I hear a distant sighing; was it the wind or a memory deep in my heart?

I dream of sweeping prairies, under a sky of endless blue and ancient deserts of shifting sand.

The Mongolian people, the sons and daughters of the grasslands still tend to their flocks and follow the old paths trod by their ancestors.

Morin Khuur – the Voice of the Grasslands

    From deep on the endless steppe, comes the sound of the Morin Khuur; ancient, mysterious, sounding like a dark relic from a thousand years ago, a voice emerging from a black sky; but also noble and unrestrained, its heroic tones soaring over the boundless prairie.

    The moriny tolgoitoi huur (fiddle with horse's head) commonly known as the Morin Khuur, is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument and is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation. A descendant of the ancient Chuurqin, or “Chao’er” or “Choor”, the Morin Khuur has been known under many names throughout its long history, from references to a “Hun Khuur” in the “Hou han shu” (“Book of the Later Han” complied in the 5^th century), “Mawei” or “horse-tail”  Huqin during the Northern Song dynasty, to “Matouqin” in contemporary Mandarin nomenclature. The instrument consists of a trapezoid wooden-framed sound box to which two strings are attached. It is played held between the musician's legs like a cello.

    According to legend, the Morin Khuur was created when a wicked lord killed a white horse with an arrow. The horse's owner, Suhe, was filled with sorrow and missed his pet day and night. One night the dead horse came to him in a dream, and said, "Make an instrument with my body. Then I can accompany you forever and you will not feel lonely." So the Morin Khuur was made, using the horse's bone as its neck, horsehair for strings, hide to cover the wooden soundbox, and its scroll carved into the shape of a horse's head.

    Listen to the rich, long tones of the Morin Khuur; its sweet sounds can fill an infinite space; its resonance filled with romance and longing. Its sonorous voice can give expression to every emotion. We hear the verdant grasslands, the flocks of sheep, the rising sun, and even the sound of the flowers blooming; a deeply felt, union of heaven and earth. When it is played softly, the Morin Khuur reveals nature’s secrets, and paints scenes of the limitless vistas of the prairies, wild and untamed. It unfolds its stories in song, soaring and expressing each feeling and nuance without artifice. It is impossible to resist its long, winding melodies as they weave their way around you, holding you in an intimate embrace. No sooner have you succumbed to its hypnotic charms than it swings into a lively dance, brimming with life and the spirit of lusty celebration. The herdsmen still say, "There can't be songs without accompaniment by a Morin Khuur."

    The sound of the Morin Khuur has its roots deep in the Mongolian soil. We hear the vast desolate wastelands, the harrowing sandstorms and the barren desert, and yet, its music embodies a sense of religious mystery; its plaintive strains accompanying the telling of epics and legends still echoing deep in our primal consciousness, and awakening deep memories and visions of unknown lands that beckon to us, calling us to explore their mysteries.

    Its songs whisper to us the ancient secrets of the endless prairie and green grasslands under blue skies; or roar with the primitive power of a shaman’s ritual. Here, in this most inhospitable place, the proud people of the plains continue to celebrate the noble heritage of their ancestors. Even today, many still live the hard, nomadic life of shepherds, but when the clan comes rest for a few days, they celebrate with feasting and with music; rows of drums beat the rhythm while others clap their hands; the men wrestle and the young girls dance. And yet, the Morin Khuur is long a family treasure and talisman: its strings has stood guard over countless generations of the children of the grasslands, giving voice to their feelings and hopes and dreams, the maiden’s first blush and the power of a mother’s love.  These are the songs and dances of the universal prairie… a prairie that belongs to everyone.

    On this imaginary journey through the grasslands, you will hear the sound of the Morin Khuur, together with its more ancient cousin, the bowed Chao’er fiddle, the Topshur Lute, the Ikili Fiddle, Jew's harps, and shaman drums - the traditional instruments of the steppes, together with a banjo, an African djembe drum, and a Chinese Zheng, making beautiful music, full of rich flavor, deep emotional power and charm.

    Renowned music producer Ye Yunchuan has invited the gifted Morin Khuur player Hasibagen and members of the Aurora Morin Khuur Orchestra to share their interpretations of classic Mongolian music from the past and present. Master recording engineer Li Dakang has lavished special care to perfectly capture the unique sound qualities of this hauntingly beautiful music.

    Close your eyes and the steppes will come alive, as you dream of walking in the path of ancient nomads, or dancing at a Mongolian feast, or wandering beneath a sky of endless blue, gazing into the distant horizon as the wind whips through your hair.