
Where Rivers and Mountains Sing
Sound, Music, and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond
Theodore Levin(Author)
Valentina Suezuekei(Co-Author)
Indiana University Press
Published on 15. November 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
277 pages
978-0-253-22329-6 (ISBN)
Description
Theodore Levin takes readers on a journey through the rich sonic world of inner Asia, where the elemental energies of wind, water, and echo; the ubiquitous presence of birds and animals; and the legendary feats of heroes have inspired a remarkable art and technology of sound-making among nomadic pastoralists. As performers from Tuva and other parts of inner Asia have responded to the growing worldwide popularity of their music, Levin follows them to the West, detailing their efforts to nourish global connections while preserving the power and poignancy of their music traditions.
Reviews / Votes
This is a perceptive book and a comfortable read. . . . [Levin] beautifully presents his central ideas regarding the spiritual and ecological music making in Inner Asia with enchanting and captivating storytelling. . . . A welcome addition to reading this text is the accompanying CD/DVD, which includes musical examples illustrating the stories and further draws readers into the telling of his story. These audiovisual examples not only function to help in understanding the book itself but are useful for class teaching on Inner Asian music.(Asian Music) Always readable, with issues and ideas presented in an immediate style, rich in personal vignettes and ethnographic detail, and brought to life by the fabulous audio/visual supplement material that is available on-line, Where Rivers and Mountains Sing is a gift for teachers and students.
(Ethnomusicology) This is a complex, informationally-dense book that fits well into recent trends toward aural phenomena.
- Nina Fales
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Bloomington, IN
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
41 b&w photos, 5 figures, 32 color photos, 2 maps
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
45 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-253-22329-6 (9780253223296)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Theodore Levin | Valentina Süzükei
Where Rivers and Mountains Sing
Sound, Music, and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond
E-Book
06/2024
Indiana University Press
€18.18
Available for download
Previous edition

Theodore Levin | Valentina Suzukei
Where Rivers and Mountains Sing
Sound, Music and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond
Book
01/2006
Indiana University Press
€30.94
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Theodore Levin is Professor of Music at Dartmouth College and author of The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia (and Queens, New York) (IUP, 1997).
Valentina Suezuekei is Senior Academic Officer of the Tuvan Institute for Humanities Research in Kyzyl, Tuva. She is author of three books on Tuvan music, including The Musical Culture of Tuva in the Twentieth Century (in Russian).
Valentina Suezuekei is Senior Academic Officer of the Tuvan Institute for Humanities Research in Kyzyl, Tuva. She is author of three books on Tuvan music, including The Musical Culture of Tuva in the Twentieth Century (in Russian).
Content
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
On Language and Pronunciation
Dramatis Personae
1. Finding the Field
Road Warriors
Kyzyl
Reinventing Tuva
2. The World Is Alive with the Music of Sound
Musical Offerings
In a Cave
Natural Reverb
Interlude
3. Listening the Tuvan Way
Timbre-Centered Music
Throat-Singing: The Ideal Timbral Art
4. Sound Mimesis
Mimesis and the Power of Representation
Hunters: The Earliest Sound Technologists?
Ludic Mimesis
Sound Mimesis and Spiritual Landscape
Sound Mimesis as Narrative
The Mimesis of Mimesis
Mimesis as Cultural Memory
5. Music, Sound, and Animals
Animal Spirits
Signaling and Singing to Animals
Listening to Animals
Animals in Music
"Animal Style" Art and Music
6. An Animist View of the World
Huun-Huur-Tu at Home
Epic Dreams
Shamans and Champagne
The Spirit of Manas
Women Are Not Supposed to Do This
The Ondar Phenomenon
Crete
Postlude: Appropriation and Its Discontents
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Key to Selections on Compact Disc
Key to Selections on DVD
Preface
Acknowledgments
On Language and Pronunciation
Dramatis Personae
1. Finding the Field
Road Warriors
Kyzyl
Reinventing Tuva
2. The World Is Alive with the Music of Sound
Musical Offerings
In a Cave
Natural Reverb
Interlude
3. Listening the Tuvan Way
Timbre-Centered Music
Throat-Singing: The Ideal Timbral Art
4. Sound Mimesis
Mimesis and the Power of Representation
Hunters: The Earliest Sound Technologists?
Ludic Mimesis
Sound Mimesis and Spiritual Landscape
Sound Mimesis as Narrative
The Mimesis of Mimesis
Mimesis as Cultural Memory
5. Music, Sound, and Animals
Animal Spirits
Signaling and Singing to Animals
Listening to Animals
Animals in Music
"Animal Style" Art and Music
6. An Animist View of the World
Huun-Huur-Tu at Home
Epic Dreams
Shamans and Champagne
The Spirit of Manas
Women Are Not Supposed to Do This
The Ondar Phenomenon
Crete
Postlude: Appropriation and Its Discontents
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Key to Selections on Compact Disc
Key to Selections on DVD