BY: REBECCA DUBOISDECEMBER 14TH 2009

A Comparison of Traditional and Modern

Chinese Music

The Beginning of Music

Artifacts that have been found throughout China have shown that China had a

developed musical culture as early as 1122, in the Zhou Dynasty.

A Legend in Chinese culture tells of how the founder of music, Ling Lun carved bamboo pipes and tuned the notes to the sounds of

birds.

Earliest Song

The earliest song known in existence is “Youlan” or in English, “Solitary Orchid”, and is thought to

have been written before AD 908.

The manuscript for the song was found in Japan, but as a copy. The original hasn’t been found, so no one knows when the actual date was that the

song was written.

The manuscript that was found contains no notes, only a description on how it should be played.

This is called Wenzi notation. Many people have tried to interpret the song and record it, but no

one can tell how it should actually sound.

Youlan

This is an example of Youlan being played on the Gu Qin. It is someone's own

interpretation on how it should be played.

A portion of the sheet music for Youlan

Traditional Chinese Instruments

Traditional Chinese instruments fall into 3 different categories.

They are: Woodwind and Percussion, Bowed strings, and

Plucked stringsGenerally, traditional instruments are played

solo, as opposed to in an orchestra.The pentatonic scale is the most common

scale.

Pentatonic scale

Gu Qin

A Gu Qin is categorized under a plucked string instrument.

It’s one of the oldest instruments that are still used in China.

The origins of the Gu Qin are Thought to go back at least 5,000

years.The oldest Gu Qin in existance is From the Tang Dynasty(618 – 907)

Gu Qin

The Gu Qin is played with the instrument laid flat on a table. The strings are plucked in an upward motion.

There are around 1070 different hand techniques, but only 50 of them are necessary to know to play a modern piece.

Gu Qin’s have sevenstrings.A Gu Qin has a 4

octave range.

Songs that are writtenfor the Gu Qin generally have many spaces between the notes, and does not have a steady rhythm.

Guangling San

This is the longest piece of music written for the Gu Qin, at 22 minutes in length.

It was written in the 3rd century by Ji Kang, a famous Gu Qin master.

The song is supposed to recount a story about Nie Zheng, a man who assassinated the King of the Han kingdom, to avenge the murder of

his father.

Erhu

An Erhu is categorized as a Bowed string instrument.

It is sometimes known as the Chinese two stringed fiddle.

It is believed that this instrument was created in the 10th century in Central Asia.

“Er” means two, which is referencing the two strings on the instrument, while “Hu” means it’s part of the huqin family. Huqin means “Barbarian

Instrument”, hinting that it originated from Northern China, where non-Han people live.

Erhu

An Erhu is always played sitting down, with the right hand pressing down the strings and the left hand in an underhand grip around the

bow.The Erhu can also be plucked, using the right

hand, to produce a muted tone. There are only about 5 to 6 different hand

techniques

Lady Meng Jiang

Lady Meng Jiang is a famous Chinese folk song written for the Erhu.

The story behind the folk song is a lady’s husband is forced to go help build the Great Wall of China, and after not hearing from her husband for a while she decided to go look

for him. She discovered that her husband had died, along with thousands of other men and they had been stuffed inside the Great Wall.

Dizi

The Dizi is categorized as a woodwind instrument.

The Dizi is commonly used for Chinese folk music and in Chinese operas.

Bamboo is the main material used to make the Dizi, but occasionally they are made from

Jade or other types of wood.It is believed that the Dizi was invented during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD)

Dizi

The Dizi is held the same way a regular western flute is played.

Different techniques that are often used while playing a Dizi are circulated breathing,

flutter tonguing, and double tonguing.The majority of professional players have a

set of seven Dizi, each different sizes and different key.

Jasmine Flower

Jasmine Flower is a famous ancient Chinese folk song that was written for the Dizi.

It was written in the Qing Dynasty, and is about the beauty of a jasmine flower.

Vocal Music

Chinese vocal music is traditionally sung in a high, thin voice or in falsetto. Vocal music is usually sung solo, rather than choral.

It is believed that Chinese vocal music began with people singing the verses of poems to the melody of music.

Often in vocal music, a voice is put in to provide the harmony or melody to the instrument, instead of the instrument accompanying the vocals.

1910 - 1960

Around 1910, China began to adopt a more western sound to their music.

Older instruments were less frequently used, and instruments such as guitars and drums

were in most modern songs. New genres such as Mando-pop were

created, and they were the main thing people were listening to.

Teresa Teng

Teresa Teng is probably the most famous Mando-pop singer in China and Taiwan.

She sang throught the 1970’s into the 1990’s and sang in a variety of different languages including Japanese, Taiwanese, and Indonesian.

She died of an asthma attack while vacationing in Thailand in 1995 at the age of 42.

The Moonlight Represents My Heart

The Moonlight Represents My Heart is one of Teresa most famous and most recognizable

songs throughout Asia.This song is categorized under Mando-pop

and no prominent traditional Chinese instruments are used.

1990 - Present

In the early 1990’s, Mando-pop became even more popular with the influence of Teresa

Teng.Traditional instruments began showing up in

modern music again, most prominently heard are the Gu Qin and Pipa.

S.H.E

S.H.E is the longest running Mando-pop girl group in China and Taiwan.

They debuted in 2001 and have released 12 albums.

They are known for their emotional and poetic lyrics, and their wide variety of genres.

S.H.E has remained one of the top artists for 9 years.

Moonlight Letters

Moonlight Letters is a song off S.H.E’s most recent album FM S.H.E.

It’s significant for it’s use of the Erhu and Gu Qin, as well as a more westernized rhythm.

Jade Liu

Jade Liu is a runner up contestant on Super Girls, a Chinese show based on American

Idol.She is well known for her strong vocals, and

her beautiful ballads, in which traditional Chinese instruments are frequently present.

Reminiscing Rain

Reminiscing Rain is a song from Jade’s debut album I Am Just What I Am.

This song features a Gu Qin as well as an Erhu.

This song also has many western instruments, such as wind chimes and piano.

Jay Chou

Jay Chou is the best selling Mando-pop artist of his time.

Jay is known for never recording a song he hasn’t written himself, and also his ability to play a variety of different instruments including the Erhu, Gu Qin, piano, Guzheng, Pipa and cello.

Jay is also credited with coining the term “Zhong Guo Feng” which is a term used to describe a

piece of music that has both Chinese and western elements to it. Most Zhong Guo Feng use the

pentatonic scale to accent a more oriental sound and style.

Chrysanthemum Terrace

Chrysanthemum Terrace is a song Jay Chou wrote for the movie, The Curse of the Golden

Flower.This song features Jay Chou playing the

Guzheng, as well as cello and violin.

Traditional and Modern Chinese Music

In conclusion, it is evident that current Chinese artists have attempted to bridge the gap between traditional and modern music. By adding traditional instruments to their songs, they’re keeping their culture intact, and also introducing ancient sounds to a younger audience. It’s important that the culture of traditional Chinese music is not

lost, and a newer generation can appreciate China’s culture through music.