Went to NIU's annual World Music concert today.
2 gamelon ensembles; check (why I went)
Brazilian drum line; check
Middle Eastern string ensemble; check (piano, 3 violins, a viola, 3 cellos, a guitar, 2 ouds, a flute, a tar, a cajone, & a tamborine)
Mongolian throat singer; check - wait, what?!?! I've heard of it, but this is the first time I've heard it. Freakin' amazing! Cat was bowing a 3-stringed, lap-held fiddle of sort, while at the same time, with his throat (duh - thus the name), he
1) Did a raspy/humming bass line
2) Did a baritone line with the same timbre that moved in parallel, and
3) Did a very intricate whistling melody up around 2nd soprano
Yes, that's one voice, three simultaneous vocal parts; if I hadn't been sitting there watching, I would have wagered cash money it was at overdubbed. Did I mention amazing?
Peter