CHINESE MUSIC. 13

OF THE PITCH.

What was the real pitch of the Hrst hioany-chung tube ?

The size, capacity, and material of the tubes have so often been changed during the

successive dynasties that it has become almost impossible to form any acceptable conclusion

on this subject.

Pere Amiot, who died more than a century ago, gives F as the equivalent of liuany-

clni.vy; but he says himself in his works that he adopted this key because the strains of his

harmonium impressed his Chinese hearers much more when he was playing in the key of F

than when he played in any other key.

The present pitch approaches our D (60 1J vibratioiis per second) as nearly as possible.

The principal fixed instruments, as the yiln-lo, the shmcj, the flute, all give the D as tonic.

But, with the view of pointing out in the clearest manner the similarity or contrast of Chinese

music to our Western music, I have thought it convenient to give our C as tlie equivalent

of hvxmg-chung, and to liave oiu- natural scale of C in apposition to the Chinese natural scale.