traditional instruments of china

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