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Where Rivers and Mountains Sing: Sound, Music, and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond
Theodore Levin takes readers on a journey through the rich sonic world of inner Asia, where the elemental energies of wind, water, and echo, the ubiquitous presence of birds and animals, and the legendary feats of heroes have inspired a remarkable art and technology of sound-making among nomadic pastoralists. As performers from Tuva and other parts of inner Asia have responded to the growing worldwide popularity of their music, Levin follows them to the West, detailing their efforts to nourish global connections while preserving the power and poignancy of their music traditions. A DVD/CD video/music disk is included.
281 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 14, 2021
Linking throat singing to the land of Tuva
Before Ralph Leighton published "Tuva or Bust" thirty years ago, the literature on Tuva available in English was "a bit sparse". If you really persisted you might have turned up Vainshtain's "Nomads of South Siberia" for which the research was done in the 1930s. After Leighton's connection with that far off Russian republic (it "joined" the USSR in 1944), he and his friends got "Journey to Tuva" re-published as well, O. Manchen-Helfen's account of his rare visit to Tannu Tuva between the world wars. And until Theodore Levin brought out this volume, that was it. But starting with a surprise appearance in the Rose Bowl Parade of 1992, Tuvan singers rocketed from total obscurity to world fame. By now, some millions of people around the world have heard their music, even if everyone did not exactly know where Tuva might be. A number of groups have brought throat singing and other styles of Inner Asian music to auditoriums and seminars from California to Crete. Who are these guys? (and a few women too)
That's what this book is about. And it's a very good one. Levin explores the possible origins of Tuvan music, noting the tendency to mimic the sounds of nature that surround herders on the steppes and in the mountains of Tuva, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and the Altai regions of Siberia. He draws a division between cultures which produce pitch-centered music (most) and timbre-centered music (Tuva). There are detailed sections on how much Tuvan musicians mimic nature or the sounds of animals and how they merge themselves into the sonic feelings of their surroundings. I found discussion of "spiritual landscape" very interesting. Tuvan music is also linked to shamanic practice. Since Tuva re-connected to the outside world in 1992, we've seen the rise of fake shamans, in it for fame and fortune, beguiling New Age groupies no end. Musicians tend to present the music they think audiences want to hear. Only a few resist the temptation to abandon traditional music culture. Yet, can you blame Tuvan musicians, who come from a poor country ravaged by alcoholism? They may feel close to their land and to their heritage, but the demands of music consumers lead them to commercialize their sounds. Music is one of Tuva's only exports. All these topics and more are dealt with in a very readable, interesting style (though some of the discussion of sound mimesis can be heavy). If some people say the book is academic, I would say that that is a positive quality in this case---you can learn a lot and think about many related topics. A great CD accompanies the book.
If you are at all interested in a remote part of the world and its music, if you would like to know more about Tuva, past and present, you need go no further.
Before Ralph Leighton published "Tuva or Bust" thirty years ago, the literature on Tuva available in English was "a bit sparse". If you really persisted you might have turned up Vainshtain's "Nomads of South Siberia" for which the research was done in the 1930s. After Leighton's connection with that far off Russian republic (it "joined" the USSR in 1944), he and his friends got "Journey to Tuva" re-published as well, O. Manchen-Helfen's account of his rare visit to Tannu Tuva between the world wars. And until Theodore Levin brought out this volume, that was it. But starting with a surprise appearance in the Rose Bowl Parade of 1992, Tuvan singers rocketed from total obscurity to world fame. By now, some millions of people around the world have heard their music, even if everyone did not exactly know where Tuva might be. A number of groups have brought throat singing and other styles of Inner Asian music to auditoriums and seminars from California to Crete. Who are these guys? (and a few women too)
That's what this book is about. And it's a very good one. Levin explores the possible origins of Tuvan music, noting the tendency to mimic the sounds of nature that surround herders on the steppes and in the mountains of Tuva, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and the Altai regions of Siberia. He draws a division between cultures which produce pitch-centered music (most) and timbre-centered music (Tuva). There are detailed sections on how much Tuvan musicians mimic nature or the sounds of animals and how they merge themselves into the sonic feelings of their surroundings. I found discussion of "spiritual landscape" very interesting. Tuvan music is also linked to shamanic practice. Since Tuva re-connected to the outside world in 1992, we've seen the rise of fake shamans, in it for fame and fortune, beguiling New Age groupies no end. Musicians tend to present the music they think audiences want to hear. Only a few resist the temptation to abandon traditional music culture. Yet, can you blame Tuvan musicians, who come from a poor country ravaged by alcoholism? They may feel close to their land and to their heritage, but the demands of music consumers lead them to commercialize their sounds. Music is one of Tuva's only exports. All these topics and more are dealt with in a very readable, interesting style (though some of the discussion of sound mimesis can be heavy). If some people say the book is academic, I would say that that is a positive quality in this case---you can learn a lot and think about many related topics. A great CD accompanies the book.
If you are at all interested in a remote part of the world and its music, if you would like to know more about Tuva, past and present, you need go no further.
April 2, 2020
I revere books that open up a world of unexplored ideas, that make you want to further research, and acts like a propelling engine for your mind, makes you further curious about the subject matter. Its been a year I have been playing the jews harp and two months practicing Kargyraa (throat singing) and this book made me more aware of the sounds I was making and redefined music for me. Traveling to the great unexplored areas of Siberia and Tuvan, meeting many throat-singers, musicians and shamans...it was a good combination of a travel-diary and musicology with many stories and fables told along by the authors encounters. The other greatest thing about the book was the archive of music and videos that were recorded during the field research , making it a very interactive read, where you could listen and see the actual people performing, and gives you a much clearer perspective on the reflections of the author. I congratulate the author for putting all his field research and experience in this book, its rare to find any book on this matter. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand about Tuvan music and throat-singing and also about jews-harp.
October 1, 2017
This is such a strong piece of scholarship. For me, the book is an important exploration of a pastoral/nomadic musical tradition that has remained intentional about using music to maintain relationship with the local, natural world. This musical tradition may shed light on ways we all might relate better to local place and engage environmental care with a stronger sense of relational ethics. There is also a beautiful discussion in the book on the ethics of cultural appropriation and the balance of power in decisions about musical ownership and economic success.
October 21, 2011
fantastic book about tuva and thing songs and other customs. the countryside reminds me of a wetter northern Nevada and the folks songs remind me of mars. has a dvd and cd music with book and lots of pics, colored and b/w. course there is the typical dominating culture bullshit and folks trying to make a buck whether you have to ruin a culture and people that have been around for about 10,000 years or not. anything for the buck. but tuvans are hanging in there nonetheless. i first got interested in tuva because of the physicist feynman, he went there and recorded some songs and it was entrancing. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character
Safecracker Suite: Drumming and Storytelling
Safecracker Suite: Drumming and Storytelling
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews