The mouth harp is one of man's oldest musical instruments and has been found all over the world, in various shapes, sizes and materials. The instrument had and has two functions. First, the mouth harp can be used to seduce, to send messages of love and to attract magnetic forces. Second, when played by shamans, the mouth harp sounds have a spiritual and healing effect. Shamanism is an essential part
… of the culture of the Sakha, a people living in the cold north of Siberia who live by keeping horses and livestock. The Sakha speak Turkish with many Mongol elements in it. Although playing the mouth harp is a thing of the past in many parts of the world, it is still very much alive with this people. The khomus, as she is called here, is therefore the national symbol of the Sakha. This is taught at school, and in the city of Yakutsk there are annual competitions for virtuosos. Yakutsk also owns the only Mondharp museum in the world. Ever since Spiridon Shishigin got a mouth harp from his brother when he was ten, he has been fascinated by this instrument. When he went to study chemistry and mathematics at the University of Yakutsk, he met the mouth harp virtuoso Ivan Alekseyev, who taught him not only the technical game, but also the therapeutic effect of the instrument. Spiridon now teaches mathematics, computer science and mouth harp at the central school in Pokrovsk. In addition, he has written more than a hundred articles and three books on the history and function of the mouth harp. During a stay in Berlin in 1998 the album "more
