Kaigal-ool Khovalyg: vocals (Khöömei, Sygyt, Kargyraa), Igyl
Radik Tyulyush: vocals (Barbang-Nadyr), Byzaanchi, Khomuz (jew's harp)
Alexey Saryglar: vocals (Sygyt), Tuyug (horse hooves), Tungur (shaman-drum), Igyl
Sayan Bapa: vocals, (Kargyraa & Khöömei), Toschpulur, Guitar, Igyl
The group Huun-Huur-Tu was founded in 1992 by Sasha Bapa, his brother Sayan Bapa, Kaigal-Ool Khovalyg, and Albert Kuvezin with the intention— as Sasha liked to say—of focusing on old, forgotten songs. Sasha, Sayan, and Kaigal-ool had just left one of the largest state singing and dance ensembles, a permanent institution in Tuva’s cultural life during the Soviet era. For decades, these ensembles, with their dazzling performances of folk music, had been the only way for young Tuvan musicians to make a living playing “indigenous” music. After the privatization of “musical affairs” in the former Soviet Union, many musicians decided to leave these state ensembles and form their own groups, with musical results that varied greatly. In an interview with American producer and critic Ted Levin, Sasha Bapa explained the meaning of “Huun-Huur-Tu” as the vertical separation of light rays often seen over the grasslands just after sunrise or shortly before sunset. This seems to be a metaphor for the key element of the band’s overtone singing, which “...consists of producing a deep sound in such a way as to create one or two substantial overtones. The first overtone is a sung tone in the midrange, overlaid by a sound like a strong whistle, which the singer raises or lowers in pitch to create a kind of melody by changing the shape of the mouth.” The overtone singing style of Huun-Huur-Tu comes from a centuries-old tradition originating in the Republic of Tuva, a small republic in the Russian Federation located in Central Asia on the border with Mongolia. This ancient technique, which takes advantage of the resonances created between the vocal cords and the mouth, makes it possible to produce a fundamental note and its related harmonic (also called an overtone) simultaneously. Known in the Tuvan language as khoomei (“overtone singing” or, more precisely, “throat singing”), this art form creates a unique and captivating sonic universe, rich with harmonics above and below the fundamental frequency. [The oldest and most refined tradition of throat singing is precisely that of Tuva, editor’s note.]
The members of Huun-Huur-Tu have devoted themselves to learning ancient songs and melodies, yet their performances also resonate in the contemporary world. The repeated striking of a string against wood and skin turns into a meditative pattern that could come straight from avant-garde music. Descendants of isolated Siberian herders, they distill universal music from some of the most unusual acoustic phenomena on Earth. Using traditional instruments and subtly drawing on 20th-century composers, Huun-Huur-Tu transforms ancient songs into complex, fascinating, and hypnotic acoustic compositions. In Tuvan beliefs, sound is the preferred pathway for nature spirits to reveal themselves and communicate with other beings. Huun-Huur-Tu has been a driving force in the promotion of throat singing over the past decades. From their first tours in the West, they were among the first and few to share the boundless richness of Tuvan traditions worldwide, thanks especially to their superb musical skills. Dressed in elaborate traditional costumes, the ensemble members accompany themselves on string and percussion instruments such as the igil, byzaanchi, khommuz, doshpuluur, and tuyug, whose rhythms evoke gallops across the Siberian steppe. Their tightly structured pieces often imitate natural sounds, transforming a musical work into a vivid representation of the Tuvan landscape. Jon Sobel (Blogcritics Magazine) has described their live performances as “...made up of music as warmly human as any folk style, but not everything is khoomei: the four performers can produce six or seven distinct vocal melody lines; accompanying themselves on plucked and bowed strings, percussion, and jaw harps, their songs emulate biological rhythms: the heartbeat, breathing, a mind drifting into the dream world, a horse’s trot. Their songs speak of romantic love, love for their land, and for horses, with moods ranging from lyrical and reflective to joyful, playful, and danceable.” From the pastures of the Altai Mountains in southern Central Siberia, they are musicians who have spent decades perfecting throat singing, instrumental approaches, and the vibrant songs of their homeland. However, it would be a major mistake to label them as just a “folk group.” Since their debut on the American Shanachie label in 1993, they have covered multiple musical worlds. In 2002, a remix of their song “Eki Attar” even topped the charts in Greece, and in the same year, the CD "Spirits of Tuva" on the German label Jaro featured them remixed by DJs of various nationalities. They have recorded with Kronos Quartet, Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu, Russian classical composer Vladimir Martynov, the choir The Bulgarian Voices Angelite, the Moscow Art Trio jazz trio, Tuvan singer Sainkho Namtchylak, and with Ry Cooder they co-wrote six tracks for the soundtrack of Walter Hill’s film Geronimo. They have performed with, among others, Frank Zappa, The Chieftains, Johnny Guitar Watson, and L. Shankar.
Kaigal-ool Khovalyg. A self-taught and extremely gifted throat singer, he was a herder until the age of 21, when he was invited to join the Tuvan State Ensemble. He moved to Kyzyl, where he began teaching throat singing and Igil. Co-founder of Huun-Huur-Tu, he left the State Ensemble to dedicate himself to the new quartet. He has also performed and recorded as a soloist with Vershki da Koreshki, the World Groove Band, and the Volkov Trio. Master of a harmonic range from tenor to bass, Khovalyg is particularly renowned for his unique mastery of the khöömei and kargyraa vocal styles.
Radik Tyulyush – Vocals (Borbang-Nadyr), Byzaanchi, Khomuz (jew's harp). Born in the Tuvan countryside, Radik was a herder before becoming a professional musician. He honed his throat singing skills while performing in Soviet state groups, excelling in the borbangnadyr style. He joined Huun-Huur-Tu in 2006, but also performs as a soloist, and in 2007 toured England with his own program.
Sayan Bapa – Vocals (Kargyraa & Khöömei), Toschpulur, guitar, Igil. The son of a Tuvan father and Russian mother, he grew up in the industrial city of Ak-Dovurak. He musically came of age in Kislovodsk, in the North Caucasus, where for many years he played fretless bass in a Russian jazz-rock band. He returned to Tuva in the early 1990s to study his roots, becoming a member of a folk-rock group that performed traditional music with electric instruments. Co-founder of Huun-Huur-Tu, Bapa is a versatile soloist on string instruments and acoustic guitar. As a vocalist, he specializes in the kargyraa style.
Alexeiy Saryglar – Vocals (Sygyt), Tuyug (horse hooves), Tungur (shaman drum), Igil. He joined the group in 1995 to replace Alexander Bapa. He completed his musical studies in Ulan Ude as a percussionist for classical and folk music ensembles, and became a member of the large Soviet state ensemble Siberian Souveni’. A multi-talented performer, Saryglar is particularly skilled in the Sygyt singing style, and his dexterity with traditional Tuvan percussion and string instruments naturally extended to the piano. Like the other members of the group, he resides in Kyzyl when not on tour.
