Arts & intangible heritage
Morin khuur & long song
The horse-head fiddle and the drawn-out song of the steppe.
Origins
The morin khuur, or horse-head fiddle, is Mongolia's national instrument. It has a trapezoid wooden sound box, a long fretless neck ending in a carved horse's head, two strings and a bow. Traditionally both the strings and the bow hair were made from horse hair, and the sound board was covered with animal skin; today nylon strings and all-wooden bodies are common. Written sources from the Mongol empire of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries mention string instruments decorated with horse heads. Folk legends link the instrument directly to a beloved horse: in one, a herder called Khökhöö Namjil makes the first fiddle from the skin and tail of his flying horse after it dies.
Urtiin duu, the long song, is one of the two main forms of Mongolian song (the other is the short song, bogino duu). It is a lyrical chant with heavy ornamentation, use of falsetto, a very wide vocal range and a free structure, in which single syllables are drawn out over many notes. It is widely believed to be about 2,000 years old and has been recorded in literature since the thirteenth century.
Both are recognised by UNESCO. The traditional music of the morin khuur was proclaimed a masterpiece of intangible heritage in 2003, and long song in 2005, in a joint nomination by Mongolia and China; both were inscribed on the Representative List in 2008.
How it works today
The morin khuur is held upright between the knees and played with an underhand bow grip. It is mainly a solo instrument, but it also accompanies long songs, dances, epics and ceremonies. Its repertoire includes tatlaga, tunes intended to calm and tame animals. In the Gobi, herders use music and song to persuade a mother camel to accept a calf she has rejected, a practice shown in the 2003 film The Story of the Weeping Camel and listed by UNESCO in 2015 as a heritage element in need of urgent safeguarding.
Long song is performed at weddings, housewarmings, births, foal-branding and Naadam, where a long song traditionally opens the festival. UNESCO notes that urbanisation and the decline of nomadic life threaten both traditions, and that tuning for the concert stage has changed the morin khuur's sound.
What visitors should know
- Ulaanbaatar has regular folk concerts featuring morin khuur ensembles, long song and khöömei, particularly in summer.
- In the countryside, a family member may play for guests in the evening. Listen without talking, and thank the musician afterwards.
- A family's morin khuur is a valued possession. Do not pick it up or play it without asking.
- Instruments are sold in Ulaanbaatar music shops. Ask for a proper case if you plan to fly with one.