Lushak: Tibetan Songs of Saracasm

Abstract

What is lushak? How is it related to the other musical genres of Amdo pastoralists and Tibetan musical traditions in general? What can we learn about the music, culture, and language of Amdo pastoralists from studying and translating lushak songs? What types of sarcasm and playfulness appear in lushak lyrics? 

The workshop will probe into these and other questions in two parts. The first part will introduce the genre and contexts of lushak performance. The second part will be a translation component, where attendees will discuss and translate a lushak song together. The introduction will define lushak by focusing on its style, features, lyrics, and musical performance. Some of the songs collected by Tsering Samdrup during his 2023 fieldwork in Tibet will be used as examples. Lushak is characterised by its antiphonal singing format, with lyrics filled with sarcasm, mockery, playfulness, tall tales, and a fast-paced tone. To understand lushak as a genre, one must first grasp the structure and content of the songs. The “tune-setting line," vocables, and fillers used in the songs, along with the lyrics and melody, are the key elements of the genre. 

During the second half, attendees will have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience by sampling actual lushak singing contests and translating a featured song collectively. The translation exercise will be an enjoyable collaborative session that will allow everyone to appreciate both the oral and literary elements of a typical lushak song.

About the speaker

Dr Tsering Samdrup is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Leeds, focusing on the pragmatics of Tibetan languages, language diversity, and the vitality of Tibet's oral and textual traditions.