In Tibetan culture, the practice of singing by individuals or groups is widespread. Song texts are almost exclusively in regular strophic form, and melodic improvisation is virtually absent. In each geographical area several tune types exist, each comprising one, two, three, or four melody lines, which singers repeat over and over again until the end of the song. As a Tibetan scholar exiled in the West has observed, “In each region there exist a variety of melodies that may be...
