BHUTAN – BHOUTAN
The Kingdom of Bhutan, nestled on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, is a landlocked nation bordered by Tibet, China, to the north and the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh to the west, south, and east.
Long known as a remote "hermit kingdom," Bhutan spent centuries intentionally shielding itself from the outside world to preserve its sovereignty and rich cultural heritage. Driven by a desire to conserve these traditions, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928–1972) invited English ethnomusicologist John Levy (1910–1976) to record and document the nation's music.
The result was a seminal four-disc collection, recorded in 1971 and released by Lyrichord in 1972. The first volume of this collection here showcases the sacred rituals of the Drukpa Order, performed by monks from Thimphu and nuns from Punakha. Originally brought to Bhutan from Tibet in 1222 by the lama Phajo Drugom Zhigpo (1184–1251), the Drukpa lineage was later established as the country’s official state religion in 1616.
These stately tracks weave rich, meditative and esoteric acoustic tapestries created by the deep chanting of the monks of Thimphu (A1, A2, A3, A6, A7, A8, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) and the nuns of Punakha (B7-B8), as well as instruments including long dungchen trumpets (A1, A3, A5, A6, A8, B11), high-bone kangling trumpets (A1, A6), conch-shell trumpets (A1, A6), oboe-like gyaling shawms (A3, A6, A8, B9, B10), large double-headed nga frame drums (A1, A3, A6, A8), an hour-glass pellet drum (A8), silnyen cymbals (A1, A6, A8), handbells (B1, B2) and percussion (B10).
Le Royaume du Bhoutan, niché sur les versants sud de l'Himalaya oriental, est un pays enclavé bordé au nord par le Tibet (Chine) et, à l'ouest, au sud et à l'est, par les États indiens du Sikkim, du Bengale occidental, de l'Assam et de l'Arunachal Pradesh.
Longtemps considéré comme un « royaume ermite » isolé, le Bhoutan s'est en effet délibérément coupé du monde extérieur pendant des siècles afin de préserver sa souveraineté et son riche patrimoine culturel. Animé par la volonté de préserver ces traditions, le roi Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928-1972) a invité l'ethnomusicologue britannique John Levy (1910-1976) à enregistrer et à documenter la musique de son pays.
Le résultat fut la publication d'une collection phare en quatre disques enregistrés en 1971 et publiée par Lyrichord en 1972. Le premier volume présente ici les rituels sacrés de l'ordre Drukpa, exécutés par des moines de Thimphu et des nonnes de Punakha. Introduite au Bhoutan depuis le Tibet en 1222 par Lama Phajo Drugom Zhigpo (1184-1251), la lignée Drukpa est ensuite devenue la religion d'État officielle du pays en 1616.
Ces morceaux imposants et majestueux tissent de riches tapisseries sonores, à la fois méditatives et ésotériques, créées par les chants profonds des moines de Thimphu (A1, A2, A3, A6, A7, A8, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) et des nonnes de Punakha (B7-B8), ainsi que par des instruments tels que les longues trompettes dungchen (A1, A3, A5, A6, A8, B11), des trompettes kangling à anche haute (A1, A6), des trompettes en conque (A1, A6), des hautbois gyaling (A3, A6, A8, B9, B10), de grands tambours sur cadre nga à double tête (A1, A3, A6, A8), d’un tambour à billes en forme de sablier (A8), des cymbales silnyen (A1, A6, A8), de clochettes (B1, B2) et des percussions (B10).
A1 – In Praise of Genyen
Monks of Thimphu;
Chorus of 17 monks, two conch-shell trumpets, two thigh-bone kangling trumpets, two long dungchen trumpets, two large double-headed nga frame drums, a pair of silnyen cymbals.
A2 – Offering of ''Golden Drink''
Monks of Thimphu;
Unaccompanied chants.
A3 – Exhortation to the Guardian Goddess of Long Life
Monks of Thimphu;
Chorus of 17 monks, two gyaling shawms, two long dungchen trumpets, large nga drums and silnyen cymbals.
A4 – Long Trumpets / ''Throat Ornament''
Monks of Thimphu;
Two long dungchen trumpets.
A5 – Long Trumpet / ''Two Notes Prolongued''
Monks of Thimphu;
Two long dungchen trumpets.
A6 – Invitation to Gongpo
Monks of Thimphu;
Chorus of 17 monks, two conch-shell trumpets, two thigh-bone kangling trumpets, two long dungchen trumpets, two large double-headed nga frame drums, a pair of silnyen cymbals and two gyaling shawms.
A7 – Petition to Chakchen
Monks of Thimphu;
Unaccompanied chants.
A8 – Invoking Tshetro's Blessings
Monks of Thimphu;
Chorus of monks, two gyaling shawms, two long dungchen trumpets, two large nga drums, silnyen cymbals, an hour-glass pellet drum.
B1 – Supplication to the Buddhas
Monks of Thimphu;
Chorus of Monks, two gyaling shawms, two long dungchen trumpets, four large nga drums, a handbell, a pellet- drum, two pairs of silnyen cymbals.
B2 – Aspiration to Be Reborn in the Western Paradise
Monks of Thimphu;
Chant and handbell.
B3 – Petition to Dramar
Monks of Thimphu;
Unaccompanied chant.
B4 – Prayer for Lama's Long Life
Monks of Thimphu;
Unaccompanied chant.
B5 – Large 'Mani-wheel' with Mantra
Lay monks recite a mantra.
B6 – Rite to Cure Disease
B7 – Rite to Cure Disease
B8 – Rite to Cure Disease
Nuns of Punakha Nunnery
Chanted by nuns of Punakha Nunnery accompanied by two gyaling shawms, two conch-shell trumpets, two long dungchen trumpets, two large nga drums, and a handbell held by the Abbess.
B9 – 'Tibetan Shawm' / Processional Music
Monks of Punakha;
Paired gyaling shawms using circular-breathing techniques.
B10 – Processional Music for Shawms and Percussion
Monks of Punakha;
Paired gyaling shawms using circular-breathing techniques.
B11 – Long Trumpets / ''Auspicious Ending''
Monks of Thimphu;
Two long dungchen trumpets signaling the end of the monastic ritual.
Vintage postcard of The Cosmic Mandala or The Mystic Spiral,
Paro Dzong monastic fortresses, late 17th century:
“We entered the temple court of Paro Dzong, the monumental fortress of Western Bhutan. Rows of wooden arches, supported by columns, overhung wall paintings on three sides of the court. We could hardly believe our eyes: the temple door was flanked by frescoes which, step by step, portrayed the radiating evolution of energy into matter. To the left of the eastern gate the fresco of a gigantic mandala shone from the wall. This mandala is surrounded by a 'fire circle' of flaming red. Blue clouds of ether form the background of the circle's inner sphere and at its centre a small triple spiral seems to spin rapidly. It is the symbol of first movement surrounded by large circles floating on the clouds of ether. The circles are painted in fine lines of black and white and in all colours of the rainbow. The latter are symbolic of the four compass directions, red for west, blue for east, yellow for south, and green for north; black stands for the nadir and white for the zenith. The circles intersect and form ellipsoidal lines, emphasising the spherical dimensions. This is a visionary rendering of primary movement: the 'Mystic Spiral' in the universe. In this mandala, movement was still symbolised by the three-footed spiral, while in later renderings a four-footed swastika was substituted. Around this spiral a whirl circle indicates energies moving in a sphere of future materialisation, in which geometrical figures appear. They are the symbols of the four 'elements', earth, water, fire and air… Originally painted by an old Lama, the deeper meaning of this fresco has become remote and difficult to comprehend even for his successors, but to us it appears strangely real and unbelievably modern.”*
*Bhutan – Land of Hidden Treasures by Blanche C. Olschak, Stein and Day, 1971.
Photograph below is from 150 Ans d'Explorations. Les Archives de la Royal Geographical Society, Place des Victoires, 1999:
Musician holding a two-stringed chiwang spike fiddle – similar to the Chinese erhu – photographed by Benjamin Simpson (1831-1923) during a
British military mission in Bhutan in 1863-1864:
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