overtone singing), Cahiers de Musiques traditionnelles : VOIX vol.4: 27-68, Ateliers d'ethnomusicologie /AIMP, Genève.TRAN QUANG HAI, 1975: "Technique de la voix chantée mongole: xöömij", Bulletin du CEMO (14 & 15): 32-36, Paris.TRAN QUANG HAI, 1990: "Les Musiques vocales", L'Esprit des Voix, C.Alès (éd), La Pensée Sauvage: 43-52, Grenoble.TRAN QUANG HAI, 1991: "New Experimental About the Overtone Singing Style", (Nouvelles Expérimentations sur le chant diphonique),Nouvelles Voies de la Voix, 1ère partie, Bulletind'adiophonologie 7(5&6): 607-618, Besançon.TRAN QUANG HAI, 1995: " Le chant diphonique: description, historique, styles, aspect acoustique et spectral", EM, Annuario degli Archivi di Etnomusicologia dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, 2:123-150, Rome.TRAN QUANG HAI, 1995: "Survey of overtone singing style", EVTA (EuropeanVoice Teachers Association, Dokumentation 1994 (congress report): 49-62, Detmold.TRAN QUANG HAI, 1997: "Recherches introspectives sur le chant diphonique et leurs applications', Penser la Voix, La Licorne (ed.) :195-210, Poitiers.VARGYAS, L. 1968: "Performing Styles in Mongolian Chant", Journal of the International Folk Music Council : 70-72, Kingston.VLACHOU, E. 1985: Recherches Vocales contemporaines: chant diphonique, Maîtrise à l'Université de Paris VIII-Saint Denis, supervised by Daniel Charles, 90 pages, Paris.WALCOTT, R. 1974: "The Chöömij of Mongolia - A Spectral Analysis of Overtone Singing", Selected Reports in Ethnomusicology 2 (1): 55-59, UCLA, Los Angeles.ZARLINO, G. 1558: Institutioni harmoniche, Venise. (cf. Tisato, G.).ZEMP, H & TRAN QUANG HAI, 1991: "Recherches expérimentales sur le chant diphonique", (cf. TRAN QUANG HAI & ZEMP, Hugo).Discography only in CDTUVA1. Epics and Overtone Singing. Central Asia, Siberia: Touva, Chor, Kalmouk, Tadjik, vol.1 , Paris (France) Maison des Cultures du Monde W 260067 (1996).2. Shu-De. Voices from the Distant Steppe , London (United Kingdom) Realworld CDRW 41 (1994).3.TUVA/ Tuvinian Singers and Musicians ,Frankfurt: World Network 55.838 (1993).4. Huun -Huur-Tu /Old Songs and Tunes of Tuva , New Jersey (USA): Shanadie 64050 (1993).5. TUVA- Echoes from the Spirit World, Leiden (Holland): Pan Records PAN 2013 CD (1992).6 Tuva. Voices from the Land of Eagles , Leiden (Holland): Pan Records PAN 2005 CD (1991).7.Ozum / Sprouts / Young Voices of Ancient Tuva, Amsterdam (Holland): Window to Europe SUM 90 008 (1991).8. Tuva - Voices from the Center of Asia, Washington DC (USA): Smithsonian/Folkways CD SF 40017 (1990).MONGOLIA9. White Moon / Tsagaan Sar/ Traditional and Popular Music from Mongolia, Leiden (Holland): Pan Records PAN2010CD (1992)10.Mongolie / Musique vocale et instrumentale , Paris (France): INEDIT / Maison des Cultures du Monde W 260009 (1989)11.Mongolie / Musique et chants de tradition populaire , Paris (France): GREM G7511 (1986).BASHKIRIA / ALTAI / TUVA12.Uzlyau ; Leiden (Holland): Pan Records PAN 2019CD (1993)SOUTH AFRICA13. Afrique du Sud / South Africa - Le Chant des Femmes Xhosa/ Xhosa Women's Songs. The Ngqoko Women's Ensemble , Geneva (Switzerland): AIMP XLIV / Gallo Records VDE-879 (1996)14. Voices of the World , Paris (France): Le Chant du Monde CMX 37410-12, set of 3CD, bilingual booklet (188p), collection CNRS-MUSEE DE L'HOMME (1996). Grand Prize of the Academy Charles Cros (1997), Diapason d'Or of the Year 1997.Trân Quang Hai (National Center for Scientific Research, UMR 9957, Paris, France).SommaireBibliography and discographyOVERTONES IN CENTRAL ASIA AND IN SOUTH AFRICAAnnual Symposium on Ethnomusicology / CONFLUENCES CAPE TOWN UNIVERSITY, SOUTH AFRICA 16-19 JULY 1997. By TRAN QUANG HAI (CNRS- Paris-FRANCE)* GENERAL VIEW* FIVE STYLES OF OVERTONES IN TUVA* OVERTONES IN TIBET* OVERTONES IN SOUTH AFRICA: UMNGQOKOLO NGOMQANGI* Bibliography and discography
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Workshop of Overtone Singing with pictures, impressions and comments, edition 2007, Italy

Posted by Tran Quang Hai on April 6, 2008 at 1:30
11ª edizione - 2007ASCOLTA I GRUPPI IN RASSEGNA11ª Rassegna di Musica Diversa"Omaggio a Demetrio Stratos"Rassegna di Gruppi Rock-UndergroundItaliani EmergentiIn occasione del 28° Anniversario della morte di Demetrio Stratos avvenuta il 13 giugno 1979, Raffaello Regoli e l'Associazione Culturale "Grande Albero" con il Patrocinio dell'Assessorato alla Cultura del Comune di Cento (FE), la collaborazione di Daniela Ronconi e Loris Furlan. Organizzano la 11ª Rassegna di Musica Diversa “Omaggio a Demetrio Stratos”, rivolta a tutti i Gruppi Musicali Italiani che sono liberi e non, da contratti discografici e/o editoriali.STAGE DI CANTO DIFONICOIMPRESSIONI E COMMENTIDEGLI STAGISTILE FOTO 2007 di SimonaLE FOTO 2007 di Tran Quang HaiI VIDEO 2007 di Federico RegoliSOLO UN SOGNO di CRAC autoproduzioni sotterraneeINTERVISTA di Beatrice BirardiSono state davvero 2 giornate interamente dedicate a omaggiare Demetrio Stratos.L'evento rimane pur sempre di nicchia, ma la nicchia si sta allargando, senza perdere di vista l'obiettivo iniziale.Sono emerse professionalità strumentistiche e estemporaneità, che hanno fatto dei progetti presentati, veri e propri gioielli di "espressione DIVERSA".Intenso anche lo stage di canto difonico con Tran Quang Hai ed Albert Hera, dove il primo con grande maestria ha insegnato a tutti i 22 allievi ad emettere diplofonie, dispensato consigli e metodi per allenarsi quotidianamente, ed il secondo ha coinvolto gli allievi in un coral summit fatto di ritmi e improvvisazioni.Squisita la performance dei Nemaniko con il loro suono avvolgente e le liriche pungenti di una dolce fonetica che solo Marco Tuppo sa dare.Solo un inconveniete, Ninfa Giannuzzi ed Egidio Marullo per un contrattempo non hanno potuto essere con noi, ma ci saranno altre occasioni.Travolgenti e spigliati Auto da fè, i Kazum, gli Accordo dei contrari, CRAC autoproduzioni sotterranee, Floating State, gruppo elettrogeno e Muzak.Preziosi i collaboratori dell'Associazione Grande Albero, che hanno fatto parte dello staff organizzativo e di sorveglianza.Infine un grazie all'Assessorato alla Cultura di Cento per la preziosa collaborazione.Programma delle serate: (locandina .jpg)Cortile dell'Abside - Alberone di Cento (FE)in caso di maltempo al Centro Polifunzionale La Pandurera, Via XXV Aprile, 11 - Cento - FE.Venerdì 15 giugno ore 21,00* Accordo dei contrari (BO)* Auto da fè (RN)* Kazum (CE)Premio Babele Stratos 2007* CRAC Produzioni sotterranee (TO)Special guest* Albert Hera e Tran Quang HaiSabato 16 giugno ore 21,00* Floating State (BA)* Gruppo Elettrogeno (MI)* Muzak (LE)Special Guest* Tran Quang Hai* Nema Niko, Ninfa Giannuzzi, Egidio MarulloInoltre nelle due giornate di finale rassegnasi Ë tenuto il seminario sullo strumento voceideato da Albert Hera, condotto da Tran Quang Hai.* Il LABORATORIO DI BABELE di Treviso ha deciso di attribuire ai CRAC un premio speciale all'interno dell'Omaggio a Demetrio Stratos 2007, denominato pertanto "Premio Babele Stratos 2007" con la seguente motivazione:"per l'affinità con l'attitudine Stratos, per la straordinaria coerenza e perseveranza in un progetto sonoro realmente libero e sperimentale, scevro da qualsiasi ammiccamento a tendenze, che sa preferire il percorso al fine, che sa adoperare linguaggi e immagini rivolte anche al sociale, alla memoria storica e ad una concezione politica autentica e sostanziale, in un'epoca svuotata, anestetizzata e devastata da omologazione mediatica e consumistica"* Il Laboratorio di Babele vuole citare meritoriamente, nella medesima prospettiva, anche gli AUTO DA FE' e gli ILLÀCHIME QUARTET.INFORMAZIONI PER ARRIVARE, DOVE DORMIRE E DOVE MANGIARE.Per i curiosi di googlemapsCome già dalla scorsa edizione, la selezione delle Band in rassegna avviene tutta sul WEB, dove i giurati a partire dal 1 gennaio 2007 fino al 17 maggio 2007 hanno modo di ascoltare e valutare gli audioclip direttamente sul WEB.I criteri di valutazione dei giurati sono:* punteggio da 1 a 20 per l'originalità* punteggio da 1 a 10 per l'esecuzione.La situazione della selezione è visibile in tempo reale sul sito Omaggio a Demetrio Stratos, la quota di iscrizione è di euro 25,00 così da permettere a più band di partecipare e aiutare l'organizzazione nella difficile opera di mantenere in vita questa iniziativa.La Rassegna di Musica Diversa “Omaggio a Demetrio Stratos”, si è gemellata nel 2005 con “Cantieri Sonori” di Lecco, che ospiterà il Gruppo più significativo ed in linea con la filosofia della rassegna, sul main stage di Leccoartlab 2007, e il “Premio Darvin”. Questo permetterà alla rassegna di avere ulteriore eco a livello nazionale ed internazionale.Pertanto l'iscrizione tramite form WEB o a mezzo posta prioritaria deve essere corredata di tutti i dati riconducibili al Gruppo partecipante alla Rassegna (Nome della Band, titolo del brano in rassegna, recapito civico, telefonico e web), da una traccia audio o video (che nel caso di posta prioritaria devono essere su Compact Disc) del brano in rassegna e della copia del versamento della quota di iscrizione.I formati audio e video devono essere compatibili con QuickTime.Nel caso di iscrizione a mezzo posta prioritaria usare la scheda di iscrizione (pdf 116 KB) - (bmp 66 KB), si prega di compilare correttamente ogni sua parte, il materiale spedito non sarà restituito.IMPORTANTE! I Brani non devono essere Cover di altri Artisti Italiani o Stranieri.Il regolamento della rassegna aggiornato al 1 gennaio 2007.Da ricordare che tutta la manifestazione è gratuita. Oltre ai gruppi concorrenti ci saranno ospiti di tutto riguardo.Interverranno fanzine e giornalisti del settore.e-mail: ods@modomusica.comRassegna di Musica Diversa "Omaggio a Demetrio Stratos"c/o Raffaello RegoliVia G. Zuffi, 22/b - 41034 Finale Emilia (MO) - ItalyTel. e Fax +39 0535 760066 - Cell. +39 340 0807211http://www.modomusica.com/omaggiods/commenti_stage.html
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Tran Quang Hai & Albert Hera: workshop of overtones at Omaggio a Demetrio Stratos festival, june 13 & 14 june 2008, Italy

Posted by Tran Quang Hai on April 6, 2008 at 1:00
Tran Quang Hai & Albert Hera

Nell'ambito della XIIª edizione della
Rassegna di Musica Diversa
Omaggio a Demetrio Stratos

Stage estemporaneo sul Canto Difonico, aperto sia ai principianti che agli avanzati.

Albert Hera:
gli anni di studi e di ricerche hanno permesso ad Albert Hera di sviluppare una propria identità in ambito musicale e una personale filosofia sulla didattica: “Il Cantar Naturale” propone una visione del canto come emissione libera, alla base della quale risulta fondamentale la ricerca scrupolosa di una coordinazione e sintonizzazione acustica del suono puro, al fine di generare una globale armonia tra corpo e mente.
È nel 2002 che Albert Hera sente la necessità di far conoscere pubblicamente il proprio pensiero attraverso la creazione del primo portale sulla voce: www.voiceart.net. Più precisamente il portale nasce per promuovere e diffondere l’applicazione delle principali forme artistiche, quali la voce in tutte le sue espressioni, la musica, la danza, il teatro, la pittura, la letteratura e ha come scopo la divulgazione e la salvaguardia della purezza dell’arte e della cultura.
La crescita del cantante va di pari passo con quella d’insegnante: Albert Hera è stato docente di canto moderno presso numerose scuole di musica d’Italia, attualmente è docente di canto moderno e responsabile del dipartimento di vocalità presso l’Istituto Civico V. Baravalle di Fossano; nella medesima scuola, è organizzatore di un importante progetto europeo sulla coralità, accanto al professor Andrea Figallo. Il progetto didattico è proposto non solamente all’interno dell’Istituto, ma anche in masterclass, seminari e workshop di tecnica vocale e d’improvvisazione corale in molte scuole italiane, citiamo un importante appuntamento mensile presso la scuola l'Ottava di Roma; appuntamenti di formazione e approfondimento che si basano sul pensiero vocale dell’insegnante.
“Positive Consciousness” è il titolo del suo primo album di musica sperimentale uscito nel 2005; un disco che raccoglie anni di ricerca e di esperimenti, otto brani eseguiti lasciando da parte qualsiasi forma dimostrativa e didattica, vizi di forma che spesso rendono queste tipologie progettuali di difficile assimilazione; otto brani che dimostrano la bravura, la preparazione e il guizzante genio di uno dei migliori artisti della scena sperimentale internazionale. Le canzoni presenti nell’album sono riproposte, accanto ad altri brani di pari intensità e bellezza, all’interno dei concerti dell’artista, nei quali si incontrano e si intrecciano tre aspetti che rendono lo spettacolo un’esplosione d’energia e vitalità: in primo luogo il forte legame con il mondo delle sperimentazioni di Demetrio Stratos, al quale si aggiunge il concetto di “One Man Band” proprio di Bobby McFerrin. L’ultimo e fondamentale elemento dello spettacolo è l’inserimento dei caratteri personali di Albert Hera, della sua esperienza nel campo dell’antropologia vocale, dell’estrema sensibilità ed espressività artistica ed umana; a completare il tutto la presenza di uno strumento che accompagna Hera dall’età di otto anni: il sax soprano. Il concerto vanta la presenza di Pietro Ponzone, percussionista e batterista di grande esperienza, e di un coro formato da sette elementi, con il compito di mostrare al pubblico il concetto di improvvisazione corale naturalmente diretta e controllata dalla figura principale dello spettacolo.
Un concerto estremamente particolare, al di fuori della solita concezione di live music; uno spettacolo in cui emerge una gran voglia di fare musica, di cantare; uno spazio in cui vengono espressi i concetti artistici di essenza e unicità vocale, di semplicità ed amore verso quello che viene definito il “Mondo Canto”.

Tran Quang Hai:
viene da una famiglia di musicisti da cinque generazioni.
Il padre Tran Van Khe, noto musicista, è tra i maggiori studiosi di musica vietnamita.
Tran Quang Hai, nato nel Vietnam del Sud, ha studiato al Conservatorio di Saigon e quindi in Francia presso il Centre d’Etudes de Musique Orientale di Parigi; dal 1968 fa parte del gruppo di ricerca del CNRS - dipartimento di musicologia presso il Musée de l'Homme di Parigi.
Questo artista è un raffinato interprete delle tradizioni musicali dell'Estremo Oriente su strumenti tipici di vari paesi. Egli è inoltre compositore, autore e curatore di numerose pubblicazioni (saggi, documentari, dischi).
Per la sua attività scientifica e musicale ha ottenuto numerosi riconoscimenti internazionali. Ha partecipato con successo a “Les Tambours 89” di Yves Herwan-Chotard in l’occasione del Bicentenario della Rivoluzione Francese, a “La Composition Française” di Nicolas Frize 1991 al Festival di Saint Denis e al Festival Internazionale “Chant de Gorge Khoomei” a Kyzyl e Tuva nel 1995.
Da ricordare anche il Film etnomusicologico di Hugo Zemp e Tran Quang Hai “Le Chant Des Harmoniques” (1989) premiato in quattro manifestazioni internazionali.
Da molti anni si dedica allo studio etnomusicologico e fisiologico del Canto Difonico.

Guarda il film "Le chant des harmoniques (1989)"

L'obiettivo del progetto nato dall'idea del grande Albert Hera, per far conoscere l'importanza dell'emissione libera, il rapporto tra voce e spiritualità, il legame che c'è tra emissione e postura senza tensioni.

PROGRAMMA:

Presso il Cortile dell'Abside di Alberone di Cento (FE)

Orario Seminario:

Venerdì 13 giugno 2008
ore 15:00-17:00
prestage Vocal Summit Sperimentale
con Albert Hera e Tran Quang Hai

Sabato 14 giugno 2008
stage Vocal Summit Sperimentale
con Tran Quang Hai

Mattino ore 10:30-12:30

Pomeriggio 14:30-17:30 pausa coffee break ore 16:30-16:40

Temi del Seminario:
Antropologia Vocale: Il Canto di Tuva
Tecniche: Canto Difonico, primi esercizi applicativi
Lezione di canto: L'importanza dell'emissione libera
Vocal Summit: L'improvvisazione corale
Il seminario sarà articolato con esempi pratici e teorici.

Il seminario avrà un costo simbolico di euro 15,00.
Per i componenti dei gruppi in rassegna (anche quelli che non si sono classificati nei primi sei) sarà gratuito.

Sono aperte le prenotazioni.
Cell. 340 0807211 - info@modomusica.com

e-mail:

Tran Quang Hai

Albert Hera
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R.I.P.

TRAN QUANG HAI: Method of Learning Overtone Singing Khoomei

Posted by Tran Quang Hai on April 5, 2008 at 11:30

TQH: Method of Learning Overtone Singing Khoomei A considerable amount of research has been for thee last 40 years carried out throughout the world into this vocal phenomenon, particularly as it is practised in Mongolia and Tuva.

In Mongolia and Tuva, thee word KHOOMEI means pharynx, throat, and KHOOMEILAKH is the technique of producing vocal harmonics. This most unusual technique, which takes the human voices to its limits, entails the production of two sounds simultaneously: a drone or fundamental that is rich in harmonics and reminiscent of the jew's harp (the reason why this technique is also known as "jew's harp voice"). This technique is strenuous for the performer according to Mongolian singers. The performer must tauten his muscles and swell his cheeks. Different sounds are obtained by varying
the air pressure across the vocal folds, the volume of the mouth cavity, and tongue placement. In this way, variable pitch harmonics are produced to form the melody. The fundamental is produced in the back of the throat, passing through the mouth, and exciting throught the slightly parted lips and to a lesser extent through the nose.
Research can be done in many ways: by means of obervation of native performers after on or more visits to the country concerned, or by means of practising instruments and vocal training aimed at a better understanding of the musical structure employed by the population being studied. My own research does not belong to either of these two categories since I have never been to Monglia and I have never learned the KHOOMEI style (Overtone singing) from a Mongolian teacher. What I am going to describe for you here is the result of my own experiments which will enable anyone to produce two simultaneous sounds similar to Mongolian and Tuvin overtone singing.

DEFINITION
The manner in which the Mongolian and Tuvin word is transcribed is by no means not uniform: HO-MI, HÖ-MI (Vargyas, 1968), KHOMEI, KHÖÖMII (Bosson, 1964: 11), CHÖÖMEJ (Aksenov 1973: 12), CHÖÖMIJ (Vietze 1969: 15-16), XÖÖMIJ (Hamayon 1973; Tran Quang Hai 1980: 162).
French researchers have used other terms to describe this peculiar vocal technique such as CHANT DIPHONIQUE or BIPHONIQUE (Leipp 1971), Tran Quang Hai 1974, Gilles Leothaud 1989, VOIX GUIMBARDE, VOIX DEDOUBLEE (Helffer 1973, Hamayon 1973), and CHANT DIPHONIQUE SOLO (Marcel-Dubois 1979).
Several terms exist in English such as SPLIT-TONE SINGING, THROAT SINGING, OVERTONE SINGING, and HARMONIC SINGING. In German, it is called ZWEISTIMMIGEN SOLOGESANG. In Italian, it is called CANTO DIFONICO ou CANTO DIPLOFONICO .
For convenience, I have employed the term "OVERTONE SINGING" to describe a style of singing performed by a single person producing simultaneously a continuous drone and another sound at a higher pitch issueing from a series of partials or harmonics resembling the sound of the flute.

HOW DID I COME TO THE OVERTONE SINGING ?
In 1970, at the Department of Ethnomusicology (Musee de l'Homme), Prof. Roberte Hamayon let me listen to her recordings made in Mongolia in 1967 and 1969. I was surprised by the extraordinary and unique nature of this vocal technique.
For several months, I carried out bibliographical research into articles concerned with this style of singing with the aim of obtaining information on the practice of overtone singing, but received little satisfaction.
Explanations of a merely theoretical and sometimes ambiguous nature did nothing so much as to create and increase the confusion with which my research was surrounded. In spite of my complete ignorance of the training methods for overtone singing practised by the Mongolians, the Tuvins and other Siberian peoples, I was not in the least discouraged by thé negative results at the beginning of my studies after even several months of effort.
I worked entirely alone groping my way through the dark for two whole years, listening frequently to the recordings made by Roberte Hamayon stored at the Sound Archives of the Department of Ethnomusicology of the Musee de l'Homme. My efforts were however to no avail. Despite my knowledge of Jew's Harp technique, the initial work was both difficult and
discouraging.
I also tried to whistle while producing a low sound as a drone. However, checking on a sonagraph showing that this was not similar to the Mongolian Xöömij technique. At the end of 1972, I got to the state that I was still a long way from my goal.
Then, one day in November 1973, in order to calm my nerves in the appalling traffic congestion of Paris, I happened to make my vocal folds vibrate in the pharynx with my mouth half open and while reciting the alphabet. When I arrived at the letter L , and the tip of my tongue was about to touch the top of the palate, I suddenly heard a pure harmonic tone, clear and powerful. I repeated the operation several times and each time, I obtained the same result; I then tried to modify the position of the tongue in relation to the roof of the mouth while maintaining the low fundamental. A series of partials resonated in disorder in my ears.
At the beginning, I got the harmonics of a perfect chord. Slowly, after a week of intensive training, by changing the fundamental tone upwards and downwards, I discovered by myself the mystery of the overtone singing style which appeared to be near to that practised by the Mongolians and the Tuvins.

ABOUT MY OVERTONE TRAINING METHOD
After two months of "research" and numberless experiments of all kinds, I succeeded in creating a short overtone melody. Here is my "recipe" to help anyone to get this first step of overtone singing.
1. Intensify the vocal production with the throat voice
2. Pronounce the 2 vowels I and U linked together and repeat it several times in one breath.
3. Make a nasal sound and tip of the tongue in a down position
4. In this way, it is possible to obtain both the drone and the upper harmonic line in descending and ascending order.
This is the first technique what I call "technique of one mouth cavity". this one is easy to do and anyone can produce the effect of 2 voices in one throat after one minute of practice.
The second "recipe" will help you to produce clear overtones in the Mongolian and Tuvin styles. I call it "technique of two mouth cavities"
1. Emit a throat sound of the vowel E` as long as you can.
2. Pronounce the letter L . Maintain the position with the tip of the tougue touching the roof of the palate. In this position, the mouth is divided into 2 cavities, one at the back and one at the front.
3. Say "LAANG" for the first exercice, and say "LONG " for the second excercice. When you succeed in making the harmonics come out of the mouth, you keep the tip of the tongue to the palate while you sing , and at the same time you modify the mouth cavity by saying from A to O and from O to A several times in one breath.
4. Make a nasal sound
5. In this way, you can produce clearly thé drone and a series of harmonics in the Mongolian style.
For the beginners, the harmonics of the perfect chord (C, E, G,C) are easy to obtain. However, a considerable amount of hard work is necessary especially to obtain a pentatonic anhemitonic scale. Each person has his favourite note or pitch which enables him to produce a wide range of partials. This favourite fundamental varies according to the tonal quality of the singer's voice.

NEW EXPERIMENTS ABOUT OVERTONE SINGING
Other experiments which I have been carrying out indicate that it is possible to obtain two simultaneous sounds in three different ways:
1. In the first method, the tongue is either flat or slightly curved without actually at any stage touching the roof of the mouth, and only the mouth and the lips move. Through such varieties of the mouth cavity, this time divided into a single cavity, it is possible to hear the partials but faintly and the highest harmonics cannot reach beyond 1200Hz.
2. In the second method, the basic technique described above is used. However, instead of keeping the mouth half open, it is kept almost shut with the lips pulled back and very tight. To make the partials audible, the position of the lips si varied at the same time as that of the tongue. The partials are very clear and distinctive, butthe technique is rather exhausting. The highest harmonics arrive at the zone of 2600 Hz.
3. In the third method, thé tongue si down, and the teeth bite the tongue while singing the vowels U and I with the contraction of muscles at the abdomen and the throat. The hightest harmonics can be heard at thed zone of 4200Hz
Other new experiments I have tried to show that I can maintain thé same selective harmonic level which is used as a drone while changing the pitch of fundamentals (e.g. C, F, G, C). I have succeeded in creating the fundamental line and the harmonic line in the opposite direction. In other words, I arrive to sing the fundamental line in ascending order, and at the same time, I create the harmonic line in descending order. This harmonic effect is quite unusual and exceptional.
In 1989, Dr. Hugo Zemp and I made a film called "THE SONG OF HARMONICS" showing X-ray and spectrographical pictures in real time ans synchronous sound about the overtone singing practised in different countries. This film produced by the CNRS - Audiovisual and thé French Society for Ethnomusicology, obtained 2 prizes (Grand Prize and Best Music Prize) at the International Festival of Visual Anthropological Film in Estonia in October 1990, a prize (Special Prize for Research) at the International Festival of Scientific Film in Palaiseau (France) in November 1990, and a Grand Prize of the 2nd International Festival of Scientific Film in Montreal (Canada) in 1991.
In Western contemporary music, groups of singers have also succeeded in emitting two voices at the same time, and vocal pieces have been created in the context of avant garde music and of electro-acoustical music. David Hykes with his Harmonic Choir, created in New York in 1975, use the overtones to link with the cosmic universe in his compositions. Demetrio Stratos (1945-1979) used the overtones to create the relationship between voice and subconscious. In my compositions for improvized music, I recommend the investigation of overtones to enrich the world of sound.
Other overtone singers like Michael Vetter, Christian Bollmann, Michael Reimann from Germany, Roberto Laneri from Italy, Rollin Rachele from the Netherlands, Josephine Truman from Australia, Les Voix Diphoniques , Thomas Clements, Iegor Reznikoff, Tamia from France have also used thé overtones in their works.
Overtone singing is also practised by a number of ethnic groups (Oirat, Khakass, Gorno-Altai, Bashkir, Tuvin, Kalmuk) of the republics of Russia bordering on Mongolia. In Rajasthan (India), in Taiwan among the Bunun ethnic group, in Tibet among the monks belonging to the Gyuto and Gyume monasteries, in South Africa among the Xhosa population, the practice of overtone singing style is known throughout recordings.
I hope that after this short introduction to the overtone world, you will have an idea concerning the existence of the overtones in different areas in the world, the possibility of obtaining the know how of singing overtones.

Bibliography
AKSENOV, A.N. 1973: "Tuvin Folk Music", Journal of the Society for Asian Music 4(2):7-18, New York.
HAMAYON, R. 1980: "Mongol Music", New Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians 12: 482-485, Stanley Sadie (éd), MacMillan Publishers,Londres.
LANERI, R. 1983: "Vocal Techniques of Overtone Production",NPCA Quarterly Journal 12(2-3): 26-30.
LEIPP, E. 1971: "Considération acoustique sur le chant diphonique", Bulletin du Groupe d'Acoustique Musicale 58: 1-10, Paris..
LEOTHAUD, G. 1989: "Considérations acoustiques et musicales sur le chant diphonique", Le chant diphonique, dossier n° 1: 17-43, Institut de la Voix, Limoges.
TRAN QUANG HAI & GUILOU, D. 1980: "Original Research and Acoustical Analysis in Connection with the Xöömij Style of Biphonic Singing", Musical Voices of Asia : 162-173, The Japan Foundation (éd), Heibonsha Ltd, Tokyo.
TRAN QUANG HAI & ZEMP,Hugo. 1991: "Recherches expérimentales sur le chant diphonique", Cahiers de Musiques traditionnelles : VOIX vol.4: 27-68, Ateliers d'ethnomusicologie /AIMP, Genève.
TRAN QUANG HAI, 1975: "Technique de la voix chantée mongole: xöömij", Bulletin du CEMO (14 & 15): 32-36, Paris.
TRAN QUANG HAI, 1983: "Note à propos du chant diphonique mongol", Catalogue de l'exposition Mongolie-Mongolie, Musée de l'Homme (éd), Paris.
TRAN QUANG HAI, 1989: "Réalisation du chant diphonique", dossier n°1 Le Chant diphonique : 15-16, Institut de la Voix, Limoges.
TRAN QUANG HAI, 1990: "Les Musiques vocales", L'Esprit des Voix, C.Alès (éd), La Pensée Sauvage: 43-52, Grenoble.
TRAN QUANG HAI, 1991: "New Experimental About the Overtone Singing Style", (Nouvelles Expérimentations sur le chant diphonique), Nouvelles Voies de la Voix, 1ère partie, Bulletin d'adiophonologie 7(5&6): 607-618, Besançon.
TRAN QUANG HAI, 1995: " Le chant diphonique: description, historique, styles, aspect acoustique et spectral", EM, ANnuario degli Archivi di Etnomusicologia dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, 2:123-150, Rome.
TRAN QUANG HAI, 1995: "Survey of overtone singing style", EVTA (European Voice Teachers Association, Dokumentation 1994 (actes du congrès): 49-62, Detmold

Method of Learning Overtone Singing KHOOMEI

Tran Quang Hai (france)
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