masenqo

Noun

masenqo (plural masenqos)

1. A single-stringed bowed lute commonly used by Ethiopian azmaris.
   • The masenqo also accompanies, though played outside the church, the celebration of Epiphany (Temquat), which is the most important and holiest holiday of the Ethopian Orthodox Church.2017, Siegbert Uhlig, David Appleyard, Alessandro Bausi, Wolfgang Hahn, Steven Kaplan, editors, Ethiopia: History, Culture and Challenges, Michigan State University Press, →ISBN, page 211
   • His playing, full of clustered filigree and loosely rendered rhythms, nods toward Ethiopia’s tradition of solitary folk playing, typically on the krar or the masinko, both stringed instruments.2018 February 20, Giovanni Russonello, “An African Funk Pioneer Gets a Second Chance on a Global Stage”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC