Morin xuur

The morin xuur, or "horse fiddle"— so named for the ornamental horse-head carving at the top of its neck—is a unique two-stringed musical instrument developed by the nomadic Mongols over the course of their centuries-long history.

Description

The morin xuur consists of a sound-box (car), neck (ish), carved horse head (tolgoi), strings (chavxdas), bow (num), bridge (tevx), and tuning pegs (changaluur or chix). The sound-box is rectangular; its front side is covered with goat or camel calf skin, and is typically painted green. The head ornament is also usually green.

The strings are made with a particular type of hair from a horse's tail called sor. Sor is stronger and longer than common hairs, and it is must be stretched and processed to be made into a musical string. The F-string is made up of approximately 150 thick, darker hairs, while the B-string consists of 120 finer, light hairs. Including the 90 hairs of the bow, altogether the morin xuur has approximately 360 horsehairs. Depending on the thickness of the hairs, the thickness of either string might be inadequate, affecting the timbre of the instrument and its harmonization. One of the strings is white and the other black, symbolizing the dual universal principles of arga-bilig.

Throughout Mongolia the morin xuur is made by common people themselves, leading to a considerable variation in its shape and style. Since 1960 morin xuurs have been produced in a small factory, resulting in a more standardized design for professional instruments. Performance technique

As the two strings cf the morin xuur are located at a considerable distance from the neck, the morin xuur cannot be played in the same manner as western stringed instruments such as the violin and cello, by pressing the strings against the neck of the instrument with the tics of the fingers. Instead, the strings of the morin xuur are pressed from the side with the forefinger, between the knuckle and the nail (1st and 2nd fingers), or with the fingertips, just under the nail (3rd and 4th fingers).

The most stable and convenient way of handling the instrument is for the player to sit on a table with the soundbox between his knees, holding the neck in the left hand and the bow in the right.

Left hand position

The strings are pressed down en the neck by the left hand. The wrist should be slightly bent and the strings are played by the nails of the 13t and 2ncl fingers combined with the fingertips of the 3rd and 4th fingers. The thumb is placed behind the neck.

Right hand position

The bow is held with the palm of the hand upwards. The hairs of the bow should be pressed down with the help of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers, while the thumb and 1st finger hold the bow steady.

Symbolic value of the morin xuur

The Mongols have traditionally shown great respect for the horse, honouring it in their national standards and symbols (flags and emblems) and in their folk songs. The morin xuur clearly belongs to this symbolic tradition. In former times every Mongol family considered it important to keep a morin xuur at the rear of the home, where the sacred objects are assembled. Traditionally, any visitor to the home, whether family or stranger, was required to play on the morin xuur—or if incapable of playing, to touch the morin xuur as a symbolic gesture. It is said that the sound of the morin xuur brings warmth to the home—warmth in this sense referring not simply to the weather, but being used as a general term symbolizing comfort—so keeping a morin xuur in the home is considered to bring good life without illness, conflict or other troubles. When the family moves to fresh pasturage, the morin xuur is always placed on the first camel cart transporting the family's possessions. The morin xuur has two strings, which are played with a bow. The strings of both the bow and the fiddle are made from the hair of a horse's tail.

The ritual "offering of melodies" on the morin xuur is intimately associated with the traditional customs and labour of the Mongols. The beginning of spring is marked in Mongolia by the traditional "cagaan sar" ("white moon") festival, during which people visit and greet one another ceremonially, and traditionally play the morin xuur as a way of "frightening away the frost"— symbolising good luck for each family during the course of the year, and the absence of illness, misfortune or dispute. This custom is now reflected in state ceremonial customs, whereby according to Presidential decree on the first day of cagaan sar each year, the national anthem is performed on the "great xan xuur of the State" in the State ceremonial palace, and a ceremonial performance of the morin xuur is broadcast nationally on radio and television, symbolising the strength of Mongolia, happiness in each family, and the good fortune of every individual. In addition, skilled-local morin xuur players are summoned to play during the rituals associated with the birthing of animals, in the final month of spring or in the first month of summer.

Summer and autumn are, for the Mongols, the time of airag and festivals, and as a consequence the most agreeable time for song and music. It is during summer and autumn in particular that the Mongols generally hold competitions in the "three manly sports" (horseracing, archery and wrestling), weddings, and other feasts arid celebrations. The ceremonial quality of such celebrations is symbolically expressed by the morin xuur and urtiin duu ("long song"); the order in which these songs are played and the customs associated with them are stipulated by ancient tradition. The songs and morin xuur melodies "offered" at the opening and closing of the ceremonies of building a new home, marriage, cutting the first hair of a child, birthdays and so on are all different, each following its own detailed set of customs.

Origins of the instrument

There is a legend among the Mongols which tells of the origins of the morin xuur: Once upon a time, a man was travelling on horseback in a faraway land. During the course of this long journey his beloved horse died. The man was full of sorrow and mourned a long time for his horse. Suddenly, he heard a sound like music made by the wind through the horse's main and tail, and decided to create a musical instrument in memory of his dear steed. That is the story of the origin of the morin xuur, which has a wooden carving on the top and two sets of strings made from the hairs of the horse's tail.

According to historical sources, the morin xuur actually originated in ancient times. In the historical chronicles of the Tan dynasty it is mentioned that in the 3rd century BC the Xu'nnu' (Hsiong-nu), who lived in the geographical region of Mongolia, as well as their successors the Dunhus of the 1st century BC had a musical instrument called xun-xuur or xunnu-xuur. Oral and written sources dating from the Mongol Empire in the 13th and 14th centuries also present considerable information about the morin xuur and about the musicians who played it. For example, French missionary William of Rubruck, travelling through Mongolia from 1253 to 1255, observed in his diary that during the summer Mongols make airag and place this at the entrance of the home, beside which someone sits and plays a fiddle. Furthermore, he underlined that the country was rich in various kinds of fiddles, which could not be found in Europe.

The predecessor of the morin xuur was the shanagan xuur (ladle-fiddle), made by drawing a string across a wooden ladle for airag. The shanagan xuur evolved into various types of fiddles named for the different ornamental figures carved at the top of the neck: the man-fiddle, swan-fiddle, crocodile-fiddle, dragon-fiddle, lion-fiddle and so on. Unlike the horse-fiddle, or morin xuur, however, these instruments were not played with a stringed bow, but were plucked with the fingers. Among the western Mongols of today, there remains a fiddle with an arrow-shaped head known as the ixel or exil. Another type of morin xuur called cuux xuur was played by the Oin-irged (Oirad Mongols or Forest people) in western Mongolia. It had a single string and simple construction, suggesting a development in ancient times, while its sound box was covered with the skin from a cow's bladder or with a cow's placenta. Nowadays this kind of fiddle has become extremely rare, and is indeed almost unknown.

Value of the morin xuur

The morin xuur embraces an aggregation of Mongolian traditional customs and culture. Most significantly, there is a tradition of playing the morin xuur at all ritual and ceremonial events— every ceremony having to begin, by custom, with the sound of the morin xuur and an urtiin duu ("long song"). There is a Mongolian proverb on this point, stating that "a man without a horse to ride and without a saddle to put on his horse is not a man; a feast without a singer and without a fiddler is not a feast".

The Mongols believe that the morin xuur is symbolically extremely auspicious for horses; consequently, the instrument has a special role in all rituals and celebrations related to horses—such as the holding of horse races, rounding up of mares and foals to gather their milk and make airag, the branding of new foals, and so on. Apart from its use in feasts and ceremonies, Mongols in the Gobi region to coax camels or cows into accepting a rejected calf play the morin xuur; the celebrated Russian poet Sergei Esenin (1895-1925) mentioned in his writings that the Mongols could make a camel cry with the sound of their fiddle.

Melodies

Tatlaga

The various Mongol ethnic groups have different traditional melodies (tatlaga), such as Zhonon Xar (Black Zhonon, name of a horse), Zhoroo morinii yavdal (Amble gait), Xarcaga Zeerd (Chestnut Xarcaga, name of a horse), Oroolt Xaltar (Brown horse with lighter markings) and Balchin xeerin yavdal (Gait of the brown Balchin), which musically depict the gait of highly-valued horses. In addition to these horse-related melodies, there are others representing the sounds and appearance of other animals and herds. For example, Xon' xurga niilu'u'lex (Gathering of sheep and lambs), U'xer tugal mo'o'ru'u'lex (Mooing of cows and calves), Argaliin xurga (Lamb of the wild sheep) and Xo'x nuuryn togoruu (Crane of the Blue lake).

Ceremonial music

In addition to animal voices and other noises, the morin xuur is used to play official and serious melodies for special ceremonies or dances. For example, Western Mongols have melodies like Do'rvo'n Oirdyn Uria (Call of the four Oirads) and Eeviin golyn ursgal (Flow of the Eev River) for respectful official rites and Cacal (Libation), Mo'rgo'l (Prayer) and Elxendeg for folk dances.

Urtiin duu accompaniment

No discussion of the morin xuur would be complete without having considered the folk long song (URTIIN DUU), for which the morin xuur provides the principal accompaniment. Mongolian musicologist Zh. Badraa defines the combination of morin xuur and long song as "the pair of wings of Mongolian folk music". Furthermore, many other folk artistic forms such as eulogies and blessings can always be performed with the morin xuur.

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