Sasha Bapa, his brother, Sayan, and two other musicians, Kaigal-ool Khovalyg and Albert Kuvezin formed HUUN-HUUR-TU in 1992 to focus on the performance of, as Sasha put it, "old and forgotten songs". Sasha, Sayan, and Kaigal-ool were refugees from one of the large state-managed song and dance ensembles that became a fixture of official cultural life during the Soviet era. For decades these ensembles with their glitzy performances of folk music or pseudo folk music offered close to the only outlet for young musicians who wanted to earn a living playing indigenous music. But as the music business has become increasingly privatized throughout the former Soviet Union, many musicians have abandoned the state ensembles and formed their own groups. The musical results have been decidedly mixed.
At the same time that the members of HUUN-HUUR-TU have devoted themselves to learning oId songs and tunes, their performances reflect the values of innovation as much as tradition. For example, the very notion of an ensemble like HUUN-HUUR-TU is new to Tuva: Most Tuvan music has traditionally been performed by a solo singer or instrumentalist, and musicians have tended to spezialize in a particular genre or musical style. These genres and styles in turn have deep roots in particular kinds of social occasions . By contrast, HUUN-HUUR-TU's eclectic concert presentations of old songs and tunes fall between the cracks of Tuvan musical life. "In Tuva, there's still no real context for what we do," says Sasha Bapa. "We perform there only rarely because it's so difficult for an independent group like ours: where can we find a good hall and sound equipment, and transportation to get there? How can we deal with all the government and commercial structures that still control a lot of the booking? And who can offer fees that will support us even modestly as professional musicians? Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, the musical leader of our group, might be better known in America than in Tuva. We're trying to preserve our musical heritage, but at the same time, we're trying to look forward. If a musical tradition stops evolving, it is destined to die."
TUVA
This is the name of a remote region, far away from the familiar route of civilization in the center of Asia. The autonomous republic of Tuva, ringed by mountains and deserts (population 300.000) is part of the new formation of countries lead by Russia. It shares its Southern border with Mongolia, the capital is Kyzyl by the river Yennisey.
Tuvan explanations:
Kh....mei:
The name for overtone and throat singing
Sygyt (Tuvan: "whistle"):
High overtone singing, sounding like a flute
Igil:
Two-stringed fiddle with a carved wooden horses's head attached to the top of the neck, modern versions with three strings, played vertically, while sitting on the ground or on a chair
Doshpuluur:
Two or three string banjo-like plucked instrument
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