Kaigal-ool Khovalyg
Encyclopedia
Kaigal-ool Khovalyg is a Tuvan throat singer and co-founder of the Tuva
n music group Huun-Huur-Tu
.
A self-taught overtone singer
, Khovalyg worked as a shepherd until the age of 21. His musical career began when he was invited to join the Tuvan State Ensemble. He settled in Kyzyl
and started teaching throat singing and igil
. In 1993, after more than ten years with the State Ensemble, he left to devote his attention to his newly formed group, Huun-Huur-Tu.
He has performed and recorded with the Tuva Ensemble, Vershki da Koreshki, the World Groove Band, and the Volkov Trio.
With a vocal range spanning tenor
and bass, Khovalyg is particularly known for his skill in the khöömei and kargyraa singing styles.
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...
n music group Huun-Huur-Tu
Huun-Huur-Tu
Huun-Huur-Tu is a music group from Tuva, a Russian Federation republic situated on the Mongolian border....
.
A self-taught overtone singer
Overtone singing
Overtone singing, also known as overtone chanting, or harmonic singing, is a type of singing in which the singer manipulates the resonances created as air travels from the lungs, past the vocal folds, and out the lips to produce a melody.The partials of a sound wave made by the human voice can be...
, Khovalyg worked as a shepherd until the age of 21. His musical career began when he was invited to join the Tuvan State Ensemble. He settled in Kyzyl
Kyzyl
-External links:*** in Kyzyl, Russia*...
and started teaching throat singing and igil
Igil
An igil is a two-stringed Tuvan musical instrument, played by bowing the strings. The neck and lute-shaped sound box are usually made of a solid piece of pine or larch. The top of the sound box may be covered with skin or a thin wooden plate...
. In 1993, after more than ten years with the State Ensemble, he left to devote his attention to his newly formed group, Huun-Huur-Tu.
He has performed and recorded with the Tuva Ensemble, Vershki da Koreshki, the World Groove Band, and the Volkov Trio.
With a vocal range spanning tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and bass, Khovalyg is particularly known for his skill in the khöömei and kargyraa singing styles.