Tibetan Folk Song
Tibetan folk song is an essential part of Tibetan culture. As the society develops, the folk songs are somehow losing their places. Therefore, we need to pay more attention on this part, as the folk songs are also the important records of the Tibetan customs.
The classification
From the perspective of structure and expression, Tibetan folk songs can be divided into two categories: "lu" and "Xie". "Lu" folk songs are divided into two categories: "Lalu" (ie, the mountain song) and "Zhulu" (that is, the pastoral song). The "Lu" folk songs generally have different numbers of sentences. There are three, five, and six sentences in songs. Lu are a type of songs that feature glottal vibrations and high pitches. There are many types of Xie, including “Dui Xie”that are mainly popular in the upper reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, “Kang Xie”and “Ba Xie”that are popular in the east of Changdu.
Characteristics of Tibetan folk songs
The Tibetan people are known for their great talent in singing and dancing. During the grand festivals, people are singing and dancing everywhere. The Tibetan folk songs feature a wide range of vocals, long and touching tunes, and rich and varied content. The folk songs are mainly divided into labor folk songs and life folk songs. The former mainly describe the hard work of the people and the fruitful labor results, reminding people not to forget to work hard. The latter one mainly focus on the good feelings between people such as love and friendship. The Tibetan folk songs are full of emotions and make people feel like being in the vast grasslands.
The development of Tibetan folk songs
Early before the creation of the Tibetan words, folk songs were widely circulated among Tibetan people as an oral form. The creation of Tibetan words promoted the progress and development of folk songs. The folk songs were written down and passed generation to generation. After many changes in 1951, there are new folk songs featuring styles and contents reflecting the new era. Unlike the traditional folk songs, the new folk songs mainly celebrate the earth-shaking new life of the Tibetan people in vivid language, expressing a positive and inspiring attitude.
Tibetan singers
Tibetan singers are particularly known for their strong vocal abilities, which many attribute to the high altitudes of the Tibetan Plateau. Tseten Dolma rose to fame in the 1960s for her music-and-dance suite "The Earth is Red". Kelsang Metok is a popular singer who combines the vocal traditions of Tibet with elements of Chinese, Indian and Western pop. Purba Rgyal starred in Sherwood Hu's Prince of the Himalayas, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, set in ancient Tibet and featuring an all-Tibetan cast.
