Ethnic Instrument Making Craftsmanship

Ⅷ-124Traditional CraftsmanshipKeerqinyouyizhongqi, Inner MongoliaBatch 3 (2011)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

The morin khuur (horse-head fiddle), the four-string fiddle (sihu), and the chor are all Mongolian bowed string instruments. Their forms are similar but their uses differ: the morin khuur is mostly used for leading and ensemble performances, the sihu is dedicated to accompanying narrative singing, and the chor closely resembles the morin khuur in form. Thus, on a single grassland, the craftsmanship of these instruments is often passed down within the same lineage. These instruments were not created first and then matched with tunes; rather, their forms, pitches, and bowing techniques were mostly tuned to fit the vocal styles. Folk art forms such as kholboo (haolai bao), uilenger (wuli ge'er), and toli (tao li) require one or two instrumentalists to respond to the singing at the side, and the instrumentalists and performers jointly settle the vocal register and bowing method.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The Mongolian bowed string instruments include the chor, the morin khuur, and the sihu. The chor is similar in form to the morin khuur. The morin khuur is mostly used for solo (leading) performance, chamber music, ensemble, and as a concerto instrument with symphony and orchestral bands. In performances of toli, the morin khuur also often serves as a prop in the hands of the performers. The sihu not only accompanies Mongolian narrative vocal styles, but can also take on chamber music, unison, ensemble, and solo roles in folk bands and mixed ensembles, and can compensate for the lack of high range in folk bands. Horqin Right Middle Banner is located in the heart of the Inner Mongolia Horqin grassland. The local Mongolian bowed string instrument-making craft is inseparable from toli, kholboo, uilenger, and Horqin narrative folk songs—intertwined and indistinguishable—and is among the most representative traditional crafts of the banner. Across the banner there are now more than twenty handcraft workshops of various sizes making Mongolian bowed string instruments, with over a hundred skilled artisans, more than fifty of whom have become professional craftsmen and instrument makers.

Building the soundbox

Curved boards or square boxes are glued to form the resonating chamber.

Turning the neck and carving the head

The horse's head, mane and eyes are carved stroke by stroke; a lively head identifies the maker.

Stretching the sound skin

The skin is drawn progressively tighter around the opening, tightening and tuning in step.

Fitting bow and hair

Bow wood and hair are fitted with just enough tension; a mis-set bow dulls the tone at once.

Tuning and testing

Each instrument is tested against the singing it will accompany before it leaves the workshop.

Teaching in the workshops

Over twenty years of making more than ten thousand instruments has trained the county's professional craftsmen.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Horqin Right Middle Banner lies in the heart of the Horqin grassland. The local bowed string instrument-making craft is intertwined with toli, kholboo, uilenger, and Horqin narrative folk songs. Across the banner there are more than twenty workshops of various sizes and over a hundred skilled artisans, more than fifty of whom have become professional craftsmen and instrument makers. The master artisans of this tradition mostly come from families that have made instruments for generations. Hada, for instance, grew up listening to the craft of a group of artisans under the tutelage of Jamba; over more than twenty years in the trade, he has made more than ten thousand sihu, morin khuur, and chor instruments of all sizes, some of which are sold to various parts of China as well as Hong Kong, Macao, and abroad.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The Mongolian bowed string instrument-making craft embodies the wisdom, creativity, and dedication of working people. It possesses not only historical and academic value, but also practical, artistic, humanistic, and economic value in the present day. Hada (from the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Mongolian, born April 1962, from Horqin Right Middle Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Representative inheritor of the fourth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage item "Instrument-Making Craft" (Mongolian Bowed String Instrument-Making Craft). Technician of Mongolian bowed string instrument-making craft. From childhood he was deeply influenced by artisans such as Tubuxin, Tumenbilig, and Hurqinbilig, disciples of the master craftsman Jamba, and became a fairly influential inheritor of the contemporary Mongolian bowed string instrument-making craft. Over more than twenty years of making ethnic bowed string instruments, he has produced more than ten thousand instruments including sihu, morin khuur, and chor of various sizes; some of his products are sold to regions such as Hong Kong and Macao as well as countries including the United States, South Korea, and Japan. In October 2010, he participated in the first China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo organized by the Ministry of Culture and received the Inheritor Exhibition Commemorative Award.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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