Arya Tara -Tibetan Buddhism UK

The Music of Tibetan Buddhism

Look for musical examples

Tibet stands at the influence of three civilization, the Turko-Mongolian, the Chinese and the Indian. Enriched from time to time by influences from these, its own ancient tradition has developed in high isolation from the rest of the civilized world. This tradition embraces a very distinctive way of life and a music all its own. Music plays an important part in Tibetan life and has three aspects: Dung

the folk-music - found in the daily lives of the people
an art music - cultivated especially by professional minstrels
the sacred chant and instrumental music of the Buddhist Liturgy and other rites - centering around the monasteries.

The Lamas say "Religion is sound". The recitation of mantras, chanting and the playing of instrumental music are fundamental in their worship. For many ling hours, day after day, year after year, the red-robed monks intone their prayers, sitting cross-legged under the soft light of butter-lamps. Their cerebrations include the services of the regular Liturgy and various extra-liturgical rituals.

The Chant (280 kByte, 25 sec.)

The liturgical language is Tibetan, though Sanskrit is also occasionally found. The chants are sometimes free but more usually metrical, in both symmetrical and asymmetrical measures. The voice-style, close-throated or constricted and usually very deep in pitch, is, as the natural voices of the monks show, unnatural; it is deliberately cultivated style.

Tonally speaking, the chanting varies from an inflected monotone to a melodic pattern (oft-repeated with variations) based on a definite mode (varying from three to seven notes, but very often four or five), and is decorated in a variety of ways, especially by glottal slides up to or down to an note, or down from a note. A traditional notation exits for the chants.

The chants may be performed by a single monk in private devotion or by a choir of monks or, where relevant, by laity in services conducted for them by monks. Chanting is sometimes unaccompanied, but is more usually accompanied by na ensemble which amounts to an orchestra (passim). This orchestra consists exclusively of wind instruments - always played in pairs - and percussion instruments of indefinite pitch. There are no stringed instruments, which are found only in the secular music.

Wind Instruments

rGaling , a reed instrument of the shawm class, which plays melodies, both as part of the monastery orchestra, and separately in a repertoire of tunes for special occasions.
Dung , a long metal trumpet, which plays pedal-notes or calls (often centring on one note), either alone, or as part of monastery orchestra.
Dung-dkar , a shell-trumpet made from a conch. Its orchestral role is similar to the one before.
rKangling , a short horn made from metal, but formerly from human thigh-bone. Its orchestral role is similar to the ones before.

Percussion Instruments of Indefinite Pitch

Drilbu, a hand-bell, held in the left hand, and played with the hand-drum by the same player. Its pitch may be definite, but is not functional as such.
Damaru (the Indian name by which its usually called among Tibetans) , a hand-drum shaped like an hour-glass, and played by rotation of the right hand, so as to make its clappers strike the membranes. Played with the hand-bell by the same player. Made from wood, formerly from human half-crania.
Rolmo , cymbals with broad central bosses, held one above the other and struck by vertical movement.
Silnyen , cymbals with small or no central bosses, struck by horizontal movement.
rGna , drum supported on a pole or suspended in a frame, and struck with a crooked stick or, occasionally, by drum-sticks.

Percussion Instruments of Definite Pitch

Apart from instances where the rGyaling (shawms) and dung (long trumpets) play alone, the only purely instrumental music met with was an orchestral piece which adds two further percussion instruments - this time of definite pitch - not found an any other instance:

mkar-rnga, gong
Ting-ting, metal disc.

The Ensemble (222 kByte, 20 sec.)

In services where voices and instruments occur together, sections of full orchestra usually alternate with sections of chant lightly accompanied by cymbals and frame-drum only, while the hand-bell and hand-drum are signals marking off the sections of the service. The orchestral section sometimes employ the full percussion only. To this ensemble the shawms are more usually added, progressive additions being long trumpets, and also occasionally the other wind, i.e. conch-trumpets and short horns.

A tonal melody may thus be found with an "accompaniment" which is atonal in relation to it. On the hand, we have something comparable with the music of other high oriental civilizations; on the other, something more primitive which cannot be compared within the same reference-frame. This amy reflect, in musical terms, the juxtaposition of Buddhism of Indian origin with the native Tibetan shamanism which, with other influences from surrounding civilizations, have combined to produce Lamaism as we know it. The disposition of instruments also suggests as much, for some may be traced to the Chinese sphere (cymbals); some to the Indian (hand-bell); and some to the Iranian (shawm); but the more distinctive monastery instruments had already progenitors in the Late Stone Age, and of these at least the bone-horn and skull-drum are indigenous to Tibet. The style of the Liturgical music of Tibet must be accounted a major Oriental style which, having emerged and developed i relative isolation under the creative force of Lamaist spiritual life, has retained some very ancient features.

Cited from: A Musical Anthology of the Orient. Edited for the International Music Council by the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation (UNESCO Edition); B�renreiter-Musicaphon BM 30 L 2009.

Additional info

Tingsha

Small hand cymbals attached with a string. When struck together, they create a clear sustaining sound. Traditionally used by Tibetan Lamas and lay practitioners as an offering of compassion and generosity to "hungry ghosts" suffering from desire.