Popular Folk Music of Mongolia

There is a long known and unique Mongolian pop genre that takes the same place on the musical band as Japanese Enka music of the western soft-pop-oriented folk music and the country music. Vandan, Batsukh, Egschiglen, Dulamsuren and Tomorkhuyag are some of the classical singers in the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries. There are some lyrical themes that are repeated that is unique for Mongolia: for example the heartfelt tributes to the songwriter’s mother like paeans to great horses.

source of picture: music.chinese.cn

Popular Mongolian folk music is not considered as world music in the west and it was not generally available outside Mongolia, but it can be now downloaded from different Mongolian websites. This is done under the filed designation of Zohioliin Duu (schlagers). Mongolian language duu refers to as song and the genitive word is zohioliin which originates from the noun for a literary composition. A natural zohioliin duu may consist of three four-line stanzas and a refrain. The lyrics of zohioliin duu that is similar to Mongolian folk poetry tend to be repetitive. However, the lines of a zohioliin duu do not only share the first letters but also share the first syllables.