This work investigates how the traditional Mongolian horse-head fiddle, or morin khuur, has been transformed and recontextualized within the framework of modern cosmopolitanism and global musical exchange. Peter K. Marsh, an ethnomusicologist with extensive field experience in Mongolia, examines the instrument's transition from a nomadic cultural artifact to a symbol of national identity and a participant in international performance circuits. The book utilizes historical analysis and ethnographic interviews to argue that the instrument's evolution reflects broader shifts in Mongolian society following the end of the socialist era. It provides a framework for understanding how local musical traditions navigate the pressures and opportunities of a globalized cultural economy.

Experts in ethnomusicology recognize this text as a significant contribution to the study of post-socialist cultural transformation and the globalization of folk music. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the prose and the depth of the author's engagement with the specific socio-political context of Mongolia.