Tag Archives: Percussion instrument

Mongol and Han shamanic ritual music

Lingshen, or “welcoming the deity,” is a shamanic ritual music practiced by the Mongol people of Horqin and the Han people of Jutai in China. It emerges within the context of healing ceremonies led by a shaman and their assistant, typically performed for individuals experiencing hysteria. Central to this practice is the shamanic belief that all aspects of the world are governed by spirits, and that divine protection is granted only to those who express deep devotion and reverence toward the gods. In this spiritual framework, the divine is omnipresent, reflecting a worldview rooted in the principle that “all things have spirits”. This belief system is intimately tied to the rhythm of daily village life, shaped through the intertwined development of culture and ritual. Shamanism stands at the heart of this musical culture.

The lingshen ritual encompasses a rich tapestry of sonic elements: the ritual specialist evokes spirits through the striking of percussion instruments, a designated singer delivers spiritually resonant melodies, and the faithful respond with rhythmic hand clapping, creating a musical dialogue between humans and the divine. These performances are more than ceremonial; they serve as transmission vessels for shamanic musical culture, deeply rooted in local folk customs and shaped by the lived experiences of village life.

Horqin’s vast grasslands in northern China are characteristic of the region’s landscape.

Geographically, Horqin’s proximity to Jilin province and its historical inclusion of the Jiutai district in Changchun has fostered a cross-cultural exchange. During the early Qing dynasty, intermingling between the Mongol and Han populations–through trade, migration, and shared ritual practice–deeply influenced the evolution of local shamanic music traditions. As a result, lingshen embodies not only sacred spiritual intent but also the historical flow of musical motifs and ritual structures across ethnic and regional boundaries.

The songs performed in lingshen rituals serve distinctly functional purposes within the spiritual framework of shamanic healing. For practitioners, their use is twofold: first, the shaman employs music to express the community’s reverence and devotion to the deities, acting as an intermediary voice between the people and the divine; second, through prayerful singing and coordinated ritual sound, both the shaman and the faithful aim to soothe and honor the gods in accordance with the wishes of the villagers. This musical invocation is believed to facilitate a swift descent of the spirits into the ritual space, thereby initiating the healing process and affirming spiritual presence.

The frame drums above are key instruments in the rituals of both the Horqin Mongolian and Jiutai Han shamans.

A comparative study of the shamanic musical traditions among the Mongolian and Han peoples in Horqin and Jiutai reveals a pattern of coordinated cultural development. During the early Qing Dynasty, political alliances and intermarriages between Horqin Mongols and the Manchus served to preserve each group’s regime stability. These relationships, along with sustained political and economic exchange and the movement of Mongolian and Han populations within the region, fostered the emergence of new village social structures. The evolving social frameworks and their intersecting cultural subsystems laid fertile ground for mutual influence, shaping the trajectory of shamanic music culture in both communities.

This according to 萨满音乐的协同与影响—科尔沁蒙古族与九台汉族萨满领神音乐之比较 (The synergy and influence of shamanic music: A comparison of the shamanic lingshen music of the Mongol people  in Horqin and the Han people in Jiutai) by Wang Xiaodong (Zhongyang Yinyue Xueyuan xuebao/Journal of the Central Conservatory of Music 4:165 [fall 2021] 31–46; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature 2021-17727). Find this journal in RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text.

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Filed under Asia, Ethnomusicology, Religious music, World music

Early sources for African instruments

Le triumphe de la noblissement des Gentilhommes

Among the various musical instruments depicted in early documents (bells and double bells, drums, scrapers, horns, flutes, xylophones, and bow-lute), the double bell is of particular interest because of its relatively good pictorial documentation.

In 1687 a double bell from the Congo-Angola area called longa was first mentioned in print. Even today the Ovimbundu people call the double bell alunga (sing. elunga), and give it an important role in the enthronement of the king.

Early pictorial sources and later reports indicate four types of double bell—those with stem grip, bow grip, frame grip, and lateral bar grip—and of these the stem grip double bell, found in the Congo-Angola areas as well as Rhodesia, represents the older type of double bell and probably has its origin in Benin-Yoruba. It appears that the Portuguese, who got to know the double bell as an important court instrument in the Guinea area, brought this instrument, together with other court appurtenances, to Luanda, their new base of operations after the breakdown of the Congo kingdom.

This according to “Early historical illustrations of West and Central African music” by Walter Hirschberg (African music IV/3 [1969] pp. 6–18).

Above, Le triumphe de la noblissement des Gentilhommes, published by Pieter de Marees in 1605. Below, Nigerian double bells and other instruments.

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Filed under Africa, Iconography, Instruments

The magrepha mystery

The magrepha of ancient Hebrew ritual has been variously described as a percussion machine, signal gong, bell, tympanum, kettle drum, or hand drum—but also as a pneumatic organ, water organ, steam organ, composite woodwind instrument, pipework, or controllable siren. For centuries, scholars were unable to reach a solution that squared with ancient texts.

In “The magrepha of the Herodian temple: A five-fold hypothesis”, Joseph Yasser settled the matter by showing that the earliest sources mention the magrepha as a shovel for removing ashes and describe the thunderous sound caused when it was thrown to the floor at a particular point in the service; this sound apparently symbolized the vengeful actions of an angry God, aligning the ritual act with passages in Ezekiel. Later sources unmistakably characterize the magrepha as a type of wind instrument with multiple openings, each producing multiple sounds; Yasser’s proposed reconstruction is shown above.

The article appeared in A musicological offering to Otto Kinkeldey upon the occasion of his 80th anniversary, a special issue of the Journal of the American Musicological Society (vol. 13, no. 1–3 [1960], pp. 24–42; the issue is covered in our recently-published Liber amicorum: Festschriften for music scholars and nonmusicians, 1840–1966.

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Filed under Antiquity, Curiosities, Instruments, Source studies