The Pearl of Tuva: Authenticity and Tuvan Khorekteer (Throat Singing)

Abstract

Abstract: The Russian Republic of Tuva is home to the solo multiphonic singing styles encompassed under the umbrella terms khorekteer and khoomei. This paper explores the conceptual complexities of authenticity pertaining to Tuvan throat singing. The author reveals ethnicity and race as primary authenticity markers as expressed by indigenous performers of Tuvan music. This paper also examines the events surrounding the 2002 Dembildei International Throat Singing Competition held in Tuva’s capital city Kyzyl. Concerns of authenticity as expressed by the panel of judges for Dembildei 2002 are presented alongside some other political, social, and economic forces that resonate around this event. I recall an advertising campaign initiated by the popular clothing and accessory giant, GAP in 1994. Rolling Stone was one of many magazines to feature a full-page spread of a contemplative Miles Davis seated somewhat awkwardly in a metal studio chair and dressed in khaki trousers. The photograph was taken nearly forty years before the GAP’s advertising crusade for the revival of plain khaki pants. A series of memorable GAP television advertisements that hit the airwaves in 1999 always concluded with the perfunctory catch phrase ‘This is original. ” One of the more short-lived commercials featured trumpeter and co composer of The Little Spanish Flea, Herb Alpert. Alpert wandered the stark white backdrop of

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 5 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.