The origin and development of Chinese musical art. Musical instruments

Yueqin

Yueqin (月琴, yuèqín, i.e. "moon lute"), or ruan ((阮), is a kind of lute with a round resonator body. The ruan has 4 strings and a short fretboard with frets (usually 24). also known as the octagonal-shaped ruan, played with a plectrum, the instrument has a melodic sound reminiscent of a classical guitar and is used both solo and in an orchestra.

In ancient times, ruan was called "pipa" or "qin pipa" (i.e. pipa of the Qin dynasty). However, after the ancestor of the modern pipa came to China along the Silk Road during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (circa 5th century AD), the name "pipa" was assigned to the new instrument, and the lute with a short neck and a round body began to be called " ruan" - named after the musician who played it, Ruan Xian(3rd century AD) . Ruan Xian was one of the seven great scholars known as the "Seven Wise Men of the Bamboo Grove".

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Dizi

Dizi (笛子, dízi) is a Chinese transverse flute. It is also called di (笛) or handi (橫笛). The di flute is one of the most common Chinese musical instruments, and can be found in folk music ensembles, modern orchestras, and Chinese opera. Dizi has always been popular in China, which is not surprising, because. It is easy to make and easy to carry around. Its characteristic, sonorous timbre is due to the vibration of a thin bamboo membrane, which is sealed with a special sound hole on the body of the flute.

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Qing

The "sounding stone" or qing (磬) is one of the oldest Chinese instruments. It was usually given a shape similar to the Latin letter L, since its outlines resemble the respectful posture of a person during the ritual. It is mentioned that it was one of the instruments played by Confucius. During the Han Dynasty, it was believed that the sound of this instrument reminded the monarch of the warriors who died defending the borders of the empire.

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Sheng

Sheng (笙, shēng) is a mouth organ, a reed wind instrument made of vertical pipes. This is one of the most ancient musical instruments in China: its first images date back to 1100 BC, and some shengs from the Han Dynasty have survived to this day. Traditionally, the sheng is used as an accompaniment when playing the suon or dizi.

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Erhu

Erhu (二胡, èrhú), a two-stringed violin, has perhaps the most expressive voice of all bowed stringed instruments. The erhu is played both solo and in ensembles. It is the most popular stringed instrument among various ethnic groups in China. When playing the erhu, many complex technical bow and finger techniques are used. The erhu violin is often used as the lead instrument in traditional Chinese national instrument orchestras and in the performance of string and wind music.

The word "erhu" consists of the characters for "two" and "barbarian" because this two-stringed instrument came to China about 1000 years ago thanks to the northern nomadic peoples.

Modern erhus are made of precious wood, the resonator is covered with python skin. The bow is made of bamboo, on which a string of horsehair is pulled. During the game, the musician pulls the string of the bow with the fingers of his right hand, and the bow itself is fixed between two strings, making up a single whole with the erhu.

Pipa

Pipa (琵琶, pípa) is a 4-string plucked musical instrument, sometimes also called the Chinese lute. One of the most widespread and famous Chinese musical instruments. The pipa has been played in China for more than 1500 years: the ancestor of the pipa, whose homeland is the region between the Tigris and Euphrates (the region of the "fertile crescent") in the Middle East, came to China along the ancient Silk Road in the 4th century BC. n. e. Traditionally, the pipa was used mainly for playing solo, less often in folk music ensembles, usually in southeast China, or as an accompaniment to storytellers.

The name "pipa" refers to the way the instrument is played: "pi" means moving the fingers down the strings, and "pa" means moving them backwards. The sound is extracted with a plectrum, but sometimes with a fingernail, which is given a special shape.

Several similar East Asian instruments are derived from the pipa: the Japanese biwa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà, and the Korean bipa.

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Xiao

Xiao (箫, xiāo) is an upright flute usually made from bamboo. This very ancient instrument appears to be derived from the flute of the Tibetan Qiang people of southwestern China. An idea of this flute is given by ceramic funerary figurines dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD).

Xiao flutes have a clear sound suitable for playing beautiful, pleasing melodies. They are often used solo, in ensemble, and to accompany traditional Chinese opera.

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Xuangu

(hanging drum)
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Paixiao

Paixiao (排箫, páixiāo) is a type of pan flute. Over time, the instrument disappeared from musical use. Its revival began in the 20th century. Paixiao served as a prototype for the development of the next generations of this type of instrument.

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swan

The Chinese suona oboe (唢呐, suǒnà), also known as the laba (喇叭, lǎbā) or the haidi (海笛, hǎidí), has a loud and shrill sound and is often used in Chinese music ensembles. It is an important instrument in the folk music of northern China, especially in the provinces of Shandong and Henan. Suona is often used at weddings and funeral processions.

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Kunhoe

The kunhou harp (箜篌, kōnghóu) is another plucked stringed instrument that came to China along the Silk Road from Western Asia.

The kunhou harp is often found on the frescoes of various Buddhist caves of the Tang era, which indicates the widespread use of this instrument during that period.

She disappeared during the Ming Dynasty, but in the 20th century. she was revived. Kunhou was known only from frescoes in Buddhist caves, ritual funeral figurines, and engravings on stone and brickwork. Then, in 1996, in a tomb in Qemo County (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), two whole onion-shaped kunhou harps and a number of their fragments were found. However, the modern version of this instrument is more reminiscent of the Western concert harp rather than the old kunhou.

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Zheng

Guzheng (古箏, gǔzhēng), or zheng (箏, "gu" 古 means "ancient") is a Chinese zither with movable, loose string rests and 18 or more strings (modern guzheng usually has 21 strings). Zheng is the ancestor of several Asian varieties of zither: Japanese koto, Korean gayageum, Vietnamese đàn tranh.

Although the original name of this painting is "Zheng", it is still depicted here. Guqin and guzheng are similar in shape, but they are easy to distinguish: while the guzheng has a support under each string, like the Japanese koto, the guqin has no supports, and the strings are about 3 times smaller.

Since ancient times, the guqin has been a favorite instrument of scientists and thinkers, it was considered an exquisite and refined instrument and was associated with Confucius. He was also called "the father of Chinese music" and "the instrument of the sages".

Previously, the instrument was simply called "qin", but by the 20th century. the term has come to refer to a range of musical instruments: the cymbal-like yangqin, the huqin family of stringed instruments, the Western pianoforte, and so on. Then the prefix "gu" (古), i.e. "ancient, and was added to the name. Sometimes you can also find the name "qixiaqin", i.e. "seven-string musical instrument".

The peoples of the East call music what we call noise.

Berlioz.

I studied at a music school in Russia for 8 years and my love for musical instruments never left me. Chinese musical instruments are very diverse and sound very interesting. First, watch the Chinese Symphony Orchestra play Katy Perry's "Roar" to begin with. She (Katie), by the way, burst into tears.

Now we can talk about tools.

Chinese instruments can be divided into strings, brass, plucked and percussion.

Erhu
So let's start with the strings. Most have 2-4 strings. The most famous are erhu, zhonghu, jinghu, banhu, gaohu, matouqin (Mongolian violin) and dahu. The most famous wind instrument is the erhu, which has only 2 strings. Erhu you can hear right on the streets, often beggars on the streets play this particular instrument.

Sheng
Wind instruments are mostly made of bamboo. The most popular are: di, son, guanzi, sheng, hulus, xiao and xun. You can really walk around here. The Sheng, for example, is a very interesting instrument that has 36 bamboo and reed pipes, it pairs very well with other instruments. One of the oldest is xun, a clay whistle that can be bought in many souvenir shops. Sona can imitate birds, the instrument became popular in the 16th century. The di flute attracts attention because of its pleasant sound, it has only 6 holes. Xiao and di are one of the oldest instruments, they appeared 3000 years ago.

Guzheng
Perhaps the Chinese plucked instruments are the most famous. Pipa, sanxian, zhuan, yueqin, dombra, guqin, guzheng, kunhou, zhu. My favorite instrument - the guqin - has 7 strings, the guqin has its own system of musical notation, so a huge number of musical works have been preserved, I even tried to play it, it's not difficult, it just requires training, like any other instrument, but definitely easier than piano. Guzheng looks a bit like guqing, but it has 18 to 20 strings.

And finally pipa- a lute-like instrument, only 4 strings - a borrowed instrument from Mesopotamia, was very popular in the eastern Han.

And percussion - dagu, paigu, shougu, tungu, bo, muyui, yunlo, xiangjiaogu. Usually there are copper, wood or leather.

All Chinese instruments are also related to the seasons and cardinal points:

Drum- winter, also the drum announced the beginning of the war.

Spring- all tools made of bamboo.

Summer- Instruments with silk strings.

Autumn- tools made of metal.

Chinese musical instruments are very independent, which is why the Chinese love solo, although, of course, orchestras exist. However, the solo is more popular, but this is not surprising, the sounds of Chinese instruments are a little shrill, so their combination does not always sound beautiful. For them, the characters are sharp timbres, especially in opera.

A large number of musical instruments are of foreign origin. The oldest one dates back 8000 years. According to various sources, there used to be about 1,000 instruments, but, unfortunately, only half have come down to us.

Oddly enough, Chinese traditional musical instruments go great with brawls. In many famous Chinese films, the main characters fight to the sound of guzheng or guqing. Here, for example, in the film - "Showdown in the style of kung fu."

Chinese instruments were multifunctional - they served as tools, and musical instruments, and even as a means of transmitting information (for example, a gong or a drum). In Chinese culture, music has always played an important role. Since the Han era, music has flourished as it has become an official part of Confucian ceremonies.

I would also like to say that musical instruments are divided into 8 categories:

metal, stone, string, bamboo, gourd, clay, leather and wood instruments.

According to history, in the distant past, there were at least a thousand musical instruments, only half of which have survived to this day.

At that time, Chinese traditional instruments were classified according to the material from which they were made. So, there were metal, bamboo, silk, stone, string, leather, clay, wood and gourd musical instruments.

Today, Chinese national musical instruments are still made in the traditional way, but their modern classification looks different.

woodwind instruments

Di is an ancient wind instrument. It is a transverse flute with 6 holes in the body. Traditionally made from bamboo or cane. Next to the hole for blowing air in the body of the di, there is another hole covered with a very thin reed film, due to which the timbre of the di is very juicy and resonant.

Sheng- lip organ. It is made from reed or bamboo thin tubes of various lengths, which are mounted in a bowl-shaped body with a mouthpiece. The sheng sound has a bright expressiveness and graceful variability. Not a single folklore concert is complete without this instrument.

Gong- a metal idiophone with an indefinite pitch. Produces a rich, lingering sound with a dark timbre. After the impact, the instrument vibrates for a long time, creating a voluminous, then growing, then receding sound. The gong is an obligatory instrument in the folk ensemble.

Chinese analogue of the Pan flute. It consists of 12 bamboo tubes interconnected in a decreasing row: from the longest to the shortest. This feature of the structure provides a wide range of sound. It has a soft and gentle tone.

Bowed strings

- string instrument. The body is made of coconut shell and a thin wooden soundboard. The long neck has no frets and ends with a head with pegs. In Northern China, the banhu was used as an accompaniment in musical drama, and now it has taken its rightful place in the orchestra.

Erhu- two-string violin with a cylindrical resonator. During the game, the musician with his right hand pulls the string of the bow, which is fixed between the metal strings and forms a single whole with the instrument. When playing with the left hand, a transverse vibrato is used.

Plucked malleus

Yangqin- a stringed instrument, similar in structure and method of extracting sound to cymbals. It is used as a solo, ensemble instrument, as well as an accompaniment in opera.

A stringed plucked instrument, a type of zither. Guqin is the most characteristic instrument of ancient Chinese music.

Pipa- a Chinese four-stringed lute-type instrument. It has a pear-shaped wooden body without resonator holes. Silk strings are fastened with pegs and string holders. The sound is extracted with a plectrum or fingernail. Most often, the pipa is used to perform lyrical pieces.

If you are interested not only in historical, but also in modern musical instruments, we invite you and your children to join us for classes. Here you can try your hand at mastering pop musical instruments, attend piano lessons for beginners, vocal art, get experience playing in a musical group, as well as performing on stage.

These are Chinese traditional musical instruments.

(Actually, there are many more varieties.)

Contemporary illustrations by artist Wang Kongde show how these tools were used.

The word "erhu" consists of the characters for "two" and "barbarian" because this two-stringed instrument came to China about 1000 years ago thanks to the northern nomadic peoples.

Several similar East Asian instruments are derived from the pipa: the Japanese biwa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà, and the Korean bipa.

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In ancient times, ruan was called "pipa" or "qin pipa" (i.e. pipa of the Qin dynasty). However, after the ancestor of the modern pipa came to China along the Silk Road during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (circa 5th century AD), the name "pipa" was assigned to the new instrument, and the lute with a short neck and a round body began to be called " ruan" - named after the musician who played it, Ruan Xian (3rd century AD). Ruan Xian was one of the seven great scholars known as the "Seven Wise Men of the Bamboo Grove".

Xiao flutes have a clear sound suitable for playing beautiful, pleasing melodies. They are often used solo, in ensemble, and to accompany traditional Chinese opera.

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XUANGU - hanging drum

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The kunhou harp (箜篌, kōnghóu) is another plucked stringed instrument that came to China along the Silk Road from Western Asia.

The kunhou harp is often found on the frescoes of various Buddhist caves of the Tang era, which indicates the widespread use of this instrument during that period.

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Guzheng (古箏, gǔzhēng), or zheng (箏, "gu" 古 means "ancient") is a Chinese zither with movable, loose string rests and 18 or more strings (modern zheng usually has 21 strings). Zheng is the ancestor of several Asian varieties of zither: Japanese koto, Korean gayageum, Vietnamese đàn tranh.

Although the original name of this painting is "Zheng", it is still depicted here guqin (古琴) - a Chinese seven-string zither. The guqin and guzheng are similar in shape, but they are easy to distinguish: while the guzheng has a support under each string, like the Japanese koto, the guqin does not have supports.

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Dizi (笛子, dízi) is a Chinese transverse flute. It is also called di (笛) or handi (橫笛). The di flute is one of the most common Chinese musical instruments, and can be found in folk music ensembles, modern orchestras, and Chinese opera. It is believed that dizi came to China from Tibet during the Han Dynasty. Dizi has always been popular in China, which is not surprising, because. It is easy to make and easy to carry around.

Today this instrument is usually made from high quality black bamboo with one blow hole, one membrane hole and six playing holes cut along its length. In the north, di is made from black (purple) bamboo, in the south, in Suzhou and Hangzhou, from white bamboo. Southern di's tend to be very thin, light and have a quiet sound. However, it would be more correct to call di a "membrane flute", since its characteristic, sonorous timbre is due to the vibration of a thin paper membrane, which is sealed with a special sound hole on the body of the flute.

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Ensemble "Twelve Girls" performs a variety of melodies.

From modern...

Before traditional

I hope you enjoy their music

Chinese percussion musical instrument, a small one-sided drum. It has a wooden case in the form of a bowl with massive walls, facing the convex side up. There is a small hole in the middle of the case. The leather membrane is stretched over the convex part of the body and fixed on it with studs.

Sound is produced by striking two sticks. The change in pitch is achieved by shifting the place of impact from the center of the membrane to the periphery. During the game, the bangu is mounted on a tripod.

Wind instrument with a free reed made of metal. The sound of the bau resembles the Armenian duduk. It has a fairly clean timbre, similar to the timbre of a flute.

Chinese wind reed instrument, a kind of oboe. The tool consists of a cylindrical barrel with 8 or 9 playing holes. In the north of China it is made of wood, in the south it is sometimes also made of reed or bamboo. A double reed cane is inserted into the guan channel, tied with wire in the narrow part. Tin or copper rings are put on both ends of the instrument, and sometimes between the playing holes. The total length of the guan ranges from 200 to 450 mm; the largest have a brass socket.

Traditional Chinese instrument. Belongs to the citrus family, related to koto and qixianqin. It differs from the latter in the number of strings and the design of the string holder.

A traditional Chinese plucked string instrument used in folk music and Chinese theater orchestras; comes from pip.

Chinese bells

Ritual, signal and musical instruments of ancient Chinese origin, different in shape from both the Western and the round Indian type of bell (which replaced them with the spread of Buddhism in China). They also spread to Korea and Japan.

An ancient musical wind instrument, the Chinese analogue of the Pan flute. A feature of this instrument is the presence of 12 bamboo stems, which provided a wide range of sound, although sometimes the number of stems may be different. This flute was included in the traditional orchestra of ancient China and had a soft and gentle sound.

Chinese 4-string lute-like plucked musical instrument. One of the most widespread and famous Chinese musical instruments. The first mention of pipa in literature dates back to the 3rd century, the first images - to the 5th century. However, prototypes of the pipa existed in China as early as the end of the 3rd century BC. e. The name "pipa" refers to the way the instrument is played: "pi" means moving the fingers down the strings, and "pa" means moving them backwards.

Sanxian

A traditional Chinese plucked stringed musical instrument used as an accompaniment in Chinese opera and the traditional Jiangnan sizhu ensemble, as well as in the performance of dagushu and dance narrative songs. There are two types: large and small.