A PERFORMANCE GUIDE TO SE ENKHBAYAR’S CHORAL TONE POEM

ÖNCHIN BOTOG (A LONELY BABY C AMEL) FOR SATB SOLOISTS

AND SATB CHORUS (WITH DIVISIONS) A CAPPELLA

Pei Chi Lin, B.M., M.M.

Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

May 2018

APPROVED:

Richard Sparks, Major Professor Jeffrey Snider, Committee Member Allen Hightower, Committee Member Benjamin Brand, Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Music John Richmond, Dean of College of Music Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Lin, Pei Chi. A Performance Guide to Se Enkhbayar’s Choral Tone Poem Önchin Botog

(A Lonely Baby Camel) for SATB Soloists and SATB Chorus (with Divisions) A Cappella. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), May 2018, 68 pp., 7 tables, 1 figure, 39 musical examples, bibliography, 36 titles.

Se Enkhbayar (b. 1956) is one of the most important contemporary Mongolian composers in China. His choral tone poem, Önchin Botog, integrates the traditional Mongolian musical elements Urtiin Duu (long song) and Khöömii (throat singing) with modern choral music and is one of the most representative works in the genre of modern Mongolian choral music. The purpose of this study is to provide a performance guidance for non-Mongolian musicians on Se

Enkhbayar’s work, Önchin Botog, by presenting his biographical and cultural backgrounds, discussing the use of traditional Mongolian singing styles, special rhythmic patterns (horse-step rhythm) and Chinese pentatonic scales. For conductors, this guide can shorten preparation time by providing musical analysis for artistic interpretation and practical points for sound effect creation. For solo singers, this guide will enable a Bel Canto singer to sing Urtiin Duu in

Mongolian singing style. For Khöömii singers, this guide provides supplementary practical suggestions. Copyright 2018

By

Pei Chi Lin

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research involves data mostly from Inner Mongolia, China that were never easy for

researchers to gather residing in the United States. Se Enkhbayar, the composer of the subject

song, has made it easy for me by always providing information and answers promptly. This study

could not have been done without his enthusiastic cooperation. I would also like to thank him for

his hospitality during my field study trip to Alxa of Inner Mongolia, China.

I would like to thank Dr. Richard Sparks, my research advisor, for his guidance, constant

encouragement, and helpful critiques, and the members of my committee, Dr. Jeffery Snider and

Dr. Allen Hightower, for their encouragement and support. I would also like to offer my special thanks to Dr. Jerry McCoy, my former advisor. Thank you for helping me become a better musician and directing me in my research topic selection.

I owe a special thanks to Jim Tso for spending a lot of time mentoring and editing my academic writing; and to various people for their contributions, Henry Huhtulag and Dasula for their lyric translations from Mongolian to Chinese and IPA for this project; Jin Shan (金山),

Tamir Hargana, both professional Khöömii singers, for answering my questions in Khöömii singing.

Finally, I wish to thank my parents for their support and encouragement throughout my life; especially my mother for taking care of my newborn son during this period. Most importantly, I wish to thank my loving husband, Eun-Hwan Kim, who makes unconditional sacrifices.

iii TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ...... vi

LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ...... vii

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Se Enkhbayar’s Compositional Styles and Output ...... 5 1.2 Traditional Mongolian Musical Elements in Se Enkhbayar’s Önchin Botog ...... 6 1.3 Performance Guide ...... 6

CHAPTER 2. SE ENKHBAYAR ...... 8 2.1 Biographical Sketch ...... 8 2.2 Overview of Se Enkhbayar’s Productions and Contributions ...... 10 2.3 Motivation of Creation of Önchin Botog ...... 12

CHAPTER 3. PERFORMANCE GUIDE ...... 13 3.1 The Use of Traditional Mongolian Musical Elements ...... 13 3.1.1 Chinese Pentatonic Scale ...... 13 3.1.2 Melody ...... 14 3.1.3 Interval ...... 19 3.1.4 Harmony ...... 20 3.1.5 Rhythm ...... 21 3.1.6 Grace Note ...... 23 3.1.7 Glissando...... 23 3.1.8 Urtiin Duu ...... 24 3.1.9 Khöömii: ...... 24 3.2 The Use of Contemporary Compositional Techniques ...... 26 3.2.1 Tone Clusters ...... 26 3.2.2 Dissonant Chords ...... 27 3.2.3 Shouting ...... 27 3.2.4 Polychord ...... 28 3.2.5 Riff ...... 28

iv 3.3 Musical Structure ...... 28 3.3.1 I. Önchrel (Loneliness) ...... 29 3.3.2 II. Erel (Searching) ...... 29 3.3.3 III. Khusel (Longing) ...... 30 3.4 Pronunciation and Lyrics Translation ...... 30 3.5 How to Perform the Sounds of Nature ...... 31 3.5.1 Botog ni builaa (Camel Whining), mm. 1-2 ...... 31 3.5.2 Salkh shuurkh (Wind Whistling), mm. 3-6 ...... 32 3.5.3 Tsujsen yikh Gobi (Gobi Whispering), mm. 7-9 ...... 33 3.5.4 Bukh urgmuluud uilakh (Skies Crying), mm. 14-16 ...... 33 3.5.5 Ugalze shuurakh duu chime (Storm Howling), m. 15 ...... 34 3.5.6 Tenger gazar khilinnekh (Earth Roaring), m. 16 ...... 35 3.5.7 Amiskhaa tebdekh (camel Panting), mm. 157-162 ...... 36 3.6 Relationship between Lyrics and Music ...... 36 3.7 Challenges for Solo Singers: Folk Singing Styles ...... 42 3.8 Chanllenges for Khöömii Singers ...... 43 3.9 Comparison of the Two Different Recording Versions ...... 45

CHAPTER 4. CONCLUSION...... 47

APPENDIX A. MONGOLIAN PRONUNCIATION GUIDE...... 49

APPENDIX B. IPA AND SENTENCE-FOR-SENTENCE TRANSLATION ...... 51

APPENDIX C. WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSLATION ...... 53

APPENDIX D. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT A-CREATION BACKGROUND ...... 56

APPENDIX E. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT B- PERFORMANCE GUIDE ...... 59

APPENDIX F. VIDEO LINKS OF THE INTERVIEWS ...... 63

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 65

v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Page

Tables

Table 2.1. Se Enkhbayar’s Selected Choral Works ...... 10

Table 3.1 The Music Structure of Önchin Botog ...... 29

Table 3.2. The Music Structure and Characters of Erel, mm. 40-66 ...... 38

Table 3.3. The Music Structure and Characters of Erel, mm. 67-96 ...... 40

Table 3.4. The Music Structure and Characters of Erel, mm. 97-132 ...... 41

Table 3.5. The music structure and characters of Erel, mm. 133-162 ...... 41

Table 3.6. The Comparison of Performance Length for Önchin Botog (1995) in “Grassland Hymns” and Önchin Botog (2002) in “The Voices of the Land” ...... 46

Figures

Figure 1.1. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China ...... 1

vi LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES

Page

Example 3.1. Chinese pentatonic scale ...... 13

Example 3.2. Five mode possibilities of pentatonic scales ...... 13

Example 3.3. The mode of F/Shang for Part I, Önchrel ...... 14

Example 3.4. The mode of A/Yu for Part II, Erel ...... 14

Example 3.5. The mode of F/Gong for Part III, Khusel ...... 14

Example 3.6. The tune of the traditional folk song, Önchin Tsagaa Botog ...... 15

Example 3.7. Comparison of the main melodies between traditional folk song Önchin Tsagaan Botog and Se Enkhbayars’s melodies of Urtiin Duu in Önchin Botog ...... 15

Example 3.8. Comparison of the prelude of Pastoral (mm. 1-8) and Khusel (mm. 163-166) ..... 16

Example 3.9. Comparison of the melodies of Pastoral (mm. 9-16) and Khusel (mm. 172-174) . 17

Example 3.10. Comparison of the melodies of Pastoral (mm. 17-24) and Khusel (mm. 174-179) ...... 17

Example 3.11. Comparison of the melodies of Pastoral (mm. 9-16) and Khusel (mm. 180-183) 17

Example 3.12. Comparison of the melodies of Pastoral (mm. 17-24) and Khusel (mm. 183-187) ...... 18

Example 3.13. The melodic lines of Önchrel ...... 18

Example 3.14. The melodic lines of Khusel ...... 19

Example 3.15. The Chord, Fsus4 and Csus4/F, in Önchrel, m. 17 and m. 20 ...... 21

Example 3.16. The Chord, Cm (add4), in Önchrel, m. 11 ...... 21

Example 3.17. Yaomasi patterns in Erel, mm. 45-49 ...... 23

Example 3.18. Daobusi patterns in Erel, mm. 69-72 ...... 23

Example 3.19. Isgeree sung by bass solo in Khusel, mm. 180-183 ...... 25

Example 3.20. Kharhiraa in Khusel, m. 196 ...... 25

Example 3.21. The Harmonic Series on C ...... 26

vii Example 3.22. Tone clusters in Önchrel, m. 14 ...... 26

Example 3.23. Successive seventh chords, mm. 109-113 ...... 27

Example 3.24. Successive thirteenth chords, mm. 114-117 ...... 27

Example 3.25. The use of the polychord, m. 13 ...... 28

Example 3.26. Botog ni builaa (camel whining), mm. 1-2...... 32

Example 3.27. Salkh shuurkh (wind whistling), mm. 3-4 ...... 32

Example 3.28. Tsuljsen yikh Gobi (Gobi whispering), mm. 6-7 ...... 33

Example 3.29. Bukh urgmuluud uilakh (skies crying), m. 14 ...... 34

Example 3.30. Ugalz shuurakh duu chime (storm howling), m. 15 ...... 35

Example 3.31. Tenger gazar khilinnekh (earth roaring), m. 16 ...... 35

Example 3.32. Amiskhaa tebdekh (camel panting), mm. 155-162 ...... 36

Example 3.33. Part I, Önchrel, mm. 28-37 ...... 37

Example 3.34. The camel’s footsteps in Erel, mm. 40-49 ...... 39

Example 3.35. The pause between music in Erel, mm. 55-62...... 39

Example 3.36. Part II, Erel, mm. 76-79 ...... 40

Example 3.37. Part II, Erel, mm. 145-149 ...... 42

Example 3.38. Isgeree melodies in Khusel, mm. 172-187 ...... 44

Example 3.39. Harmonic series on F2 ...... 45

viii CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Every culture has its own musical language, which may use different scales, forms,

instruments, and melodies. In recent years, with the rising spotlight on world music, non-Western musical languages have gained more attention from Western musical communities.

Western choral music was introduced to China less than one hundred years ago, though

singing ensembles have been around for hundreds of years. Formal choir singing groups took root in Inner Mongolia1 (Figure 1.1) in the 1950s. In the late 1980s, the composition of choral

music flourished. Mongolian choral music has gained international fame thanks to the Inner

Mongolian Youth Choir who intrigued the choral music world with their special singing styles.2

Figure 1.1. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China3

» Area: 1.183 million square km

» Population: 24.71 million (2010)

» % of Mongolian: 18 %

» Capital City: Hohhot

1 “Inner Mongolia, officially Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region or Nei Mongol Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the north of the country, containing most of China’s border with Mongolia (the rest of the China-Mongolia border is taken up by the Xinjiang autonomous region and Gansu province) and a small section of the border with Russia. Its capital is Hohhot, and other major cities include Baotou, Chifeng, and Ordos.” From Wikipedia “Inner Mongolia,” accessed August 1, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Mongolia. 2 Yu Bai, “Contemporary choral music compositions and current trends in Inner Mongolia,” Journal of Chifeng University 35, no.7 (Jul. 2014): 220. 3 Inner Mongolia Location, from China Today.com, accessed February 18, 2017, http://www.chinatoday.com/city/inner_mongolia.htm.

1 Mongolian people are an ethnic minority in China known for their nomadic lifestyle, both

historically and in modern times. They are also recognized for their musical tradition. Mongolian

music is primarily vocal rather than instrumental, which is a result of Mongolians’ unique

nomadic lifestyle. Traditionally, Mongolian music is written using Chinese pentatonic scales.

Despite sporadic contacts with Western peoples on the Eurasian Steppe throughout history,

Mongolian music shows little signs of Western music influence. 4

The Mongols are a musical people who are also famous for their folk dance. Their Urtiin

Duu (long song),5 Khöömii (throat singing or overtone singing),6 and Morin Khuur (horse-head

fiddle)7 are renowned as the three musical heritages of the Grassland.8 These three traditional

Mongolian music styles are on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of

Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).9

4 Theory System, from Mongolia’s Music “Theory System,” accessed August 5, 2017, http://mongoliamusic.weebly.com/style.html. 5 “In terms of musical structure, traditional Mongolian songs fall along a continuum. At one end is the ‘extended’ long-song (aizam urtyn duu), which is richly decorated, drawn out and without fixed rhythm; at the other is the strophic, syllabic, rhythmical short-song (bogino duu), which is mostly in simple, duple or quadruple time and occasionally in triple time, and performed without ornamentation…..It is characterized by rich ornamentation and use of falsetto, extreme elongation of both musical phrases and syllables, a melody that continually unfolds rather than repeats, and lack of a regular beat. Its melodic complexity and melismatic skill takes precedence over textual clarity for both performer and audience.” From Carole Pegg, “Mongol music,” Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed January 29, 2017, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/18954. 6 “A vocal style in which a single performer produces more than one clearly audible note simultaneously. In melodic overtone-singing styles, a drone is produced on the first harmonic or fundamental and a flute-like melody created from a series of upper harmonics or overtones. In non-melodic styles, overtones may occur because of the pitch of the fundamental drone combined with the vocal sounds being enunciated.” From Carole Pegg, “Overtone-singing.” Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed January 29, 2017, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/49849. 7 A Mongolian traditional bowed string instruments. “Mongolians traditionally use the khuur to accompany both the singing of tales and legends and the singing of long songs (urryn duu). ” From Andrea Nixon and Peter K. Marsh, “Khuur,” Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, accessed January 29, 2017, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/L2281408. 8 Jian Xin Yuan and Jian Ming Yuan, “Heavenly voice: Khöömii,” Yellow River of the Song 23 (2010): 64-65. 9 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), accessed January 29, 2017, http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/urtiin-duu-traditional-folk-long-song-00115, https://www.unesco.org/en/RL/mongolian-traditional-art-of-khoomei-00396

2 Mongolian music is rich with its distinct ethnic characteristics. Musical themes often

depict the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle on the steppe, expansive grassland and harsh weather,

and others are based on heroic epics. Mongolian music differs among different regions,

depending on clans, lifestyles and geography, with similar themes linked by the same nomadic

history.

Mongolian singing styles are closely attributed to their linguistic characters and nomadic

personalities. Without understanding its cultural background, even professional singers who can

correctly grasp pitches, rhythm, and dynamics still have difficulties expressing the spirit and

esthetic of Mongolian music, not to mention conveying a composer’s philosophy and purpose.

According to Sharon Davis Gratto, “Rehearsal and performance practices with world choral

music need to be as authentic and accurate as possible, with common sense and musicianship

dictating practice.”10

I became aware of Se Enkhbayar’s works when I conducted Camel Bells as an associate

conductor with the UNT A Cappella Choir in 2014. Both the singers and audience goers were fascinated by the unique Central Asian music styles and musical lines. This whet my curiosity for learning more works by Se Enkhbayar. After contacting the composer and learning more of his published and unpublished works, I was especially intrigued by his choral tone poem11

Önchin Botog, scored for A Cappella mixed choir with Urtiin Duu and Khöömii. This music

gives singers and conductors a representative example of the composer’s Mongolian music

heritage and his adaptation of modern Western composition skills.

http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/traditional-music-of-the-morin-khuur-00068. 10 Sharon Davis Gratto, “Ethnic and Multicultural Perspectives,” Choral Journal 51, no. 2 (September 2010): 66. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed January 31, 2017). 11 Se Enkhbayar categorized Önchin Botog in the genre of 合唱音詩 which can be literally translated as choral tone poem.

3 Önchin Botog is an unpublished work and has never been performed by a non-Mongolian

choir nor has it been performed by any choir groups without Se Enkhbayar’s assistance. No

detailed performance guide has been documented with the printed music.

According to Martyn Brabbins:

Notation is the essential interface between composer and performer and conductors spend much more time studying scores than they do in rehearsal or performance. For many modern works, the conductor must also assimilate a new notation and then teach it to the orchestra. It is incumbent upon the composer to be as clear as possible, so that the musicians can accurately and efficiently realize the music. Unfortunately, modern notation can be unnecessarily frustrating to rehearse and perform.12

In order to enable choir groups outside of Inner Mongolia to perform Önchin Botog

authentically, I took a holistic approach in studying this music and its cultural and historical

context. The most crucial data collection was based on the interviews with Se Enkhbayar. After

frequent telephone and email exchanges starting from 2014, I visited him in person in Alxa,

Inner Mongolia, in May 2017. Before traveling to Inner Mongolia, I had the privilege of

rehearsing this song with a semiprofessional choir, Kaoshiung Natus Singers, in early April in

Taiwan. Through rehearsals with these experienced choir singers, I was able to discover the

issues in performing this music and find solutions. During this time, the composer was gracious

enough to accommodate me in multiple aspects. He took me to see the herdsman’s home and

sand dunes where he got his inspiration in writing Önchin Botog. Through his introduction,13 I

was able to immerse myself in the native daily life and engage in many social activities. Through

these interactions, I gained an appreciation for the uninhibited character of Mongolians and their

12 Martyn Brabbins, “The Composer-Conductor and Modern Music,” in The Cambridge Companion to Conducting, ed. José Antonio Bowen, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 267. 13 See Appendix “Creation Background.”

4 penchant for spontaneous singing and dancing. This helped me develop a deeper appreciation for

Mongolian music.

According to Sharon Davis Gratto, “Choral directors must assume responsibility to know

and understand multicultural choral literature in the same way they have been educated to know

and understand ‘traditional’ or ‘standard’ choral works.”14 Based on literary research, analysis,

interviews and listening to two different performance recordings, I have created a performance

guide for the purpose of helping non-Mongolian choirs to effectively perform this tone poem.

This research focuses not only on understanding the musical ideas and styles of Önchin

Botog, but also on providing conductors with guidance for performing this piece with artistic

interpretation. This study will address the state of research in three areas.

1.1 Se Enkhbayar’s Compositional Styles and Output

Siqinchaoketu has written his master’s thesis, The Study of Se Enkhbayar’s A Cappella

Mixed Choral Works, published in 2005,15 and an article, The Artistic Characteristics of the

Compositions of Mongolian Composer Se Enkhbayar, published in 2006.16 His account is a

substantial biography and survey of his works. He highlights a few examples of Enkhbayar’s

compositional style, but for the most part, makes broad observations without discussing this

specific song.

14 Gratto, “Ethnic and Multicultural Perspectives,” 65. 15 Siqinchaoketu, “The Study of Se Enkhbayar’s A Cappella Mixed Choral Works” (Master’s thesis, Minzu University of China, 2005), 10-14. 16 Siqinchaoketu, “The Artistic Characteristics of the Compositions of Mongolian Composer Se Enkhbayar,” Chinese Music no. 2 (2006): 93-97.

5 1.2 Traditional Mongolian Musical Elements in Se Enkhbayar’s Önchin Botog

Yaxiong Du’s An Introduction to Chinese Minority Music, published in 2002,17 illustrates special characteristics of Mongolian melodies and intervals. Shi-Xiang Li’s The Horse-Step

Rhythm in Mongolian Short Song, published in 2010,18 made his observations of the special

horse-step rhythm commonly seen in Mongolian music. His research has helped me in analyzing

the song in Part II of Önchin Botog which uses horse-stop rhythm to depict motions and

movements of Botog.

1.3 Performance Guide

For solo singers, Qi-Yu Fan’s The Style and Singing Skills of Mongolian Long Songs,

published in 2003,19 provides very clear instructions on how to sing Urtiin Duu in folk singing

style; Geriletu’s Different Khöömii Styles and Their Vocal Techniques, published in 2007,20

explains several Khöömii styles in detail.

For choral conductors or choir members, the Mongolian Pronunciation Guide of Se

Enkhbayar’s “Zeregleent Gobi,” published by Earthsongs in 1998,21 provides a great resource for this work. Moreover, the two Se Enkhbayar’s album titles, The Voices of the Land22 and

17 Yaxiong Du, An Introduction to Chinese Minority Music (Shanghai: SMPH, 2002), 99-103. 18 Shi-Xiang Li, “The Horse-Step Rhythm in Mongolian Short Song,” Journal of Art College of Inner Mongolia University 7, no. 4 (October 2010): 76-81. 19 Qi-Yu Fan, “The Style and Singing Skills of Mongolian Long Song,” Journal of Sanmin College of Technology, no. 3 (2003): 96-100. 20 Geriletu, “Different Khöömei Styles and Their Vocal Techniques,” Chinese Music 3 (2007): 66-70. 21 Se Enkhbayar, Zeregleent Gobi (Mirage on the Gobi Desert), Earthsongs: Corvallis, 1998. 22 Se Enkhbayar, “TheVoices of the Land,” Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel), Inner Mongolia Radio and Television Art Troupe, conducted by Yalungerile, provided by Se Enkhbayar.

6 Grassland Hymns,23 both conducted by Yalungerile and sung by different famous Mongolian

choirs are treasured audio resources. A poetic translation of Önchin Botog from Mongolian to

Chinese lyrics was done by the producers of Grassland Hymns.

For conductors, this guide can shorten preparation time by providing the International

Phonetic Alphabet, English translation and practical points as music interpretations and sound

effect creation. For solo singers, this guide will enable a Bel Canto singer to sing Urtiin Duu in

folk singing style. For Khöömii singers, this guide provides supplementary practical suggestions,

which will enable them to successfully perform Khöömii melody in this song.

23 Se Enkhbayar, “Grassland Hymns,” Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel), Inner Mongolian Youth Choir, conducted by Yalungerile, ABC (Int’l) Records, ISBN 7-88481-40-4. Compact disc.

7 CHAPTER 2

SE ENKHBAYAR

2.1 Biographical Sketch

Se Enkhbayar (b. 1956) is regarded as one of the most important Mongolian composers in China and is one of the founders of the Inner Mongolian Youth Choir, and is currently the executive composer of the Broadcasting Art Troupe of Inner Mongolia and the executive director of the China Chorus Association. His over 260 compositions are written for a multitude of genres and performing forces. In 2017, he was granted with the title of an Ambassador for the

International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM).

In recent years, some of his compositions, for example, Naiman Sharag24 (The Chestnut

Horses) and Zeregleent Gobi25 (Mirage on the Gobi Desert), have been used by many high

school, collegiate, and community choirs in the United States. Moreover, the Inner Mongolian

Children’s Choir performed at ACDA National Conference in 2017 and two thirds of their

repertoire was from Se Enkhbayar.

Enkhbayar is his real name. It is common for Mongolians to go by a single name. Se

Enkhbayar is the pseudonym he uses as a musician. He was born to a nomadic family deep in the Badain Jaran Desert of Alxa League, Inner Mongolia. His mother,26 O. Rigjdma (1932-), was

a folk singer of local fame and is a living treasure of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Intangible Cultural Heritage, who influenced him with her musical talents. He dropped out of

school at the age of 11 and spent time herding goats and camels during the Cultural Revolution.27

24 Se Enkhbayar, Naiman Sharag (The Chestnut Horses), Earthsongs: Corvallis, 1998. 25 Se Enkhbayar, Zeregleent Gobi (Mirage on the Gobi Desert), Earthsongs: Corvallis, 1998.

26 O. Rigjdma (额日格吉德玛), “Living Human Treasures,” from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, accessed September 17, 2017, http://www.nmgfeiyi.cn/fyxxy.php?&cid=6. 27 Cultural Revolution (1966-76), “Cultural Revolution,” from Encyclopædia Britannica, accessed October 4, 2017,

8 In his early years of shepherding, he developed a fancy for drawing nature. This artistic penchant

may have influenced his musical inspirations later.28

At the age of 15, Se Enkhbayar started working as a manual laborer at a quarry. At the

age of 20, he was hired by a traveling troupe, Wulanmuqi Troupe, as an extra. While working in

the troupe, he was discovered as a singer by a twist of fate. After a year of voice lessons, he was

chosen to perform as a solo singer, but had to quit singing due to frequent laryngitis a few years

later. In 1983, he made attempts to compose for his work unit, Inner Mongolian Broadcasting Art

Troupe. He was not successful until the founding of the Inner Mongolian Youth Choir with two

of his friends in 1987, when his choral music productions were used. His music became famous

with the growing popularity of the choir.29

Se Enkhbayar composed his first well-known piece, Naiman Sharag (The Chestnut

Horses), relying heavily on his raw talents and childhood inspirations. However, he realized he was limited by his lack of formal music education when he tried to compose more complex pieces. At the age of 36, he went back to school to study music composition at the University of

Arts and Culture in Ulan Bator, Republic of Mongolia, where he received a bachelor’s degree in

1998, and a master’s degree in 2007.30 It was at this academic institute that he systematically

studied the skills of musical composition and composed several of his famous musical works

including Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel). He made critical breakthroughs in composition

techniques and artistic styles during this period.31

https://www.britannica.com/event/Cultural-Revolution. 28 Siqinchaoketu, “The Study of Se Enkhbayar’s A Cappella Mixed Choral Works” 10. 29 Ibid. 30 TV interview: “Se Enkhbayar,” V.qq.com, accessed December 29, 2016, https://v.qq.com/x/page/l03184z6sgl.html. 31 Yu Cheng Yang, “Se Enkhbayar and His Musical Works,” Chuan Cheng 12 (February 2009): 74.

9 2.2 Overview of Se Enkhbayar’s Productions and Contributions

His choral works are mainly scored for mixed A Cappella choir and often tell stories of the Mongolian grassland, camel herding, the natural environment, folk dancing, wrestling, and folk heroes.32

Table 2.1. Se Enkhbayar’s Selected Choral Works Selected list of Mixed Chorus-Unaccompanied 《陶爱格》 Toig Toig 1987 《八骏赞》 Naiman Sharag (The Eight Chestnut 1988 Horses) 《戈壁蜃楼》 Zeregleent Gobi (Mirage on the Gobi 1993 Desert) 《孤独的驼羔》 Önchin Botog (A Lonely baby camel) 1995 《驼铃》 Camel bells 2000 《成吉思汗颂》 Ode to Genghis Khan 2003 《卫拉特舞韵》 Oirats Dance 2012 《永远的祝福》 Eternal Blessing 2012 《苍天般的阿拉善》 Sweeping Prairie of Alxa 2016 《候鸟的无奈》 The plight of migrant birds 2016 Selected list of Mixed Chorus- accompanied 《蒙古靴》 Mongol Boots 2000 Morin Khuur 《大地的呼唤》 The call of the Earth 2002 Guzheng 《蒙古象棋》 Mongolian Chess 2002 Guzheng 《成吉思汗颂》 Ode to Genghis Khan 2003 Morin Khuur 《天赐草原》 Oratorio: Prairie given by God 2006 Chinese orchestra, chorus, baritone solo, and Khöömii 《江格尔赞》 Epic of Jangar 2012 Chinese ensemble 《吉祥颂》 Auspice Ode 2012 Chinese ensemble Selected list of Male Chorus- accompanied 《欢乐的那达幕》 Merrymaking in Nadamu 1987 Piano

In 1988, Se Enkhbayar’s Naiman Sharag (The Chestnut Horses) won first place in the

composition category at the Third Beijing Choral Festival. This work has been recognized as one

of the masterpieces of twentieth century Chinese choral music.33 Zeregleent Gobi (Mirage on the

32 Se Enkhbayar, “Se Enkhbayar’s Musical Works,” accessed December 28, 2016, http://恩克巴雅 尔.com/aspx/inner.aspx?id=2. 33 Se Enkhbayar, “Se Enkhbayar,” accessed October 11, 2017, http://www.nmonline.com.cn/nmzx/xw_lbx.asp?id=2014&lb=%CE%C4%BB%AF%C3%FB%C8%CB&smallclass name=%B2%DD%D4%AD%C8%CB%CE%EF.

10 Gobi Desert) was selected as the assigned piece in the choir contest of the World Youth Choral

Festival held in Australia in 1996. Both songs were published by Earthsongs in 1998.34

The Inner Mongolian Youth Choir won three gold medals in the Choir Olympics in Linz,

Austria in 2000 with Se Enkhbayar’s Mongol Boots, Naiman Sharag, and Toig. Moreover, the

Inner Mongolia Radio and Television Troupe Choir won three gold medals in the Choir

Olympics in Busan, South Korea in 2002 with three new works of Se Enkhbayar’s, The Call of

the Earth, Mongolian Chess, and Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel).

Se Enkhbayar has travelled both sides of the Gobi Desert to collect the folk music of the

nomadic peoples of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Republic of Mongolia. Using

modern music techniques and artistic interpretation, he converted these folk music collections

into masterpieces that convey Mongolian culture.35

Armed with his musical talents and training, Se Enkhabayar continued to expand his

artistic spectrum by studying folk music arrangements by Western musicians. His works have

touched audiences of different cultural backgrounds.

His choral music stands out among his prolific productions, which are internationally

acclaimed and have received many major awards. A judge in the Choral Olympics commended

him stating, “You have brought the art of choral music to a new height. The way you use human

voice to depict various sounds of the nature is both marvelous and peerless.” 36

While composing music over the years, Se Enkhbayar found intrinsic musical beauty in

the Mongolian language. He was able to skillfully harmonize the music’s linguistic features and

his choral music to form a musical fusion, which conveys its distinct ethnic character. Some of

34 Earthsongs, accessed September 30, 2017, http://earthsongschoralmusic.com/index.php?main_page=index 35 Ibid. 36 Siqinchaoketu, “The Study of Se Enkhbayar’s A Cappella Mixed Choral Works” 14.

11 his choral songs with Mongolian lyrics have been accepted by many choirs all over the world.

This special achievement has made him a leader among contemporary Chinese musicians

responsible for introducing Mongolian music to the world.37

2.3 Motivation of Creation of Önchin Botog

Due to the environmental deterioration, large patches of Mongolian grassland have

become desert. The nomadic lifestyle is especially threatened by desertification since nomadic

people perpetually migrate to seek greener pastures for their herds. Se Enkhbayar’s music often

reflects his anxiety with the worsening ecological problems. For Önchin Botog, he composed

both lyrics and music. The composer employed anthropomorphism to portray the dialog between

a baby camel and nature. The poem vividly depicts the cruelty of the harsh dwindling grassland

and the suffering of the abandoned baby camel. He considers this work a choral tone poem. In

Mongolian, önchin means orphaned and botog means baby camel. Botog is used to refer to the

baby camel throughout this dissertation.

37 Se Enkhbayar, “Se Enkhbayar’s Musical Works,” accessed December 28, 2016, http://恩克巴雅 尔.com/aspx/inner.aspx?id=2.

12 CHAPTER 3

PERFORMANCE GUIDE

3.1 The Use of Traditional Mongolian Musical Elements

3.1.1 Chinese Pentatonic Scale

The traditional music of most East Asian countries is based on a pentatonic scale system, also known as the Chinese pentatonic scale. It can be described as a pentatonic collection with no semitones which contains the set C–D–E–G–A. The five notes of this scale are called Gong 宫,

Shang 商, Jue 角, Zhi 徵, and Yu 羽, instead of the twelve pitches in the typical western music scale.

Example 3.1. Chinese pentatonic scale

Compared to a diatonic scale, it is missing the fourth and seventh pitches. There are only

major second and minor third melodic intervals in a major pentatonic scale; the minor second

does not exist; therefore it can also be described as a “gapped” scale. There are five mode

possibilities in pentatonic scales.

Example 3.2. Five mode possibilities of pentatonic scales

13 Music created by playing only the five black keys on a piano can often sound like

stereotypical Asian music because it happens to be identical to the Chinese pentatonic scale. For

untrained ears, Mongolian music sounds like Chinese music because both are based on

pentatonic scales. The three parts of Önchin Botog use three different modes:

Example 3.3. The mode of F/Shang for Part I, Önchrel

Example 3.4. The mode of A/Yu for Part II, Erel

Example 3.5. The mode of F/Gong for Part III, Khusel

3.1.2 Melody

The melody of the Urtiin Duu (mm. 17-27) in Önchrel was inspired from the tune of a traditional folk song Önchin Tsagaan Botog. By comparing the melodies of the two songs, this research shows Se Enkhbayar created the melody of the two sections (AA’) by manipulating note values and adding grace notes on the foundation of the original interval orders of Önchin

Tsagaan Botog.

14 Example 3.6. The tune of the traditional folk song, Önchin Tsagaa Botog

The comparisons of the A sections between the two songs are shown in Example 3.7. The first three phrases of traditional folk song, Önchin Tsagaan Botog, are illustrated as A-1, A-2,

and A-3 while the three phrases of Se Enkhbayar’s melodies of Urtiin Duu in Önchin Botog are

illustrated as B-1, B-2, and B-3.

Example 3.7. Comparison of the main melodies between traditional folk song Önchin Tsagaan Botog and Se Enkhbayars’s melodies of Urtiin Duu in Önchin Botog

15 In his interview38 Se Enkhbayar mentioned that the melodies of the part III, Khusel, was

inspired from the very famous Eastern Mongolian folk song, Pastoral,39 arranged by Xixian Qu40

in 1954. The musical form of Pastoral is prelude-A-A1-A2-postlude; while the musical form of

Khusel is M (prelude)-N-O- M’(postlude). Both of their preludes and postludes are performed by humming and with similar textures.

Example 3.8. Comparison of the prelude of Pastoral (mm. 1-8) and Khusel (mm. 163-166)

Se Enkhbayar composed the new melodies by changing the starting note but keeping most of the relative intervals the same from the tune of Pastoral and changing some note values.

38 Appendix E: interview script B- Performance Guide. 39 Pastoral, Xixian Qu/ ed. Yiping Wu - Alliance Music Publications, Inc. 40 Mz. Qu Xixian (1919-2008) composer, born in Shanghai and graduated from the composition dept. of Shanghai National Conservatory of Music in 1948; worked mainly in Central Philharmonic Society; had given personal concerts of choral works in 1987,1999 and 2000 in Beijing and Shanghai; had published Qu Xixian Chorus Selections(2003) including 53 pieces, among which, arrangements: Pastoral, Usuli Bacarole, Clouds Flying Over the Unmoving Sky, and original compositions: Flying Petals, Call Me By My Pet Name, The Cuckoos are Singing, etc. still being performed in the 21c. concerts; had published C.D. and cassette entitled Flying Petals including 16 chorus works in 1995, accessed September 20, 2017, http://www.alliancemusic.com/peopledetails.cfm?iPeopleID=64.

16 The similarities of the melodic intervals between Pastoral and Khusel can be seen in the

examples below: (Examples 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12)

Example 3.9. Comparison of the melodies of Pastoral (mm. 9-16) and Khusel (mm. 172-174)

In Example 3.10, the last melodic interval in the sequence of Pastoral is down a major

third, while Khusel is up a minor third.

Example 3.10. Comparison of the melodies of Pastoral (mm. 17-24) and Khusel (mm. 174-179)

Example 3.11. Comparison of the melodies of Pastoral (mm. 9-16) and Khusel (mm. 180-183)

In Example 3.12, the melody of Pastoral starts with D flat-G flat-A flat, while the

Pastoral starts with D-A-G. They are melodically inverted.

17 Example 3.12. Comparison of the melodies of Pastoral (mm. 17-24) and Khusel (mm. 183-187)

Moreover, the melodic lines of Mongolian folk music are often parabolic. The melodies of songs, phrases and motives often climax in the middle sections. Phrases (Examples 3.13 and

3.14) are often ended with a long note. For example, in the first part, Önchrel, the Urtiin Duu

solo starts at measure 17. It can be divided into two sections A and A’. Each section contains five

phrases. Not only the climax pitch occurs at the third phrase in each section, but the peak note

also arrives at the middle in most phrases, and it is illustrated as follows:

Example 3.13. The melodic lines of Önchrel

18 Example 3.14. The melodic lines of Khusel

3.1.3 Interval

In traditional Chinese music, vertical sounds are usually made up of two-note harmonies instead of triads. On occasion, vertical sounds can be made of consonant a third or a fifth, or they can be made of dissonant a second or a seventh, to enhance the music’s dynamics and harmonic color.

Large intervals are quite common and are a significant characteristic in Mongolian ethnic music.41 The features of Mongolian melodic lines are demonstrated as follows:

a. Leaps of ascending fourth are very common.

b. Leaps of a fifth have the effect of wide open space but also stabilizing.

c. The ascending fifth has the characteristics of being inspiring and vigorous. They often occur in the beginning of phrases and sections.

d. The descending fifth has the effects of being calming and serene which often occur in the ending of phrases and sections.

e. Leaps of an octave: Ascending eighths are often seen in the beginning of phrases, which make the melody broad and elegant.

f. Descending eighths usually appear less frequently, which present a sense of serenity.

g. Leaps over an octave are usually an appoggiaturas, which creates an undulating, wave-like effect. They demonstrate the brave and fierce Mongolian nomadic

41 Yaxiong Du, An Introduction to Chinese Minority Music (Shanghai: SMPH, 2002), 102.

19 characters.42

h. If the melody ascends to the pinnacle by steps, it would descend by leaps of a fourth, fifth, sixth or eighth, and vice versa.43

3.1.4 Harmony

Se Enkhbayar endeavored to maintain ethnic character without conforming to traditional

harmonic chord progressions. In the interviews, he revealed that his creative process involved a

lot of trial-and-error and experimentation with the goals of achieving the effects he desired.44 A few traditional Mongolian harmonic features were discovered from analyzing this composition as shown below:

a. Perfect fourth and fifth are used generously because these two intervals are created from the open strings of a Morin Khuur, a traditional Mongolian string instrument.

b. Avoiding use of the dominant seventh chord. The leading tone is part of a dominant harmony that leads to the tonic note as expected, which would give the music a Western sound.45

c. Avoiding the third of triads by using sus2 or sus4 without resolving the dissonance to create sound effects of wide open space of the Gobi. In mm. 17-23, the harmonic progression utilizes Fsus4 –Csus4/F (Example 3.15).

d. Use of a ninth chord or adding a perfect fourth also can blur the chord, which creates an exotic or mysterious feeling. In measure 11, the harmony can be expressed as Cm (add4) or Fm9 (omit 3rd) /C (Example 3.16).

42 Ibid. 43 Ibid. 44 Appendix E: interview script B- Performance Guide 45 Ibid.

20 Example 3.15. The Chord, Fsus4 and Csus4/F, in Önchrel, m. 17 and m. 20

Example 3.16. The Chord, Cm (add4), in Önchrel, m. 11

3.1.5 Rhythm

Rhythm is the framework of music, and a good part of traditional Mongolian music can trace its rhythmic patterns from the daily interactions with domestic animals in their nomadic lifestyle. The strutting and galloping of horses and the waddling steps of camels all inspire

Mongolians as sources of rhythm. Mongolians are known as a people “on horseback” therefore,

21 horses play an important role in their daily lives and traditional culture. The concepts of certain rhythmic patterns derived from the experience of horse riders in different riding situations. Shi- xiang Li proposed the theory of “horse-step rhythm.”46 There are four rhythmic patterns:

a. Benmasi (奔馬式) mm or m n: expressing movements of a horse galloping or strutting.

b. Daobusi (倒步式) n M: expressing movements of a horse reversing direction in reaction to a change of road or terrain conditions.

c. Zoumasi (走馬式) TT: music in triple meter or with triplets; expressing movements of a horse waddling.

d. Yaomasi (躍馬式) ej or e q e: expressing movements of a horse rearing up.

In traditional Mongolian folk music, “Horse-step rhythm” does not have to be used to depict melodies about horses. “Horse-step rhythm” has been ingrained in the daily lives of

Mongolians and has become a basic element in their music. In Mongolian music creations, this element is often applied freely to depict different types of movements.

In the second part Erel, there are no lyrics in the choir part: Se Enkhbayar used “Horse- step rhythm” to depict the movements of a baby camel; both Yaomasi patterns (ej, eq e) appear in different sections in mm. 45-49. (Example 3.17) In mm. 69-72, Daobusi M becomes the rhythm motive (or riff) with triple meter units written in quadruple meter bars, which gives the impression of stress misplacement (Example 3.18)

46 Li, “The Horse-step Rhythm in Mongolian Short Song,” 76-81.

22 Example 3.17. Yaomasi patterns in Erel, mm. 45-49

Example 3.18. Daobusi patterns in Erel, mm. 69-72

3.1.6 Grace Note

Grace notes play an important role in Mongolian folk songs. Acciaccaturas of major

second and minor third are used frequently. Grace notes usually appear at or near accents, which

are often improvised by singers and are not documented clearly by composers. Improvisation by

performers is not completely free and is subject to an understanding of style.

3.1.7 Glissando

The music of Önchin Botog attempts to imitate the sounds of nature on many occasions.

Vocal glissandos are used to mimic the camel and sky crying. The hissing sound of sh [ʃ] is used to mimic the sound of winds.

23 3.1.8 Urtiin Duu

According to Lucy M. Rees “The Urtiin Duu (long-song) is so called due to the length of

the syllables, which are extended to incorporate melisma, ornamentation, falsetto, and leaping

between wide intervals, and the same bears no relation to the length of the song itself.”47 Long

song ballads are typically pastoral and nostalgic songs closely linked to Mongolian folklores.48

Se Enkhbayar composed the long song performed by a tenor solo (mm. 17-28) as the shepherd in

Önchin Botog.

3.1.9 Khöömii:

Khöömii is a unique Mongolian vocal art. It is known as overtone singing or throat singing in the West. Khöömii has played an important musical role in Mongolian traditional celebration and everyday life. There are different types of Khöömii, involving different ways of manipulating human lips, tongue, mouth, throat and chest; two of which are used in Önchin

Botog, called Isgeree (Example 3.19) and Kharkhiraa (Example 3.20).

Isgeree, sung by a bass soloist in part III, is one particular variant of Khöömii singing in

which the singer can produce two notes at the same time through a specialized vocal technique.

When singing Khöömii, a singer produces a low, “drone” tone, and a melody of high notes that can produce a remarkable flute-like sound.49 Based on the theory of harmonic series, when a

Khöömii singer sings the fundamental note of C (Example 3.21), the partials can be heard while

47 “Long Melody Ballad of the Mongolian,” Cultural China, accessed February 7, 2017, http://traditions.cultural- china.com/en/17Traditions313.html. 48 Lucy M. Rees, Mongolian Film Music: Tradition, Revolution and Propaganda, (Farnham, Surrey Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2015): 18-19. 49 Khoomi or Hoomi Singing, from Mongolia’s Music “Khoomi or Hoomi Singing,” accessed August 5, 2017, http://mongoliamusic.weebly.com/style.html.

24 the drone continues.50 Kharkhiraa comes out of depth of the chest and is like a low growling

which is rich in undertones.51

Example 3.19. Isgeree sung by bass solo in Khusel, mm. 180-183

Example 3.20. Kharhiraa in Khusel, m. 196

50 Tuvan Throat Singing, “Tuvan Throat Singing,” from ALASH, accessed September 15, 2017, http://alashensemble.com/about_tts.htm. 51 Khoomii, “Khoomii: Mongolian Traditional Throat Singing,” from Mongolian Secret History, accessed September 22, 2017, https://mongoliansecrethistory.mn/khoomii-mongolian-traditional-throat-singing/.

25 Example 3.21. The Harmonic Series on C

3.2 The Use of Contemporary Compositional Techniques

Se Enkhbayar not only utilizes traditional Mongolian ethnic elements in this composition, he also takes advantage of some contemporary compositional techniques.

3.2.1 Tone Clusters

Tone clusters are ubiquitous in this work in order to imitate the sounds of the nature in the Gobi. For example, from measure 14 to measure 16, the chord slides from F, G, A flat, B flat,

C, D flat, F to A flat, B flat, C, D flat, E flat, F, and A flat to imitate the spooky sounds of the sky

crying.

Example 3.22. Tone clusters in Önchrel, m. 14

26 3.2.2 Dissonant Chords

In measures 110-119 of the second part, Erel, successive seventh and thirteenth chords such as FM7 – E-flat M7 – D-flat M7 – CM7 (Example 3.23) and Am13 – B ø13 – CM13 –

FM13 – EM13 – Am13 (Example 3.24) are used to describe the difficulties and sufferings that

Botog faces in the search for his mother.

Example 3.23. Successive seventh chords, mm. 109-113

Example 3.24. Successive thirteenth chords, mm. 114-117

3.2.3 Shouting

In measure 16, singers switch from singing to shouting with the volume of fff, a climax throughout the entire song. This climax is used to express the powerful fury of nature.

27 3.2.4 Polychord

The last chord of measure 13 is Cm7/Fm7. The composer uses this dissonance to imply

mother nature fighting back against human encroachment.

Example 3.25. The use of the polychord, m. 13

3.2.5 Riff52

In Erel, many short thematic patterns are repeated by all voices simultaneously or

sequentially to imitate the motions and movements of Botog. (See 3.6)

3.3 Musical Structure

Se Enkhbayar’s tone poem Önchin Botog is scored for SSAATTBB with soloists of

soprano, alto, tenor and a Khöömii singer. The musical form is through-composed, based on the

Chinese pentatonic scale and divided into three sections, Önchrel (Loneliness), Erel (Searching),

Khusel (Longing). The performance duration is about eighteen minutes.

52 A riff is a short, rhythmic repeated musical phrase as background for a soloist or as the basic theme of a final chorus. It serves as the main musical idea for a (section of a) song. Often it's repeated and developed, sometimes with variations, sometimes in different keys, but always recognizable as the same main musical idea.

28 Table 3.1 The Music Structure of Önchin Botog I. Önchrel II. Erel III. Khusel Sections A B C D A’ E F G H I J K L M N O M’ A’ Measure # 1-39 40-162 163-197 Duration 8’37’’ 4’46’’ 4’25’’ Mode F/Shang A/Yu F/Gong Tempi Lento-Adagio Andante-Allegretto-Andantino Adagio-Andante-Lento Choir SSAATTBB SSAATTBB SSAATTBB Soloists alto, tenor, and Khöömii alto soprano and Khöömii

3.3.1 I. Önchrel (Loneliness)

The first part is divided into five sections, A (mm. 1-6), B (mm. 7-13), C (mm. 14-16), D

(mm. 17-36), A’ (mm. 37-39). The plot of this part describes the conversation between the orphaned baby camel, Botog, and nature on the Gobi. The music represents Botog’s loneliness, nature’s ruthlessness, and a shepherd’s sympathy. The composer wrote Urtiin Duu for tenor solo as a role of the shepherd. Six sound effects of nature are in this section. The music is slow and mostly in free time (without a time signature from mm. 1-19); even though the time signature starts at measure 20, there are frequent meter changes. Önchrel is the longest part of Önchin

Botog, with a duration of 8’37’’ but only 39 measures long.

3.3.2 II. Erel (Searching)

The second part is divided into eight sections, E (mm. 40-56), F (mm. 57-66), G (mm.

67-96), H (mm. 97-109), I (mm. 110-119), J (mm. 120-132), K (mm. 133-154), L (mm. 155-

162). The plot describes the hardship Botog has experienced. In this part, the choir only makes bum and bam sounds, while the alto soloist sings the character of the wondering Botog crying for his mother. The composer uses different motives with varied rhythmic patterns to develop music and tone cluster and dotted rhythms to depict the suffering on the desert. The music dramatically ends with a panting sound to show Botog collapsing and reaching his physical limits. Compared

29 with the other parts, the music of Erel is full of dramatic energy.

3.3.3 III. Khusel (Longing)

The third part, Khusel, is divided into five sections, M (mm. 163-170), N (mm. 171-179),

O (mm. 180-187), M’ (mm. 188-194), A’ (mm. 195-197). The plot of this part describes Botog’s

dream after falling asleep from over-exhaustion. In his dream, Botog sees the lushness of oasis

and grassland. His longing symbolizes human beings’ longing for green vegetation after decades

of environmental deterioration. An angelic soprano solo and soothing Khöömii are employed to

represent peace and hope.

3.4 Pronunciation and Lyrics Translation

This choral tone poem, Önchin Botog, was created in Mongolian but also translated into a

Chinese version. It is well established that the artistic conception of this song can be best

expressed in its original language. A Mongolian pronunciation guide is provided in Appendix

A.53

In this piece, the composer wants to deliver pictures through his music, which cannot be

accomplished by mere music symbols. In order to achieve this task, performers need to

understand not only the creation background but also the meaning of each word to articulate its

spirit and express its artistic concept. A word-for-word and phrase-for-phrase translation are

provided in Appendix B. 54 The poetic translation of its lyrics is as follows:

53 Se Enkhbayar, Zeregleent Gobi (Mirage on the Gobi Desert), Earthsongs: Corvallis, 1998. 54 Due to the linguistic differences, the meanings of the lyrics are very hard to translate from Mongolian into other languages. This word-for-word translation is just for singers to understand the relationship between the music and lyrics of Önchin Botog not for language learning purpose.

30 Part I: Önchrel (Loneliness)

Mama, dear Mama… Where are you? Where are you? Why can’t I see you? (Chorus) Nobody knows, nobody sees Who knows where Mama is? No trace of hoof prints. Where can Botog find his Mama?

Alas, the helpless little Botog whining on the brink of starvation Can you hear the calling of your child, who used to run around you so happily?

Poor little orphaned Botog is chewing parched saxaul. Mama, oh Mama where are you? How can you abandon your little baby? Oh Mama, I am freezing and trembling. I am dizzy from hunger. I am hurting from thirst. I am so scared. Oh Mama, where are you? Have you forgotten your little baby?

Part II: Erel (Searching) Oh Mama, where are you? I am calling for you. I am looking for you.

Part III: Khusel (Longing) In this immense desert under the immense skies… How I long for Mama to return to me. Mama, you are always in my mind. (Lyrics translated by Jim Tso)

3.5 How to Perform the Sounds of Nature

The composer named seven sounds of nature and also demonstrated how to make the

sound effects better during the interview. The video links of the interviews are in Appendix F.

3.5.1 Botog ni builaa (Camel Whining), mm. 1-2

The alto solo playing the role of baby camel starts with four hums and a gradual crescendo to express the painful whining of the motherless baby camel. The soloist can sing this passage in free time rather than an assigned rhythm.

31 Example 3.26. Botog ni builaa (camel whining), mm. 1-2

3.5.2 Salkh shuurkh (Wind Whistling), mm. 3-6

A chorus echoes the whining baby camel by making gusts of wind whistling sounds to simulate the effect of the desolate surroundings. The conductor should ask singers to place the tongue on the back of the front teeth and blow air along the tongue. It would sound better than if they only make the sound of sh[ʃ]. Pitches can go higher or lower by changing the shape of the mouth. Singers make this sound either by inhaling or exhaling without breaks.

Example 3.27. Salkh shuurkh (wind whistling), mm. 3-4

32 3.5.3 Tsujsen yikh Gobi (Gobi Whispering), mm. 7-9

Basses switch from wind whistling to singing repeatedly “eejiig chin medekh-gui, khaa baigaag kharaa-gui (nobody knows, nobody sees)” as the role of the Gobi. Due to the fact that there are no meter and tempo markings here, conductors can set the tempo as eighth note = 65 /

BPM based on the speed of the performance in the music recording.55 Basses need to use

staggered breathing to keep musical lines smooth, broad, and endless.

Example 3.28. Tsuljsen yikh Gobi (Gobi whispering), mm. 6-7

3.5.4 Bukh urgmuluud uilakh (Skies Crying), mm. 14-16

The skies start crying over the poor baby camel. The idea of this sound effect comes from the ghostly sounds made by desert wind blowing on the paper windows of Se Enkhbayar’s

55 Se Enkhbayar, “TheVoices of the Land,” Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel), Inner Mongolia Radio and Television Art Troupe, conducted by Yalungerile, provided by Se Enkhbayar.

33 childhood home. He uses tone clusters and glissando to simulate these ghostly cries to express

sadness and desolation. When these sound effects are played simultaneously, they work well

together as harmonic chords. At m. 14, the choir splits into eight parts. Half the singers make wind whistling and the other half sing the role of the skies.

Example 3.29. Bukh urgmuluud uilakh (skies crying), m. 14

3.5.5 Ugalze shuurakh duu chime (Storm Howling), m. 15

The bass solo plays the role of howling storm which teases with laughter. This creates a

strong contrast with the sad scenario that the song has been portraying. He can make the howling laughter, as dramatic as possible, in free time rather than a specified tempo. Based on the performance in the music recording,56 the laughter can be repeated several times until the next

sound effect, earth roaring.

56 Ibid.

34 Example 3.30. Ugalz shuurakh duu chime (storm howling), m. 15

3.5.6 Tenger gazar khilinnekh (Earth Roaring), m. 16

Earth roaring demonstrates nature’s anger against the greediness of the mankind. In measure 16, all parts depict earth roaring by dramatic shouting in unison “kharaa-gui” (nobody sees) in fff, which creates the most dramatic point of the whole tone poem. Singers have the freedom in determining the shouting pitches.

Example 3.31. Tenger gazar khilinnekh (earth roaring), m. 16

35 3.5.7 Amiskhaa tebdekh (camel Panting), mm. 157-162

Toward the end of part II, Erel, the alto solo simulates the panting of the exhausted Botog after a long search for his mother. In measure 162, the whole choir uses glissando to imitate

Botog collapsing from over exhaustion, which culminates in the end of part II. In the interview, the composer mentioned the soloist has to use her nose to make the sound instead of her mouth.

This is because the panting of camel sounds different from other animals. The triplets should be exhalation and the quarter notes should be inhalation.

Example 3.32. Amiskhaa tebdekh (camel panting), mm. 155-162

3.6 Relationship between Lyrics and Music

Aside from these seven sound effects, which are documented as notes on the sheet music, the composer is skillful in depicting scenes. In Önchrel, the first part, he uses long lasting low

36 notes in measure 7-12 to depict the desolate desert and uses wide range intervals to create images of wide-open space of the Gobi. In measures 17-19, only outer parts are employed; i.e. soprano to emulate the skies and bass to emulate the earth.

Se Enkhbayar uses word-painting techniques by repeating the word Bai-khei-maa meaning “incessantly” in Mongolian. For example, the choir repeatedly sings the sequence (mm.

28-30) from high voices to low voices. Four voices proceed heterophonically until measure 35 where they converge and start singing in homophony. A rest follows this on beat four of measure

36 to represent silence (also using word-painting technique) meaning the lonely Botog is not getting any response from nature.

Example 3.33. Part I, Önchrel, mm. 28-37

Even though the second part, Erel, has no lyrics (only “bum” and “bam”), the composer

uses different music figures to depict the anxiety of Botog while running and searching for his

37 mother. In addition, he uses “horse-step rhythm” (see 3.2.5) to express different movements and

motions. Different rhythmic patterns sung by different characters are represented by different

colors in the following tables.

Table 3.2. The Music Structure and Characters of Erel, mm. 40-66

Sections E F Measures 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 Character Voices Camel Alto solo Camel panting Soprano

Alto Choir Tenor

Bass Grey: indicates Botog’s calling for his mother. Yellow: the motive of searching is represented by a group of descending eighth notes nnnn. Red: dotted rhythm si (Yaomasi) indicates danger. Orange: wavy melodic lines depict sand dunes. Blue: syncopation rhythm eqe (Yaomasi) indicates high energy.

In measures 40-42, the musical figure of the soprano and alto part is to depict the patterns

of Botog’s walking; the syncopation of bass part, starting from measure 42, creates a sense of

movement or running in order to express Botog’s searching for his mother in high energy. Not only that, the musical figure also depicts the landscape of the desert. For example, the repeated up-and-down figure sung by the tenors, starting from measure 42, represents the wavy terrain; the musical figure of dotted notes sung by sopranos and altos, starting from measure 45, is used to signal danger lying ahead (Example 3.34).

38 Example 3.34. The camel’s footsteps in Erel, mm. 40-49

From measure 57, the music is speeding up to demonstrate the urgency of Botog who is anxious in finding his mother. The rests in measures 59 and 62 are used to express that he is hesitating and wondering which direction to take.

Example 3.35. The pause between music in Erel, mm. 55-62

39 In measures 69-72, the rhythm and tone clusters in this section is to depict the difficulty

of running on the sand dunes. The ups and downs in the musical figure is to express the ups and

downs of the sand dunes. (See Example 3.18.)

Table 3.3. The Music Structure and Characters of Erel, mm. 67-96

Sections G Measures 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 Character Voices Camel Alto solo Camel panting Soprano

Alto Choir Tenor

Bass Purple: nnM (Daobusi) indicates a change of pace due to terrain change. Red: Dotted rhythm si (Yaomasi) indicates danger. Green: Ascending musical figures. Brown: Motive of running.

In measures 73-89, the musical figure of the dotted rhythms with the “bam” sound is

repeated by the basses, altos, and sopranos in sequence to express the dangers and obstacles

Botog encounters while running on the sand dunes, and also his determination in finding his mother.

Example 3.36. Part II, Erel, mm. 76-79

40 In measures 110-119, the musical figure of dotted rhythms is again used in all four

sectionals to express the difficulties in Botog’s searching. (Examples 3.23 and 3.24) The rest at

measure 119 is to express that Botog stops and hesitates for not knowing which direction to take.

Table 3.4. The Music Structure and Characters of Erel, mm. 97-132

Sections H I J Measures 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 Character Voices Camel Alto solo Camel panting Soprano

Alto Choir Tenor

Bass Purple: nnM (Daobusi) indicates a change of pace due to terrain change. Light purple: nQnQ, the rests indicate Botog catching his breath. Red: Dotted rhythm si (Yaomasi) indicates danger. Green: Ascending musical figures. Pink: Melody with the motive of searching (yellow- previous example) modified to the rhythm of nnM (Daobusi).

Table 3.5. The music structure and characters of Erel, mm. 133-162

Sections K L Measures 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 Character Voices Camel Alto solo Camel panting Soprano

Alto Choir Tenor

Bass Grey: Indicates Botog calling for his mother. Purple: nnM (Daobusi) indicates a change of pace due to terrain change. Light purple: nQnQ, the rests indicate Botog catching his breath. Pink: Melody with the motive of searching (yellow- previous example) modified to the rhythm of nnM (Daobusi).

In measures 133-154, alto solo resumes the melody of Botog’s searching. But in this section, the musical figure of choir has changed from running motive in the first section and turned into homophonic style in lapses with rest breaks in between.

41 Example 3.37. Part II, Erel, mm. 145-149

In measures 155-162, soprano and alto again sing the running/searching motive of measure 40-42 as Botog is making his final attempt. This time, however, the music slows to show that Botog is exhausted followed by sounds of his panting in measure 157 to show he is reaching his physical limits (Example 3.32).

The third part, Khusel, tells of a dream of Botog’s. The musical lines are calm and smooth. Se Enkhbayar uses Khöömii’s high tones as the skies along with soprano solo interwoven with choir to represent the unification between nature and human beings.

3.7 Challenges for Solo Singers: Folk Singing Styles

Contrary to Bel Canto, Urtiin Duu was developed mainly to depict sounds of nature with free singing styles. Its singing skills are very distinctly Mongolian. In order to produce its soaring and bright tone, performers need to be familiar with some unique singing styles and skills. There are three distinct fundamental singing methods that are demonstrated in Appendix

F.

1. High register singing: Due to the wide range of registers in Urtiin Duu, performers need to switch to falsetto frequently in high notes in order to create dramatic effects. There are two reasons for this: First, singers need to project their sound high and far reaching since it is

42 sung by herdsmen on the grassland. Secondly, traditionally, Urtiin Duu is performed by male

singers; in order to generate rich tone quality, special falsetto singing skills were developed.

Soloists have to master the skills of freely switching between chest voice and falsetto.57

2. Trill: The trill of Mongolian singing emulates the trilling of Morin Khuur. Trill

intervals can be unison (like an early baroque Trillo), or major second or minor third. They can

be performed at the singer's discretion.58

a. Keep the jaw relaxed and never drop it; raise the hard palate instead

b. Keep the larynx slightly elevated and the pharynx narrowed. This helps to keep the voice bright.

3. Scoop and Glissando

a. Scoop: They are used as grace notes and often serve the purpose of emphasizing certain words. They should sound crisp and bouncy.

b. Glissando: Downward glissandos usually serve the purpose of embellishment at the end of sentences. They can give the music the taste of a lingering charm. They are meant to sound melancholy.

A link to a YouTube film is provided in Appendix F in which the researcher

demonstrates singing the alto solo part of Erel, coached by Se Enkhbayar.

3.8 Chanllenges for Khöömii Singers

Based on the theory of harmonic series, Khöömii produces the sound of partials by singing a fundamental note. In Khusel, the composer composes melodies that include the note of

D5, F5, G5, A5, C6, D6 and E6 above the drone F2 (Example 3.38).

57 Qi-Yu Fan, “The Style and Singing Skills of Mongolian Long Songs,” Journal of Sanmin College of Technology, no. 3 (2003): 98. 58 Ibid, 99.

43 Example 3.38. Isgeree melodies in Khusel, mm. 172-187

However, the note of D5 is not supposed to be produced from the F2 as a fundamental

tone in theory (Example 3.35). Throat singers from the West may ask the question of how the

note of D5 can be produced. Tamir Hargana, a professional Khöömii singer, mentioned that a

professional singer could still produce the note of D5 by changing the mouth shape, which may

not be easy for novices to duplicate.59 The composer also mentioned in the situation where no

Khöömii singer can be found for the performance, sounds of similar timbre can be used to

substitute Khöömii. I suggest conductors to consider using flute or whistle for a potential

solution.

59 Tamir Hargana Chicago based Musician. Hargana graduated from Inner Mongolia University Arts College, specializing in Mongolian throat singing, Khoomei, and the Horse head fiddle (Morin Khuur.) Tamir has won many awards and prizes in throat singing competitions in Mongolia, Russia, Tuva, Xilingol, Manzhuur in Inner Mongolia and China. He has performed in many concerts, presentations, and workshops in the U.S., Mongolia, Russia, Taiwan, Indonesia and China. He was also featured in TV documentaries about throat singing. In addition, he has taught throat singing at the Inner Mongolia University Arts College High School Preparatory Division from 2013- 2014 and participated in two fieldwork projects in Mongolia and Tuva. Tamir just received his Master's degree on World Music-Performance from Northern Illinois University.

44 Example 3.39. Harmonic series on F2

Kharkhiraa appears at measure 18 and measure 196 (Example 3.20). Kharkhiraa is

performed with a deep, almost growling sound. This super-low tone creates a terrifying feeling

that can enhance dramatic tension. Se Enkhbayar mentioned in his interview that it could be

freely added in any section for artistic interpretation. Several YouTube films are provided in

Appendix F in which Tamir Hargana explains and demonstrates singing both Isgeree and

Kharkhiraa of Khusel.

3.9 Comparison of the Two Different Recording Versions

Due to the fact that Önchin Botog is an unpublished work, only two versions of

recordings included in the albums “Grassland Hymns”60 and “The Voices of the Land”61 exist.

The original version sung by the Inner Mongolian Youth Choir in “Grassland Hymns” was done

in 1995. The revised version sung by the Inner Mongolia Radio and Television Troupe Choir in

“TheVoices of the Land” was trimmed down for the second Choir Olympics in 2002 due to the

15 minute limit in the competition is shorter than the original version. The main modifications of

2002 versions are listed as follows:

60 Se Enkhbayar, “Grassland Hymns,” Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel), Inner Mongolian Youth Choir, conducted by Yalungerile, ABC (Int’l) Records, ISBN 7-88481-40-4. Compact disc. 61 Se Enkhbayar, “TheVoices of the Land,” Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel), Inner Mongolia Radio and Television Art Troupe, conducted by Yalungerile, provided by Se Enkhbayar.

45 1. In Önchrel, mm. 1-6 where the sound effects of camel whining and wind whistling are shortened, and Gobi whispering sung by tenor and bass part is starting from m. 10 instead of m. 7, mm. 7-9 where the sound effect is sung by basses only is deleted.

2. In Erel, mm. 122-123 is removed and the music of mm. 133-162 is shortened.

3. In Khusel, lyrics and a soprano solo are added.

Table 3.6. The Comparison of Performance Length for Önchin Botog (1995) in “Grassland Hymns” and Önchin Botog (2002) in “The Voices of the Land” Önchin Botog (1995) in Önchin Botog (2002) in

“Grassland Hymns” “The Voices of the Land” I. Önchrel 8’35’’ 6’40’’ II. Erel 4’45’’ 4’12’’ III. Khusel 4’25’’ 3’25’’ Total playing time 17’40’’ 14’17’’

In addition, Se Enkhbayar added the seventh sound effects of camel panting in the end of

Erel, measures 157-162 and revised some note values in 2016, which will sound slightly different from these two versions.

46 CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSION

Although Önchin Botog has not been published, its performance by the Inner Mongolia

Radio and Television Troupe choir has won the gold medal in the second Choir Olympics in

Busan, South Korea in 2002. It was a crowd-pleasing piece during the contest. Through an in

depth analysis and interviews with the composer, I discovered more cultural and academic richness hidden in the music.

This work integrates the traditional Mongolian musical elements like Urtiin Duu and

Khöömii with modern choral music skills. The music Önchin Botog has not been documented for the consumption of non-Mongolian musicians. I studied this production by working directly with the composer and compiled performance guidelines through in-depth analysis which has never been done by any music professional in the world; moreover, contributed to this music piece by editing the existing sheet music and making suggestions to improving its accessibility.

Se Enkhbayar ingrained traditional Mongolian musical elements into a modern musical composition. His tone poem Önchin Botog presents Mongolian’s nomadic lifestyle in miniature.

People are able to vividly visualize scenes of the Gobi, grassland, camel, and herdsmen by

singing or listening to Önchin Botog that makes use of Urtiin Duu and Khöömii.

The story of this work is inspired by a lonely orphaned baby camel that he came across

during one of his fox hunting trips. He excels in painting images by using traditional Mongolian melodies, rhythms, and harmonies. The message of this composition is aimed to warn the humanity of the coming ecological crisis.

Önchin Botog is the longest and largest a cappella choral work in his music composition career. The melodies, rhythms and harmonies of this work are quite approachable for non-

47 Mongolian choirs, but musical styles can be quite unfamiliar to most Western singers. Extensive exposure to Mongolian music recordings may be a way for musicians to acquire a taste of what

Mongolian music should sound like.

In addition, non-Mongolian soloists (SAT) need to adjust their singing from Bel Canto to folk singing style in order to maximize the ethnic authenticity. For Khöömii, in recent years

many non-Mongolian musicians show their interests in this mysterious voice art all over the

world. Since many music students are learning throat singing skills, it is not difficult to find throat singers nowadays. However, Se Enkhbayar mentioned that if a Khöömii singer is not available, it can be substituted with any instrument of similar timbre, which makes it more manageable in Western music world.

Choir performance of non-Western musical styles can be challenging for both conductors and singers that is often aggravated by language barriers. Fortunately, musical language can transcend over linguistic and cultural obstacles. Learning world music can open a door to a brave new world of cultural abundance for musicians of all backgrounds. Hopefully, one day Önchin

Botog will be performed by many non-Mongolian choirs and this research can enable them easy adaptation.

48 APPENDIX A

MONGOLIAN PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

49 Vo w el s

Mongol Example IPA English Example Comments a baraa [ɑ] a father aa yaaydaa [ɑː] a doubling of “a” in length e setgel [ə] e, a cinema ee eejee [əː] a doubling of “e” in length i minee [ɪ] i city ii maliin [iː] ee, ea see, seat a doubling of “i” in length o botog [ɔ] aw, ou law, four oo [ɔː] a doubling of “o” in length u khuslen [ʊ] oo, u look, put uu khuvelzuud [ʊː] a doubling of “u” in length ö önchin [o] similar to German “ö” öö [oː] a doubling of “ö” in length ü üguileed [u] oo, ue loop, blue üü [uː] a doubling of “ü” in length ai khailsaar [aɪ] i, ie five, tie ui builaad [ʊɪ] oi toig [ɔɪ] oy, oi boy, join Consonants Mongol Example IPA English Example Comments

b botognie [b] b bad d deed [d] d did g gui [g] g give j jee [dʒ] j just similar to German “ch”, like kh khaa [x] h how “Bach” l khemleed [l] l land initial; similar to English “l” l setgel [l] l final; similar to German “l” m mangkhan [m] m man n minee [n] n no a soft rolling “r” at the tip of the r tenger [r] tongue s semren [s] s sun t ta [t] t tea v üvsii-geen [b] v between English “b” and “v” y yaaydaad [j] y yes z khuvelzuud [dz] ds seeds ts tsagan [ts] ts rats ch önchin [tʃ] ch check sh shargad [ʃ] sh she ng manghan [ŋ] ng sing

50 APPENDIX B

IPA AND SENTENCE-FOR-SENTENCE TRANSLATION

51 Önchin Botog [onʧin bɔtɔg] I. ÖNCHEL [onʧirəl] LONELINESS eejee, ta khaa baina? Mama, Where are you? [əʤəː, ta xaː bæn xaː bæn?] eejiig chin medekh-gui, I don’t know your mom (said Gobi desert) [əʤiːɡʧin mədəxgui] khaa baigaag kharaa-gui. Didn’t see where she is at (said Gobi desert) [xaː bægaːg xaraːgui] önchin tsagaan botognie, Lonely white baby camel [onʧin tsagaːn bɔtɔgn(jæ)] ölskhiin-kheen erkhendeen, Starving (cause of hunger) [olsgiːxə(n) ərxənd] ekhii-geen uguileed, Longing for his mother [əxiːgə(n) uguiləːd] builaad, baikhiimaa. Grunting, calling [bɔilɔːd bɔilɔːd bæxiːma] eej-gui tsagan botognie khe khi ee, Poor little orphaned baby camel [əːʤgui tsagaːn bɔtɔgn(j)] engrii geen da gaad khüü, Waddling along the ridge [əngriːgəː(n) dagaːd xoː] üvsii-geen khemleed khüü, Chewing dry grass [owsiːgəː xəmləːd xoː] builaad, baikhiimaa. Grunting, calling [bɔilɔːd bɔilɔːd bæxiːma] II. EREL[ərəl] SEARCHING eejee, ta khaa baina. Oh mama, where are you? [əʤeː, taː xaː bæn, xaː bæn] eejee, eej minee, khureed ireech eejee Mama, oh my mama, come back soon, mama [əʤəː, əːʤ min, xurəd irəʧ] III. KHUSEL[xusəl] LONGING mankhan tenger tseliiged yaaydaa Immense desert under the immense skies, helpless! [manxan təŋger ʧəliːgəːd jaːjdaː] maliin baraa khuvelzuud yaaltai Animals (Lifestock’s) in the distance like horizon [maliːn baraː xowoldzoːd jaːltæ] eleg emtren setgel semren Heartbreak, liver tear* (Mongolian expression) [ələg əmtrən, sətxəl səmrən] khailsaar üguileed baina Longing and missing [xælsaːr uguiləːd bæn] eejee eej mindee Mama, my mama [əːʤ min dəː] erkhem deed khuslen mindee Ah my spiritual hopes! [ərxəm dəːd xusəlnŋ min dəː] IPA by Dasula Lyrics translated by Henry Huhtulag

52 APPENDIX C

WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSLATION

53 Transliteration English translation Chinese translation eejee mother 媽媽（呼喚語氣） ta you (respectful) 您 khaa baina where at 在哪裡 eejiig chin your mother 把你媽媽 medekh-gui don’t know 不知道 khaa baigaag where at 在哪裡(現在) kharaa-gui I haven’t seen 沒看到 önchin lonely, orphaned 孤獨的 tsagaan white 白色 botognie baby camel! 駝羔啊! ölskhiin-kheen erkhendeen intolerable hunger 飢餓難忍 I ekhii-geen mother (as an adverb) 媽媽 （副詞） uguileed miss, lament 想念 builaad calling, grunting 鳴叫, 呼喚 baikhiimaa incessantly 不斷地在 eej-gui orphaned 沒有母親的 khe khi ee interjection 感嘆詞 engrii-geen ridge 沙梁（邊）山邊 dagaad along 沿著 khüü interjection 感嘆詞 üvsii-geen dry grass 枯草 khemleed chewing 啃著 eej mama 媽媽 II minee my 我的 khureed ireech come back soon! 快來吧！ mankhan vast 蒼茫的（沙色） tenger sky 天 tseliiged present 呈現 yaaydaa helpless 無奈的 maliin livestock’s 牲畜們的 安詳的影子 III baraa shadow khuvelzuud looming 忽遠忽近若隱若現 yaaltai don’t know what to do 怎麼辦（無奈狀） eleg liver 肝 emtren ache 傷（揪） setgel heart （mind） 心

54 Transliteration English translation Chinese translation semren broken 碎 khailsaar hopeless 融化（無望） üguileed baina longing 渴望 eejee mama 媽媽 eej mindee mama 媽媽啊 erkhem deed dignity 崇高尊貴 khuslen hope 希望 mindee Ah! 啊!

55 APPENDIX D

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT A-CREATION BACKGROUND

56 2017/5/4

The Hunting Trip that Inspired Me

In 1989, I was invited to hunt foxes with some herdsmen because eleven families had lost a total of 240 sheep. During my last visit, this old man said to me, “Over these past years, the desertification of grassland is getting worse. It hasn’t rained much and the water table has been dropping consistently. Lots of camels and sheep have died.” I felt sympathetic when I saw the old man’s sad eyes. He told me quite a few stories about this place that night. He reminisced about the green grassland this place used to have when he was young. There used to be visible water puddles and you could reach water if you dug elbow length just about anywhere in the ravines. In those dry years of the late eighties, the water table dropped to ten meters, most vegetation had died and grasslands had turned into sand dunes; therefore there were a lot of orphaned baby camels since their mothers had died from starvation. Back then, there was no electricity in this area. With electricity, you can grow grass to feed camels by pumping underground water. Without electricity, animals were dying in droves because the only way to feed them was by harvesting reeds which was labor and energy intensive rendering it unsustainable. Herdsmen go to bed early. We went to bed around nine. I was woken at midnight by the incessant whining of a baby camel outside of my window. I wondered why the baby camel was bawling under my window. The old man got up to go outside and the calf had stopped crying by the time he returned. I asked him what was wrong with the calf. He said, “I have adopted this camel after his mother has died from the ongoing drought like many others. He was asking for food when I went outside. I fed him some flour paste mixed with some powder milk.” This episode always haunted me for a while. The next morning, I woke up early to search for foxes before dawn. The foxes that preyed on sheep were bigger in size, therefore bigger footprints, which were easy to spot. I traced some footprints left on frost from the night before or early that morning, and I found him from one kilometer away. Since walking in my shoes makes noise on a winter morning, I decided to take my shoes off. In my thick wool socks, I crept up toward him from downwind so he could not smell me. In my binoculars, I saw the fox’s ears wiggle in his sleep. From the distance of thirty meters, I killed him with a single shot. After killing the fox, I went up to the sand dunes to check out the changes in the terrain in the last ten years since I used to play there in my childhood.

Önchin Tsagaan Botog v.s. Önchin Botog

Önchin Botog is different from the Mongolian folk song, Önchin Tsagaan Botog. By anthropomorphizing the lonely baby camel, it tries to create a cautionary tale that the human could face the same fate as this little orphaned camel.

Önchin Botog Completed During Graduate Study in Mongolia

I did not know how to compose this song even though I had been inspired by this theme for a while. This changed after I studied composition at the University of Ulaan Bator in 1992. I started composing this song in 1994, two years into my formal music education. I sought advice

57 from my composition professor. He suggested to me to experiment many different music forms to tell the story and also urged me to expose myself to many musical masterpieces. Since this is a choral tone poem, he prompted me to learn more about my own nomadic cultural background especially in camel husbandry.

58 APPENDIX E

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT B- PERFORMANCE GUIDE

59 2017/5/5 Part I, Önchrel Video mm. I had pictures in my mind before I started composing. 1-2 0’8’’-0’55’’ Started by Camel whining, quietly 3-4 0’55’’-1’34 Demonstration: How to produce the sound of the wind whistling Wind whistling is represented as background music while Botog 5-6 1’44’’ is crying Gobi Whispering – the drone of bass represents the parching earth 7 2’29’’-2’54’’ and its desolation. Explains how to produce the sound of wind by changing the shape of mouth. Ask singers to place their tongues on the back of their front teeth and blow air along the tongue. I believe it sounds better if we only 4’03-5’33’’ make the sound, SH[ʃ]. Pitches can go higher or lower by changing the shape of the mouth. Singers make this sound either by inhaling or exhaling without breaks. For the section of wind whispering, conductors can have the 5’50’’-6’07’’ 3 freedom of creativity. Same melody is repeated by all parts at m. 10 and long song is 10-12 11’46’’-12’52’’ used in m. 11. Multiple sceneries of the Gobi are presented simultaneously. 13 12’53’’-13’18’’ Music speeds up to represent that nature is fighting back. 14 13’42’’-14’33’’ Demonstration: how to produce the sound of the sky crying In the 70s and 80s, most families had paper windows instead of glass windows. The vibration of paper caused by desert winds can make some seriously scary sounds. I grew up accustomed to hearing these scary sounds. Therefore, I used these sounds in my 14’33-16’00’’ songs quite naturally. When several of these sound effects are played simultaneously, they work well together as harmonic chords. All these sound effects came from my personal experience and not by creation. 15 16’08’’-17’41’’ Storm howling demonstrates nature’s helplessness. Earth roaring demonstrates nature’s anger against the greediness 16 17’42’’-18’’44’’ of the mankind. In m17, tenors perform to depict the kind shepherd who feeds the orphaned Botog while S/B perform to depict the wide-open space 17-34 0’47’’-6’08’’ of the sky and earth. An alto solo depicts a starving Botog who lingers outside the windows begging to be fed by the shepherd. The mode of this part is F/Shang. It is not in F minor even though it looks so. Mongolian music cannot be analyzed by Western 6’09’’-9’41’’ 4 harmonic progression. I avoid using dominant seven chord and a third of a chord. “aom” in the lyrics is not a word in Mongolian language. It is 10’00’’-11’05’’ used to express the crying of dying trees. It helps to arouse people’s sympathy for the wounded nature. Conductors have the freedom to add Kharkhiraa to create a sense 20 12’58’’-13’10’’ of horror. Khöömii is used to emulate different sounds of nature.

60 Video mm. Avoiding use of the dominant seventh chord. The leading tone is part of a dominant harmony that leads to the tonic note as expected, which would give the music a Western sound I endeavored to maintain ethnic characters without conforming to traditional harmonic chord progressions. My creation process 32-39 22’52’’-25’00’’ involved a lot of trial-and-error and experimentation with the goals of achieving the beauty of Mongolian character.

Part II, Erel, Video 5 mm. 40-42 0’32’’ This is to depict the intermittent galloping of Botog. The syncopation of bass creates a sense of movement or running in order 42 to express that Botog is searching for his mother. The interval of D-E of S on the beat 2 of m. 40 is the melodic motive that 45 1’53’’-3’30 is responded by repeating D-E of S starting at m. 45. The dotted notes are used to signal danger lying ahead. Music is speeding up to demonstrate the urgency of Botog who is anxious 57 3’30’’-4’19’’ in finding his mother. The rests in m. 59 and m. 62 are used to express that Botog is hesitating and wondering which directions to take. The rhythm and tone cluster in this section is to depict the difficult running on the sand dunes. The up and down in the music figure is to express the up and down of the sand dunes. The dotted rhythms in m. 73 69 4’20’’-7’23’’ is to express the dangers and obstacles he encountered in the process, and also to express the stubbornness of Botog’s determination of finding his mother. The dotted notes represent resistance: The resistance Botog encountered 73-89 9’17’’-10’00’’ while running on the sands. Hot and thirsty. This section is composed in pentatonic scale. It has an ascending melody 97-108 10’08’’-11’00’’ with a growing vigor. Dotted rhythms are used in all four sectionals to express the difficulties in 110-132 11’02’’-11’37’’ Botog’s searching. The rest at m. 119 is to express that Botog stops and hesitates for not knowing which way to take. The solo resumes the melody of Botog looking for his mother. But in this section, the choir part has changed from the running style in the first 133-154 12’26’’-13’22’’ section, and instead has turned into homophonic styles in lapses with rest breaks in between. S/A go back to sing the running/searching motive of mm. 40-42 as Botog is making his last attempt. But this time, the music retards to show Botog 155-162 13’26’’-14’03’’ is exhausted followed by his panting sounds in m. 157 to show he is reaching his physical limits. Use nose instead of mouth to emulate the panting of a camel. Repeat 14’04’’-14’30’’ triplets in exhalation and quarter notes in inhalation until m. 162 when Botog collapses and falls asleep.

61 Part III, Khusel, Video 6 mm. The composer uses the plot of Botog searching for his mother to imply 0’17’’-2’27’’ that he is also searching for green pastures in his dreams. The musical idea came from a famous Mongolian folk song Mu Ge (Pastoral). My musical elements are from the folk music. Because 2’28’’-3’33 Khöömii singing only works on certain keys, I had to consider the different limitations and strengths for each part of voice, such as choir, soprano, and Khöömii. 163-170 3’37’’-3’56’’ Starting from humming sound to create a dream-like atmosphere. I want to use a higher pitch voice to express the sound effect at this point, 171-179 3’57’’-4’20’’ therefore I use Soprano solo for this part. The B section depicts the beautiful grassland, total freedom and 180-187 4’25’’-5’13’’ happiness, and the beauty of people unifying with nature. Letter Y, the motive, in this dream-like section, comes up again and the 188 5’13’’-6’54’’ music will end up with the low F accompanied by camel whining and wind whispering from the beginning motive of Önchin Botog. I designed the key of Önchin Botog in F. The first part, Önchrel, looks like it is in F minor, but is actually in F/Shang; while the third part,

Khusel, looks like it is in F major, but it is actually in F/Gong. Every mode has its own character. The biggest challenge for the choir singers is to maintain the pitches and

breath support. Staggered breathing is very important for this work.

62 APPENDIX F

VIDEO LINKS OF THE INTERVIEWS

63 Video Titles Links 01- Interview- Creation background of ÖNCH 01 https://youtu.be/mHkthQNNk0M IN BOTOG PART 1 02- Interview- Creation background of ÖNCH 02 https://youtu.be/UF1W1nwo3nA IN BOTOG PART 2 03- Interview-Performance Guide: Part 1, ÖH 03 https://youtu.be/71f0X2wZ-Rg CHREL 孤 (mm. 1-16) 04- Interview-Performance Guide: Part 1, ÖH 04 https://youtu.be/4HlhFJsDEhs CHREL 孤 (mm. 17-39) 05- Interview-Performance Guide: Part 2, Erel 05 https://youtu.be/XIBaKrogHmk 尋 06- Interview-Performance Guide: Part 3, Khu 06 https://youtu.be/dHSmsk4oiG8 sel 盼 07- Introduction of Khöömii part 1 by Jin Sha 07 https://youtu.be/l4wPs_Qyj8I n 金山 08-Introduction of Khöömii part 2 by Jin Shan 08 https://youtu.be/HyKKjOVB7hs 金山 09- Khöömii melodies of part 3, Khusel sung 09 https://youtu.be/WK19UQKmnhU by Jin Shan 金山 10- Tamir Hargana Explains the Techniques of 10 https://youtu.be/lNm25ZnD_vo Khöömii for Önchin Botog 11-Pei-Chi Lin singing the alto solo of part 2, 11 https://youtu.be/KqeDTa67C60 Erel coached by Se Enkhbayar

YouTube Links Titles Links Part I, Önchin Botog 孤獨的駝羔- Part https://youtu.be/d4X0abce39g Önchrel 孤 I, Önchrel 孤 Part II, Önchin Botog 孤獨的駝羔-Part https://youtu.be/JNZMTQQNdgc Erel 尋 II, Erel 尋 Part III, Önchin Botog 孤獨的駝羔-Part https://youtu.be/EgKzx55xrLU Khusel 盼 III, Khusel 盼 蒙古長調--烏珠穆沁遼闊的草 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2IY3 Urtiin Duu 原 J0KRfQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0djHJ Khöömii Huun-Huur-Tu - Live BAP3U

64 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Se Enkhbayar

Print and Websites

Se Enkhbayar. “Se Enkhbayar’s Biography.” Accessed December 28, 2016. http://恩克巴雅 尔.com/aspx/inner.aspx?id=1.

Se Enkhbayar. “Se Enkhbayar’s Musical works.” Accessed December 28, 2016. http://恩克巴雅 尔.com/aspx/inner.aspx?id=2.

“Se Enkhbayar.” V.qq.com. Accessed December 29, 2016. https://v.qq.com/x/page/g03188xb53r.html, https://v.qq.com/x/page/l03184z6sgl.html.

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Siqinchaoketu. “The Study of Se Enkhbayar’s A cappella Mixed Choral Works.” Master’s thesis, Minzu University of China, 2005. Thesis.

Yang, Yu Cheng. “Se Enkhbayar and His Musical Works.” Chuan Cheng 12 (Feb, 2009): 72-79.

Scores and Recordings

Se Enkhbayar. “Grassland Hymns.” Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel). Inner Mongolian Youth Choir. Conducted by Yalungerile. ABC (Int’l) Records. ISBN 7-88481-40-4. Compact disc.

Se Enkhbayar. Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel). Unpublished score, 1995.

Se Enkhbayar. Naiman Sharag (The Chestnut Horses). Score. Earthsongs: Corvallis, 1998.

Se Enkhbayar. “TheVoices of the Land.” Önchin Botog (A Lonely Baby Camel). Inner Mongolia Radio and Television Art Troupe. Conducted by Yalungerile. Recording. Provided by Se Enkhbayar.

Se Enkhbayar. Zeregleent Gobi (Mirage on the Gobi Desert). Score. Earthsongs: Corvallis, 1998.

65 Mongolian Culture and Music

Bai, Yu. “Contemporary Choral Music Compositions and Current Trends in Inner Mongolia.” Journal of Chifeng University Vol.35No.7 (Jul.2014): 219-221. doi:10.13398/j.cnki.issn1673-2596.2014.07.089.

Du, Yaxiong. An Introduction to Chinese Minority Music. Shanghai: SMPH, 2002.

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Li, Shi-Xiang. “The Horse-step Rhythm in Mongolian Short Song.” Journal of Art College of Inner Mongolia University Vol. 7 No. 4 (Oct, 2010): 76-81.

Urtiin Duu

Fan, Qi-Yu. “The Style and Singing Skills of Mongolian Long Song.” Journal of Sanmin College of Technology, no. 3 (2003): 96-100.

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“Urtiin Duu.” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Accessed January 29, 2017. http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/urtiin-duu- traditional-folk-long-song-00115.

Wang, Yu Wei. “The Fusion of Mongolian Long Song and Western Choral Music.” The world of music (Feb, 2010): 37-39.

Khöömii

Geriletu. “Different Khöömei Styles and Their Vocal Techniques.” Chinese Music 3 (2007): 66- 70.

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66 Pegg, Carole. “Mongolian Conceptualizations of Overtone Singing (xöömii).” British Journal of Ethnomusicology 1 (1992): 31-54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3060726.

Pegg, Carole. “Overtone-singing.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed January 13, 2017, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/49849.

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Morin Khuur

Andrea Nixon and Peter K. Marsh. “Khuur.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed January 29, 2017. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/L2281408.

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Folk Singing vs. Bel Canto

Sun, de Jun. “A Comparison of Bel Canto Techniques and Mongolian Long Song singing.” Inner Mongolia Arts (Jan. 2003): 44-46.

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Teaching Multicultural Choral Music

Cho, Ryan. “Cultural Appropriation and Choral Music: A Conversation That Can Make Both Our Music and Community Better.” Choral Journal 55, no. 10 (May 2015): 59-63. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed January 13, 2017).

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67 Gratto, Sharon Davis. “Ethnic and Multicultural Perspectives.” Choral Journal 51, no. 2 (September 2010): 65-66. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed January 31, 2017).

Parr, Clayton. (2006). “Eight Simple Rules for Finding Multicultural Music.” Music Educators Journal, 93(1), 34-37. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/197194516 ?accountid=7113.

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