Epic of King Gesar of the Tibetan ethnic group

An important heritage of the Tibetan people inhabiting China's Tibet autonomous region, Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu provinces, the legend of King Gesar is the only living epic of the world and is known as the Homeric Hymn of the East. The epic, passed down orally since ancient times, has developed into a performing art that involves storytelling and singing. With a history traceable back to the 7th century, it depicts the tremendous story of the ancient hero Gesar who defeats the monsters, punishes the evil, praises the good and unifies the disparate tribes. It has more than 1.7 million verses and provides an all-encompassing reflection of Tibetan folk culture with high academic and aesthetic value.

In general, the performance of the Gesar epic adopts multiple tunes with narrations, mostly accompanied by cow horn fiddles. It is usually played in excerpts as it has an extended structure and rich content. The lyrics are generally written in a Tibetan ballad style consisting of three paragraphs of three to ten verses each. The music is composed mostly in pentatonic scales and carries a strong Tibetan folk influence.