This article explores a piano arrangement of traditional Mongolian music used in dance training at the Department of Choreography, Mongolian State University of Culture and Arts, as part of a broader exploration of sound in creative and cultural contexts. Please refer to the Index of Soundscapes and Articles for other works that may be of interest.

NOTES

A. The Meaning and Cultural Weight of “Ikh Biyelgee”

“Их биелгээ” literally means “great” or “grand biyelgee.” Biyelgee is the Mongolian traditional dance form associated especially with western Mongolia, so the title is best understood not as “big dance” in a casual sense, but as “Grand Biyelgee,” suggesting a full, elevated, or formally presented piece in the biyelgee tradition. In this context, grand may be heard not simply as a marker of size, but of dignity, amplitude, and cultural weight: a more expansive and heightened instance of a form whose power often lies in precision, restraint, and embodied nuance.

Because biyelgee emerged in close relation to western Mongolian herding life and was traditionally performed within the limited interior space of the ger, even small gestures could carry remarkable expressive force; against that background, их may suggest not largeness alone, but fullness of presence and a certain formal distinction within the tradition (UNESCO 2009; Blanchier 2023). Read in this way, Их биелгээ names a piece that is socially and aesthetically marked as more than ordinary: not merely a “large” dance, but one presented with breadth, gravity, and a heightened sense of occasion (UNESCO 2009). 

B. Formalisation and Teaching of Traditional Mongolian Dance

The formal teaching of traditional Mongolian dance forms took shape in the later twentieth century as embodied tradition was gradually recast as curriculum, method, and professional discipline. Within the choreography programs associated with the Mongolian State University of Culture and Arts and the School of Music and Dance, folk dance came to be taught not only as repertoire but as a field requiring theory, technical training, and sustained stylistic study.

C. The Piano Score

Z. Khangal, “Grand Biyelgee,” in Music for Mongolian Folk Dance Practice: A Practical Guide for the Rehearsal Pianist, by D. Odgerel (Ulaanbaatar, 2010) 60.

A rare pedagogical resource for piano accompaniment in Mongolian folk-dance training, this collection was prepared for use in the Department of Choreography at the Mongolian State University of Culture and Arts. Associated with D. Odgerel, a composer and former concertmaster teacher in the department, this volume emerged from the practical needs of studio teaching, especially the scarcity of suitable notated materials for rehearsal and classwork.

This folio of piano pieces, brings together arranged traditional melodies, original practice pieces, and dance studio-oriented scores designed to align musical phrasing closely with choreographic training. Its value lies not simply in supplying accompaniment, but in supporting the transmission of rhythm, phrasing, style, and movement quality within the formal teaching of traditional Mongolian dances. As such, it stands as an important practical and pedagogical contribution to the development of accompaniment materials for Mongolian dance instruction.

D. Interpretation

In the above music video, I play the piece in a smooth, relaxed style, with softer accents than is typical in a Mongolian dance-training studio. The arrangement uses economical yet rich jazz voicings (7ths etc) across the full range of the keyboard. The musical focus is on listening to the flow of harmonies and their textures.

_________________________

REFERENCES

Blanchier, Rémi. 2023. “Dancing Heirs of Nomadic Culture: The Bii Biyelgèè as Heritage in Western Mongolia.” Études mongoles et sibériennes, centrasiatiques et tibétaines 54.

UNESCO. 2009. “Mongol Biyelgee, Mongolian Traditional Folk Dance.” Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

End of transcript.

Refer to the INDEX for other articles that may be of interest.

© 2013-2026. CP in Mongolia. “Soundscape 18: Ikh Biyelgee” is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Open access should not be understood as the absence of attribution. Documents and music linked from this page may be subject to other restrictions. Posted: 22 October 2026 Last updated: 22 October 2026.