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Fiddle That Remembers the

A Fiddle That Remembers the Horse

The Mongolian morin khuur has only two strings, but the horse is present throughout the instrument. Its long fretless neck ends in a carved horse head, while traditional strings and bow hair are made from horsehair. The instrument can be played alone or accompany long song, dance, stories, ceremonies and activities connected with horses. UNESCO even records tunes known as tatlaga that were traditionally played in relation to taming animals.

What fascinates me is how thoroughly an environment can enter an instrument. The horse is not simply decoration added to the top of the neck. It appears in the material, symbolism, repertoire and cultural world surrounding the sound. Musical instruments are often discussed mainly through pitch range or playing technique, but they can also function as compact archives of a way of life. Change the materials, social setting and daily relationship with animals, and something larger than the timbre may change. The morin khuur reminds me that an instrument can carry a landscape even when it is played indoors.

https://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/document-3754

#MorinKhuur #MongolianMusic #TraditionalInstrument #HorseFiddle

UNESCO Multimedia Archives Morin Khuur - Horse Fiddle: Mongolian traditional musical instrument The design of the Morin Khuur is closely linked to the all-important cult of the horse. The instrument's hollow trapezoid-shaped body is attached to a long fretless neck bearing a carved horse head at its extremity. Just below the head, two tuning pegs jut out like ears from either side of the neck. The soundboard is covered with animal skin, and the strings and bow are made of horsehair. The instrument's characteristic sound is produced by sliding or stroking the bow against the two strings. Common techniques include multiple stroking by the right hand and a variety of left-hand fingering. It is mainly played in solo fashion but sometimes accompanies dances, long songs (urtiin duu), mythical tales, ceremonies and everyday tasks related to horses. To this day, the morin khuur repertory has retained some tunes (tatlaga) specifically intended to tame animals. Owing to the simultaneous presence of a main tone and overtones, morin khuur music has always been difficult to transcribe using standard notation. It has been transmitted orally from master to apprentice for many generations.