View source for Music of Bhutan

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{{Css Image Crop|Image=Musician monks.jpg |bSize=800 |cWidth=250 |cHeight=325 |oTop=180 |oLeft=35 |Location=right |Description=Monks playing [[lingm]] at [[Lhuentse Dzong]]}}
{{Culture of Bhutan}}
The '''music of Bhutan''' is an [[wikt:integral part|integral part]] of its [[Bhutanese culture|culture]] and plays a leading role in transmitting social values. Traditional [[Bhutan]]ese music includes a wide spectrum of subgenres, ranging from folk to religious song and music. Some genres of traditional Bhutanese music intertwine vocals, instrumentation, and theatre and dance, while others are primarily vocal or instrumental. The much older traditional genres are distinguished from modern popular music such as [[rigsar]].<ref name=Greenwood>{{cite book|title=The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife: Southeast Asia and India, Central and East Asia, Middle East |volume=2 |first=William M. |last=Clements |year=2006 |publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=9780313328497 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZvrWAAAAMAAJ|access-date=2011-10-16}}</ref>

==Instruments==
[[File:Luth dranyen (musée d'ethnographie, Neuchâtel, Suisse) (28873179047).jpg|thumb|left| Bhutanese dranyen]]
[[musical instrument|Instrument]]s used in both traditional and modern genres of Bhutanese music include the [[lingm]] (six-holed flute), the [[chiwang]] (Tibetan two-stringed fiddle), and the [[dramnyen]] (similar to a large three-stringed [[rebec]]); modern musicians often update these instruments for use in [[rigsar]].<ref name=k1>{{cite web |url=http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2420 |first=Ugyen |last=Penjor |title=From Ngesem Ngesem to Khu Khu Khu... Rigsar Music Woos Local Music Fans |date=2003-01-19 |publisher=[[Kuensel]] online |access-date=2011-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716225824/http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2420 |archive-date=2012-07-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raonline.ch/pages/bt/visin/bt_music01a.html |title=Rigsar Dranyen |work=RAOnline |date=2011-06-17 |access-date=2011-10-30}}</ref>

Other traditional instruments include tangtang namborong (four-holed bamboo bass flute), kongkha (bamboo mouth harp), and gombu (bull or buffalo horn). Newer instruments include the [[yangchen]], brought from [[Tibet]] in the 1960s.<ref name=Greenwood/><ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|139–140}}

While Bhutanese folk music often employs stringed instruments, religious music usually does not.<ref name=Greenwood/> Unlike many countries, Bhutanese [[folk music]] is almost never incorporated into [[popular music]].<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|132}}

==Religious music==
{{Css Image Crop|Image=Dechen Phodrang monastic school, Thimphu 2.jpg |bSize=270 |cWidth=250 |cHeight=150 |oTop=55 |oLeft=15 |Location=right |Description=Monks playing [[dungchen]], Dechen Phodrang monastic school, [[Thimphu]]}}

[[Bhutan]] was first united in the 17th century, during the reign of [[Zhabdrung Rinpoche|Zhabdrung]] [[Ngawang Namgyal]] (1594–1652); the same period saw a great blossoming of folk music and dance. Religious music is usually chanted, and its lyrics and dance often reenact [[namtar (biography)|namtar]]s, spiritual biographies of saints, and feature distinctive masks and costumes. Today, Bhutan has a robust tradition of monastic song and music not normally heard by the general public.<ref name=Greenwood/><ref>{{country study|country=Bhutan |abbr=bt |editor=Andrea Matles Savada |date=1991 |section=Religious Tradition – Buddhism |author=Worden, Robert L |pd=yes}}</ref> The language used in these lyrics is generally [[Classical Tibetan|Chöke]].<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|138, 146}}

;Cham
{{main|Cham dance}}
The [[Cham dance]] is one of the most conspicuous religious musical subgenres in Bhutan, and is shared among Tibetan Buddhists in [[Tibet]] and in other countries, having roots in the 8th century.<ref name=Pearlman/>{{rp|17}} Lama and founder of Bhutan [[Zhabdrung Rinpoche|Zhabdrung]] [[Ngawang Namgyal]] is also credited with introducing many masked dances into Bhutanese tradition.<ref name=Greenwood/> Performed during modern Bhutanese [[tsechu]]s (festivals), cham dances act both to achieve enlightenment and to destroy evil forces in a sort of [[ritual purification]].<ref name=Pearlman/>{{rp|21, 180}} Ordinary people watch cham dances in order to receive a spiritual benefit and merit.<ref name=Greenwood/> The music and choreography of the cham dance are heavily associated with [[Tibetan Buddhism]], however some common features derive directly from the [[Bön]] religion.<ref name=Pearlman>{{cite book|title=Tibetan Sacred Dance: a Journey into the Religious and Folk Traditions |first=Ellen |last=Pearlman |publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co |year=2002 |isbn=0-89281-918-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JX-gKEJPszwC |access-date=2011-10-16}}</ref>{{rp|32}} The [[Dramyin Cham]] in particular is a focal point of many modern [[tsechu]]s.

==Folk music==
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The influence of [[Drukpa Kagyu|Drukpa Buddhism]] and [[Buddhist music]] on Bhutanese culture is such that many folk songs and chanting styles are derived from Drukpa music.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2011-10-16 |date=2005-05-11 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/rn/relig/rhythm/stories/s1360626.htm |work=The Rhythm Divide |title=Sounds of the Thunder Dragon}}</ref> While some [[lama]]s and monks are credited for composing certain Bhutanese folk music, the majority of its creators are unknown or anonymous.<ref name=Greenwood/> Like religious music, the lyrics of folk music are most often in literary [[Dzongkha]] or [[Classical Tibetan|Chöke]], however there are also several traditional songs in [[Khengkha]] and [[Bumthangkha]].<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|138, 146}}

Vocal and behavioral discipline for traditional singing requires thorough training in order to master the correct pitch, facial expressions, gestures, and overall conduct while performing.<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|142}}

Along with traditional music, masked dances and dance dramas are common participatory components of folk music, and feature prominently at Bhutanese [[tsechu]]s (festivals).<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|133–4, 142–4}} Energetic dancers wearing colorful wooden or composition face masks employ special costumes and music to depict a panoply of heroes, demons, death heads, animals, gods, and caricatures of common people. The dances enjoy royal patronage and preserve not only ancient folk and religious customs but also perpetuate the art of mask making.<ref>{{country study|country=Bhutan |abbr=bt |editor=Andrea Matles Savada |date=1991 |section=Festivals |author=Worden, Robert L |pd=yes}}</ref>

Bhutanese folk songs include a variety of subgenres, including ''[[zhungdra]]'' and ''[[boedra]]'', as well as several minor varieties such as ''zhey'' and ''zhem'', ''yuedra'', ''tsangmo'', ''alo'', ''khorey'', and ''ausa''.<ref name=Greenwood/><ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|134}} Traditional song and dance are also an integral part of [[archery in Bhutan]], known for lyrics that range from literary and sublime to provocative and burlesque.<ref name=BWK>{{cite book|title=Bhutan: Ways of Knowing |first1=Frank |last1=Rennie |first2=Robin |last2=Mason |chapter=12: The Metaphorical World of Archery, Karma Pedey |publisher=IAP |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-59311-735-1 |pages=95–103 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2VlSJqs3e4IC |access-date=2011-09-25}}</ref>

;Zhungdra
{{main|Zhungdra}}
[[Zhungdra]] ([[Dzongkha]]: གཞུང་སྒྲ་; [[Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: ''gzhung-sgra''; "center music") is one of the two dominant forms of Bhutanese folk music. It was developed in the 17th century, and is associated with the folk music of the central valleys of [[Paro, Bhutan|Paro]], [[Thimphu]], and [[Punakha]], the heart of the [[Ngalop]] cultural area.<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|136, 164}} <ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Tibetan Buddhist Rites from the Monasteries of Bhutan, Vol IV |year=1971 |chapter=Note for Tashi Laso (track 1) |first=John |last=Levy |page=3 |publisher=Lyrichord }}</ref> Although considered secular, the lyrics of zhungdra songs often tell [[Buddhist]] allegories, such as ''Yak Legbi Lhadar'', in which the singer tells of his former life as a [[yak]] slaughtered in connection with a non-Buddhist ritual in the [[Gasa District]].<ref name=Greenwood/>

Zhungdra is characterized by the use of extended vocal tones in complex patterns which slowly decorate a relatively simple instrumental melody. Untrained singers, even those with natural singing ability, typically find it challenging to sing zhungdra. This has reduced the popularity of zhungdra compared with [[rigsar]], the fast-paced [[pop music|pop]] Bhutanese music style based on electronic [[synthesizer]]s.

;Boedra
{{main|Boedra}}
[[Boedra]] ([[Dzongkha]]: བོད་སྒྲ་; [[Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: ''bod-sgra''; "[[Tibetan music]]") is the second of the two dominant forms of Bhutanese folk music. Instrumentation for boedra often includes the [[chiwang]], which symbolizes a [[horse]]. In contrast to Zhungdra, Boedra evolved out of [[music of Tibet|Tibetan court music]].<ref name=Greenwood/><ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|136, 161}}

;Zhey and zhem
The paired zhey and zhem ([[Dzongkha]]: གཞས་/གཞས་མོ་; [[Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: ''gzhas''/''gzhas-mo'')<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|136–7, 164}} are elaborately choreographed vocal performances often performed during [[tsechu]]s (festivals). They contain elements of both [[zhungdra]] and [[boedra]]. The quick-stepped zhey are performed by men, while the more flowing zhem are women's dances. Zheys originate in the 17th century, and although there is considerable variety among contemporary zheys, most of them share common tunes and dance formats. Dancers originally performed barefoot and without any elaborate uniform, however the tradition of wearing long gowns, headgear and traditional boots was established in the 1970s.<ref name=BO1/>

In honor of the [[Wedding of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema|2011 royal wedding]], Bhutanese dancers performed four major zheys (Goen Zhey of [[Gasa District|Gasa]], Wang Zhey of [[Thimphu District|Thimphu]], Nub Zhey of [[Trongsa District|Trongsa]], Woochupai Zhey of [[Paro District|Paro]]) and four minor zheys (Auley of [[Laya, Bhutan|Laya]], Locho of Sha, Bonghur Zhey of [[Haa District|Haa]], and Miritsemoi Zhey of [[Chukha District|Chukha]]).<ref name=BO1>{{cite web |url=http://www.bhutanobserver.bt/gift-sacred/ |title=A Gift from the Sacred Past |publisher=[[Bhutan Observer]] online |date=2011-10-11 |access-date=2011-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013222708/http://www.bhutanobserver.bt/gift-sacred/ |archive-date=2011-10-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Kuensel>{{cite web |url=http://www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=19139 |title=The Wang Zhey Surprise |date=2011-10-16 |publisher=[[Kuensel]] online |first=Rinzin |last=Wangchuck |access-date=2011-10-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614065109/http://www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=19139 |archive-date=2012-06-14 }}</ref>

The Goen Zhey is of central importance among all zheys. Its origins lie in the coming of [[Zhabdrung Rinpoche|Zhabdrung]] [[Ngawang Namgyal]], the founder of Bhutan. According to tradition, when he came in 1616 to at Bangdekha below Wakeyla, a place between [[Gasa, Bhutan|Gasa]] and [[Laya, Bhutan|Laya]], the people of Goen in Gasa offered the elaborate dance. Requiring two days and 21 dancers to complete, the dance has 25 intricate steps. Dancers wear red woolen [[gho]], black [[toego|tego]] undershirt, and red-and-white [[kabney]] in the fashion of ancient warriors. The zheypon (dance master) wears an elaborate headdress.<ref name=BO1/>

The Woochhu Zhey, from the Wochu Village ("Jackal River Village"; modern Woochhu Village in [[Lungnyi Gewog]], [[Paro District|Paro]]), also bases its origin in [[Zhabdrung Rinpoche|Zhabdrung]] [[Ngawang Namgyal]], first performed by a lama in the procession to receive the Zhabdrung.<ref name=BO1/><ref>{{cite book|title=Bhutan: Ways of Knowing |first1=Frank |last1=Rennie |first2=Robin |last2=Mason |publisher=IAP |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-59311-735-1 |pages=170–1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2VlSJqs3e4IC |access-date=2011-10-15}}</ref>

One particularly endangered performance is the Wang Zhey of [[Thimphu District|Thimphu]]. According to tradition, it began with a commoner from the Wang valley who went to [[Laya, Bhutan|Laya]]. On his way, he stopped at the [[Gasa, Bhutan|Gasa]] [[tshechu]] where he saw Goen Zhey for the first time. Inspired, he stayed to learn it. After returning to Wang, he taught his people the zhey in exchange for a fee of salt for every song. In 1620, with small changes, it was performed in [[Thimphu]] during the consecration ceremony of [[Chagri Monastery]]. Thereafter, it was performed regularly in receptions for important [[Tibet]]an [[Drukpa Lineage|Drukpa]] [[lama]]s. Though the Wang Zhey was once routine in rabneys, [[archery in Bhutan|archery matches]], and weddings of well-to-do families, it is now less frequently performed, and young Bhutanese do not know its significance.<ref name=BO1/><ref name=Kuensel/>

;Tsangmo 
Tsangmo ([[Dzongkha]]: ཙང་མོ་; [[Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: ''tsang-mo''), also considered a literary genre, are very popular in Bhutan. They consist of sung couplets, the first of which describes a relevant scenario, followed by the second couplet, which conveys a point such as love, hate, abuse, or ridicule. Tsangmo may be sung in a call-and-reply fashion, and may be a means of competition.<ref name=Greenwood/><ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|135–6, 163}}

;Lozey
Lozey ([[Dzongkha]]: བློ་ཟེ་; [[Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: ''blo-ze''), literally translated as "ornaments of speech," refer to two distinct vocal traditions. The first is a short exchange lines, while the second is a collection of ballads that vary from region to region. They all concern traditional customs, dress, and literature. Rich in metaphor, they are known and recited by ordinary people in modern language. Like Tsangmo, Lozey may be sung in a call-and-reply fashion, and may be a means of competition. Certain Lozey are sung in vernacular language.<ref name=Greenwood/><ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|135–7, 162}}

==Popular music==
{{main|Rigsar}}
The modern popular [[rigsar]] genre ([[Dzongkha]] རིག་གསར་; [[Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: ''rig-gsar''; "new type")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dzongkha.gov.bt/online/dictionaries/dz-en-dict/Contents/25-01-RI.html |title=༈ རྫོང་ཁ་ཨིང་ལིཤ་ཤན་སྦྱར་ཚིག་མཛོད། ༼རི༽ |trans-title=Dzongkha-English Dictionary: "RI" |work=Dzongkha-English Online Dictionary |publisher=Dzongkha Development Commission, Government of Bhutan |access-date=2011-10-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825231152/http://www.dzongkha.gov.bt/online/dictionaries/dz-en-dict/Contents/25-01-RI.html |archive-date=2011-08-25 }}</ref> emerged in the 1960s. Rigsar can be contrasted from most traditional music in its updated electronic instrumentation, faster rhythm, and vernacular language, especially [[Dzongkha]] and [[Tshangla language|Tsangla]]. Its context can also be contrasted, as rigsar is a common feature of Bhutanese television and film. Some of the earliest rigsar tunes were translations of contemporary popular [[Hindi]] songs. The first Bhutanese rigsar hit was ''Zhendi Migo'', covered the popular [[Bollywood]] [[filmi]] song ''"Sayonara"'' from the film ''[[Love in Tokyo]]''. Since the 1960s, a great number of Bhutanese artists have covered or produced a staggering volume of rigsar music.<ref name=Kinga>{{cite journal|title=The Attributes and Values of Folk and Popular Songs |journal=Journal of Bhutan Studies |volume=3 |issue=1  |first=Sonam |last=Kinga |access-date=2011-10-30 |url=http://www.thlib.org/static/reprints/jbs/JBS_03_01_05.pdf |year=2003 |pages=132–170}}</ref>{{rp|132, 139, 145–8}}

Rigsar gained popularity on the [[Bhutan Broadcasting Service]], making way for the [[rigsar]] band [[Tashi Nencha|Tashi Nyencha]] to establish the first recording studio in [[Thimphu]] in 1991. Prior to this period, Bhutanese people primarily listened to [[filmi]] and other kinds of [[Indian pop]] music. [[Rigsar]] is the dominant style of Bhutanese popular music, and dates back to the late 1980s. The first major music star was [[Shera Lhendup]], whose career began after the 1981 hit "Jalam Jalam Gi Ashi".<ref name=k1/>

By the end of the 1980s, [[rigsar]] was no longer so popular, its detractors citing repetitive, simple tunes that were often copied directly from foreign music.<ref name=k1/> Since 1995, with founding of the [[Norling Drayang]] recording label, rigsar has returned to relative popularity as a fusion of elements and instruments from [[pop music|English language pop]], [[music of India|Indian]] and [[music of Nepal|Nepalese music]]. Rigsar remains ubiquitous in Bhutan, heard in on public streets, in taxis, and on buses, and even used by the government to deliver health and sanitation education.<ref name=Kinga/>

There is also a small underground metal scene with bands like Forsaken <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/metalbhutan|title=Metal Bhutan|website=www.facebook.com}}</ref>

Bhutan has also been seeing a boom in the popular music such as the B-Pop show that was held to promote creativity in May 2018 by M-Studio in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kuenselonline.com/b-pop-show-held-to-promote-creativity/|title=B-Pop show held to promote creativity – KuenselOnline|website=www.kuenselonline.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-23}}</ref>

==Institutions==
The [[Royal Academy of Performing Arts]] (RAPA) has worked under royal prerogative to document, preserve, and promote traditional Bhutanese music, song, and dance since 1954. Its activities are overseen by the [[Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs|Ministry of Home Affairs]] of the [[Government of Bhutan]].<ref name=HCA-DoC1>{{cite web|url=http://www.mohca.gov.bt/?mode=DEPT&var=14 |title=Department: Culture: Divisions |work=Nangsi Lhenkhag – Ministry of Home & Cultural Affairs Online |publisher=[[Government of Bhutan]] |access-date=2011-10-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Bhutan: Traditions and Changes |series=Brill's Tibetan Studies Library |first1=John |last1=Ardussi |first2=Françoise |last2=Pommaret |publisher=BRILL |year=2007 |page=3 |isbn=978-90-04-15551-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HNm2AZ0cOSoC |access-date=2011-10-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Asian Theatre: A-N |volume=1 |work=Encyclopedia of Asian Theatre |first=Samuel L. |last=Leiter |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-313-33530-3 |page=61 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JttNAAAAYAAJ |access-date=2011-10-15}}</ref> The Academy's performers participate in festivals, tour schools within Bhutan, and perform for [[tourism in Bhutan|tourists]].<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|149–50}}

The  [[Institute of Language and Culture Studies (Bhutan)|Institute of Language and Cultural Studies]] (ILCS) at Semtokha, [[Thimphu]], was the only university level institute to offer elective courses on traditional and modern Bhutanese music, song, and dance as of 2003.<ref name=Kinga/>{{rp|150–1}}

[[Aa-Yang Ensemble]], started by [[Jigme Drukpa]] in 2010, is a private performing group. The ensemble includes members from north, east and south of Bhutan, making it one of the more culturally diverse music groups in Bhutan. In 2013 the group toured Sweden for 23 days.

[[Khuju Luyang]], a private performing arts group with international stage presence. Khuju Luyang won the folk music and dance competition in 2006 and received the silver medal from the Royal Government of Bhutan for preservation of folk dance and music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessbhutan.bt/?p=828 |title=Building Business from a Nightingale Song |publisher=Business Bhutan online |date=2010-10-22 |access-date=2011-10-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coreofculture.org/bhutan-dance-expedition-summary-report.html |work=Core of Culture online |title=Report to the Board of Directors: Core of Culture Dance Preservation – Bhutan Dance Project, 2004–2006 |access-date=2011-10-16}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Cham dance]]
*[[Culture of Bhutan]]
*[[Drayang]]
*[[Rigsar]]
*[[Royal Academy of Performing Arts]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Bhutan topics}}
{{Music of Asia}}
{{Bhutanese society}}

[[Category:Music of Bhutan|Bhutanese music]]