Genre traits of the song tradition of the Tuvans of the Ovyur disrtict of the Republic of Tuva

Currently, there is a danger of the local song tradition specifics disappearing due to mass migration of the rural population of the Republic of Tuva to the capital, Kyzyl city, resulting in the lifestyle changes and loss of traditional culture. Thus, it is highly relevant to study the genre traits of the song tradition of the Tuvans. This paper describes the main song genres of Tuvan folklore of the Ovyur district (Republic of Tuva), one of the local variations of Tuvan song traditions. The local culture specifics of this region, including its musical tradition, is due to its territorial remoteness, isolation, and bordering with Mongolia. Various tribal and areal communities of Tuvan ethnic groups have historically coexisted on this territory. The materials of the study are field records collected in 2009 and 2022, mostly represented by the examples of the kožamïk “song, chorus” genre. This genre is characterized by the performance of an improvised poetic text using one of the typical melodies. Kožamïk is one of the most mobile, democratic, and stable genres of oral poetic creativity of Tuvans. Other (notably less numerous) samples include the ïrï songs, lullabies, orphan songs, and Mongolian songs. The uniqueness of these songs comes from local toponyms and the names of the Tuvan clans living in this territory in the poetic texts being used, as well as from particular emotional intensity (particularly orphan songs). Musically, the Ovyur songs are characterized by typical melodies used both in kožamïk and ïrï.

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