BY: EM I LY WON Gew ong5 @bingha m t on . ed u
Wi t h m a ny t ha nks t o : CO MM U NI TY ENGA GEM ENT PR OGRAM O F 2011
PRO FESSO R: L I SA Y UNGRAD UATE ASSI STAN T: SANDY WO O
DEPARTM ENT O F A SI AN AN D ASI AN AM ERI C AN STUDI ES
BI N GH AM TO N UN I VER SIT Y
Traditional Instruments of China
Note to Teacher:
Please obtain a copy of Music in China by Frederick Lau with CD attached for access to recordings of specific instruments and a concise introduction to Chinese music.
Note to Teacher:
A test run was conducted on about 20 students and their parents from the Chinese school run by the Southern Tier Chinese Culture Association in Vestal, NY. Their ages ranged from 7-9. Guest performer on the zheng was Fuxin Bao.
AN BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO CHINA’S VERY LONG HISTORY AND CHINESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
History of Traditional Chinese Instruments
Chinese History
China’s history spans over 4,000 years!
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Traditional Chinese instruments themselves have a very long history which lasted over 7,000 years!
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Over 7,000 years!
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Some of the earliest instruments date back to 6000 B.C. and were made of animal bones!
Traditional Chinese Instruments
The oldest instruments found were flutes made of animal leg bones.
China’s Dynasties
c 21st-16th century BC Xia
China’s Dynasties
1700-1027 BC Shang
China’s Dynasties
1027-771 BC Western Zhou770-221 BC Eastern Zhou
770-476 BC Spring and Autumn period 475-221 BC Warring States period
China’s Dynasties
221-207 BC Qin
China’s Dynasties
206 BC-AD 9 Western HanAD 9-24 Xin AD 25-220 Eastern Han
China’s Dynasties
AD 220-280 Three Kingdoms (San Guo) 220-265 Wei 221-263 Shu 229-280 Wu
China’s Dynasties
AD 265-316 Western JinAD 317-420 Eastern Jin
China’s Dynasties
AD 420-588 Southern and Northern Dynasties420-588 Southern
Dynasties420-478 Liu Song479-501 Qi (Ch'i)502-556 Liang557-588 Chen386-588 Northern Dynasties386-533 Northern Wei534-549 Eastern Wei535-557 Western Wei550-577 Northern Qi (Ch'i)557-588 Northern Zhou (Chou)
China’s Dynasties
AD 581-617 Sui
China’s Dynasties
AD 618-907 Tang
China’s Dynasties
AD 907-960 Five Dynasties AD 907-979 Ten Kingdoms
China’s Dynasties
916-1125 Liao
China’s Dynasties
960-1279 Song 960-1127 Northern Song 1127-1279 Southern Song
China’s Dynasties
1038-1227 Western Xia
China’s Dynasties
1115-1234 Jin
China’s Dynasties
1279-1368 Yuan
China’s Dynasties
1368-1644 Ming
China’s Dynasties
1644-1911 Qing
China’s Dynasties
1912-present Modern China
BUT ONLY A FEW DYNASTIES HAD A LARGE EFFECT ON THE MAKING
OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE INSTRUMENTS.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Traditional Chinese Instruments
During the Xia period, instruments were mainly comprised of drums, bone flutes, bronze bells and stone chimes. Were important in rituals and dancing.
The flutes and chimes became more complex during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties with the rise of the Bronze Age. Development of stringed instruments that
used silk strings.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
The next period of important changes was during the Qin to Han dynasties. Creation of instruments similar to the
Western lute. Linked to flourish in trade.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
During the Wei to Tang dynasties, percussion instruments, or drum-family instruments, became popular along with woodwinds and fiddles.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
The last period of change in Chinese instruments was the rise in popularity of fiddles or bowed instruments and plucked lutes starting from the Song dynasty to the current period.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Can find influences from the Silk Road, which was a major trade route between China and other civilizations.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
A popular phrase used to describe the instruments is “silk and bamboo”.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
中国音乐 (Zhōngguó yīnyuè) or 国乐 (guóyuè) for short – “music of the nation” Describes music that is written for
Chinese instruments.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Some of the songs have ancient origins and legends behind them.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Legends states that during the Three Kingdom’s period, a Chinese general named Zhuge Liang (Zhūgě Liàng) was able to protect his city by playing the guqin. His calm attitude fooled the enemy army into thinking that they would be ambushed inside.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Some songs are also about scenes from history or nature.
Traditional Chinese Instruments
Ambush from Ten Sides, also known in Chinese as 十面埋伏 (shí miàn mái fú), describes a ferocious fight scene from a battle between the Chu and Han armies in 202 BC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtrthXXmKgA
THE TERM WAS OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE WHAT THE INSTRUMENTS WERE MADE OF.
The Eight Tones 八音 ( bāyīn)
Bamboo
Gourd
Wood
Metal
Animal Skin
Clay
Stone
Silk
A BRIEF DESCRIPTIONAND HOW THEY ARE PLAYED
Types of Ancient Chinese Instruments
Types of Ancient Chinese Instruments
Are made up of three categories:StringsWoodwindsPercussions
Strings
Stringed instruments are made of wood, bamboo, silk, metal and animal skin.Example: gŭqín 古琴
Strings
Bowing Example:
èrhú 二胡
Strings
PluckingExample:
pípá, 琵琶
Strings
HammeringExample:
yángqín 扬琴
Woodwinds
Woodwinds were made of: bamboo wood animal bonesmetalExample: dízi 笛子
Woodwinds
Breathing through a mouth piece.
Example:Suŏnà 唢呐
Percussion
Percussion instruments were made of: Clay Metal Wood Stone GourdExample: Luó 锣
Percussion
HandsExample:
Jīngbó 京鈸
Percussion
MalletsExample:
Biānqìng 编磬
SticksExample:
dàgŭ 大鼓
WHAT INSTRUMENT AM I?
Quiz Time!
What instrument am I?
Erhu
I am a 2-stringed lute that is bowed.
I came to China over a thousand years ago from Central Asia!
What instrument am I?
Pipa
I am a four-stringed instrument that is plucked.
I am over 2,000 years old!
What instrument am I?
Guqin
I am a seven stringed instrument that is plucked.
I am over 5,000 years old.
What instrument am I?
Suona
I am a woodwind instrument with a metal bell at the end.
I am over 1,700 years old!
What instrument am I?
Dizi
I am a flute made of bamboo.
I am over 6,000 years old.
Sources:
Lau, Frederick. Music in China: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.
Lee, Yuan-Yuan, and Sin-yan Shen. Chinese Musical Instruments. Chicago: Chinese Music Society of North America, 1999. Print.
Lai, T. C., and Robert Mok. Jade Flute: the Story of Chinese Music. New York: Schocken, 1985. Print.
Jin, Jie. Chinese Music: Echos in Ancient and Modern times. Beijing: China Intercontinental, 2010. Print.
Resources
http://www.philmultic.com/home/instruments/Provides a basic introduction to Chinese
instruments along with video and audio files.
http://music.ibiblio.org/pub/multimedia/chinese-music/html/traditional.htmlProvides media files of traditional and
contemporary Chinese music
Photos and images: Courtesy of Google Images