TUVA—Ayana Mongush plays igil (Tuvan music)

Q: “Can you tell me about the relationship between the work that you do and language? A: “I think that, well for instance, you’ve got a single igil. Then you can bring in a Chadagan on top of that, to make a picture of river sound. Then an amyrga comes in, and then maybe a kengirge, one drum of that and it’s what, a lightning bolt? Then you can bring in lots of igils, chadagans, byzaanchies, and that whole seen goes and goes, and by the end, you’ve always got to have a person. That’s sound. Sound, that is a person’s own language. Now when all those natural sounds, when a voice comes into that melody, bringing its thoughts and sings the things it wants to say, that’s when everything becomes complete. So, Tuvan music cannot live with out the Tuvan language - on one side you can say that. Because the people talk to each other using language, they sing using language, they used their language to express themselves, soTuvan songs for instance, when you think of them, you can play a melody without words to someone and they’ll understand it in a hundred different ways. For example, you play one melody, and this guy hears it like that, and that guy hears it like this, but when words come on top of that, it takes them right to understanding. All those different listeners become one. Language is the beginning and the source. Without language, the beauty and songs of the world will be lost. That’s what I think. “ Ms. Mongush is a musician, composer, arranger, and conductor. She is proficient on all Tuvan traditional instruments as well as piano, proficient author of music for traditional instruments in the Tuvan National Orchestra Music is the tradition which has been Tuva’s calling card in the rest of the world and has served as an important cultural touchstone during times of repression. The Tuvan national orchestra, led by Mrs. Mongush, represents an important facet in Tuvan cultural pride. Mrs. Mongush is truly a unique individual and one of the most effective and powerful artists in Tuva. Her dedication to the music of Tuva is unmatched by any other artist, and she has worked the last ten years to bring the Orchestra from a poorly-supported collective of musicians unsure of their artistic path to becoming the face and voice of modern Tuvan musical culture. Ayana Samiyaevna Mongush, born 1976, in Sagly, Övür Kozhuun, Republic of Tuva, Russian Federation This video was filmed by Sean Quirk in 2012 in the Republic of Tuva, Russian Federation, for the Smithsonian Folkife Festival “One World, Many Voices” under the curatorial direction of Dr. K. David Harrison and Dr. Marjorie Hunt. It is shared with the consent of the subject. Support for this research was provided by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and the National Geographic Society’s “Enduring Voices Project”.