One morning 49 years ago, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck had his
huntsmen and guards prepared for a hunting trip along the ancient travel route
between Thimphu and Trongsa. All was arranged for the day, speck and preen,
down to the last detail as desired by the King. He had a group of entertainers
join the team too.
Upon reaching Zachok Tangka, King’s
favourite resting place below Zimtokha, time-out was ordered. Overwhelmed by
verdure abundance and the sheer beauty of the season, King ordered Ap Tsheten
Dorji to write a song there and then and to sing for him. Tsheten Dorji
had the gift of words. Already a prolific composer by then, he was an excellent
singer, too. He sang Changla Chichang Nyichang extemporaneously, which was his
first Bhutanese song. It was summer of 1963.
Since then, Tsheten Dorji, who fled Tsay, his home in Lhodra Dozong in Tibet, and came to Bhutan in 1960 with 30 boedra songs, has upwards of 60 drukdra songs to his credit. His last song for the King was Druk Zamling Chitshok, which was written to commemorate Bhutan’s entry to the United Nations on September 21, 1971.
Today, however, boedra, drukdra and zhungdra – the essential song and dance forms of Bhutan – are facing quick death. That’s what Sonam Dorji, who is doing research on Bhutanese music, thinks. Songs and music are the essential part of a country’s national identity, he says.
Boedra came to Bhutan from Tibet in the early 1900s. Professional beggars from Tibet would camp in the fields of Punakha, Bumthang, Thimphu and Paro, playing fiddles and songs. But it gained popularity during the reign of King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who was a great connoisseur of music. He gave the genres its name – Boedra.
“These are the endangered species. Now is the time to preserve what little we have in terms of our cultural identity,” he says, running through the songs that he has classified under various genres that belong to two main categories – Zhabdro Dangrem and Zhabdro Gorgum.
“Bhutan is changing so fast and we are losing our values at a rate much faster than we can work to save them. I am doing this because these materials could be used as points of reference in future,” he says. But songs and dance forms are not the only things he is researching and saving them for the posterity. Even choreographies or artistic dance movements are being studied and archived.
According to Sonam, traditionally, there is even a limit to how high the dancers can raise their hands while dancing. During those days, of course, dancers were required to have good height, good looks and flexibility. Good voice above all.
Besides monastic dance or cham, traditional Bhutanese music falls under two categories – Zhabdro
Dangrem and Zhabdro Gorgum. Under Zhabdro Dangrem come zhungdra, zhey, zheym, alo, langko and some traditional regional specific dangrems of Mangde, Talo, Mongar and Trashigang. Under Zhabdro Gorgum comes Boedra and Drukdra – song that came from Tibet and songs that originated in Bhutan.
Sonam Dorji does not agree that Zhabdro Dangrem is synonymous to Zhungdra and Zhabdro Gorgum to Boedra. There are also many songs that are neither Zhungdra nor Boedra but have qualities of both dangrem and gorgum.
He saves the materials in three forms because of risk of corruption and theft. He records them in the cassettes, external hard drives and CDs. And he stores the copies of the same materials in different places with date and time of interview and the names of the singers and dancers written on it. From 2008 till now, Sonam has interviews some 80 traditional singers.
“Anything could happen, and shall have lost them all.”
Much has changed in the manners of lyrics and dances since King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck sent a group of prominent Bhutanese singers to Calcutta in 1969 to records the songs on gramophone.
Led by Drinpon Sonam Dorji and Tsheten Dorji, Aum Thinlem, Aum Tshewang Lham, Ap Dawa Pel, Ninja Kado, Ap Khitu and Ramjam Goley, among others, were in the team.
They recorded popular boedra and drukdra songs like Maja Yamo, Ribja Samtenling La, Tsechi Chongyen Dawa, Sho Sho Tsheringla Jamo Sho and Changla Chichang Nyichang. Dangrem songs recorded include Gelong Zhenphen Dawa, Samye Gi Sala Mo, Thrung Thrungta Karmo and Mangdepai Zhem.These songs were then transmitted through radio stations in Kurseong and Shillong in India.
Source: Bhutan Observer
Upon reaching Zachok Tangka, King’s
favourite resting place below Zimtokha, time-out was ordered. Overwhelmed by
verdure abundance and the sheer beauty of the season, King ordered Ap Tsheten
Dorji to write a song there and then and to sing for him. Tsheten Dorji
had the gift of words. Already a prolific composer by then, he was an excellent
singer, too. He sang Changla Chichang Nyichang extemporaneously, which was his
first Bhutanese song. It was summer of 1963.Since then, Tsheten Dorji, who fled Tsay, his home in Lhodra Dozong in Tibet, and came to Bhutan in 1960 with 30 boedra songs, has upwards of 60 drukdra songs to his credit. His last song for the King was Druk Zamling Chitshok, which was written to commemorate Bhutan’s entry to the United Nations on September 21, 1971.
Today, however, boedra, drukdra and zhungdra – the essential song and dance forms of Bhutan – are facing quick death. That’s what Sonam Dorji, who is doing research on Bhutanese music, thinks. Songs and music are the essential part of a country’s national identity, he says.
Boedra came to Bhutan from Tibet in the early 1900s. Professional beggars from Tibet would camp in the fields of Punakha, Bumthang, Thimphu and Paro, playing fiddles and songs. But it gained popularity during the reign of King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who was a great connoisseur of music. He gave the genres its name – Boedra.
“These are the endangered species. Now is the time to preserve what little we have in terms of our cultural identity,” he says, running through the songs that he has classified under various genres that belong to two main categories – Zhabdro Dangrem and Zhabdro Gorgum.
“Bhutan is changing so fast and we are losing our values at a rate much faster than we can work to save them. I am doing this because these materials could be used as points of reference in future,” he says. But songs and dance forms are not the only things he is researching and saving them for the posterity. Even choreographies or artistic dance movements are being studied and archived.
According to Sonam, traditionally, there is even a limit to how high the dancers can raise their hands while dancing. During those days, of course, dancers were required to have good height, good looks and flexibility. Good voice above all.
Besides monastic dance or cham, traditional Bhutanese music falls under two categories – Zhabdro
Dangrem and Zhabdro Gorgum. Under Zhabdro Dangrem come zhungdra, zhey, zheym, alo, langko and some traditional regional specific dangrems of Mangde, Talo, Mongar and Trashigang. Under Zhabdro Gorgum comes Boedra and Drukdra – song that came from Tibet and songs that originated in Bhutan.
Sonam Dorji does not agree that Zhabdro Dangrem is synonymous to Zhungdra and Zhabdro Gorgum to Boedra. There are also many songs that are neither Zhungdra nor Boedra but have qualities of both dangrem and gorgum.
He saves the materials in three forms because of risk of corruption and theft. He records them in the cassettes, external hard drives and CDs. And he stores the copies of the same materials in different places with date and time of interview and the names of the singers and dancers written on it. From 2008 till now, Sonam has interviews some 80 traditional singers.
“Anything could happen, and shall have lost them all.”
Much has changed in the manners of lyrics and dances since King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck sent a group of prominent Bhutanese singers to Calcutta in 1969 to records the songs on gramophone.
Led by Drinpon Sonam Dorji and Tsheten Dorji, Aum Thinlem, Aum Tshewang Lham, Ap Dawa Pel, Ninja Kado, Ap Khitu and Ramjam Goley, among others, were in the team.
They recorded popular boedra and drukdra songs like Maja Yamo, Ribja Samtenling La, Tsechi Chongyen Dawa, Sho Sho Tsheringla Jamo Sho and Changla Chichang Nyichang. Dangrem songs recorded include Gelong Zhenphen Dawa, Samye Gi Sala Mo, Thrung Thrungta Karmo and Mangdepai Zhem.These songs were then transmitted through radio stations in Kurseong and Shillong in India.
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