Humai

Talk about the magical "Humai" in Mongolia

In my country's close neighbors, the Mongolian People's Republic of China and the Tuva Autonomy of Russia* In the Han Dynasty, there is a magical "Khumai" singing method. Its magic lies in the fact that it can sing two parts, one high and one low, at the same time. It is said that in the past, some people among the Mongolian people in Xinjiang, my country, could sing "Khumai", but it has since been lost.

When people hear "Khumai" for the first time, they often don't believe it. Even after listening to "Khumai" in records and recordings, they may still be dubious. Because in the long history of music from ancient times to the present, it has never been mentioned that one person can sing two parts of music at the same time. In the vast ocean of music around the world, such a strange music phenomenon has never been heard of. But this is a definite fact. The Tuva Khumai Music Troupe's tours around the world have aroused great repercussions. "Khumai" music has become popular in European and American countries, and its records have also sold well. The "Tuva Friends Association" has also been established in the United States.

Before the Mongolian Revolution, it was mainly popular in the Altai Mountains in western Mongolia. After the victory of the Mongolian Revolution, it received attention and was promoted as an ancient traditional art. Now there are more than 50 Khumai people in the country. Singers, but there are less than 10 people who can truly reach the professional level. The most famous one is Master Songdi, who is now in his sixties. In addition to teaching Mongolian students, he also taught 4 Americans and 2 French people, all of whom have already performed on stage.

On the afternoon of January 8, 1997, in the concert hall of the Central Conservatory of Music, people also experienced the charm of "Khumai" music in person. The singer was Siqin Bili, a singer from the Inner Mongolia Song and Dance Troupe. Ge, he graduated from the Vocal Music Department of the China Conservatory of Music and originally studied bel canto singing. But in the long-term artistic practice, I developed a strong interest in "Khumai". He basically relied on his own diligent study and practice to master this special vocal art. According to him, this is a very arduous process, and sometimes he feels that his voice is almost broken. But after a long period of exploration, he finally found the right way. His "Khumai" performance that day caused a sensation and received a warm welcome.

The original meaning of "Khumai" in Mongolian is "throat", so "Khumai" can also be called an art of throat singing. The human vocal cords emit a low fundamental sound, and the mouth produces It is a bright overtone. With the control of the breath, the change of the singing point of the oral cavity can form a melody in the treble part. The treble part of the treble part is directly related to the shape of the mouth. The sound with a flat mouth shape is high, and the sound with a round mouth shape is high. Just low. The distance between the bass part and the treble part can sometimes reach six octaves, and the melody of the treble part sometimes resembles a whistle or a metallic sound. The method when singing is to first relax the vocal cords to produce a basic bass, and then use a burst of breath to produce high overtones. A highly skilled "Khumai" singing master can use two parts to sing slow long tunes, fast allegro and world famous songs. Generally speaking, the low part of "Khumai" is a continuous bass, but sometimes the pitch can be changed. The high part is an undulating melody line, which sometimes has words but often has no words. Mongolian musicians divide "Khumai" into two categories: lyrical and hard. Among them, the lyrical "Wuyingeyin Khumai" can be divided into nasal Khumai, hard palate Khumai, voice Khumai and throat Khumai. , Chest Humai five kinds. The Russian musician Aksnov divided the "Khumai" of the Tuva Autonomous Republic into Kagora (meaning breathless) Baobana (meaning rolling) and Sichet (meaning rolling). There are five kinds of whistles for Izegole (meaning stirrup type).

It is difficult to verify the era when "Khumai" was produced. Some people believe that it may have been produced in the 13th century when Mongolian epic rap was popular. The emergence of "Khumai" is closely related to the natural environment where people live. It was inspired by nature and created. It reflects the openness and vastness of mountains and grasslands, and the high sky and clear clouds. It makes people feel the roar of the wind and the reverberation of everything. In short, the connotation of "Khumai" singing art is quite unique. It embodies the harmony, blending, interaction, and penetration between man and nature, and enables people's souls to be purified, sublimated, and entered into a new realm.

"Khumai" is not only a solo art, but also can be used for accompaniment. For example, Seko Namcherak, a world-famous female singer from the Tuva Autonomous Government and the country, in her She once used "Khumai" to accompany her singing in her solo, and the effect was very good. Most of the singers of "Khumai" are men. I heard that women have entered this field recently. The art of "Khumai" has also attracted the attention of my country's music industry. Lu Ji, a veteran in the music industry and honorary chairman of the China Music Association, once pointed out that " The national music of all countries in the world has its own characteristics. For example, Mongolia has a song in which one person sings two parts at the same time, which is unimaginable to outsiders. We should study and study it carefully. "Now the musicians of the Inner Mongolia Song and Dance Troupe. Have started learning "Khumai". Buhe Chaolu once visited the Mongolian People's Republic of China to visit the "Khumai" master Songdi and learned from him. After returning to China, he published many articles introducing "Khumai".

I hope that in the near future we can hear "Khumai" singing by music masters from the Tuva Autonomous Republic and the Mongolian People's Republic in China. Chinese musicians will Seriously study the national music of various countries around the world, absorb its essence, and learn from its experience to develop the Chinese music industry in the 21st century.