Inuit throat singing

Traditional throat singers

Inuit throat singing, or katajjaq, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among the Inuit. (An analogous form called rekuhkara was once practiced among the Ainu of Hokkaidō, Japan.) The Inuit performers are usually women who sing only duets in a kind of entertaining contest to see who can outlast the other. However, at least one notable performer, Tanya Tagaq, performs throat singing as a solo artist and as a collaborator with non-throat singing musicians such as Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk. The musical duo Tudjaat performed a mixture of traditional throat singing and pop music.

Names

The name for throat singing in Canada varies with the geography:

History

Originally, katajjaq was a form of entertainment among Inuit women while men were away on hunting trips, and it was a regarded more as a type of vocal or breathing game in the Inuit culture rather than a form of music.[3]

Performance

Two women face each other usually in a standing position and holding each other's arms. Sometimes they will do some kind of dance movements while singing (e.g., balancing from right to left). One singer leads by setting a short rhythmic pattern, which she repeats leaving brief silent intervals between each repetition. The other singer fills in the gap with another rhythmic pattern. The sounds used include voiced sounds as well as unvoiced ones, both through inhalation or exhalation.[4] The first to run out of breath or be unable to maintain the pace of the other singer will start to laugh or simply stop and will thus be eliminated from the game. It generally lasts between one and three minutes. The winner is the singer who beats the largest number of people.[5]

At one time, the lips of the two women almost touched, so that one singer used the mouth cavity of the other as a resonator, but this is less common in present day. Often, the singing is accompanied by a shuffling in rhythm from one foot to the other. The sounds may be actual words or nonsense syllables or created during exhalation.

"The old woman who teaches the children [throat singing songs] corrects sloppy intonation of contours, poorly meshed phase displacements, and vague rhythms exactly like a Western vocal coach."[6][7]

Inuit throat singing in popular culture

Recognition

In 2014, Nunavik throat singing (katajjaniq) became the first cultural item to be given the intangible cultural heritage designation by the government of the province of Quebec, Canada.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Iirngaaq, Nunavut Arctic College – Interviewing Inuit Elders, Glossary
  2. 1 2 3 Nattiez, Jean-Jacques (1983), "The Rekkukara of the Ainu (Japan) and the Katajjaq of the Inuit (Canada) A Comparison", Le monde de la musique, 25 (2)
  3. Nattiez, Jean-Jacques (1987), "Musicologie générale et sémiologue", Translated by Carolyn Abbate, 1990 (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press), ISBN 0-691-02714-5
  4. First Nations?.. Second Thoughts by Thomas Flanagan (2008) – 2nd ed. (ISBN 0773534431)
  5. Music in Canada, capturing landscape and diversity by Elaine Keillor. Montreal McGill-Queen's University Press. (1939) (ISBN 0773531777)
  6. Nattiez, Jean-Jacques (1990) [1987], Music and Discourse: Toward a Semiology of Music, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, p. 57, ISBN 0-691-09136-6
  7. Nattiez, Jean-Jacques (1987), "Musicologie générale et sémiologue", Translated by Carolyn Abbate, 1990, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-02714-5
  8. Tafelmusik.org
  9. Frontier-canada.co.uk
  10. Arctic Air Theme Song
  11. "Polaris Music Prize 2014: Tanya Tagaq wins $30K prize". CBC News, September 22, 2014.
  12. "Inuit throatsingers steal the show at Justin Trudeau's swearing-in ceremony". CBC News, November 4, 2015.

External links

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