Study Guide
China: Anda Union
About the Artists Anda Union is a band of performers with roots in different ethnic Mongolian tribes from across Inner Mongolia. Each performer was trained in traditional Mongolian music from a young age, and they are part of a musical movement that is finding inspiration in old and forgotten songs. As “music gatherers,” Anda Union brings together ancient Mongolian music and traditions that had all but disappeared from modern life. They are on a mission to stimulate their culture and reengage young Mongols, many of whom no longer speak the language of their heritage.
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia is not Mongolia. Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region in northern China and one of the largest provinces in China. The province Anda Union in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. has its own local government in the capital city Hohhot, where Anda Photo by Delger. Union was formed. Mongolia is an independent country that borders China on the south and Russia on the north. However, many of the cultural traditions and music presented by Anda Union come from a time long before these borders existed.
Inner Mongolia has a population of nearly 3 million people, most of whom connect strongly to the history and culture of Mongolia. In fact, signs for businesses and roads in Inner Mongolia must include both Chinese and Traditional Mongolian writing.
Hills, rivers, lakes, deserts, and grasslands appear in various shapes and sizes throughout Inner Mongolia’s rugged landscape. Its forest area is the second largest in China. Inner Mongolia’s climate is as diverse as its landscape. Warm, breezy springs are followed by short, hot, rainy summers, and frosty autumns lead to long and very cold winters.
Nature and History Ar Horchin Grasslands. Still from the film Anda Union: From the Steppes to the City Traditional Mongolian people were nomads who moved with their herds and lived in temporary houses called gers (a Mongolian word) or yurts (a Kazakh word). This lifestyle created a close connection with the environment, and the music of Anda Union is heavily influenced by the natural sounds and landscape of the Mongolian Grasslands.
The legacy of Genghis Khan is another source of inspiration for Anda Union. Genghis Khan was a Mongolian ruler in the 1200s who united the Mongol tribes and launched a campaign of conquest that ultimately created the world’s biggest land empire. Today Genghis Khan is revered by Mongolians as the founder of their culture.
Resources Smithsonian Folkways: Throat Singing www.folkways.si.edu/explore_folkways/throat_singing.aspx A traditional ger. Still from the film Columbia University: The Mongols in World History Anda Union: From the Steppes to the City http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols
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China: Anda Union
Throat Singing Throat singing, called hoomei in Mongolian, is a vocal style that allows the singer to sing two notes at the same time. It is an ancient Mongolian art form, and many Mongols believe throat singing has powers that can help heal a person who is ill. Throat singing takes years to master, and singers begin training when they are very young. Anda Union has trained in many throat singing styles, and you will hear that they use a range of low- and high-pitched singing. The sound of throat singing reminds the listener of animals and the wind blowing through the Mongolian Grasslands. Photo by Delger Long Song Long song is another ancient style of singing. The name is derived not from the length of the song but from the long notes held during a song. Often this type of song has very few words—a song that lasts three minutes might have only ten words! This style of singing evolved in the grasslands as Mongolians tended their sheep, and the music reflects the landscape in the rising and falling of notes that correspond to the land itself. Typically accompanied by the horse head fiddle, a long song singer can call up the landscape of distant places, transport us to the vast grasslands of Mongolia, and remind us of the power of nature. Photo by Delger
Morin Huur The morin huur, or horse Moadin Chor head fiddle, has two strings and is played The moadin chor is a upright with a bow, Mongolian flute made from a similar to a cello. Rather reed. The flute is played than pressing down on the vertically and positioned under strings, a performer the top lip. The performer then touches the side of the plays the flute while at the string to change the note. same time singing hoomei, or The horse designs pay throat singing. Very few people are able to play this instrument, Photo by Tiffany Rodgers respect to the most important animal in and Chinggel of Anda Union is Mongolian culture, and one of only four musicians in Photo by Delger almost all Mongolian Inner Mongolia that have houses have a morin huur mastered the moadin chor! hanging in the hallway.
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