The World of Shamanic Practice in the Work of Khuresh-ool Damba
Научный вестник Московской консерватории March 27, 2024 Е.к. Карелина
The article examines how the sound culture of Tuvan shamanism influenced the music of composer Khuresh-ool Damba (1943–1993). Analyzing three works from his student years (1967–1972)—the piano piece 'Shaman’s Dance,' the Concerto for timpani, harpsichord and chamber orchestra, and the symphonic poem 'My Tuva'—the authors show that Damba gradually moved away from direct depictions of shamanic imagery. Instead, he conveyed the inner state of a shaman during ritual. The symphonic poem contains a structurally important fragment built on the logic of shamanic ritual, which conductors had previously cut. The study also presents a hypothesis, based on biography and traditional beliefs, that the composer’s illness may be linked to his engagement with shamanic sound culture.