Uranchimeg Ujeed: Horchin monggul üligertü daguu (Horchin Mongolian Narrative Songs)
The World Oral Literature Project is pleased to host Uranchimeg Ujeed's collection. Details of the full collection can be browsed on DSpace@Cambridge by clicking here.
In this collection, there are 38 video recordings of Horchin Mongolian songs made during fieldwork in 2010 and 2011. The collection contains songs by bards, amateur singers as well as ordinary people. Although most of them are narrative songs, only a few of them are sung in the proper manner as they were in the past. Most of them are sung in fractions. There are also interviews about local knowledge of the narrative songs, the historical fact the songs based on, the song characters, the occasions the songs are sung, different people’s attitude towards the different styles of singing, their ideas about the present endangered state of the songs, their longing to and difficulty of maintaining the tradition etc.
Uranchimeg Ujeed recorded the films in 4th April - 4th May 2010, and 10th – 24th September 2011.
Collection Details:
Collection: Horchin monggul üligertü daguu (Horchin Mongolian Narrative Songs)
Collector: Uranchimeg Ujeed
Date(s): 2010-2011
Language(s): Mongolian, Horchin dialect
1. Bütügegchi- Agajud ail-un magtagal (Eulogy of Agajud village)
Bütügegchi is an amateur bard who is trying to get official recognition as a folk artist. He also tells hugur-un üliger which is a special Horchin Folk Art. Holbuga is a genre of alliterative musical poetry. Most bards are good at compiling Holbuga. They often sing a Holbuga simultaneously in accordance with the specific situation. This Holbuga is a eulogy of his village which has simultaneous components added in relation to our visit. Holbuga also has different melodies.
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2. Bütügegchi, Senggerenchin
Bütügegchi is an amateur bard who is trying to get official recognition as a folk artist. He also tells hugur-un üliger which is a special Horchin Folk Art. Senggerenchin is a narrative song about Senggerenchin (1811–May 19, 1865) a ruling prince of the Banner, general in the late Qing dynasty. He is mainly known for his role during the Second Opium War and the suppression of the Taiping and Nian rebellions. He is now also eulogized as a local hero.
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3. Ochir, Baljinima Jana
Ochir is a professionally trained singer who is learning folk song performance from several bards including Bütügegchi after he graduated from Inner Mongolia Music college.
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4. Ochir, Nutug Usu (Homeland)
Ochir is a professionally trained singer who is learning folk song performance from several bards including Bütügegchi after he graduated from Inner Mongolia Music college. Eulogy of one’s homeland is a common theme of the Holbuga (Alliterative musical poetry) genre in Horchin. Most bards can compile one.
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5. Bütügegchi, Eji-in achi (Mother's favour)
Bütügegchi is an amateur bard who is trying to get official recognition as a folk artist. He also tells hugur-un üliger which is a special Horchin Folk Art. In Horchin songs, like in any other parts of Mongolia, recounting mother’s favour is a very popular theme.
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6. Zhengyue, Liangjin goloo
Zhengyue is an ordinary housewife who liked singing since she was young. Most of her songs were learnt from her father who was born in 1911. This song is love song titled after the female character.
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7. Yuge, Suiying
Yuge is an ordinary housewife. She said she used to sing a lot when she was young but has forgotten most of them now. Suiying is an orphan girl’s song before she was married leaving behind two young siblings.
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8. Zhengyue, Jinjür
Zhengyue is an ordinary housewife who liked singing since she was young. Most of her songs were learnt from his father who was born in 1911. This song is a love song titled after the female character.
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9. Yuge, Hoyar lieshu (Two Martyrs)
Yuge is an ordinary housewife. She said she used to sing a lot when she was young but has forgotten most of them now. This is a song about two martyrs of the village who were killed by the Kuomindang army. Yuge said nobody else knows this song any longer.
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10. Zhengyue, Dagula
Zhengyue is an ordinary housewife who liked singing since she was young. Most of her songs were learnt from his father who was born in 1911. This song is a love song titled after the female character.
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11. Mönghöljei, Tuguljin Agula
Mönghöljei is an ordinary countryman who likes singing. Most of his songs were learnt from his maternal grandmother and uncle. This song is a eulogy of a mountain in the neighbouring Darhan Banner.
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12. Mönghöljei, Tengriin Salhin
Mönghöljei is an ordinary countryman who likes singing. Most of her songs were learnt from his maternal grandmother and uncle. This song is a eulogy of a mountain in the neighbouring Darhan Banner.
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13. Mönghöljei, Dörben chag-un daguu (Song of the Four Seasons)
Mönghöljei is an ordinary countryman who likes singing. Most of her songs were learnt from his maternal grandmother and uncle. This song is a eulogy of a mountain in the neighbouring Darhan Banner. This song is a very traditional long tuned song which reflects the seasonal movements of nomadic lifestyle.
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14. Mönghöljei, Namug Chegel-ün Burgasu (Willow at Marshy Spring)
Mönghöljei is an ordinary countryman who likes singing. Most of his songs were learnt from his maternal grandmother and uncle. This song is a eulogy of a mountain in the neighbouring Darhan Banner. This song is about sending off the marrying daughter.
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15. Mönghöljei, Jinjiema
Mönghöljei is an ordinary countryman who likes singing. Most of his songs were learnt from his maternal grandmother and uncle. This song is about a man missing his deceased wife.
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16. Mönghöljei, Baihü gege (Brother Baihü)
Mönghöljei is an ordinary countryman who likes singing. Most of his songs were learnt from his maternal grandmother and uncle. This song is about a girl’s lament over her not being able to marry her loved one due to arranged marriage.
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17. Ündüsü, Nugunjiyaga
Ündüsü is an ordinary countryman. This song is about a far away married girl’s missing of her mother’s home.
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18. Zhengyue, Gerele Angga (Darling Gerele)
Zhengyue is an ordinary housewife who likes singing since she was young. Most of her songs were learnt from his father who was born in 1911. This song is about a grandparents’ sentiment about marrying away of their loved granddaughter.
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19. Lungyan, Baibai Angga
Lungyan is an ordinary housewife who seldom sings. She sings this song as she heard from her father. This song is about a man missing his lover.
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20. Mönghöljei, Hanxiuying
Mönghöljei is an ordinary countryman who likes singing. Most of his songs were learnt from his maternal grandmother and uncle. This narrative song is said to consist of 44 verses. It is about a panicked mother finding a baldicoot shaman husband for her 18- year-old daughter who attracted many men in nearby villages. This song is very humorous, mocking the panicked mother and delighted son-in-law who has an unexpected good fortune of finding such a beautiful wife.
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21. Yosutu, Gada Meiren
Gada Meiren is a narrative song about a local hero who fought against Chinese warlord’s cultivation of pastureland. These two verses are most popularly sung all over Inner Mongolia instead of singing whole narrative song nowadays.
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22. Yosutu, Shishü Meiren
Shishü Meiren is a song about a local military official’s departing for a battle and his wife’s seeing him off by presenting a cup of alcohol and making good wishes.
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23. Yosutu, Sangjie Mama
Sangjie Mama is song about a monk’s lament for not being able to be together with his loved girl. There are several such songs in Horchin.
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24. Yolu, Xia Zhou Ulus (Xia Zhou Dynasty)
This is a performance of Yolu-yin Modu Band consists of locals. Xia Zhou Dynasty is an example of hugu-un üliger, Horchin story telling which was very popular in Modern time. This special genre of Horchin folk art is derived from Horchin epic singing in technique, and adapted Chinese classics in content. Hugur-un üliger also has had strong impact on the formation of Horchin narrative song.
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25. Yolu, Baljinima Jana
This is a performance of Yolu-yin Modu Band consists of locals. Another short version of the narrative song Baljinima Jana.
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26. Yolu Band, Gada Meiren; Holbuga-Horchin nutug-un magtagal; beye huyaglahu; Darhan hushigun-u magtagal (Yolu Band, Gada Meiren; Eulogy of Horchin land; Heroes putting on armour; Eulogy of Darhan Banner)
This is a performance of Yolu-yin Modu Band consists of locals. In this clip there is song about their local hero Gada Meiren, Eulogy of their mother land Horchin and their Darhan banner , and description of hero’s armouring himself, which is from Horchin story telling.
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27. Temür- Jinxiang's grandson
Temür is grandson of Jinxiang who is the female character of a locally very famous narrative love song called by the name of the male character Danabal. Temür talks about the real people and the events, and how people have been and are singing and talking about their story from the fact differently.
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28. Hasunbagan talks about Song Danabal
Hasunbagan, the oldest man in the area who is known to know a lot about local culture. He used to sing well but due to a stroke, he stopped singing. The lady just beside him is his sister who often complemented what Hasunbagan tells. In this video, they talk about a narrative love song called Danabal from another perspective.
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29. Hasunbagan talks about Song Baljinima Jaana
Hasunbagan, the oldest man in the area who is known to know a lot about local culture. He used to sing well but due to a stroke, he stopped singing. The lady just beside him is his sister who often complemented what Hasunbagan tells. In this video, they talk about a narrative song about two local heroes called Baljinima and Jaana.
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30. Hasunbaga eulogy of Tobacco Pouch
Hasunbagan, the oldest man in the area who is known to know a lot about local culture. He used to sing well but due to a stroke, he stopped singing. He recites a Eulogy of Tabcco Pouch he used to make on weddings. He says he compiled it.
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31. Bayasgulang, Yandan Güngjü (Princess Yandan)
Bayasgualng, an amateur bard who has a passion for singing by playing the instrument called dörben utasutu hugur (four stringed fiddle). Although the song Yandan Güngjü was a figure from Chinese classical story, the song is in Mongolian character describing the beauty, intelligence and deft. This shows a Horchin Mongolian way of describing a woman.
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32. Bayasgulang, Yandan Gangraima
Bayasgualng, an amateur bard who has a passion for singing by playing the instrument called dörben utasutu hugur (four stringed fiddle). Although the song Yandan Güngjü was a figure from Chinese classical story, the song is in Mongolian character describing the beauty, intelligence and deft. This shows a Horchin Mongolian way of describing a woman.
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33. Bayasgulang, Danabal
Bayasgualng, an amateur bard who has a passion for singing by playing the instrument called dörben utasutu hugur (four stringed fiddle). He is singing the Narrative song Danabal in the traditional way by playing the instrument.
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34. Bayasgulang, Nutug-un magtagal (Eulogy of Homeland)
Bayasgualng, an amateur bard who has a passion for singing by playing the instrument called dörben utasutu hugur (four stringed fiddle). This is another unique genre of Horchin folk art called holbuga, a kind of alliterative musical poetry. Bayasgulang says he compiled this holbuga.
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35. Bayasgulang, Uyugunsandan
Bayasgualng, an amateur bard who has a passion for singing by playing the instrument called dörben utasutu hugur (four stringed fiddle). Uyugunsandan is a Horchin love song named after the female character of the song.
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36. Bayasgulang, Nam-un achi (Favour of the Party)
Bayasgualng, an amateur bard who has a passion for singing by playing the instrument called dörben utasutu hugur (four stringed fiddle). This is another unique genre of Horchin folk art called holbuga, a kind of alliterative musical poetry. Bayasgulang says he compiled this holbuga.
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37. Amateur Singers singing
Amateur Singers who have participated in folk song contests. They talked about present situation of singing narrative songs, song contests etc.; they sing the songs they sang in the contests. In this clip they sing the songs titled Gaoxiaojie, Jinjurma, Ölgei Hairtai Shonhur.
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38. Amateur Singers, Danabal, Baljinima Jana
Amateur Singers who have participated in folk song contests. Danabal is sung in antiphonal style in a very modern way. Baljinima Jana is sung with narration. These can be compared to Bayasgulang’s singing in traditional way in 33.
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