Where Rivers and Mountains Sing: Sound, Music, and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond - Hardcover

Levin, Theodore Craig

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0253347157 ISBN 13: 9780253347152

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2006

Synopsis

Theodore Levin takes readers on a journey through the rich sonic world of inner Asia, where the elemental energies of wind, water, and echo, the ubiquitous presence of birds and animals, and the legendary feats of heroes have inspired a remarkable art and technology of sound-making among nomadic pastoralists. As performers from Tuva and other parts of inner Asia have responded to the growing worldwide popularity of their music, Levin follows them to the West, detailing their efforts to nourish global connections while preserving the power and poignancy of their music traditions. A DVD/CD video/music disk is included.

About this title

About the Author

Theodore Levin is Professor of Music at Dartmouth College. He began his musical travels in Inner Asia in 1974 and has been traveling there ever since. As an advocate for music and musicians from other cultures, he has produced recordings, curated concerts and festivals, and contributed to international arts initiatives. He is author of The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia (and Queens, New York) (IUP, 1997).

Valentina Süzükei received her Kandidat degree from the Russian Institute of the History of Art in St. Petersburg and is the senior academic officer of the Tuvan Institute for Humanities Research in Kyzyl, Tuva. She is author of three books on Tuvan music, including a forthcoming book on the musical culture of Tuva in the twentieth century.

From the Back Cover

"Thanks to his wonderful innate taste, his tremendous linguistic skills, and his curiosity and passion to share what he discovers, Ted Levin has given us a window into a world of traditional music we might never otherwise know." Yo-Yo Ma

"Ted Levin gives us a vivid picture of music in inner Asia today both the ancient traditions and the way they re rubbing up against the modern world. . . . After reading this immensely readable and thought-provoking book, you ll never listen to throat singing in the same way again." Simon Broughton, editor, Songlines and Rough Guide to World Music

"No other writer could extract such a delicate mélange of philosophy, acoustics, and aesthetics from one man s vocalization over a running stream or report with such canny insight on how that individual must negotiate his life as a star in the West." Michael Church, BBC World Service

"Entertaining, fascinating, and well written, it depicts important issues in the globalization of indigenous music." Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer, author of The Tenacity of Ethnicity

Edition details

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0253347157
• ISBN 13: 9780253347152
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 281