Chinese music - folk and modern, as well as health music. Chinese national musical instruments ancient chinese string instrument

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, wooden and pumpkin musical instruments.

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

Woodwind instruments

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

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

Gong- metal idiophone with undefined pitch. Produces a rich, lingering sound with a dark tone. After the impact, the instrument vibrates for a long time, creating a volumetric, then growing, then receding sound. The gong is a must-have instrument in a folk ensemble.

The Chinese analogue of Pan's flute. It consists of 12 bamboo tubes, interconnected in a descending row: from the longest to the shortest. This structural feature provides a wide range of sound. Has a soft and delicate timbre.

Bowed strings

- stringed bowed instrument. The body is crafted from coconut shells and a thin wooden deck. The long neck has no frets and ends in a head with tuning pegs. In Northern China, the banhu was used as an accompaniment in a musical drama, now it has taken its rightful place in the orchestra.

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

Plucked hammerheads

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

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

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

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

Chinese traditional music, like all Chinese culture, is several thousand years old. Due to the isolation of the country from Europe, the instruments of the Celestial Empire are distinguished by their unique color for the West. They (along with all national music) absorbed the elements of the music of the Tibetans, Uighurs, Manchus, Mongols, etc.

Bianzhong bells

Traditionally, Chinese musical instruments are divided into several types, according to the material from which they are made: bamboo, silk, wood, metal, stone, pumpkin, clay and leather. Many of them are extremely exotic, and some have been consigned to oblivion in the course of a long cultural evolution. For example, a significant rethinking of the game technique occurred after the creation of a single empire, when local regional features were reduced to a single standard.

A wide variety of Chinese have evolved under the influence of ritual and religion. This included the bells. They were significantly different from European ones. The first actually Chinese bells were called bianzhong. They replaced the Indian type of round instruments along with the spread of Buddhism in the Middle Kingdom. Bianzhong were so popular that they appeared in neighboring Korea and even in overseas Japan.

Drums

In addition to large bells, smaller models or a slightly different device appeared in China. These include diangu. This Chinese is a flat drum that also looks like a tambourine. It comes with special beaters. Together with the diangu, they often play paiban crackers. They are made in the form of plates suspended in one bundle.

Xiangjiaogu is a Chinese type of timpani. Its body is made of wood and mounted on a special cylindrical rack. The design served as the source of the instrument's name. Xiangjiaogu can be translated as "elephant's foot". Usually this instrument is used solo. For playing, it is installed slightly inclined - so it is more convenient for the musician to knock on it with his fingers and palms.

Wind instruments

According to the international classification, the Chinese have Western counterparts. For example, the traditional di resembles in its structure. Its trunk is made of reeds or bamboo. Rarer models are made of stone, such as jade.

Another Chinese wind instrument, the sheng, is similar to a harmonica. Researchers consider it one of the oldest in its class. Sheng consists of pipes, tongue and mouthpiece. His music is very variable, for which performers not only from China love him. Sheng is often used in the orchestra specifically for enriching the sound and changing the timbre.

Strings

The erhu instrument is considered a Chinese violin. It uses vibrato to play it. Another kind of violin is huqin. It appeared in the middle of the 8th century and gained widespread popularity throughout the Middle Kingdom. The huqin subtype is jinghu. Since it originated with the Peking Opera, it is often referred to as the "Peking Violin."

Every Chinese stringed musical instrument in ancient times was made with silk strings. And only in the XX century, by analogy with Western practice, their steel was changed to steel and nylon.

The seven-stringed Chinese variation of zither is called qixianqin. It is distinguished by an oblong body, a meter long and 20 centimeters wide. Qixianqin is considered one of the most ancient national musical instruments. It began to be actively used already in the 3rd century BC.

Plucked

Traditional Chinese musical instruments were used in the performance of the sychu folk ensembles. These include plucked sanxian (or xianzi). It also became widespread in the performance of dance songs. Sanxian has a lot in common with similar Central Asian instruments setar and tanbur. Some researchers believe that it appeared after the Mongol invasion of the Celestial Empire.

A similar Japanese instrument, the shamisen, comes from sanxian. Traditionally, it was most common in the north of China. His deck was often covered with snakeskin. Other characteristic features of Sanxian are the long neck and the lack of frets on the tuning pegs. Another representative of the plucked string is Guzheng. It has 21 to 25 strings. Some performers use picks similar to guitar picks when playing the Guzheng.

Other tools

Some Chinese musical instruments have become historical artifacts. These include Zhu. This five-stringed instrument featured an elongated, long soundboard. Most of all he looked like cymbals and zither. Zhu's popularity peaked during the Warring States period in the 5th and 3rd centuries. BC NS. It finally disappeared around the 10th century during the Song Empire.

Pipa is a Chinese plucked lute. Its body is pear-shaped. When playing the pip, the musicians must sit and use the plectrum. This tool has gained widespread popularity in China due to its versatility. It has been and is being used in orchestras, ensembles and solo. Pipa appeared in the 3rd century. Around the 8th century, it was taken over by the Japanese, who called it biva.

String yangqin is considered to be the Chinese analogue of cymbals. It also looks like Persian santur and dulzimer. Most often it is associated with Chinese opera, where it is played for accompaniment. Yangqin is made of wood, giving its body a trapezoidal shape. Bamboo beaters are used to heal the sound.

China is a distinctive country, and this is manifested in all its components, including in musical culture. Tourists who know a lot about music and want new sensations on this front will be pleasantly surprised by tours to China.

Traditional Chinese music is very different from everything that the ears of representatives of Western civilization are used to hearing. National musical instruments are played in it, and a special staging of performances can be traced.

The origin and development of Chinese folk music

This art form in China originates from the 5th century BC, with a work called "The Book of Songs". This collection contains 305 lyric poems.

The next stage in the development of traditional Chinese music is the creation in the 4th century BC. song and poetry school, which was founded by Qu Yuan. His most significant contribution is a collection called "Chuy stanzas".

The reign of the Han and Zhou dynasties was a favorable era for the development of the musical institute in China. Specially appointed officials were involved in the collection of folklore. Confucianism had a serious impact not on music at this time, often in the works of this time one can hear ceremonial and religious notes.

Lip organ (sheng)

During the Tang and Song dynasties, musical science continued to develop. Composers wrote hymns, works for a wide and narrow audience, lyrics, praised the Chinese people, the beauty of nature.

Important: In traditional Chinese spelling, the words "music" and "beauty" are written with the same hieroglyph, differing only in pronunciation.

The 7th-11th centuries are notable for the emergence of musical theater and traditional Chinese opera in China. The performances were complex performances that included dance, music, costumes, dialogue and actors.

Until the 17th century, Chinese music developed in a closed environment. Traditions that were born thousands of years ago were transformed into meager genres that differed little from each other, and only by the beginning of the 18th century, progress began in the formation of new directions of music.

By the 20th century, China began to actively borrow from Western influences in music, while maintaining an exceptional authenticity. Until the beginning of the new millennium, several hundred musical genres appeared in the Celestial Empire, one way or another, having a basis in traditional folk culture.

Chinese folk instruments

Dizi

Dizi, or simply Di is a wooden transverse flute, actively used in almost all areas of Chinese music. According to legend, the instrument was created specifically for the Yellow Emperor Huangdi. There are several versions of the Dee flute - they are made from wood, bone, and even jade.

Sheng

Chinese labial organ, or sheng, is one of the symbols of the traditional music of the Celestial Empire. The sheng classical organ had 12 octaves of sound, thanks to the bamboo tubes. Modern instruments are made of metal, they are divided into three types of pitch - treble, alto and bass.

Gong

Perhaps the most famous of Chinese folk instruments, in the first centuries of its existence, it was used only for ceremonies and rituals. Now gong has more than 30 varieties, each of which is an attribute of its own musical genre - from classical to experimental rock.

Chinese violin (erhu)

Paixiao

The Chinese version of the panflute - paixiao- was invented in the II millennium BC. The instrument has survived to this day almost unchanged - 12 bamboo tubes form a single flute with a soft but deep sound.

Guan

The closest Chinese relative of the oboe. Guan is a reed flute made from bamboo or other wood species. The classic instrument has a row of 9 holes, although shortened versions of the guan have become popular recently.

Erhu

Traditional chinese violin with two strings. Sounds as close as possible to typical high-pitched bowed instruments. Currently, one of the most demanded instruments throughout the East Asian region. Often erhu can also be heard in the music of western folk groups.

Qixianqin (Guqin)

Qixianqin

One of the oldest Chinese instruments, which has a second name - guqin... A stringed plucked instrument, a kind of analogue of the classical guitar. The sound range is 4 or more octaves. In the classic version, it has 7 strings, tuned very close to the guitar, the notches on the "neck" correspond to the chromatic sound and traditional pentatonic scale.

Pipa

Chinese variety lutes... Unlike the European "sister" pipa has only 4 strings and a limited sound range. It was supposedly invented in the 3rd century, now it is actively used in folk orchestras, as well as in solo performances.

Chinese lute (pipa)

Contemporary genres of Chinese music

Jungo Feng

The modern genre of Chinese music - Jungo Feng- appeared at the very beginning of the XXI century. In fact, it is a mixture of all popular genres of the West with a unique Asian flavor. The style does not have strict frameworks and strongly depends on momentary fashion trends.

Mengu Minge

Mongolian style - Mengu Minge- despite the closeness of the cultures of the two peoples and the whole region of Inner Mongolia, for the majority of Chinese people it is exotic. For the Celestial Empire, this genre often rises on the same level with European folk, although in terms of its sound and stage entourage it is undoubtedly Asian aesthetics.

Xi'an Minge

By the end of the 20th century, traditional tunes of Tibet became one of the genres of Chinese pop music. Xi'an Minge now - one of the most demanded pop styles from the regional level - to state concerts. The melodious melodies of Tibet are often used in various Chinese vocal schools.

Daitsu Minge

Traditional genre of Yunnan province - Daitsu Minge- these are major songs and instrumental compositions for fast dances. A frequent element of the performance is a mixed choir of male and female voices. The signature instrument of the genre is flute hulusi.

Lao Shanghai

The genre that emerged during the era of Shanghai's colonial dependence Lao is a symbiosis of cabaret and jazz traditions with folk melodies of the southern provinces of China. The genre was finally formed by the 1930s, and since then it has been actively introduced into various layers of Chinese music. An indispensable attribute of Lao - blues and jazz ballads in the style of the golden age of Hollywood and the "gangster" image of the musicians.

Gantai Gekyu

Term Gantai Gekyu- a de facto synonym for Chinese pop music performed in Cantonese or Mandarin. For a long time, the two versions of the texts were irreconcilable competitors, but now there is a weakening of contradictions and a certain symbiosis of dialects. At official concerts in Beijing, songs written in the Mandarin dialect predominate, while the Cantonese dialect is closer to Hong Kong or Shanghai.

Xiaonan Mingyao

Chinese student song - Xiaonan Mingyao- This is a unique phenomenon in national music, comparable only to the culture of Soviet bards. In fact, this is one of the analogues of an author's song performed to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar with minimal involvement of other instruments. The lyrics are different - from romance to protest.

Xibei Feng

A genre based on northwestern China music Xibei Feng absorbed the traditions of regional opera and borrowings from European culture. A distinctive feature is a rich rhythm section and bright texts on acute social topics. The genre is often referred to as the Chinese version of American pop rock.

Yaogong

Chinese word yaogong it is customary to call rock music in all its manifestations - from classical rock and roll to heavy metal. This genre appeared in China relatively late - only in the late 1980s, but with the development of culture it instantly became popular. There are now several thousand groups and solo artists working in the yaogong genre all over the country. Entire schools have been founded in Beijing and other cities to train musicians of this genre.

Xiao Qinxin

The genre that emerged in the mid-2000s Xiao Qinxin became a kind of response of Chinese youth to the emergence of hipster culture. Qinxin's music is based on minimalist arrangements and sentimental texts about love and the modern world. The closest Western genre is indie pop.

Chinese music is the art of the most ancient Chinese civilization, rooted in the culture of the II-I millennium BC... The origins of Chinese traditional music are tribal songs and dances, ritual forms of ritual art. Chinese musical instruments, like music itself, are fundamentally different from any other music in any country.

The music of China has several millennia of development. She was influenced by the musical traditions of the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Southeast Asia... She absorbed the elements of the music of the peoples that were part of the Chinese state (Uighurs, Tibetans, Mongols, Jurchens, Manchus, etc.), and in turn had a significant influence on the music of Korea, Japan, some peoples of Southeast Asia and the Pacific ocean. Since ancient times, Chinese music has developed under the influence of religious, philosophical and ideological doctrines.

The beginning of their own history of Chinese music is considered the appearance in the 6th century. BC NS. "Books of Songs" - "Shits-zin", although the musical notation has not been preserved in it. The compilation of the collection is attributed to Confucius.

It includes hymns and folk songs, mostly common in northern China. The collection also mentions more than 25 musical instruments... Among them are plucked strings - qin, se; wind instruments - yua, di, sheng, guan, percussion instrument zhong and others.

Wind instruments - xiao, flute and flute-son

Bowed strings - erhu, jinhu and banhu

Plucked strings - guzhen, gujin, pipa

Gujin is the oldest Chinese string instrument, with a history spanning over 3,000 years.

Percussion musical instruments - gongs and drums

During the X-VII centuries. BC NS. songs with a wide life content began to gradually separate from dances, turning from the VI century. BC NS. in self-directed art. With the development of Confucianism in China, which generally meets the interests of the ruling aristocracy, starting from the 5th century. BC NS. music takes on a new social meaning. It reflects the main categories of Confucian doctrine: ritual - li and humanity - jen.

According to Confucius, music is a microcosm as the embodiment of the great cosmos... Confucius argued that beautiful music contributes to the state structure, as it has a perfect structure. Many elements of Chinese music were symbolic in nature, due to ancient philosophy of nature. But at the same time, the musical system was strictly defined, and any violations in it could lead, according to the beliefs of the ancient Chinese, to various disasters.

• "Spring sun and white snow",

• "Hundreds of birds worship the phoenix"

These melodies can still be heard in China and abroad. Some of them have won awards at international performer competitions.
The Chinese love their national music for its originality and uniqueness. Almost every region of China has an orchestra of national instruments, some of which are homemade. These orchestras are often invited to tour overseas. In recent years The State Orchestra of National Instruments is invited to perform in Vienna for the Spring Festival.

Contemporary Chinese Music

Contemporary Chinese music is developing in the same way as the music of other countries: chanson, pop, rock, rap etc. Asia has always attracted to itself, especially China. However, it is no secret that Chinese music is practically not heard anywhere in our country. Almost no one knows that modern music in China is not Peking opera, but normal, groovy, cool, beautiful music that bewitches. You can listen to modern Chinese music in our VKontakte group -

The first mentions of music in China are found already in the Qin era (2nd century BC). Getting pleasure through listening to music was praised by Confucius. The great sage himself played musical instruments, first of all, of course, the "king of all instruments" - the hutsin.
Even then, many forms of ensemble music were formed. For example, the most famous duo of silk and bamboo (丝竹 si zhu). It is named after the materials from which the instruments included in the duo are made.

In general, there are eight categories of tools in China, depending on the material:

• bamboo
• wood
• metal
• stone
• gourd
• earth (clay)

Guqin (qin)

Many legendary names of Chinese history are associated with Guqin: Confucius, poets Li Bo, Tao Yuan Ming, Bo Juyi, commander Gzhuge Liang - all played Qing and sang it in their sayings and works.

The very shape of qin - rounded at the top and flat at the bottom - symbolizes the "circle" of Heaven and the "square" of the Earth, as they are understood in the natural philosophy of China. That is, the Guqin instrument itself is the whole world, everything that exists between heaven and earth.

All tool measurements also have a symbolic meaning:

• the length of the guqin is 36 tsun (Chinese measure of about 3.73 cm), which symbolizes 360 days a year
• there are 13 points on the Qin body for orientation during the game. They represent 12 months and 1 month of a leap year.
• the widest point of the instrument is 8 tsuni, which means eight winds.
• and the narrowest is 4 tsunya, the season of the season.

Night Cries of the Crows

Guzhen (zheng)

The explanatory dictionary explains that the name of the instrument comes from the sounds that it makes: "chen-chen-chen".

Unlike Qin, Guzhen has tuners with which you can influence the pitch. In the countries of Southeast Asia, a similar tool is often found. For example, in Japan it is koto, in Korea it is kayageum.

The number of strings in Guzhen in ancient times was at first equal to thirteen, then - fifteen, now - it can reach twenty-one and even twenty-four.

"Blooming moonlit night on the spring river"

Pipa

The name comes from the pip technique. The technique, when the string is played from above, is called "pi", from below: - "pa".
The pip has 4 strings and the body has frets.

There are two types of pipa pieces: large-scale and miniature. In terms of style, these plays can differ in character: military or secular.

There was one famous battle in history. The legendary struggle between the Chu and Han kingdoms in China is still remembered today. One of the most famous pieces for the pipa is of a military nature and describes those events. How ancient this piece is can be judged by the fact that there is a recording of 700 years ago, which describes what feelings a person experienced from listening to it. A very colorful play, in which you can hear the neighing of horses, and the blows of weapons, and the screams of people. In each small section, you can find out a specific battle scene.

"Siege from all sides"

Erhu

Er (二 er) means “two” (pipa has two strings), and hu is the name of a people who lived north and west of China in ancient times.

Since the Tang era, the tool came to China and became widespread. There is even a whole family of instruments - huqin - consisting of various types of erhu.

Erhu is often used in folk and theatrical music, solo or with accompaniment to singing.

Different acompaniments use different species from the zucine family. The most common type: the bow is threaded between the strings, the body is covered with boa constrictor skin. Also common are the Banhu - with an all-wooden body - and the Jinghu, which is used in the Peking Opera and is all made of bamboo.

"Reflection of the moon in two reservoirs"

Didza flute

Made from bamboo. Due to the fact that the idea is quite simple, many peoples have come to the invention of such an instrument. Didza, however, has a difference from other flutes - a film is glued on one of the holes. It allows you to make the sound more clear. In the south, a long didza is used, in the north, a short one.

8,000-year-old didza-like instruments made from bone have been discovered in China. In ancient times, the hieroglyph "di", included in the name of the instrument, also meant "to wash", "to cleanse". That is why didza is called the instrument that purifies the soul.

Shen

This extravagant instrument consists of three parts: a body, tubes and a cane with a lip opening. Surprisingly, this instrument with a rather intricate device has more than two thousand years of history. In the old shenas, however, the body was made of a gourd gourd, so this instrument belongs to this category. In China, the accordions and organ are believed to be descended from Shen.

Look at the game of a chaene and - it is possible to make sounds on it both during inhalation and exhalation.

Sona

Some say that the sona came to China from Persia. Now this instrument is widely used in many folk rituals from weddings to funerals.

The incredible composition "One Hundred Birds Meet the Phoenix" is often played at weddings - in it you can hear the imitation of the joyful sounds of birds.

Ocarina xun

It belongs to the category of earth, as it is made of clay.
The history goes back over 7000 years. According to legend, Xun is descended from an ancient throwing weapon. When hunting, ancestors often used stones or clumps of clay on a rope. Some of them were hollow and made whistling sounds in flight. People liked this, and subsequently they began to specially blow into hollow pieces of clay or hollowed out stones, extracting these sounds, and then making such instruments on their own.

Tianjin Conservatory professor Wang Jianxin's playing on Xun:

Xiao

One of the most important instruments and traditional pair of guqinu in the famous duet 丝竹 - silk and bamboo. On the upper end of the flute there is a hole inclined inward, into which the performer directs air. Initially, Xiao had only four finger holes, later two more were added to them: five on the front side and one on the back.

The length of xiao can vary in different regions and be from 50 to 75 centimeters and longer. In Japan, this type of flute is known as shakuhachi.