(b 1936, Hovd, west Mongolia; d Aug 1998). Altai Urianghai Mongol epic bard (tuul'ch). Avirmed performed in the deep declamatory häälah vocal style and accompanied himself on the two-string plucked lute, Topshuur (see illustration). Although born after the communist revolution in Mongolia, Avirmed inherited this traditional vocal style and associated folk-religious beliefs (see Mongol music). At least seven generations of Avirmed's lineage were bards; his grandfather is believed to have been the famous bard Jilker. Included in Jilker's repertory were the epics Bayan Tsagaan Övgön (‘Rich White Old Man’), Argil Tsagaan Övgön (‘Snow White Old Man’) and Naran Han Hövgüün (‘The Boy Naran Khan’), all of which were also performed by Avirmed. Other members of Avirmed's family who performed included his father, Baatar, and uncles Buyan, Shirendev and Rinchen. Avirmed began training seriously at the age of 13 years. His principal teacher was his paternal uncle, Shirendev. After ten years, he gained recognition as a bard by performing throughout two whole nights before Jilker, his pupil Choisüren and Shirendev. He then received the ulamjlalyn hadag, a ritual scarf of succession, which was tied to the head of his topshuur. He performed in ‘modern’ theatrical contexts and received a gold medal in Ulaanbaatar for his rendition of Altain Magtaal (‘Praise-song of the Altai’) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the communist revolution. With the onset of democracy in Mongolia in 1990, Avirmed began to teach the traditional style to his son Dorjlaln, his nephew Oldoh and his younger brother Seseer.
Ts. Damdinsüren: ‘Contemporary Mongolian Epic-Singers’, Epensymposium III: Bonn 1980, Fragen der mongolischen Heldendichtung, ii, ed. W. Heissig (Wiesbaden, 1982), 48–60
Y. Davaasüren: ‘Töriin soyorholt tuul'ch’ [State prizewinner epic bard], Ardyn Erh (1992), 2
Lh. Tuyabaatar: ‘Altain Urianhain aldart tuul'chid’ [Famous Altai Urianghai bards], Il Tovchoo, i/70 (1993), 6–7
C.A. Pegg: ‘Ritual, Religion and Magic in West Mongolian (Oirad) Heroic Epic Performance’, British Journal of Ethnomusicology, iv (1995), 77–99
C.A. Pegg: ‘The Power of Performance: West Mongolian Epics’, The Oral Epic: Performance and Music, ed. K. Reichl (Berlin, 2000), 171–90
C.A. Pegg: Mongolian Music, Dance and Oral Narrative: Performing Diverse Identities (Seattle, 2000) [with CD]
Mongolie: Musique et Chants de l'Altai, various pfmrs, coll. A. Desjacques, ORSTOM-SELAF Ceto 811 (1986) [notes by A. Desjacques]
CAROLE PEGG