rGyal-mtshan, Mig-dmar

(b Rin-spungs, 1883; d dGa’-ldan, 1933). Tibetan lha-mo (musical theatre) actor of ‘old’ (pre-communist) Tibet. He was trained from childhood by A-lce Dvangs-bzang and became the star of the newly reformed sKyor-mo-lung troupe and then its teacher. The power of his voice was apparently so amazing that people preferred not to be near him when he sang. He was an expert in all the repertory and modified the style by adding ornamental mgrin-khug at the beginning of the operatic songs. He also devised a teaching method for this art of singing. He is said to have lacked humility; his behaviour attracted both fame and trouble to the troupe, which was fined for his eccentricities. He married in southern Tibet and founded a famous local opera troupe there, in which the father of Nor-bu Tshe-ring was trained and identified as a future sKyor-mo-lung artist.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bod-ljongs lha-mo tshogs-pa [Tibet opera troupe], Bod kyi lha-mo’i lugs-khag ngo-sprod byed-pa [Introducing the different schools of Tibetan opera] (MS, Lhasa, 1980), 4–5

S.P. Hor-khang: A-lce lha-mo’i rnam-thar las 'phros te skyor-lung dge-rgan Mig-dmar rGyal-mtshan gyi sgyu-rtsal 'gro-lam skor lam-tsam gleng-ba’ [Short discussion on the artistic path of Mig-dmar rGyal-mtshan, teacher of the sKyor-mo-lung troupe of Tibetan opera], Bod-ljongs sgyu-rtsal zhib-’jug [Tibetan arts studies] (Dec 1989), 65–70

ISABELLE HENRION-DOURCY