Quick Answer
The Mongolian horsehead fiddle (马头琴, mǎtóuqín), often called morin khuur, is a bowed instrument with two strings and a carved horse head above the neck. China’s heritage records describe its music in Inner Mongolia at formal events, weddings and gatherings, with roles in solo playing and song accompaniment.[1][2]
- Shape: Look for a long neck, a horsehead carving and a wooden resonator that is often trapezoidal.[1]
- Sound: A separate bow makes the strings sound, and the resonator helps project the sound.[1]
- Setting: The repertoire includes music for the fiddle alone and playing that supports a voice.[2]
A horsehead identifies a familiar form. The materials, musician and programme give more information about the particular example.[1][2][3]
A carved horse head is the first thing many viewers notice. The part that helps carry the note, the soundbox, is at the opposite end. Following the sound from bowed string to resonator makes it easier to recognize the instrument among Chinese musical instruments and hear how it fits a particular piece.
Recognizing the Horsehead Fiddle
The Center for Chinese Music and Culture describes a two-string bowed instrument with a long neck and a wooden resonating chamber. The carving sits at the upper end. The body of a commonly documented type is wider toward the bottom, giving it a trapezoidal outline. In traditional examples a skin soundboard covers the front of the body.[1]
On a fiddle, the strings and the bow do the work of setting a note in motion. The player’s bow can keep a tone sounding while it moves. The Kyrgyz komuz provides a neighboring contrast. Its sound begins when a player plucks a string. Both instruments have a long neck, while the shape of the resonator and the way the strings are set in motion give two cues for telling them apart.
How the Fiddle Fits a Performance
China’s national inventory describes horsehead fiddle music at formal occasions and at weddings or gatherings of relatives and friends. A soloist can present a whole melody. In an accompanied song, the fiddle can support a vocal phrase or be heard in the spaces between phrases. Which role it takes depends on the performance.[2]
One way to hear the difference is to compare an unaccompanied instrumental excerpt with a recording that credits a singer and a fiddler. In the first, listen for changes in the length and strength of the notes as the bow moves. In the second, see whether the fiddle follows the singer’s line or takes up a different phrase after a pause. These are listening cues for the recording in front of you.
The comparison is also useful beside Mongolian hoomii singing, in which one singer can produce an audible high tone over a low vocal sound. A festival or concert may present more than one Mongolian art, so its programme and the recording credits help explain which sound you are hearing.
How Players and Makers Change the Instrument
The Chinese heritage biography of Qi Baoligao credits him with studying with the musician Sangdureng, drawing on different playing traditions and changing materials used to make the instrument. His listed work ranges across solo, concerto and ensemble settings. Those formats require performers to make different choices about balance and phrasing.[3]
A familiar outline can therefore belong to instruments made for different contexts. Hong Kong’s Music Office describes his experiments with skin and wood for the soundbox. These are documented changes made by a particular player and maker.[5] For a specific instrument, the catalogue and maker’s description can tell you more than its appearance in a small photograph.[1][3][4]
China’s Inventory and Mongolia’s UNESCO Record
The Inner Mongolia horsehead fiddle music entry is part of China’s national intangible heritage inventory. Its related records include entries from Fuxin in Liaoning and Qian Gorlos in Jilin, evidence of named local traditions beyond Inner Mongolia. The Chinese records concern musical practices and the people who transmit them.[2]
UNESCO’s entry “Traditional music of the Morin Khuur” concerns Mongolia and was inscribed on the Representative List in 2008. It documents traditional performance and materials, including horsehair strings and bow. Read it as evidence for the practice in its nomination. The national inventory in China identifies the separate places, repertoire and practitioners it documents.[2][4]
FAQs About Mongolian Horsehead Fiddle Traditions
Is Matouqin Another Name for Morin Khuur?
Matouqin is the Mandarin name for the instrument commonly called the morin khuur or horsehead fiddle. Spellings and transcriptions vary. A maker or collection record can identify the provenance and material of a specific example.[1][4]
Does Every Fiddle Have a Skin Soundboard?
Skin soundboards are documented on traditional examples. The account of Qi Baoligao’s changes also documents an example in wood. The type of front on an individual instrument is best checked against the maker or catalogue.[1][4][5]
Sources
[1] Center for Chinese Music and Culture. Instrument gallery entry for the morin khurr
[2] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (Réseau chinois du patrimoine culturel immatériel). Mongolian horsehead fiddle music in Inner Mongolia
[3] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Qi Baoligao representative bearer profile
[4] UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Traditional music of the Morin Khuur in Mongolia
[5] Hong Kong Music Office. Mongolian instruments and the modern morin khuur