A Musical Trip to the Pearl of the East
A Musical Trip to the Pearl of the
East
Chinese Folk Music
History of Chinese Folk Music
According to Wikipedia (2021), China
developed music culture over 9,000 years ago based on archaeological evidence.
Some of the ancient instruments include clay music instrument Xun, bamboo flute
(Di Zi), and bronze bell set (Bian Zhong). A formal system of royal court and ceremonial
music was established in Zhou Dynasty around 1,000 BC. The Imperial Music
Bureau was established in Qin Dynasty around 200 BC. In subsequent dynasties,
Chinese musicians developed a large assortment of instruments and playing
styles, including one of the most popular instrument ancient zither (Gu Zheng).
Chinese music was also influenced by Central
Asia and India, including introduction of the popular instruments lute (Pi Pa) and
Chinese violin (Er Hu), which are widely used in modern folk music. The
earliest known folk music in China was from the 12th century when flute solos
were written to portray traditions and tales of various regions in China. A
more modern appreciated form of Chinese folk music is Guangdong music or
Cantonese music, which began around the 1920’s in Shanghai ballrooms. Chinese
folk music started to prosper again since the end of 20th Century with the development
of economy and culture of the nation.
Instruments of Chinese folk music
Musical instruments in China can be
classified by their material: metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, clay, animal skin
and wood. Some of the ancient indigenous instruments include long zithers,
flutes, panpipes, Sheng or mouth organ, and percussion instruments (cymbals,
drums, and gongs). Other instruments include various lutes and fiddles
introduced to China from Central Asia or Middle East.
In this Blog, I chose two sample pieces
played with woodwind instruments bamboo flute (Di Zi) and gourd flute (Hu Lu
Si), bowed strings Chinese violin (Er Hu), and plucked and struck strings
ancient zither (Gu Zheng) and lute (Pi Pa). You will also see some other woodwind
and percussion instruments in the orchestra. Below are some pictures of the major
instruments to help those who are new to Chinese folk music.
Gu Zheng – Chinese plucked and struck
string instrument.
Er Hu – Two- stringed
bowed instrument, also called Southern fiddle or Chinese violin.
Pi Pa – Chinese Lute, a four-stringed
plucked musical instrument
Di
Zi – open side-blown flutes with fingerholes made of bamboo or wood.
Hu Lu Si –
Gourd flute, a free reed wind instrument
Samples of Modern Chinese Folk Music
Melody and tone are of great
importance in Chinese folk music, and I chose the following two pieces performed
by professional musicians in modern China.
Jasmine Flower (茉莉花)-Chinese
Traditional Music
Revised composition by Ma Jiuyue,
performed by Ji Wei (Gu Zheng), Yu Hongmei (Er Hu), Chen Yue (Di Zi), and Zhao
Cong (Pi Pa), Dec. 2010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M4gca_uLB4
Jasmine Flower is one of my favorite song since
decades ago. It is so popular, and most Chinese know about its tune and some of
its lyrics. The song dates to the 18th century and became one of the
first Chinese folk songs widely known outside of China. It is a romantic song
from a lady who wants to present a fragrant and pure white jasmine flower to others,
probably her lover. It has different version of lyrics expressing varied feelings.
I met the Erhu artist Yu Hongmei twelve years ago in Wilmington of North Carolina
and received one of her CDs as a personal gift. I was so lucky to enjoy her
live performance.
The meter of the original song is 4/4
or quadruple, and its tempo is Adagio or slow to be played with beauty and
grace. The performance by famous artist Yu Hongmei et. al. in 2010 is
phenomenal, which represents the Chinese culture and history. Chinese are
hardworking and enduring. Women were not treated equally with men in most of
the Chinese history. Hardships produced more endurance and strength while creating
the unique beauty of Chinese ladies. The melody and dynamics of this piece of music
starts softly and slowly with Gu Zheng solo as an into. Then Er Hu joins in as
a lonely soloist with dragging and sorrowful sounds, like a delicate young lady
wondering in her emotions. The Di Zi performance speeds up the tempo and brings
cheerfulness together with the Pi Pa. You can hear the accelerando changed the
tune and setting of feelings. The music ends with expressing joy, hope, and
celebration of beauty. Overall, Jasmine Flower elicits deep and complex
feelings of Chinese females: purity, loveliness, loneliness, hope, joy, and
strength…
The Countryside Ballad (Tian Ge 田歌)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LX7QoL1Dxk
Hulusi soloist: Hou Yanqiu at the Grand
Chinese New Year Concert 2007 in Moscow, performed by China Traditional
Orchestra of Zhejiang Province, designed by Wu Zezhou and recorded by Russia TV.
Hulusi music was composed by famous flutist Jiang Guoji in 2006.
Hu Lu Si or “gourd flute” is a folk
music instrument in South China originated from Dai People in Yunnan Province.
It is an end-blown free reed pipe with gourd windchest. Most Hulusi have a
melody pipe and two drone pipes. Each pipe has a triangular free reed of brass.
Hu Lu Si means “silk of gourd”, referring to the haunting and silky tone of the
instrument. The Dai male farmers play Hulusi to express their love to women or
relaxation while taking a break from field labor. The composer Mr. Jiang
adopted country styles from Eastern and Southern China to portray the beautiful
scenery and lifestyle of countryside in South China.
The performance by China Traditional Orchestra
Zhejiang Province is a piece of fine art. Hulusi soloist Ms. Hou embedded her
emotions and whole being into her performance. The unique timbre of Hulusi is clear,
soft, and echoing, which makes audience flying through the beautiful
countryside of South China. The orchestra starts with a flute solo accompanied
by plucked and struck string music as an into, clear and bright. Then Hulusi
solo chimes in softly and slowly accompanied by ensemble of Erhu, Pipa, and
percussion, opening the curtain of the ballad. After the short bridge of Erhu
and percussion, the Hulusi increases its tempo a bit to a brisk tune. Then the
Hulusi slows down again continuing its soft and silky story. In the middle of
the music, the Hulusi leads another solo with changing tempo and pitches with
no accompanying music, sounds enchanting and ends with a much faster tempo
while all the other instruments chimed in suddenly with clear rhythm and
loudness, expressing firmness and a change of dynamic. It continued with the
same happiness till the end, which sounds like the final celebration of a good
harvest in the countryside of South China.
Chinese civilization is over 5,000
years. It went through ups and downs but remains strong. Chinese folk music is
a precious pearl of the East, expressing the characteristic of Chinese people and
their perseverance and love.
Sources:
“Chinese Folk Music”. Music-Folk.
2011. Web. 4 Mar. 2021. http://www.music-folk.com/chinese-folk-music/
“Music of China.” Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Feb. 2021. Web. 7 Mar. 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_China
“Mo Li
Hua.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Feb. 2021. Web. 7 Mar.
2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Li_Hua
“Hulusi.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, 24 Jan. 2021. Web. 7 Mar. 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulusi
Wow! Such beautiful music! It definitely has a way of calming you down. I really enjoy the sound of the Gu Zheng! Beautiful blog!
ReplyDeleteI know when I am having a hard time falling asleep or really need to relax I will play something like this :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D-Nj64uMW8 if you are interested in taking a listen! Great work!