Mahāgīta (; from ; ); also rendered into Burmese as Thachingyi () is āgīthe complete body or corpus of Burmese classical songs. The songs descend from the musical traditions of the Burmese royal court, and form the basis of Burmese classical music today. Mahāgīta songs continue to be played during Buddhist rituals, weddings, and public festivals, and performers frequently appear on government-sponsored television shows.
History
The Mahāgīta evolved into a single style from Pyu, Mon, and Burman musical traditions. The Mahāgīta also incorporates musical traditions of conquered kingdoms; the Yodaya songs are modeled on the musical style of the Ayutthaya kingdom, while the Talaing songs are based on the songs of the Mon people.
Pre-colonial origins
Kyo, bwe, and songs are considered to constitute the oldest parts of the Mahāgīta repertoire, and served as the main court music before the Konbaung dynasty. The earliest genre of kyo songs date to the late Kingdom of Ava era. Kyo, which literally means "string," were used as repertoire to teach traditional classical singing and the saung. The oldest songs of the kyo genre are the "Three Barge Songs," which describe a king's passage up the Irrawaddy River to Tagaung in c. 1370, have variously been dated to the late Toungoo period (1531-1752). The "Three Barge Songs" include "Phaung Ngin Kyo," () played as the barge is towed out; "Phaung La Kyo," () played as the royal barge is underway; and "Phaung Saik Kyo," (), played when the barge makes port.
Bwe songs honor the king, while songs honor the Buddha or the king as a protector of the Śāsana. Both genres date to the Konbaung dynasty, c. 1738. Myawaddy Mingyi U Sa was the most prominent composer of songs in the bwe and genres.
Patpyo songs were popular in the late Konbaung dynasty, and are the most numerous in the corpus. These songs have a rhythmic foundation resembling drum beats, and require the highest level of performance technique and knowledge. Ledwethankhat songs constitute a minor genre, and are characteristically sharp and active, with fast, short rhythms. These songs are always followed by songs traditionally performed at equestrian, martial arts, and archery events.
Bawle songs, which are plaintive songs, date to the 1800s; the earliest song, "Sein Chu Kya Naung" (), composed by a Konbaung princess to persuade her husband to return to her side, was composed after 1838.
Colonial era evolution
From the 1910s to the 1950s, with the advent of British colonial rule in Burma, a new genre of traditional music, variously called khit haung (; ), hnaung khit (, ), and kala paw (, ) emerged. While the roots of this genre lie in the pre-colonial court tradition, compositions from this genre gradually incorporated Western musical instruments (e.g., the piano, guitar, banjo, etc.) and foreign musical influences in terms of melody, tunings, and rhythm (e.g., harmony in thirds, accented rhythm in vocals), which did not adhere to the strict rules of the royal court musical tradition. From the 1920s to the 1940s, the introduction of recording technology created a sizable local market for khit haung music. The Ministry of Information completed the first volume of khit haung music transcriptions in 1999. The Burmese government MRTV publishes multi-volume written compilation of songs from this genre.
Modern-day preservation
The Mahāgīta has faced challenges with preservation. The oral tradition remains the primary mode of musical transmission. In the 1990s, the Burmse government, under the Ministry of Information, began to standardise and notate the entire repertoire of classical Burmese music. However, this approach has been limited by the Western notation system, which cannot capture the flexibility of Burmese rhythm, the two-part style, and a loose floating rhythmic organisation, including free-style embellishments, all of which distinguish traditional Burmese music from other musical traditions in the region (e.g., Thailand, China, India).
Collections
The Mahāgīta is generally organized into songs by genre based on varying tuning methods, rhythmic patterns, frequently used melodies, preludes and postludes, as follows:
Kyo () Bwe () Thachingan () Patpyo () Ledwethankhat () Natchin () Yodaya () Bawle () Lwangyin () Myingin () Talaing than ()
In the Gitawithawdani anthology, the songs are grouped into 4 categories are known as (). Each category has a specific tuning method, namely hnyinlon, aukpyan, pale, and myinzaing. The remaining 2 tuning methods, duraka and chauk thwe nyunt, are now extinct.