The Beautiful Sounds of Xinjiang
I ran across a very interesting website the other day that has a large selection of recordings documenting the beautiful spectrum of Xinjiang culture and music. It’s not a new site but it still remains quite relevant today. The media, recorded in 2003 by a man who had been given a grant to travel here for that purpose, offers a rare glimpse into this province that all my writing combined will never be able to do. From the website:
My hope is that at least some of the elements in this section- what I like to think of as ‘artifacts’ will have some worldly value for a region, people and tradition that I myself can see changing by the day…and In many respects, simply slipping into history. A government orchestrated transformation that has no intention on slowing down is taking place and many traditions I’ve experienced here are plainly in their last generation.
If you have any interest in Xinjiang, please do check out the Xinjiang section of the Royal Oculus and Gramophone website. Thanks to Fausto for his willingness to allow me to share one of his field recordings here.
Instruments (from left to right): sapaya (paired sticks pierced with metal rings, used as percussion), tambur (long-necked string instrument), dap (donkey-skin hand drums) and singing – recorded in the courtyard of a home in Karkax.
Jordan
Tom
Hana
wandering educators
Jimba
dewa
SaigonNezumi(Kevin)
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