The music of Bhutan spans three broad traditions — the classical folk forms zhungdra and boedra and the modern popular genre rigsar — performed on instruments such as the dramnyen lute, the chiwang fiddle and the lingm flute. It accompanies religious ritual, social gatherings and, increasingly, a contemporary entertainment industry.
The music of Bhutan ranges from centuries-old folk and religious traditions to a modern popular industry, and is conventionally grouped into three broad categories: the classical folk forms zhungdra and boedra, and the contemporary genre rigsar.[1] Music is woven through Bhutanese life, from the chants and ritual music of monastic ceremony to the songs of harvest, archery matches and social gatherings.
Traditional forms
Zhungdra, developed in the seventeenth century and associated above all with western Bhutan, is characterised by extended, ornamented vocal lines that slowly decorate a simple instrumental melody; it is demanding to sing and is regarded as the more refined of the folk styles.[2] Boedra, which evolved from Tibetan court music, is by contrast rhythmic and danceable, often performed by singers in a circle, and typically accompanied by the chiwang fiddle and the dramnyen lute.[1]
Instruments
The best known Bhutanese instrument is the dramnyen (also drangyen), a long-necked fretted lute of around six strings used mainly to accompany singing in Drukpa Buddhist culture.[3] It is commonly joined by the chiwang, a two-stringed bowed fiddle, and the lingm, a six-holed bamboo flute. These instruments appear in both the traditional folk genres and, in adapted form, in modern music.
Rigsar and the modern industry
Rigsar is Bhutan's contemporary popular music, which emerged in the 1980s. It is distinguished from the older styles by electronic instrumentation, faster rhythms and lyrics in the vernacular — chiefly Dzongkha and Tshangla — and it dominates the country's commercial recording and film-song output.[1] A generation of performers, from folk revivalists to rigsar pop singers, has built on these traditions to create a small but active modern music scene.
References
See also
Contemporary Bhutanese Music and Hip-Hop
Contemporary Bhutanese music has diversified rapidly since the arrival of television and the internet in 1999, with hip-hop, pop, and R&B emerging alongside the older rigsar fusion genre, performed primarily in Dzongkha, Sharchopkha, and Nepali and distributed through YouTube and social media.
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