Beauty and diversity of Inner Mongolian music

An Inner Mongolian artist performs with an orchestra. [Photo/VCG]

Mongolian long tune

Urtin Duu, otherwise known as the "long tune", is a historical Mongolian folk music song which dates back to the 7th century AD. It was the time when the Mongolians were shifting from a hunting life, along the Argun river, to a nomadic life on the western Mongolia grasslands.

Urtin Duu is now part of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Generally, Mongolian folk music is separated into two genres: the short tune and long tune. The short tune, preceding the long tune, has a relatively short structure, narrative lyrics, and dancing. While the shift in the Mongolian lifestyle gradually took place during the 7th to 17th century AD, a new genre of folk music with glissandos and trills began to form. The newly formed genre was the long tune.

The type of the long tune varies on different occasions. There are madrigal, choral, toasting, wedding, and home songs.