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Archive-name: tuva-faq
Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: 1999/05/18 Version: 1.41 See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Anyone wishing to take a shot at improving this should go ahead and send the edited section along to me <kerryy@nortelnetworks.ca>. Thanks to Bernard Greenberg [BSG] for his numerous additions and edits and to Bernard Dubriel [BD], Alan Shrives [AS], Kevin Williams [KW], Albert Kuvezin [AK], Dr Oliver Corff [OC], Mike Vande Bunt [MVB], Ralph Leighton [RL], Masahiko Todoriki, and Alan Leighton. Alt.culture.tuva FAQ Version 1.41 (May 18, 1999) ====================================================== Table of Contents: ================== 1: How can I get a copy of this Frequently Asked Questions list? 2. Are there any WWW sites for Tuva? 3: What is Tuva? 4: What is all the fuss about? 5: How can I contact X in Tuva? 6: What's this about two voices from one singer? 7: Where can I find out more? (Friends of Tuva) 8: Any recommended reading about Tuva? 9: Any recommended reading about Feynman? 10: Are audio recordings available? 11: Are there any video tapes about Tuva? 12: Does anyone still collect the old Tuvan stamps? 13: What can you tell me about travel to Tuva? 14: How can I learn to sing khoomei? 15: How did the "Tannu" get into "Tannu Tuva"? Questions and Answers: ====================== 1: How can I get a copy of this Frequently Asked Questions list? A: You're reading it, aren't you? :-) Save it! The FAQ is posted monthly to the Usenet newsgroup alt.culture.tuva. The latest version is also available online at the Friends of Tuva WWW site (see below for the location). 2. Are there any WWW sites for Tuva? A: Try the Friends of Tuva site at http://www.feynman.com/tuva/ This has all of the old Friends of Tuva Newsletters, along with all kinds of neat stuff like the HTML version of this FAQ and numerous photos. Other recommended sites are: Michael Connor's Tuvan rafting trip site at http://fargo.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~connor/catapult/tuva.html featuring photos from a rafting trip to Tuva in the summer of 1995. Connie Mueller-Goedecke's Tuva pages at http://www.avantart.com/tuva featuring extensive info on Sainkho, Biosintes, the Shaman Exhibition, and electronic postcards from Tuva at http://www.avantart.com/postcards/etuva.html 3: What is Tuva? A: The Republic of Tuva is the former Tannu Tuva, a country in south Siberia absorbed by the former USSR in 1944. Tuva was at one time an oblast of Russia, and then the Tuvinskaya ASSR, and is now a member of the Russian Federation. Tuva is arguably in the centre of Asia, nestled just north of Mongolia between the Sayan mountains in the north and the Tannu Ola mountains in the south, with an area of 171,300 square kilometres, somewhat larger than England and Wales. Tuva lies between 89 degrees and 100 degrees east longitude, and 49 and 53 degrees north latitude. Tuva's population is 308,000 (about 64 percent Tuvan and about 32 percent Russian). The capital city of Kyzyl (pronounced stressing the second syllable) (population 75,000) lies at the confluence of two major forks of the Yenisei River. Tuva was known under its Mongol name of Uriankhai until 1922 and deserves interest for the fact that it was twice annexed by Russia within 30 years without the world paying the slightest attention. The first annexation came in 1914 when when Russia proclaimed Tuva a protectorate of Russia, and the second time was in 1944 when the People's Republic of Tuva was transformed into an administrative unit of the USSR. Since 1992 the Republic of Tuva has been a member of the Russian Federation, but this does not imply a large degree of independence from Russia. As one would expect of a Russian republic, the working language in the capital and other larger centres is Russian, but in the countryside and in less formal situations the working language is Tuvan. The Tuvan language is closely related to certain ancient languages (Old Oghuz and Old Uighur) and modern ones (Karagas and Yakut). Tuvan belongs to the Uighur group of Turkic languages, forming a special Old Oghuz subgroup with Old Oghuz, Old Uighur, and Karagas. The ethnic composition of the Tuvan people is complex, comprising several Turkic groups, as well as Mongol, Samoyed, and Ket elements, assimilated in a Turkic-speaking element. These ethnic traits (Mongol, Samoyed, Ket elements) also apply to the language. There are many Mongol loan words in Tuvan, and many words having to do with modern Western culture has been borrowed from Russian. The Turkic elements are common to the Tuvan, Altai, Khakas, and Karagas peoples. 4: What is all the fuss about? A: In 1977 Nobel Laureate (Physics) and raconteur Richard Feynman asked "What ever happened to Tannu Tuva?" One of his friends, Ralph Leighton, helped Feynman turn their search for information on this country into a real adventure, as explained in Leighton's book "Tuva or Bust". Feynman's interest originated in the 1930's when Tuva, in a philatelic orgy, issued many oddball stamps memorable for their shapes (diamonds and triangles) as well as their scenery (men on camels racing a train, a man on horseback with a dirigible above him, and so on). When they looked Tuva up in the atlas, they saw that the capital was Kyzyl, and decided that any place with a name like that must be interesting! They also soon found out that a monument near Kyzyl marked the centre of Asia, and that some Tuvans sang with 2 voices - one voice usually a lower drone and the second voice a high pitched flute-like sound, both from the same person. This information piqued their curiosity and things snowballed. 5: How can I contact X in Tuva? A: If you have additional addresses to share, please send them in. The Lyceum in Kyzyl can be reached at: Lyceum, 16 Lenina Street, 667001 Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva, Russian Federation tel: (39422) 3-65-30 litsei@dol.ru The Lyceum's students have made the first Tuvinian web-wite in Russian at: http://solar.cini.utk.edu/partners/harmony/ISLP/tuva-ph.htm Khoomei scholar Dr. Zoya Kyrgys can be reached at: Director, International Scientific Center "Khoomei," 46 Shchetinkin-Kravchenko Street, 667000 Kyzyl, Republic of Tuva, Russian Federation Fax: (7) 394-22 3-67-22. Anyone in Kyzyl can be FAXed at: Kyzyl Business Center: 011-7-39422 36722 Keep in mind that the recipient has to pay a fee to pick up the FAX. 6: What's this about two voices from one singer? A: It's called ``khoomei'', or throat singing, and numerous CD's are available. This is not unique to Tuva - singers come from Mongolia as well, and the Tantric Gyuto Monks of Tibet (now living in India), also practice this two-note singing in their chanting. They also have several recordings available. 7: Where can I find out more (Friends of Tuva)? A: Friends of Tuva is an organization headquartered in Tiburon, California, founded and run by Ralph Leighton. It is a central clearing-house for information about Tuva and Tuva-related merchandise. The FoT newsletter is no longer available by mail, but is available only on the WWW at the FoT site (see elsewhere in this FAQ for the address). FoT also has a variety of wonderful things for sale, including many of the recordings and videos listed here (recordings, books, maps, etc.). The goods are very reasonably priced, and anyone seeking to learn more about current news related to Tuva would do well to browse through the back issues of the newsletters available on the WWW. Friends of Tuva can be reached at: Friends of Tuva Box 182, Belvedere, CA 94920, USA phone or FAX (415) 789-1177 8: Any recommended reading about Tuva? A: Send your suggestions. Here's what I've found. 1 - Tuva or Bust! Ralph Leighton. W.W. Norton, 1991. The canonical work. Describes Feynman and Leighton's decade-long struggle to reach Tuva. Semi-related works are ``Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!'' and ``What Do You Care What Other People Think?'', both by Richard Feynman (with Ralph Leighton). 2 - Journey to Tuva Otto Ma"nchen-Helfen, extensively annotated and translated from German to English by Alan Leighton. Ethnographics Press, University of Southern California, 1931/1992 Available from Friends of Tuva. A great book detailing the visit of a Westerner in 1929. Contains an appendix about present day Tuva and a map. 3 - Nomads of Eurasia Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County University of Washington Press, 1989. This book accompanied the museum exhibit "Nomads: Masters of the Eurasian Steppe" in 1989-1990. Great pictures and text. 4 - Nomads of South Siberia Sevyan Vainshtein, translated by Michael Colenso Cambridge University Press, 1980. Wow. The detail is impressive as the author examines Tuvan nomadic life. 5 - In Search of Genghis Khan Tim Severin, Arrow Books, 1992. The author joins a horseback expedition to trace the steps of Genghis Khan from Mongolia to Europe in 1990. An intriguing foray into the life of the modern Mongolian nomad, with many details that may frighten prospective visitors to the region. 7 - The Peoples of the Soviet Far East Walter Kolarz, published by Frederick Praeger of New York, 1954. 8 - The Tuvan Manual John Krueger, available from the Mongolia Society, 322 Goodbody Hall Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. An indispensable work that includes a primer on the area and culture, lessons on how to read and speak Tuvan, a Tuvan to English glossary, and several samples of Tuvan text. An extremely valuable book that is worth double the price (about $20). A word of caution; the only Tuvan I know to have seen the book commented that "no one uses those words anymore". 9 - Ancient Traditions: Shamanism in Central Asia and the Americas Edited by Gary Seaman and Jane S. Day. Published by the Denver Museum of Natural History and the University Press of Colorado, 1994. Based on the proceedings from ``Nomads: Masters of the Eurasian Steppe,'' Volume 4 of the Soviet-American academic symposia in conjunction with the museum exhibitions. The one chapter devoted to Tuvan shamanism is by Russian ethnographer Vera P. Diakonova. 10 - The Lost Country: Mongolia Revealed Jasper Becker. Hodder & Stoughton, 1992. ISBN: 0-340-57978-1 Written by the Asia correspondent of the Guardian newspaper, who visited Mongolia and surrounding countries several times in 1989-90. Includes are chapters on Buryatia and Tuva. Plenty of personal observation as well as background history. 11 - The Last Disco In Outer Mongolia Nick Middleton. Onon, 1992. ISBN: 1-85799-012-9 About the travel experiences of a British student who visited Mongolia in 1987 and 1990. He observes the changes that have taken place between his two visits. 12 - Recherche experimentale sur le chant diphonique Hugo Zemp and Tran Quang Hai. Cahier de Musique traditionnelle, 4,p27-68,Atelier d'ethnomusicologie, Geneve, 1991. The most thorough analysis of Tuvan, Tibetan, Mongol and Altai styles. Plenty of sound spectra representing excerpts from a variety of songs, including cuts from the Smithsonian Folkways CD. [BD] 13 - Structural, aerodynamic and spectral characteristics of imitated Tibetan chanting. Aliaa Ali Khir, M.D. and Diane M.Bless, Ph.D. Proceedings of the 21st symposium of The Voice Foundation. Philadelphia, June 1992. A study on ``the underlying physiological adjustments of this unique phonetary mode''. For those with high interests in acoustic and physiological details. The subject under study was an American male, not a Tibetan monk. The study suggests aphonic patients may benefit from Tibetan chanting, as it requires minimal mean flow rates. It quotes and agrees with previous authors (Smith, Stevens, Tomlinson 1967), that Tibetan style may be due to ``two modes of oscillations, one at the normal frequency and another at some ``ill-defined'' low frequency that synchronized to every pulse of the higher frequency''. It rules out glottal fry as the source of the low note, which I believe is an error. [BD] 14 - Sons multiphoniques aux instruments a vent Michele Castellango Rapport IRCAM, 34|82. Paris, France. Wind instruments, not just voices, can play multiple sounds. The trombone, the flute, the oboe, bassoon and bass clarinet are examined in that respect. Defined as : ``l'entretien d'un son stable percu comme un accord'', multiphonic instrumental emissions are compared to vocal overtone singing. ``Si l'on renforce l'intensite de certaines harmoniques, ceux-ci peuvent etre percu isolement et former une melodie independante. A un instant donne, on percoit alors deux hauteurs. C'est le cas du chant diphonique, de la guinbarde et de l'arc musical ou l'on a dailleurs souvent deux ou trois melodies formantiques en contrepoint.'' N.B In previous years, Michele Castellango and Trang Quang Hai have worked together on a number of occasions, trying to pin down the nature of biphonic singing. [BD] 14 - Theorie physiologique de la musique Hermann von Helmholtz Editions Jacques Gabay Paris, 1990. The Bible of acoustics and music, from the well known 19th century Heidelberg university professor. First edition in French: 1868. When we sing overtones, we behave as Helmholtz resonators, amplifying certain harmonics in the note we sing. We do so by slightly changing the volume of air contained in our vocal tract or by changing the surface of the aperture of our mouth. Helmholtz shows us that in matters of resonance, there are no other variables at play than volume of air and surface of aperture. Following up on Helmhotz I hypothesized that whenever three notes were distinctly heard in a given style (i.e. Kaigal-ool Khovalyg singing in khoomei style) one was amplified using the tongue as a means to vary the volume of air, one was amplified using the aperture of the mouth. Both field observations of professional Tuvan singers and personal practice seem to verify this. [BD] 15 - Tuvan Folk Music A.N. Aksenov Asian Music IV, 1973 I've been unable to confirm the existence of this book, or even find out what language it has been published in. It was listed as one of several books being auctioned by a specialist in antique books. 16 - The Choomij of Mongolia: a Spectral Analysis of Overtone Singing R. Walcot Selected Reports in Ethnomusicology 2, 1974 17 - The Land In The Heart Of Asia Vladimir Semenov and Marina Kilunovskaia Bronze Horseman Literary Agency (1995) 70-52 Olcott Street Forest Hills, NY 11375 $22, 112 pages, 72 color illustrations. Bronze Age, Neolithic, and Scythian artifacts from excavations in Tuva. 18 - Unknown Mongolia: A Record of Travel and Exploration in North-West Mongolia and Dzungaria Douglas Carruthers Hutchinson & Co., 1914. ``Unknown Mongolia'' is an enormous two-volume tome based on British geographer Douglas Carruthers' 20-month journey and mapping expedition through what is now Tuva and Mongolia. The first volume is almost all about Tuva. Carruthers was literally charting uncharted territory. The stated intent of the journey was as a geographic expedition. Carruthers set out to map the territory and investigate its geology, flora and fauna. The result is a fascinating and highly informative account, written in the somewhat overblown, erudite manner typical of the aristocrats who were members of the Royal Geographic Society. Despite his understandably "Orientalist" approach, Carruthers for the most part manages to avoid the judgmental condescension of many other British explorers. His account of the indigenous people and their ways of life is sensitive and respectful, and his painstaking attention to detail is rendered more with refreshing candor and wide-eyed wonder than with the bored skepticism of some of the other British travel accounts of the period. It's informative, entertaining, readable, and full of vivid geographic and ethnographic detail. [Review by Brian Donahoe.] 19 - Open Lands: Travels Through Russia's Once Forbidden Places Mark Taplin Steerforth Press, 1998, ISBN 1-883642-87-6 In 1992, when the doors to formerly forbidden areas of the Soviet Union were opened, Taplin visited seven newly accessible cities and regions. One chapter is devoted to Tuva; the chapter is an interesting read, the highlight being his run-in with Mongush Kenin-Lopsang. Taplin has an eye for detail and provides generous descriptions of the situations he's encountered; his Tuvan chapter doesn't include much on aspects of Tuvan tradition or day-to-day life but does provide much insight on the legacies of the Soviet system. 9: Any recommended reading about Feynman? A: Send your suggestions. Here's what I've found. 1 - Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Richard Feynman, as told to Ralph Leighton W.W. Norton, 1985. Paperback by Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-34668-7. Another canonical work. Sometimes inspirational, sometimes educational, always amusing. I can't praise this book highly enough to do it justice. 2 - What Do *You* Care What Other People Think? Richard Feynman, as told to Ralph Leighton W.W. Norton, 1988. Paperback by Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-34784-5. In a way, "What Do You Care" fills in the holes that "Surely You're Joking" left unexplored. Some stories are light hearted, while others are somewhat tragic. The second half of the book details Feynman's work with the Rogers Commission. Highly recommended. 3 - QED - The Strange Theory of Light and Matter Richard Feynman Princeton University Press, 1985. Quantum electrodynamics explained for the generalist. Will the reader understand modern physics after reading this book? No, but not to worry (as explained on page 9). The clearest and most concise explanation of the subject available. 4 - The Feynman Lectures on Physics Richard Feynman, Robert Leighton, Matthew Sands Addison-Wesley, 1963. This legendary three-volume set established the precedent of "Feynman talks, Leighton writes". Fascinating lectures delivered with insight usually not presented to undergraduate students. 5 - Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman James Gleick Pantheon Books, 1992. Paperback by Vintage/Random House, 1993, ISBN 0-679-74704-4. Gleick is a thorough researcher; the bibliography is formidable. His writing does not convey the same friendly charm of Feynman's narrated stories, but the different viewpoint will be of interest to the completist. 6 - No Ordinary Genius: The Illustrated Richard Feynman Christopher Sykes W.W. Norton, 1994. Great book. Ralph Leighton describes it as a get-together at a home where Feynman is the main topic of conversation, and Feynman shows up to tell his version of events. 7 - SIX EASY PIECES: Essentials of Physics Explained by its Most Brilliant Teacher Richard P. Feynman Addison-Wesley and the Caltech Archives, 1994. Six Lectures from The Feynman Lectures on Physics, with accompanying audio on CD or cassette. 8 - The Art of Richard P. Feynman : Images By a Curious Character Compiled by Michelle Feynman G+B Science Publishers SA, G+B Arts International ISBN 2-88449-047-7 173 pages with 92 full page black and white images and 7 colour plates by Feynman the artist. Accompanying the images are 57 pages of commentary and reminiscences, some of which has been printed before (``But Is It Art?'' from ``Surely You're Joking'') and some of which is new. Particularly interesting are the contributions from the wonderful Albert Hibbs and from Michelle Feynman. A great book for the enthusiast. 9 - The Beat of A Different Drum: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman Jagdish Mehra Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1994 ISBN 0-19-853948-7 (cloth) According to the book jacket, Feynman in 1980 requested that Mehra ``do what he had already done for Heisenberg, Pauli, and Dirac, that is write a definitive account of his life, science and personality.'' Mehra, who had known Feynman personally for 30 years, readily agreed. 10 - Richard Feynman - A Life In Science John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin Dutton, published by the Penguin Group, 1997 ISBN 0-525-94124-X (hardcover) The book attempts to capture both the essence of Feynman's scientific works and the essence of his `curious character' in one book, and succeeds to a good degree. The scientific explanations are well-explained in an interesting manner, and the anecdotes are always engaging. This may be of the most interests to the reader who has not already enjoyed other books featuring stories from Feynman's life, since there is inevitably some duplication between books, but even the seasoned reader will find something new here. 11 - Most of the Good Stuff - Memories of Richard Feynman Laurie M. Brown and John S. Rigden, editors American Institute of Physics, 1993 ISBN 0-88318-870-8 (hardcover) One of the better books, this is a collection of reminiscences and anecdotes from colleagues and friends, organized around the impact he made through his scientific work, through his teaching, and through his personality. Several of the pieces appeared in the February 1989 issue of `Physics Today' but are not reprinted elsewhere. 10: Are audio recordings available? A: I'm glad you asked. Long gone are the days when Tuvan (and other central Asian) music was difficult to find; the enthusiast now has a wonderful array of offerings to choose from. Of course, not all of these recordings are available in every store, but we've tried to supply all the information needed to place a special order. of course, if you're not certain of what you want, you can always ask in Usenet newsgroup alt.culture.tuva. 1 - Tuva: Voices From The Center Of Asia. Smithsonian Folkways CD SF 40017 Distributed by Rounder Records, Cambridge MA. 33 tracks, 41'50, featuring numerous performers recorded in Tuva by Ted Levin, Eduard Alexeev, Zoya Kirgiz. Khoomei, jew's harp, sigit, animal imitations. Excellent, scholarly, musicological liner notes. 2 - Tuva: Voices from the Land of the Eagles Pan Records CD 2005CD P.O. Box 155, 2300 AD Leiden, Netherlands 11 tracks, 46'46, khomus, tyzani, igil, amirga, toshpular. Features Kongar-ool Ondar, Kaigal-ool Khovalig, Gennadi Tumat, all soloists of the folk ensemble Tuva. Recorded February 23, 1991. Excellent liner notes. 3 - Voix de l'Orient Sovietique Inedit W 260008 Maison des Cultures Du Monde , Paris Only one Khoomei track, but it is supposedly very good. Other tracks from other Soviet (now CIS) central Asian republics. [I don't have this one - Kerry] 4 - Mongolian Folk Music Selected from the 1967 year's collection by Lajos Vargyas. Hungaroton HCD 18013-14 [I don't have this one - Kerry] 5 - Mongolie- Musique vocale et instrumentale Inedit W 460009 [I don't have this one - Kerry] 6 - Sainkho Namtchylak - Lost Rivers Free Music Productions FMP CD 42 Postbox 100 227, 1000 Berlin 10, Germany Solo voice. Avante garde singing, with some polyphonic singing. 13 tracks, 74'18. 7 - Sainkho Namtchylak - When the Sun Is Out You Don't See Stars Free Music Productions FMP CD 38 With Peter Kowald (bass), Werner Ludi (saxes), Butch Morris (cornet). 20 tracks, 72,50, less avante garde than Lost Rivers. 8 - Sainkho Namtchylak - Out Of Tuva Cramworld/Crammed Discs CD CRAW6 Released 1993. Recorded between 1986 and 1993 in Kyzyl, Moscow, Wuppertal, Paris, and Brussels. Mostly pop songs incorporating traditional folklore and some traditional techniques, the liner notes explain that these are recordings that Sainkho had made with no plans to release them. Muscovite Artemy Troitsky thought that they should be released and put them on this disk, along with three new songs. The songs are generally less esoteric than other Sainkho works and they are far more accessible to the casual listener. The featured instrument is her voice, and the accompaniment varies from somewhat bare percussion to a large orchestra to synthesized washes. I like this disc more than the other Sainkho ones I've heard, and if I were to recommend a first Sainkho album to newcomers, this would be it. As an added bonus, the insert artwork is pretty good; the cover is a stunning photo of Sainkho's face and shoulders superimposed in front of a bright blur of colour. The liner notes are good but too brief; only some of the songs have accompanying notes listing the details of the recording. 13 Tracks, total length 40:30. 9 - Sainkho Namtchylak - Letters Leo CD 190. Unreviewed. 10- Tuva: Echoes from the Spirit World Pan Records CD 2013CD 17 tracks, 61'38, khomus, tyzani, igil, amirga, toshpular, dambiraa, bell, kengirge, byzaanchy, limbi, buree, savag, tung, tenchak, khirilee. Features 11 performers, includes recordings made on tour in 1992 as well as older recordings from Soviet radio (1973, 1983, 1986). Superlative liner notes explaining many ideas and terms. 11- Ozum (Sprouts): Young Voices of Ancient Tuva Window to Europe CD sum 90 008 Jodenbreestraat 24, 1011 NK, Amsterdam, Netherlands A Dutch-Russian release from Otkun Dostai, Oolak Ondar, and Stanislav Iril, three young Tuvan musicians who have built on the traditional style. A strong album that I really like. Oolak Ondar (b. 1973) was the winner at the throat singing symposium (1991, Kyzyl) in sygyt style. Khoomei, khomus, acoustic guitar, and shaman drum. 13 tracks, 42'34. 12- Mongolian Songs King Record Co CD KICC 5133 2-12-13 Otowa Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 112 Japan Part of King's World Music Library, this is a Japanese import with almost no English in the package. 7 performers, 19 songs, 54'52. The men's khoomei is very good, the women's takes some getting used to. 13- Mongolian Epic Song (Zhangar) King Record Co CD KICC 5136 2-12-13 Otowa Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 112 Japan Male vocal with instrumental accompaniment. Short and long songs. 14- Mongolian Morin Khuur Ci Bulag King Record Co CD KICC 5135 Sentimental horse-head fiddle solos. 15- Morin Khuur Ci Bulag JVC World Sounds, VICG-5212 More Sentimental horse-head fiddle solos. 16- Mongolie Ensemble Mandukhai Playa Sound, PS 65115 Large variety with some khoomei. 17- Mongolie Chants Kazakh et tradition epique de l'Ouest Ocora - Radio France, C 580051 25 songs, with tobsuur accompaniment, recorded in Mongolia in 1984 and 1990. Twenty songs of Kazakh music, some of it actually danceable! Minimal khoomei, although the voices do make good use of changing timbres. The final five songs are labelled ``epic tradition of the West'' and the lyrics are fragments of lengthy epic songs. 18- Huun-Huur-Tu: Sixty Horses In My Herd - Old Songs and Tunes of Tuva Shanachie Records CD SH 64050 CD/MC 37 E. Clinton St., Newton NJ 40017 Master khoomigch Kaigal-ool Khovalyg and his new group, which has toured all over the US. 12 tracks of all natures of top-notch khoomei, other singing, igil (Tuvan viol) playing. Its being studio-produced, which although lending a slight inauthenticity, makes for an eminently listenable album. Decent liner notes and text. [BSG] 19- Uzlyau: Guttural Singing of the People of the Sayan, Altai, and Ural Mountains (1993) PAN 2019CD (PAN Records Ethnic Series) 37 recordings from Russian archives form a catalog of all known styles of overtone singing from Tuva (12), Altai (2), and Baskhiria (23), collected, produced, (partially) recorded, and documented in encyclopaedic, scholarly liner notes by Vyacheslav Shchurov. Studio and field recordings, featuring master khoomigch Oorzhak Khunashtaar-ool in some awesome 1977 performances recored by Radio Moscow. Some doshpuluur and khomus, but almost all vocal. Some absolute knockout kargyraa. A must. [BSG] 20- Tales of Tuva Kira Van Deusen recites three Tuvan stories (in English) with musical accompaniment by Kongar-ool Ondar, Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, and Anatoli Kuular. 21- Shu-De: Voices from the Distant Steppe Realworld/WOMAD Productions (Real World Records Ltd) (In US): Carol 2339-2 Caroline Records, Inc 111 West 26th St., New York NY 10001 16 tracks by the Tuvan ensemble Shu-De (M. Mongush, L. Oorzhak, N. Shoigu, B. Salchak, O. Kuular), including all varieties of khoomei, igil, doshpuluur, & limbi (flute) playing, plus a wide variety of styles from Buddhist Chant to Tuvan tongue twisters to Western-style choral harmony. A shamanic ritual ends out the CD. A magnificent kargyraa cut by Leonid Oorzhak is a highlight. Eminently listenable. (Spring 1994). Weak liner notes. [BSG] 22- Tuvinian Singers & Musicians: Khoomei: Throat-Singing from the Center of Asia. Volume 21 of the World Network series, a coproduction from WDR (West-deutscher Rundfunk - a major TV and radio station in Germany) and World Network. Distributed in Germany via Zweitausendeins Versand, Postfach, D-60381 Frankfurt. Order Number 55838. 16 tracks (total playing time: 64' 01"), partially recorded in Cologne in April 1993 and in Tuva in September 1992. Performers include Schaktar Schulban, a 10 year old boy, the 18 year-olds Ondar Mongun-Ool and Bujan Dondak, and the Tuva Ensemble, founded in 1988 by Gennadi Tumat, Oleg Kuular, Stas Danmaa and Alexander Salchak. This CD can be warmly recommended to all lovers of Tuvinian music. The music presented is a well performed collection of authentic vocal and instrumental pieces. Since all pieces are strictly traditional this CD cannot be compared to the performance by e.g. Sainkho. Track no. 9, performed by the unusually young artist Schaktar Schulban, reveals the enormous talent of this promising singer. The CD is very interesting because next to the overview of singing styles the listener is also introduced to a representative spectrum of instrumental music. [OC] 23- Tuvinski Folklore Melodiya Stereo 33 C60-14937-42 1981, Out of print. This three LP set features a total of 65 tracks, most of which are khoomei, and instrumental music. One entire disk (both sides) is devoted to two tracks, each over 24 minutes long, of byzanchi playing. There are also several tracks of story telling, and a few of the musical numbers are repeated with variations or in slightly different styles. The Melodiya record that Feynman had is apparently unavailable, although the vaults of recording agencies in the former USSR have been opened to interested entrepreneurs. Latest reports say that the masters have been lost. 24- Kronos Quartet: Night Prayers Elektra Nonesuch CD 2 79346 Distributed by Warner Music. One track on this CD, "Kongerei", features Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, Anatoly Kuular, and Kongar-ool Ondar singing along to the accompaniment of the Quartet (2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello). This new version is interesting in it's approach to a traditional Tuvan song with modern Western instruments. 25- Yat-Kha General Records GR 90-202 (Moscow), 1993 Albert Kuvezin (throat-singing and instruments yat-kha, byzanchi, organs, khomus, percussion & gongs) and Ivan Sokolovski (keyboards, computers, cello, drums & percussions, noises). Kuvezin is a founding member of the group Huun-Huur-Tu, living in Moscow, who specializes in his own style of kargyraa, extremely low-pitched singing with artificial subharmonics. In this hour of 13 tracks, he exploits this awesome and rarely-heard technique, combining it with techno-pop backup sounds (and a token amount of traditional singing/playing) to produce a thoroughly unique, avant-garde offering which has the power to grow on you. Deliberately obscure liner notes [BSG]. Here is some news from Yat-Kha from August of 1995: Eki ergim eshter! (Hello dear friends) I would like to inform you about some news of the Yat-Kha band. We are right now recording a new album at the Global Mobile studio in Helsinki under the roof (and rules) of Anu Laakkonen. The album presents our new style: "Yenisei kargyrapunk". The participating musicians in this projects are: Alexei/vocal, tungur, igil; myself/kargyra & guitars; Evgeniy/percussions, Kari/sound & drinks; Anu/sauna; Mikko/cooks & drinks; Akym/phonecontrol. The CD will be released by Global Music Centre soon. Start saving now! We will give the account details later. [AK] 26- Huun-Huur-Tu (with Mergen Mongush): Orphan's Lament Shanachie Records 64058 A work of well-produced art, contemporary offerings in traditional Tuvan styles, not an ethnomusicological assay. Its 16 pieces in styles varying from unison Kargyraa chants to political songs to khomus ("Jews' harp") solos provide a tour-de-force of Tuvan styles designed for listening pleasure and wonderment. Master khoomigch Kaigal-ool Khovalyg's deeply touching igil (Tuvan viol) playing is (as on "60 Horses") a real highlight of the album. His frequent vocal solos in all styles, and those of the sweet-voiced Anatoli Kuular, joined by Mergen Mongush for one sygyt cut, help place this album among the two or three "must-have"'s for anyone who *enjoys* authentic Tuvan music. [BSG] 27- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Geronimo, An American Legend Columbia CD CK 57760 Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, Anatoly Kuular, and Sayan Bapa sing and play on six of the seventeen tracks. The Tuvans make a significant contribution to the soundtrack and share writing credits on some songs. This CD is not a "must-have" for the traditionalist but is interesting. The CD seems to have a higher Tuvan content than was actually heard in the movie. Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, Anatoly Kuular, and Sayan Bapa sing and play on six of the seventeen tracks. The Tuvans make a significant contribution to the soundtrack and share writing credits on some songs. This CD is not a "must-have" for the traditionalist but is interesting. The CD seems to have a higher Tuvan content than was actually heard in the movie. 28- The ReR Quarterly, Volume 4, Number 1 (ReR 0401) The ReR Quarterly is a sort of audio magazine dedicated to weird and experimental music. The first track on this issue is "Koongoortoog," whom we know today as Huun-Huur-Tu. Most of the rest of the CD is significantly modernist abstract composition or alienated rock music. This old traditional song was recorded in 1991 in Moscow when the Koongoortug band consisted of only Albert Kuvezin and Alexander Bappa. On this song Mr. Kuvezin sang and played all the instruments (yat-kha, fretless bass, drum machine, buddhist percussion) except shell by Mr. Bappa. Arrangement was done by Mr. Kuvezin. The studio time was purchased by Mr. Bappa. This tape was given to Chris Cutler in London. The picture and the information was mistakingly taken from the first CD of Huun Huur Tu. ReR Megacorp is reachable at 74 Tulse Hill, London SW2 2PT, England, or distributed in the USA by Wayside Music, PO Box 8427, Silver Spring MD 20907. (Source: [AK], Alexei Saaia, Anu Laakkonen, Akym (AAAA Club)) 29- Whistling In the Temple: Harmonic Voices Simone Records, 412 East Ellis Ave., Inglewood, CA 90302. In the USA, call 1-800-300-3315 for info. Most songs have overtone singing and other cultural references such as instrumentation and source material which refer to Tuvan lifestyle. It is a hybrid recording, but not in a pop type manner such as Sainko. I did enjoy the music and gist of the material immensely. [KW] 30- Jeff Lorber: West Side Stories Polygram Records, distributed by Verve Records, 314 523 738-2. Kongar-ool Ondar sings on one track, ``Tuva'', five minutes long. He sings two themes (the old favourite, ``Alash River'' and another, about the Tuvan forests), and Lorber has built a song around them. The music is not traditional, or a facsimile (for example, the Kronos Quartet blended their instruments well with the Tuvan themes on their Tuvan song) but is funky light jazz played mainly on synthesizers. An added bonus: in the liner notes Lorber mentions that he made his studio available to Kongar-ool to record an album for release in Tuva. 31- Biosintez Lava Productions. 23705 Vanowen St., suite 123, West Hills, CA 91307, USA. E-Mail: LAVAUSA@AOL.COM Tuvan music played on modern rock instruments. Unreviewed. 32- Kongar-ool Ondar - Echoes of Tuva, 1995. This recording is a solo recording by Kongar-ool Ondar, made in the picturesque old city hall of Pasadena, California. The building's natural reverberance is used to great effect and gives the recordings a very natural lively feel. The recording opens with traditional songs done impeccably, but it is the more modern-sounding songs that are most interesting. Also striking is the prayer for Richard Feynman, a song featuring only voice and drum. The recording is available directly from Friends of Tuva, Box 182, Belvedere CA 94920. 33- The Legend of Tannu Uriangkhai Published by The Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission, 4th Floor, #5, Shu-Chow Road, Taipei, Republic of China. Produced by the Typhoon Music Co, director Lee Hou-kou. A book and CD combination in Chinese and English, with references, the CD is excellent [Not reviewed by me - KY]. 34- Khomus: Jew's Harp Music of the Turkic Peoples in the Urals, Siberia, and Central Asia. Pan Records CD PAN 2032CD P.O. Box 155, 2300 AD Leiden, Netherlands Phone: (+31-71)219479 fax: (+31-71)226869 While only one track (out of 33) is from Tuva, this is an excellent survey of khomus music of the Turkic speaking peoples. Excellent liner notes, including repeated mention of Tuva and a Tuvan folk tale regarding the origin of the khomus. Very listenable if you like khomus (very twangy if you don't like khomus...) with most of the songs being complete, though fairly short. Music is from Gorno-Altai, Kyrgyzstan, Tuva, Bashkortostan, and Yakutia. There is surprising variety in the music from this simple instrument. Here are the details on the Tuvan track (#5): ``BAYAN KOL and BISTING TYVA (Our Tuva). Also found on LP Melodiya 14937 #1 and #10. Many folk musicians do not perform on the stage but rather prefer to play in a natural environment, like the Tuvan herdsman Khunashtaar-ool Oorzhak playing temir khomus''. Total time: 66'03. [MVB] 35- Khoomei 92 - WTE Tapes 004 Window to Europe Jodenbreestraat 24, 1011 NK, Amsterdam, Netherlands tel +31-20-6245747 fax +31-20-6203570 Though I have not heard this one myself it comes highly recommended by a friend in Amsterdam. It is a tape (presumably also on CD) from the first International Symposium on Throat Singing in Kyzyl, June 1992. [MVB] 36- Planet Soup Produced by Ellipsis Arts, 20 Lumber Rd., Roslyn, NY 11576, (800) 788-6670, FAX: (516) 621-2750. This illustrated book (48 pages) and three compact discs (or cassette) includes one song (1:51 minutes), ``Genghis Blues: The Ballad of Cher Shimjer (What You Talkin' About?)'' featuring Paul Pena, (vocals, guitars, kargyraa vocals); Kongar-ool Ondar (sygyt vocal, khomus) and; ``C.T.'' and Rusty Gunn (backing vocals). There's also an interesting track by Bolot Bairyshev, from Altay in Mongolia (this track is originally from ``Voice of Asia 2''). 37- Jon Rose: Violin Music For Supermarkets Megaphone Records, Megaphone 016 (CD), released 1994. Sainkho Namtchylak appears on track 11, ``Shopping In Tuva'' (3:51). 38- Yat-Kha: Yenisei-punk Global Music Centre GMCD 9504, Finland, 1995. Duration: 56:31 Contact: e-mail: gmc@global.pp.fi, http://www.globalmusic.fi/index.html (Finnish) or http://www.globalmusic.fi/in_english/index.html (English) TRACKS: Solun chaagai sovet churtum (Beautiful Soviet Country) Karangailyg kara hovaa (In the endless black steppe) Kaa-khem (Name of the river) Kuu-la khashtyn baaryndan (At the foot of a mountain) Kamgalanyr kuzhu-daa bar (We have protection force) Irik chuduk (Rotten log) Chashpy-khem (Name of a river) Kadarchy (Shepherd boy) Chok-la kizhi yry (Song of a poor lonely) Een kurug kagban-na men I didn't leave my yurt empty) Toorugtub taiga (Cedar taiga) Karagyram If Michael Gira would have been born in Tuva, this is how the Swans would sound, I guess. All the instruments but the electric guitar are ethnic Tuvan, but I have the impression they're not as lively and diversified as with Huun-Huur-Tu. Also, the throat singing is quite threatening in a monotonous way, but not as breath-taking and crazy as with Huun-Huur-Tu. Although many of the songs are about nature, this CD sounds very dark and gloomy, hence the "punk" title; not the Sex Pistols kind of punk, more like Joy Division. Every song on its own is an impressive listening experience, but maybe there isn't enough variation to make the whole CD interesting enough. Luckily, some songs have accompanying extra voices. The last track is more than 10 minutes long, and is not really a song, more the singer showing of his low throat voice, which only rarely gets the "vacuum cleaner" sound effect. Conclusion: good, but not essential exotica stuff. [Reviewed by Johan Dada Vis <johan.devis@ping.be>.] 39- Deep In the Heart of Tuva - Cowboy Music From the Wild East Ellipsis Arts CD4080, ISBN 1-55961-324-6 64 page book, 60+ minute CD This recent release comes with a well-produced booklet full of information (interviews, khoomei details, liner notes, etc.) and superb photos. The music is a sampler of a wide variety of performers and styles. This release sets a new standard for Tuvan music production. 40- Huun-Huur-Tu: If I'd Been Born An Eagle Shanachie Records "If I'd Been Born An Eagle" explores a possible past with the addition of an end-blown flute, an instrument of other Turkic mountain peoples, which may once have been played in Tuva. Once you hear it along with the other Tuvan instruments, you'll wonder why the Tuvans ever gave it up! This CD is a worthy addition to the other two by HHT. [RL] 41- Huun-Huur-Tu and Angelite: Fly, Fly My Sadness Recorded in Bulgaria with the women's choir Angelite (formerly called Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares), this CD is definitely meditative stuff --- not quite my style, but certainly an interesting mixture of distinctive musical traditions. [RL] 42- Vershki da Koreshki Al Sur CD ALCD 204, 1996. 15, rue des Goulvents, 92000 Nanterre, France, Telephone (33) 01 41 20 90 50. 9 tracks, 56'08. Featuring: Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, voice, khoomei, igil, khomus Mola Sylla, vocals, kongoma, xalam, kalimba Alexei Levin, accordian, piano, khomus, kongoma Vladimir Volkov, double bass Paco Diedhjou, sauruba This album features one musician from Tuva, two from Senegal, and two from Saint Petersburg. The musicians blend their styles and genres to form an interesting and attractive result; although similar experiments haven't always worked well in the past, in this case it does. The accordian and the double bass complement, rather than steer, the other instruments. The addition of the rich sounding double bass to Tuvan melodies is quite satisfying. The African and Tuvan musical elements are not as disparate as one might expect; this is more a testimony to the talents and to the calibre of the musicians than to any similarities inherent in the cultures. 43- Chirgilchin: The Wolf and the Kid Shanachie CD 64070 16 tracks, 1996. Featuring: Ondar Mongun-ool, throat-singer Aidysmaa Kandan, singer Tamdyn Aldar, instruments Produced by Alexander Bapa The 20-year old Tuvan performers sound great on this recording, and some listeners will already know Mongun-Ool from a sygyt cut on the World Network CD ``Choomeij: Throat-Singing From the Center of Asia''. Mongun-Ool is one of the greatest sygyt-singers, but he masters other styles as well. [Review by Sami Jansson.] 44- Big Sky: Standing On This Earth Skysong Productions, inc., SPCD1001, 1997 P.O. Box 11755, Minneapolis, MN, 55412 12 tracks, total time 55:57 Big Sky features alt.culture.tuva contributor Steve Sklar on guitar and vocals, and on one song on this CD, "Siberia", he uses his his formidable kargyraa and sygyt to great effect. Not a Tuvan CD, but one with some Tuvan influence; it is mostly upbeat (in outlook as well as tempo) pop/rock with a bright, wide-open, spacious sound reminiscent of Tuva's wide open plains. Big Sky themselves are on the WWW at URL http://www.tc.umn.edu/~skla0003/Big_Sky.html and Steve Sklar has a khoomei page at URL http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/g057/sklar001/khoomei.html 45- Ondar & Pena: Genghis Blues TuvaMuch Records, 1997, c/o Friends of Tuva 12 tracks, total time 53:54 Available from Friends of Tuva. A collaboration between Tuva's Kongar-ol Ondar and occasional alt.culture.tuva contributor Paul ``Earthquake'' Pena, this CD successfully blends the traditions of Tuvan music with those of American blues. Several of the songs are traditional, but the original songs by Pena are the attraction: the first track, ``What You Talkin' About?'', is a killer and is worth the price of the CD by itself. This Bo Diddley-style tour de force recounts how Pena began his journey to Tuva and his journey into khoomei. Other highlights are the notable ``Kargyraa Moan'', a song that helped win Paul Pena first prize in the kargyraa competition at the 1995 Khoomei Symposium in Kyzyl, as well as ``Tuva Farewell'', Pena's thoughts and insights about his visit to (and return from) Tuva. 46- Tuvan Folk Music: It's Probably Windy In Ovyur... Long Arms Records & IMA-press, 1997, CDLA 9707 29 tracks, total time 60:58 Contact longarms@redline.ru. This recording may be a landmark on the horizon of Tuvan music in that it was recorded in Tuva (October-November 1995) by Tuvans, for Tuvans. This is a collection of songs by musicians from the Ovyur region (with the hope that compilations will be forthcoming for other regions) featuring aspects of singing that have been overlooked by foreign recordings, which have concerned themselves primarily with the various forms of khoomei. Ovyur is a region southwest of Kyzyl, bordering on Mongolia. The music is wonderful and covers a wide range of styles; ballads, galloping songs, laments, patriotic fighting songs... and that's just the first four! Various instruments are used, including igil, doshpulur, and khomus, along with the accordion, but many songs are vocal solos, by both women and men. Words cannot do the CD justice; the performances are all very natural sounding and very clearly recorded. This sounds like a performance sitting around the campfire or around the stove in the yurt, with no echo or effects added. My favourite songs are the ones with the soaring melodies and quiet accordion accompaniment. The liner notes are primarily in Russian (I think; I can't see any Tuvan) with some translation into English. The package and insert are well-crafted with flashy graphic arts and photos. Produced by Sainkho Namchylak and Otkun Dostai, this is a work to be proud of, and I hope to see more recordings in this vein. 47- Kongar-ol Ondar: Back Tuva Future Warner Brothers Records CD9 47131-2 11 tracks, 50'05. Wow! An interesting and adventurous experiment bringing together Kongar-ol Ondar's music and singing, recordings from Feynman and Leighton's drumming and storytelling days, and some excellent western musicians including Sam Bush, Randy Scruggs, and Victor Wooten. Some of these tracks became instant favourites - the ones with the most propelling beat actually sound vaguely reminiscent of some Tuvan-Western fusion songs I heard on a cassette tape in a car on the road to Teeli. Don't forget to look for the hidden track! 48- Huun-Huur-Tu: Where Young Grass Grows Shanachie Records CD 66018 15 tracks, 45'05. No review available yet. Tracklist: 1 Ezir-Kara 2 Anatoly On Horseback 3 Deke-Jo 4 Xmeyimny Kagbasla Men (I will not abandon my xmei) 5 Avam Churtu Dugayimny (Dugai, the land of my mother) 6 Dyngyldai 7 Highland Tune 8 Hayang (name of a hunter) 9 Barlyk River 10 Tarlaashkyn 11 Interlude: Sayan playing khomus with water in his mouth 12 Sarala 13 Sagla Khadyn Turula Boor (It's probably windy on Sagly steppe) 14 Ezertep-Le Bereyin Be (Do you want me to saddle you?) 15 Live Recording: Anatoly and Kaigal-ool riding horses in Eleges while singing sygyt (Anatoly), kargyraa and xmei (Kaigal-ool) 49- Tuva, Among the Spirits: Sound, Music, and Nature in Sakha and Tuva Smithsonian Folkways CD SFW 40452 19 tracks, 49'00, featuring numerous performers recorded in Tuva and Sakha by Ted Levin and Joel Gordon. Excellent music with excellent scholarly, musicological liner notes. To be reviewed further. 50- Tarbagan: Tarbagan Rises On The Earth BooxBox Wolrd Wide Music CD BWM-A801 14 tracks. Japanese release featuring Haruhiko Saga and Masahiko Todoriki. 11: Are there any video tapes about Tuva? A: Yes, there are. Many of these are available from Friends of Tuva. 1. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out A NOVA episode about Richard Feynman. It, as well as "Fun to Imagine" and "Last Journey of a Genius" are about Feynman, although the set of Tuva-heads and the set of Feynman-fans has a large intersection. FoT has a scheme through which the first two tapes may be rented in the USA; the third may be purchased. Last winter the BBC aired a 2-part special on Feynman (sorry, no Tuva) that was whittled down to one episode for broadcast in the USA under the title "The Best Mind Since Einstein". The longer English version is great. 2. They Who Know: Shamans of Tuva A Belgian production in English featuring "45-snowy-I" Ondar Daryma. 3. Tuva TV Over 7 hours of broadcasts from Tuva TV, all in colour, with a written guide to describe the action. 4. Tuvans Invade America Alt.culture.tuva's own Jeff Cook had a large hand in this informal documentary on the visit of 3 extraordinary Tuvan performers to California for the Rose Bowl Parade on January 1, 1993. (90 minutes, videotape) 5. Lost Land of Tannu Tuva Another famous PBS show, narrated by Hal Holbrook. 6. Throat Singing In Tuva This 30-minute documentary from the Tuvan Ministry of Culture (in English) features masters past, present, and future. Historical footage from the 1950s shows Tuvans appearing in Moscow for the first time; contemporary scenes show Kongar-ool Ondar (pre shaved-head) and some of his students, including Bady-Dorzhu Ondar. 7. Tuva - Shamans and Spirits Tuva is the setting for the reemergence of ancient spiritual traditions after their near extinction under Soviet communist repression. From the capital of Kyzyl to isolated nomadic yurtas in remote alpine mountains, the Tuvan people are rediscovering their indigenous Shamanic and Buddhist rituals and healing arts. A group from the West is invited to participate in the first public forum and display of previously forbidden practices. A good insight into Tuva's recovering shamanism after years of Soviet repression as well as an interesting Tuva travelogue. Produced in conjunction with the 1993 visit of Foundation for Shamanic Studies members to Tuva, the documentary was completed in 1994 but was not available to the general public (non-members of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies) until 1996, which is a shame; I would recommend this to all those interested in spiritual life in modern Tuva. The documentary is great. Filmed in Kyzyl, Todje, Chadaan, and elsewhere, it is a mini-travelogue of Tuva that showcases various landscapes of the country. I would highly recommend this for anyone who wants to see for themselves what Tuva looks like (albeit on TV). The video interviews numerous practitioners and shows them at work, explaining the significance of their dress or actions. The video is as realistic and life-like as can be expected without actually being there. The shamans are open and willing to share their histories and their feelings about their work; a man who is both a Buddhist monk and a shaman provides a unique insight on Tuvan attitudes towards health and healing. 55 minutes VHS videotape, completed 1996. $30US including tax, shipping, and handling within the USA. Contact: Tom Anderson, PO Box 1119, Point Reyes, CA 94956, USA. Fax (510) 649-9719, or call (510) 649-1485. 8. Tuva - Two Short Videos Ben Lange (ben.lange@pi.ne) has produced two short videos made during his two visits to Tuva; one is a general video of little more than 7 minutes about the beauty of Tuva, and the other is about a winter ceremony by a female shaman (also little over 7 minutes). These videos have been shown at the Ethnographic Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, since October, 1997, and they are available for purchase from Oibibio, the new-age centre in Amsterdam. The video is no available directly from the producer: NGN produkties O.Ph.(Flip) Nagler Korsjespoortsteeg 16 1015 AR Amsterdam Netherlands tel: +31 (0)20 638 2633 fax: +31 (0)20 638 9199 The video format is PAL (NTSC can be arranged for North Americans). The price is 40 NLG (Dutch Guilders): 30 for the video and 10 postal charges. Currently, this would be about US$20. People can obtain a tape by sending a money order to the producer in Amsterdam, with the amount given above and with their name and address. The tape will be mailed after receipt of the money order. Eurocheques are also accepted. 12: Does anyone still collect the old Tuvan stamps? A: Yes, there is a group of stamp collectors devoted to the old diamond-shaped and triangular stamps of Tuva from the 1920's and 1930's. These stamps feature many fanciful images of people, animals, machinery, and nature (sometimes all on the same stamp!). You can contact them at the Tannu Touva Collectors Society: WWW: http://www.blarg.net/~brad/ttcs.htm In North America: Ken Simon, 513-6th Ave. S., Lake Worth, FL 33460-4507 In Europe: David Maddock, 49 Dinorben Ave., Fleet, Hants, GU13 9SQ, UK In Asia: Wilson Lin, No. 74 Section 1 Anhe Road, Annan District, Taiwan City, Taiwan, 709 R.O.China In Pacific: Bruce Grenville, P O Box 876, Auckland, New Zealand TTCS member Eric Slone has produced The Tuva Files, a Windows and Mac CD-ROM with philatelic information and other data. The philatelic contents include high-resolution scans of Tuva's stamps (early and modern issues), postal cancels, postal stationary, covers, postcards, a collection of Tuvan philatelic literature featuring Blekhman's postal history of Tuva (in English) and more. The many other items of interest to Tuva-philes include Tuvan fonts, a nearly-complete archive of all posts to alt.culture.tuva, the contents of a few WWW sites, several maps, and more. Contact the TTCS (p003115b@pb.selfin.org) or Eric Slone (eslone@patriot.net) for more information. 13: What can you tell me about travel to Tuva? A: GETTING THERE ============== BY AIR ============== Some flight information is available online at http://www.rz.uni-frankfurt.de/~puersuen/twa.htm#tu This includes data on the fabled and feared Yak-40 jet airliners. In Moscow in 1995 it was possible to purchase a ticket to Kyzyl for about $150 US (cheaper than a flight from Moscow to Abakan, which costs about $250 US). As of February, 1998, the asking price according to Victor Akiphen is $500 US for the return flight. The entity that used to be Aeroflot doesn't exist any more, and several smaller (more regional) airlines are filling in the holes; some even lease their planes from Aeroflot. The Aeroflot in Kyzyl is a different company than the one in Moscow, and that's still a different company from the one in Montreal. Yak airlines flies once a week to and from Kyzyl, from Moscow. There are stops both ways in Omsk, lasting about 1.5 hours. Route 727 flies from Moscow to Kyzyl on Saturdays. Route 728 returns from Kyzyl to Moscow on Sundays. The quoted price is $148.00 each way (please note: in general, in Russia and the former Soviet Union, there is no such thing as a ``round trip rate''. Round trip is simply twice the one-way rate. The Yak Flight Director, Victor Akiphen(r?), is a nice guy, a mountain climber, and speaks some English. He can be reached in Moscow at 151-66-92 or 151-89-86, or by fax at 956-16-13, and will be happy to provide further info and assistance. By the way, Yak's planes are OK, and the service is pretty decent by Russian standards. If you contact Victor, please give him Steve Sklar's regards. As of November 1997, there were weekly flights from Moscow to Kyzyl on Sundays, leaving Vnukovo Airport (take Bus #511 from Metro Station "Yugo-Zapadnaya"), at 21:45 (9:45pm) on "Yak Service" flight IB 727, arriving in Kyzyl at 08:15 Monday mornings. Flights from Kyzyl to Moscow are on Mondays at 12:25 pm ("Yak Service" flight IB 728), arriving in Moscow at 14:45 (2:25pm) Monday afternoons. This is presumably the flight that previously departed Moscow Saturdays (listed above) and stopped at Omsk enroute to Kyzyl. As of April, 1999, Yak Service from Moscow Vnukovo to Kyzyl is now non-stop. Current cost is supposedly 1500 roubles (cheap like borscht!). Flights are still Sunday evening to Kyzyl, Monday morning to Moscow. Other flights are still available via Abakan. Khakkasia Airlines fly as follows to Moscow Domodedevo: Moscow to Abakan Wed, Fri, Sun, dep. 22:55, arr. 07:25 1450 roubles Abakan to Kyzyl Mon, Wed, Fri, dep. 07:05, arr. 08:00 250 roubles Kyzyl to Abakan Mon, Wed, Fri, dep. 08:40, arr. 09:30 250 roubles Abakan to Moscow Wed, Fri, dep. 09:30, arr. 10:20 1450 roubles Sun, dep. 19:30, arr. 20:25 1450 roubles BETWEEN AIRPORTS IN MOSCOW ========================== In Moscow, use the blue Aeroflot transit busses to go from any airport to the central Aerovokzal (Airstation) where you can either change to another bus to another airport, or get on the Metro (nearest is 'Aerport' station on the 'V. I. Lenin' - pale green - line). The Aerovokzal is next to the Aeroflot hotel. Busses to and from Vnukovo cost 12 roubles plus 3 roubles for luggage, take 70 minutes and leave hourly between 06:10 and 23:10. Busses to and from Sheremetevo cost 12 roubles, 3 roubles for luggage, take 45 minutes and leave every hour between 07:15 and 23:15. Busses to and from Domodedevo take 1 hour 40 minutes, cost 18 roubles plus 5 roubles for bags and leave hourly between 06:30 and 22:30. OVER LAND ========= From Novosibirsk, trains head south to Abakan where there are frequent buses to Kyzyl. The bus between Abakan and Kyzyl takes about 7 hours and costs 85 roubles (as of April, 1999). Some prefer the daytime bus, not the overnight, to arrive in Tuva overland, and later leaving by air to get the morning bird's eye view. Be warned, the bus ride looks long and challenging. MONEY ===== Bring lots of new bills. Outside of Moscow and a few other large, western Russian cities, they don't accept American Express. Or Visa. Or traveller's checks. Or anything. You must have 1990 or newer dollars, preferably very new, and they must be unwrinkled, untorn and unmarked if you don't want difficulties. Although the exchange rate in Kyzyl is theoretically higher than in Moscow, exchange your money in Moscow. Kyzyl's banks may have no roubles to exchange. The exchange rate on the street in Moscow is better than that in the bank in Kyzyl or via official channels in Moscow, but be careful. As of the summer of 1998, there is an ATM in Kyzyl - in one bank only, for now. It is in a main street backyard establishment (ask for it, in front of OVIR and Bank of Tuva). It works with Visa cards. GUIDES AND REFERENCES ===================== Buy your maps in your home country, or in Moscow. Topographical maps are hard to come by in Tuva. When you meet people along the road and in villages, you will be proud to show off with your 1:1 000 000 scale map from the US Defence Mapping Agency. The Lonely Planet guidebook for Russia is has seven pages on Tuva (seven among 1200) but they are useful and include a map of Kyzyl. Some experienced travellers are now leading tours into Tuva. We can not give first-hand recommendations for anyone, but we will not list anyone who has not already travelled into Tuva. Gary Wintz 626 Santa Monica Bl. Santa Monica CA 90401 Sasha Lebedev An independent guide who has worked with Catapult Adventures for 6 years. Email: alebedev@techmarket.ru OTHER ===== You don't need to have Kyzyl listed on your visa any more, but it is advisable and will generate less hassle. There is a classical process to obtain a visa in order to travel freely through all Russia. The classical process makes it almost impossible to travel there independently and without personal invitation. The Lonely Planet guide for Russia has a section on visas. This section is very complicated but details the best (quickest) way to get a visa - this has worked for some correspondents but be warned that there is some question as to whether this approach is completely legal. Patience and flexibility are the greatest of virtues. Practice the mantra ``we will wait, and we will see''. 14: How can I learn to sing khoomei? A: It's not easy; the best singers begin their training before they can walk. However, it's not impossible to learn later. - Dan Bennett has volunteered his advice, reproduced below. - Steve Sklar has some online instructions at http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/g057/sklar001/khoomei.html - I also recommend an excellent pamphlet, "Khoomei - How To's and Why's" by Michael Emory, PO Box 648, Westbury, NY, USA, 11590. Michael's illustrations, while not exactly helpful, are fantastic. His text is quite useful. - Teachers are available for seminars or workshops in North America. Paul Pena and Steve Sklar are both reachable online and are willing to travel to teach. The absolute best advice was offered by Ralph Leighton, namely, listen to masters and imitate. How to Sing Khoomei (by Dan Bennett, dan_bennett@hp.com) ======================================================== Khoomei is easiest for men. I *have* heard a recording of a Mongolian Kazakh women singing khoomei, but it's simply not so easy or spectacular, because of the higher pitch of the female voice. (Sainkho Namchylak can sing khoomei too.) 1. Sing a steady note while saying "aah" (to start with). Pitch it in the middle of your range, where you can give it plenty of energy, i.e. - Sing it loudly. 2. Aim to make the sound as bright - not to say *brash* - as you can. The more energy there is in the harmonics, the louder and clearer they'll be when you start singing khoomei. Practise this for a while. 3. OK, with this as a basis for the sound generation, you've got to arrange your mouth to become a highly resonant acoustic filter. My style (self-taught, but verified for me by a professional Mongolian khoomei singer I had a lesson with in Ulaanbaatar) is as follows: Divide the mouth into two similar-sized compartments by raising your tongue so that it meets the roof of your mouth, a bit like you're saying "L". Spread your tongue a bit so that it makes a seal all the way round. At this point, you won't be able to pass air through your mouth. Then (my technique), break the seal on the left (or right) side of the mouth, simply to provide a route for the air to get through. Then (here's the most difficult bit to describe over the net - or even in person, for that matter!), push your lips forward a bit, and by carefully (and intuitively) adjusting the position of your lips, tongue, cheeks, jaw, etc, you can sing Mongolian khoomei! Put it this way: the *aim* of the khoomei singer ("khoomigch") is to emphasize ONE of the harmonics which are already present in the sound generated by the throat. This is achieved because he is forming a resonant cavity, which (a) is tuned to the chosen harmonic (overtone), and (b) has a high resonance, or "Q" factor. By adjusting the geometry and tension of your mouth you can choose which harmonic you're emphasizing, and thus sing a tune. 15: How did the "Tannu" get into "Tannu Tuva"? A: Several Mongolians and the band Ozum were asked about the word "Tannu"; they did not know the word or its source. Mongolians and Tuvans both answered "it may not be Tannu, it must be Tangdy". They opined that it must be a Tuvan term; it is certainly not Mongolian. Their guess is that Tangdy is the word printed on some maps as "Tannu-Ola" (in Tuvan dictionaries this appears as "Tangdy cyny" or "Tangdy-Uula"). As you may know, tangdy (ta"ng"dy) means "high mountain" or "taiga surrounded by high mountain" in Tuvan. Here is some supporting information, mainly from a book by S. A. Shoizhelov (Natsov), Tuvinskaya Narodnaya Respublika, Moscow 1930. (Written in Oct. 1929). Tuva was indeed called "Tang-nu Wulianghai". The Czarist Russians called Tuva "Uryanhai". P. 29-30 of the above mentioned book talks about a "Russo-Uryanhai regional meeting", in which, of course, a resolution was passed. This meeting was after, and supposedly in response to, the February Revolution. (Note: Which year was that? 1915?) The meeting was held in Byelotsarsk, and was convened by the Immigrants' Administration (Pereselencheskogo Upravleniya). Article One of this resolution refers to "Tannu-Uryanh[a]i", obviously a corruption or Russianization of "Tang-nu Wulianghai". Once the Russians decided to call the Tuvans "Tuvans" and not "Uryanhais", then it was a natural step for them to quit calling the place "Tannu-Uryanhai" and call it "Tannu-Tuva" instead. In his discussion of the first meeting of the Party in Tuva, Natsov refers to the "Tannu-Tuva", but then afterwards it is always simply "Tuva". At the founding of the nominally independent state, it was called the Tannu-Tuvan People's Republic, but that soon afterward, in just a few years, the "Tannu" was dropped. As we all know, the first Tuvan postage stamps, issued in 1926, have "Ta Ty" for Tangdy Tyva on them. The next issue, from 1927, has just "Tyva". [Heroic answers provided by Masahiko Todoriki and Alan Leighton.] User Contributions:
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