masenqo
The masenqo (Tigrinya: ጭራ-ዋጣ (ዋጣ), also known as masinko or mesenko, is a single-stringed bowed lute commonly found in the musical traditions of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Although it functions in a purely accompaniment capacity in songs, the masenqo requires considerable virtuosity, as azmaris accompany themselves while singing.
masenqo
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- Name
- Masenqo
- Field
- spike bowl lute
- Region
- Ethiopia
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
The masenqo (Tigrinya: ጭራ-ዋጣ (ዋጣ), also known as masinko or mesenko, is a single-stringed bowed lute commonly found in the musical traditions of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Although it functions in a purely accompaniment capacity in songs, the masenqo requires considerable virtuosity, as azmaris accompany themselves while singing.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q664055 · wikipedia · Masenqo
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Masenqo • Background — string • Classification — chordophone • Hornbostel Sachs — 321.311 • Hornbostel Sachs Desc — spike bowed lute • Related — *gusle (Dinaric Alps) • igil (Tuvan) • krar (Horn of Africa)
Construction and design
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. 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.
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Places
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Ethiopia
Country
masenqo is associated with Ethiopia.
Country
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Pareles, Jon. Review: Feedel Band and the Libyans, African Sounds at the Global Beat Festival. The New York Times. May 8, 2015.
- 2.Shelemay, Kay Kaufman. Ethiopia. viii. 355–356.
- 3.Kebede, Ashenafi. The "Azmari", Poet-Musician of Ethiopia. The Musical Quarterly. 61. 1. 47–57. January 1975. 10.1093/mq/lxi.1.47.
- 4.Teferra, Timkehet. The One-Stringed Fiddle Masinqo: Its Function and Role in Contemporary Ethiopian Music and its Future. Horizon Ethiopia. 2009.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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