Earlier this week we met the Tuvan zither called the chadagan. All Around This World’s song “Chadagan” re-imagines a traditional Tuvan love song we first heard on the Smithsonian Folkways recording, “Musics of the Soviet Union,” listed as “Song from Khomeizhi.” You can sing along with the original version — “Chadaganym Khöömejimni kagbazy Khönü chitpes chadaganym Khölchüng kara urug-bile Khöörezhiir chadaganym . . .” — or start with ours.
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The Sweet Sound of the Chadagan
A Tuvan chadagan is a multi-stringed instrument, a bright and luscious “plucked zither.”
Who created the Tuvan chadagan and why? According to this legend, the instrument’s beginning had something to do with an old musician, a hungry baby, and one very generous nine year-old sheep. As we visit Tuva and read the tall tale, listen to Gendos Chamzyryn performing the Tuvan song “Manchurek” on a chadagan.
