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Music of Bhutan


Music of Bhutan has traditional genres such as zhungdra and boedra . Bhutanese musicians include Jigme Drukpa , also for the first Bhutanese musicologist.

Classical and folk music

Bhutan was first united in the 17th century, during the reign of Zhabdrung Ngawang' Namgyal (1594-1652); the same period saw a great blossoming of folk music and dance. Instruments of this time included the yangchin (dulcimer), lim (flute), dranyen (lute) and pi-wang (fiddle).

Popular music

Popular Bhutanese music is primarily the genre rigsar , which is a fusion of elements from Western pop, Indian and Tibetan music. The best-selling album in Bhutanese history was New Waves (1996) by Suresh Moktan , who later denounced rigsar, and the album, after learning Indian classical music [1]. Unlike many countries, Bhutanese folk music is almost never used in popular music. Other rigsar musicians include Neten Dorji .

Bhutanese popular music history began with the Bhutan Broadcasting Service, which was followed by the band Tashi Nyencha , who established the first recording studio in Thimphu in 1991.

Last updated: 05-07-2005 10:45:17
Last updated: 08-16-2005 21:22:25