Masenqo

The masenqo [Gəˁəz: mäsänqo, መሰንቆ] (also spelled masinqo, mesenqo , mesenko, mesenqo, mesenko, mesinko, or mesinqo in Amharic) or chira-wata (in Tigrinya) is a single-stringed bowed lute commonly found in the musical traditions of Eritrea and Ethiopia.[1] As with the krar, this instrument is used by Ethiopian minstrels called azmaris ("singer" in Amharic) .[2] Although it functions in a purely accompaniment capacity in songs, the masenqo requires considerable virtuosity,[1] as azmaris accompany themselves while singing.

Mesenqo
A traditional Ethiopian masinko or chira-wata
String instrument
Classification chordophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification321.311
(spike bowed lute)
Related instruments

Construction and design

The square- or diamond-shaped resonator is made of four small wooden boards glued together, then covered with a stretched parchment or rawhide. The single string is typically made of horse hair, and passes over a bridge. The instrument is tuned by means of a large tuning peg to fit the range of the singer's voice.[3] It may be bowed by either the right or left hand, and the non-bow hand sits lightly on top of the upper part of the string.

gollark: Meh.
gollark: "Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex." (28 letters) "Jived fox nymph grabs quick waltz." (28 letters) "Glib jocks quiz nymph to vex dwarf." (28 letters) "Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow." (29 letters) "How vexingly quick daft zebras jump!" (30 letters) "The five boxing wizards jump quickly." (31 letters) "Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz." (31 letters) "Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs." (32 letters)These 8 are shorter and mostly better (stolen blatantly from Wikipedia).
gollark: The fox/dog one is among the *least* cool pangrams, honestly?
gollark: sphnix of black quartz, judge my vow > the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog
gollark: Yes, also seriously whyyyy.

See also

References
  1. Shelemay, Kay Kaufman (2001). "Ethiopia". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. viii (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan. pp. 355–356.
  2. Kebede, Ashenafi (January 1975). "The "Azmari", Poet-Musician of Ethiopia". The Musical Quarterly. 61 (1): 47. doi:10.1093/mq/lxi.1.47.
  3. Teferra, Timkehet (2009). "The One-Stringed Fiddle Masinqo: Its Function and Role in Contemporary Ethiopian Music and its Future". Horizon Ethiopia. Retrieved 12 Sep 2011.


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