Name

"Soyol Erdene" is the name of a melodious popular song of 1920s which the band played on an electric guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

. The approximate meaning is "Cultural jewel".

History

The band was established in late 1971. The Minister of Culture of that time, famous novelist Ch. Lodoidamba called four young musicians and said: "England has a band the Beatles of four young men. Why shouldn't we have a similar band?" The four young musicians, who had recently graduated the School of Music and Dance in Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar

Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....

 (nowadays College of Music and Dance) as yatga

Gayageum

The gayageum or kayagum is a traditional Korean zither-like string instrument, with 12 strings, although more recently variants have been constructed with 21 or other numbers of strings. It is probably the best known traditional Korean musical instrument...

 (ятга) players, established a rock band. The members were Tserenbat (drums), Erdenekhuyag (guitar), Batsaikhan (guitar) and Naranbaatar (keyboard). Later members were Galsanbat (guitar-solo), Zundari (bass), Bayar (vocal), Damdinsuren (guitar), Jargalsaikhan (drums), Jargalsaikhan (guitar/vocal), B. Tsolmon (drums). Among more recent members were D. Enkhbold (guitar-solo) and Kh. Bulgan (keyboard). Soyol Erdene also performed female singers Rentsenkhand, Nandintsetseg, Dulamsuren, Uranchimeg, Nasantogtokh and Ariunaa.

During Socialism the band worked under the administration of the State Philarmony which also supervised a symphony orchestra and the jazz band Bayan Mongol.

The first compositions of the band were Mongolian folk songs in a rock style arrangement as well as songs written by the members of the band. They often used poems of famous Mongolian writers.

The rock band was frequently criticised by the MPRP censorship for promotion of the Western musical style and Western fashion.

Soyol Erdene won the gold medal at the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students

World Festival of Youth and Students

The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event, organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth , a left-wing youth organization, jointly with the International Union of Students since 1947....

 in 1973.

Repertoire

Among the most popular songs created by the members of Soyol Erdene during its merseybeat

Beat music

Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...

period in the early 1970s were "Setgeliin jigüür" (The wings of the Mood) by Zundari, "Zürhnii aizam" (Melody of the Heart), "Uchraliin uyanga" (Melody of Love) by Galsanbat, Ankhnii khairiin duu (Song of the First Love) and Hüleelt (Waiting) by Jargalsaikhan.

The most popular rock interpretations of Mongolian folk songs were "Damdin" and "Tonjoo" (Western Mongolian folk song). Western Mongolian folklore fitted well to the rock arrangement.

The most renowned instrumental compositions of Soyol Erdene were "Soyol Erdene", "Sansriin khölög" (Spaceship), Tsenkher zalaa (a yatga solo that became a jingle for weather forecasts) and "Ankhnii tsas" (The First Snow) by Naranbaatar.

External links

• http://www.myspace.com/soyolerdene
• http://www.imeem.com/sak8888/music/Td4NSZvk/soyol-erdene-naranbaatartsenher-zalaa/ Наранбаатар. Цэнхэр залаа (Melody Tsenher Zalaa by Naranbaatar)
• http://www.asuultserver.com/mongolduu/search.php?angil=by_bandname&textfield_artist=ene&textfield_song=