Musical instruments

The traditional musical instruments of Mongolia include folk, royal, and religious instruments.

Although there are few sources documenting the musical traditions of the ancient nomads who occupied Mongolia's territory in the Bronze Age and earlier, some information can be gathered from archaeological artefacts and from petroglyphs, the latter of which occasionally depict people singing or dancing together in circles, raising their hands and legs, or playing musical instruments.

One early Chinese source records that in the year 198, Emperor Lin-Di of the eastern Kingdom of China was interested by the "kunhow" musical instrument played by XIONGNU nomads; although the identity of this instrument remains unclear, some scholars have suggested that it may have been an early type of fiddle, whose name could be related to that of the modern Mongolian MORIN XUUR.

Among the other ancient traditional instruments are the cuur, an unusual wind instrument that is played with accompanying tones produced with the vocal cords, and the xulsan xuur ("bamboo fiddle") and to'mo'r xuur ("iron fiddle"), two forms of guimbarde. The early nomads are also known to have played military trumpets, drums, pipa (p'i-p'a) and other stringed instruments.

The 13th-century SECRET HISTORY OF THE MONGOLS and other historical sources indicate that the Mongols would play music, sing and dance during ceremonial festivals held at the Xaan's palace, when hunting or at war, and during religious and civil rituals.

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