IntroductionPart I: Settings1 How to Identify an Oral EpicOral: shades and gradesThe challenge of native classificationAn African interludeThe Uzbek dastan2 The SingerEpic singers: types and termsHow to become an epic singerThe chain of transmissionCreativity and innovation3 Introducing PerformanceThe ethnography of communicationTextualizationPart II: Performance4 VoiceSpeakingSingingShamanic voices5 GestureConventional gestures: the Karakalpak jïraw Stylized gestures: the Kyrgyz manaschï Gesture and inspirationGesture, miming, stage props6 Oral Epics as SongsSong as vehicle, song as music‘Riding the song’: the singing of the Kyrgyz epic ManasMusic and metre: some examples 7 Voice and InstrumentGusle, qobïz, horse-head fiddleLute, dutar, dombiraThe interplay of song and instrumentPart III: Interpretation8 Words, Music, MeaningMeaning and expressionWhat’s in a name?ImitationLeitmotifs in Siberian oral epicsExpression and convention9 The Singer and the TalePoint of ViewMythological epics, sacred timeFirst-person narration, shamanic tracesThe narrator’s presence in the narrative10 Performance and InterpretationVisualization and imagingAria and recitativeFrom context to textAppendicesA Notes on Oral Epic TraditionsB Audio/Video ExamplesC Discography