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morin khuur

English translation: Horse-head Fiddle

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Mongolian term or phrase:Morin Khuur
English translation:Horse-head Fiddle

13:38 Mar 28, 2002
Mongolian to English translations [Non-PRO]
Mongolian term or phrase: morin khuur
instruments
Michelle Horton
horse-head fiddle
Explanation:
This is one of the traditional insturments of Mongolian and people. It is sometimes called "Cello of the grass field"
As the name shows, the head of this insturment is shaped as a horse head. What is more, the bow and string are both made of horse tails. It is strongly connected with the nomadic life of Mongolian and Tuvan people.
In Japan, this insturment is popular because most of the Japanese children read a picture book "Suuho no shiroi uma/White horse of Suux", based on Mongolian folk story. The origin of Morin Huur is said that, a man grieving his beloved horse made this as the story, or that a big dipper for mixing horse-milk bevarege is used to make the instrument.
*******
Morin huur is one of the symbols of Mongolian and Buryat musical tradition. It is sometimes called the horse-head fiddle. It is a bowed string instrument with a trapezoid body. It normally has the wooden head of a horse at the top of the neck, and its strings are made of horsehair.

According to legend, there once was a Mongolian nomad whose beloved horse Jonong Har (Black Prince) died. In the memory of the horse, the man created a musical instrument using the horse's remains and thus made the first morin huur. Morin huur can beautifully imitate the horse's voice, but its abilities are not limited to this imitation.

In a more sophisticated version of this legend, a young hero owned a winged horse. This legend is often performed on the morin huur. When the hero calls his horse, the performer alternates between a bouncing motion across the strings and that of bowing in order to represent the neighing and stamping of the animal. When both are asleep an enemy cuts off the wings of the horse, and it dies. The hero breaks into a lament, and fashions the first morin huur out of fur, mane, head and bones.




Selected response from:

Vidmantas Stilius
Local time: 01:04
Grading comment
Thank you very much.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4horse-head fiddle
Vidmantas Stilius


  

Answers


4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
horse-head fiddle


Explanation:
This is one of the traditional insturments of Mongolian and people. It is sometimes called "Cello of the grass field"
As the name shows, the head of this insturment is shaped as a horse head. What is more, the bow and string are both made of horse tails. It is strongly connected with the nomadic life of Mongolian and Tuvan people.
In Japan, this insturment is popular because most of the Japanese children read a picture book "Suuho no shiroi uma/White horse of Suux", based on Mongolian folk story. The origin of Morin Huur is said that, a man grieving his beloved horse made this as the story, or that a big dipper for mixing horse-milk bevarege is used to make the instrument.
*******
Morin huur is one of the symbols of Mongolian and Buryat musical tradition. It is sometimes called the horse-head fiddle. It is a bowed string instrument with a trapezoid body. It normally has the wooden head of a horse at the top of the neck, and its strings are made of horsehair.

According to legend, there once was a Mongolian nomad whose beloved horse Jonong Har (Black Prince) died. In the memory of the horse, the man created a musical instrument using the horse's remains and thus made the first morin huur. Morin huur can beautifully imitate the horse's voice, but its abilities are not limited to this imitation.

In a more sophisticated version of this legend, a young hero owned a winged horse. This legend is often performed on the morin huur. When the hero calls his horse, the performer alternates between a bouncing motion across the strings and that of bowing in order to represent the neighing and stamping of the animal. When both are asleep an enemy cuts off the wings of the horse, and it dies. The hero breaks into a lament, and fashions the first morin huur out of fur, mane, head and bones.







    Reference: http://www.mmjp.or.jp/booxbox/nodo/mh/mh.html
    Reference: http://www.lunarpages.com/namgar/instruments.htm
Vidmantas Stilius
Local time: 01:04
Native speaker of: Native in LithuanianLithuanian
Grading comment
Thank you very much.
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