Narantsogt

Narantsogt
11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas, 2019

Narantsogt is the father of Gombojav who I painted earlier (see Father and Son.) Narantsogt was recorded twice before (in 1982 and 1989) but when Theodore Levin did research in Mongolia for his book Where Rivers and Mountains Sing Narantsogt was too old and frail to be able to play. Several videos exist on YouTube that feature Narantsogt. The one for the Top 100 is labeled Mongolian traditional instrument Tsuur. In the video you see Narantsogt ritually prepare for a tsuur performance. The tsuur is a simple three hole flute but difficult to play as it combines the techniques for throat singing (höömeii) and whistling. Narantsogt is quoted by Levin in the aforementioned book: "If I play for a long time, nature tells me what to do. I play for the mountains and the rivers, and the spirit masters take pleasure from this." The tsuur is typically performed alone without any audience (save for the spirit masters,) let alone recording equipment.