CELESTIAL STRINGS
part I
What might a Morin Khuur sound like on the surface of Mars?
The Morin Khuur, or horsehead fiddle, is a traditional Mongolian musical instrument embodying the deep bond between nomadic people and their horses. Registered with UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, the two-stringed instrument has a trapezoidal body, a fretless neck, and a distinctive carved horse head. According to legend, a young boy named Sukh, grieving the loss of his beloved white horse, was visited by its spirit in a dream. The horse instructed him to craft an instrument from its body so they could still be together through music. Thus, the Morin Khuur was born, with a unique sound said to resemble a horse’s neigh.
The Morin Khuur produces complex sounds, characterized by the simultaneous presence of a main tone and overtones. Its unique sound arises from the interplay of material properties, the dry conditions of the Mongolian steppes and the nomadic lifestyle. The strong natural segmentation of Mongolian horse tail hair allows precise tension adjustments in the strings and bow. The wood used in the bow and body undergoes a natural crystallization process in the dry Mongolian atmosphere, leading to tonal maturation, unlike kiln-drying common in Europe. The harsh weather in the steppes, where nomads frequently move to sheltered areas with minimal belongings, influenced the Morin Khuur’s simple, lightweight design made from readily available materials – traditionally, bone, hide, and horsehair.
By examining the interplay between the instrument’s unique elements – its materials, form, craftsmanship, and sounds – in contexts ranging from the micro to the interplanetary, this ongoing research seeks to highlight its processual materiality. Part 1 asked: What might a Morin Khuur sound like at the scale of a building, or resonating on the surface of Mars? Through a combination of sound simulations and material experiments, this exploration sought to understand, preserve, and expand the Morin Khuur’s distinctive sounds across new environments, crystallizing its cultural legacy while hinting at future trajectories.
Part 1 of this research was exhibited at MassArt x SoWa from Feb 22, 2025, to Apr 13, 2025, as part of the Uncommon Atmospheres group exhibition and featured three Martian sound simulations derived from recordings of Morin Khuur performances on Earth, incorporating data on Mars’ atmospheric composition, density, pressure, and temperature – factors that influence how sound propagates. Viewers were invited to first listen to the Morin Khuur as it sounds on Earth, then as it would on Mars, and to imagine the instrument’s material evolution into the distant future.
Step 1
Choose a melody from the list below to listen to as it would be heard on Earth, in the vast steppes of Mongolia.
“Joroo Mori”, music by G. Lkham, performed by master S. Surenkhuu, 2025, 1:32.
The coda of “Joroo Mori” (the neighing of a horse), music by G. Lkham, performed by master S. Surenkhuu, 2025, 0:05.
“The Mongolian Melody”, music by N. Jantsannorov, performed by The Morin Khuur Ensemble of Mongolia, 2012, 2:37.
Step 2
Choose the same melody from the list below to listen to as it would be heard on the surface of Mars.
From horse tail hair to nylon (polyamide)
The Morin Khuur underwent significant “modernization” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Soviet violin maker Denis Yarovoi replaced the hide in the instrument’s body with wood, and the bow was redesigned to resemble the violin bow. Such changes reflect Mongolia’s rapid urbanization, which led to an ecological crisis marked by overcrowded cities, toxic air pollution, and increasing climate and mining refugees in the steppes. Consequently, materials used in the Morin Khuur have evolved, with most instruments now using petroleum-based nylon (polyamide) for the bow and strings.
Left: Mongolian horse tail hair (light)
5000x magnification
Used for strings
Center: Mongolian horse tail hair (dark)
5000x magnification
Used for strings
Right: Nylon (polyamide)
5000x magnification
Used for strings
The natural segmentation of Mongolian horse tail hair allows precise tension adjustments in the morin khuur's strings and bow. Nylon (polyamide) lacks this natural segmentation, as can be seen clearly at 5000x magnification.
PART II of CELESTIAL STRINGS will be underway in 2026 and will study a series of materially and structurally varied morin khuur prototypes to illuminate how the instrument's materials, forms, techniques, and sonic qualities have co-evolved across eras.
