China Musical Instruments

8/10/2019 China Musical Instruments

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Music in CHINA

Vocal music

Regional folk songs, narrative song & theater

Guises & contexts: Vocal / instrumental, solo /ensemble

Programmatic titles:

Nature (Autumn Mood and Lake Scenery)

Literature/myth (Su Wu the Shepherd)Mood (Joyous Feelings)

Musical Structure (Old Six Beats)


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8 categories

of musical

instruments

bayin)

Wood

amboo

Metal

Stone

Clay

Skin

Silk

Gourd


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The Qin

(Seven-String Zither)

Jiangnan Sizhu

(Silk and Bamboo)

Jingju(Beijing Opera)

Yangbanxi(Revolutionary Beijing

Opera)


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Guqin (ancient zither)

51 inch-long rectangular board zither

Paulonia wood painted black

7 strings

Twisted silk

Lengthwise from end to end

Without frets/bridges

11 inlaid mother-of-pearl circles along one side marking the

acoustical nodes/vibration points for each string

The Qin(Seven-String Zither)


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Right hand: plucked the stringsLeft hand: stops the strings


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Timbre

Plucked sounds produced by nail/flesh of finger, tone bending created by left

hand sliding & use of harmonic (clear, hollow sounds gentle touch string at a node)

Each string tuned differently

Pentatonic (5 tones)

Rhythm

sounds fluid, improvisational,halting or rushing.

notation : tablature

Texture

monophonicshort motives

sound inconsistent


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Jiangnan Sizhu(Silk and Bamboo)


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More easily to hear a tune

Clear phrases

Repetition of certain musical ideas

Music

Quite busyEach instrument plays continuously

Frequent use of ornamentationMost instruments play in high rangeOverall sound thinner


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Jiangnan Sizhu

(Silk and Bamboo) Instruments

Flute (dizi)

Lute (pipa)

Hammeredzither (yangqin)

Fiddle (erhu)


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Fiddle (erhu)

Hexagonal wooden resonator with python skin covering one face

long stick serving as the neck pierces the body

2 rear tuning pegs at the top

2 silk strings run the length of the instruments

horsehairs of the bow pass between he 2 strings

pull/push the bow against string

left hand create specific pitches


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Hammered Zither (yangqin)

formerly a small trapezoidal-shaped instrument with 2 bridges

20th

century: 3-6 bridges

Strikes with 2 small bamboo beaters.

as an accompanying instrument


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Lute (pipa)

extensive solo repertory in ensembles

hollow wooden pear-shaped body

4 strings pass over raised bamboo frets

chromatic playing 12 tones)

plucking the strings outwards

Use all 5 fingers in rapid-fire motion


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Flute (dizi)

Length: 16 inches 2 feet

blowing hole at the left end

1 membrane hole

6 finger holes


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Instruments


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Pitches

7 regular pitches of D major scale

music is in pentatonic

common keys (diao): D & G

Meter & Rhythm

duple

down & up beats

simple rhythm

few syncopations & dotted value

Structure

Heterophonic

Dynamics

One level

Tempo

Slow at the end

Notation

1. experienced player

play without notation

knowledge on basic tune structure

2. Less experienced player jianpu


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Chinese Melodies & Jianpu

adopt by hymnal prints (Western)

practical and easy to read

pitch numbering 1 to 7 (mostly diatonic)single key

symbols of rhythm & meter

tonic pitch is 1 in any key

e.g: key of D (D diao): 1 is D, 3 is F#, 5 is A.

rhythm indicated with horizontal & vertical lines

Dots above and below numbers indicates octave

Jianpu


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All roles sing with little or no

vibrato

sounds nasal and high range

Female impersonatorsmales playing womensroles

(use falsetto/head voice)

Modal system

1. Role type2. Melodic mode

3. Metrical/rhythmic pattern

4. Linguistic tone

Jing (painted-face characters):

Tend to sing in a rough, declamatory

style

Instrument accompaniment

Melodic (civil & military)

Percussion

Singers work closely with conductor

and jinghu player

Jinghu


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music ensemble (left stage)

Minimal props (1 table & 2

chairs)

Holding a mane

(riding a horse) Holding cloth flags

(riding chariot)

4 major role types:

1. sheng (male roles)

2. dan (female roles)

3. jing (painted face roles)4. chou (comedians)


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Tao Ma Tan (role), aria from

Mu Kezhai (opera)


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Wear modern costumes

(military uniforms)

Stage looks more realistic

(props background)

Western instruments

harmony used

Stories has political

ramifications

Yangbanxi(Revolutionary Beijing Opera)


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Instruments: western + chinese (jinghu fiddle & percussion)

written-out score

Western features: harmony, counterpoint, orchestration

1966 1976: non-stop propaganda (form of artistic productions)

[music, dance, spoken theater, opera, art & literature]

Jiang Qiang: 8 Model Works

i. 5 Revolutionary Beijing Operasii. 2 Revolutionary Ballets (The Red Detachment of Women)

iii. 1 Revolutionary Symphony


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!! Quiz !!

1. How many strings are there on a zither (qin)?

7 strings

2. Which type of opera use western music instruments?

Beijing Opera

Revolutionary Beijing Opera


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!! Quiz !!

Name these instruments

Flute (dizi) Lute (pipa)

Hammeredzither (yangqin)

Fiddle (erhu)

Zither (qin)

Jinghu


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China Musical Instruments

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