The Politics of Regional and Ethnic Identities in Contemporary Mongolian Urtyn Duu

Singers of urtyn duu, a genre whose name is often translated as long-song, have tended to focus, both in their teaching and learning, on the songs’ elongated and ornamented phrases. Urtyn duu is a widespread and frequently-practiced traditional vocal genre, closely associated with Mongolia’s traditional nomadic culture, and has always been considered by Mongolians as one of their most important traditions. As I traveled from the far eastern border all the way to the western regions, close to Bayan-Ölgii aimag (province), I observed that local variations are significant characteristics of the urtyn duu genre, while certain traditional customs, technical ideas,