Sheng (instrument)
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Distinguish". Template:Italic title Template:Infobox Instrument Script error: No such module "infobox". The Template:Transliteration (Template:Lang-zh) is a Chinese mouth-blown polyphonic free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes.
It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments, with images depicting its kind dating back to 1100 BCE,[1] and there are original instruments from the Han dynasty that are preserved in museums today.[1] Traditionally, the Template:Transliteration has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo Template:Transliteration or Template:Transliteration performances. It is one of the main instruments in Template:Transliteration and some other forms of Chinese opera. Traditional small ensembles also make use of the Template:Transliteration, such as the wind and percussion ensembles in northern China. In the modern large Chinese orchestra, it is used for both melody and accompaniment.
The Template:Transliteration has been used in the works of a few non-Chinese composers, including Unsuk Chin, Jukka Tiensuu, Lou Harrison, Tim Risher, Daníel Bjarnason, Guus Janssen and Christopher Adler. Some believe that Johann Wilde and Pere Amiot traveled to China and brought the first Template:Transliteration to Europe in 1740 and 1777 respectively,[2] although there is evidence that free reed musical instruments similar to the Template:Transliteration were known in Europe a century earlier.[3]
History
Chinese free-reed wind instruments named Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration were first mentioned in bone oracle writings dating from the 14th to the 12th centuries BCE, and were identified in later texts as types of Template:Transliteration. The first appearance of the word Template:Transliteration is in some of the poems of Template:Transliteration (Book of Odes), dating back Template:Circa. Ancient instruments with gourd wind chambers, varying numbers of pipes, with bamboo or metal reeds have been discovered in archaeological finds at the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng (Template:Circa) in present-day Hubei province, and the Han tombs at Mawangdui (Template:Circa) in Hunan province.
In the 8th century, three Template:Transliteration and three Template:Transliteration were sent to the Japanese court and these have been preserved in the Shōsōin imperial repository in Nara. All the instruments had 17 pipes with a long curving mouthpiece and are very similar to the traditional Template:Transliteration in use today. However, variants with different numbers of pipes, and chromatic instruments have been documented over the centuries.
Modern changes
The kinds of Template:Transliteration currently used are the products of changes made since the early 20th century that enhanced its sound and volume as well as increasing its range. Early changes were made by Zheng Jinwen (Script error: No such module "Lang"., 1872–1935) who increased the number of pipes to 32, expanding its range and allowing it to play harmony and chords. The air chamber and size of the pipes were also enlarged, changing the tone color of the instrument.[4] Later various changes were also introduced by players such as Weng Zhenfa (Script error: No such module "Lang".) and particularly Hu Tianquan (Script error: No such module "Lang".), with different variants of the instrument produced.
Acoustics and performance
The Template:Transliteration's reeds vibrate at a fixed frequency unlike single reeds, double reeds, and pointed free reeds which vibrate at the pitch according to the length of the attached air column. Covering the hole(s) on a traditional Template:Transliteration's pipe(s) would cause the entire length of the pipe(s) to resonate with the reeds' frequency. If the hole is open, the resonant frequency would not match, and hence no sound is produced.
The Template:Transliteration is sounded by either exhaling or inhaling into the mouthpiece, and players can produce a relatively continuous sound without pause by quickly switching between the two, similarly to playing a harmonica. The traditional performance style is to sound two or three notes at the same time by adding a fifth and/or octave above the main melody note. When a higher note is not available, a lower note a fourth below the main melody note can be played instead.
Types
Template:Transliteration varieties can be classified into traditional Template:Transliteration (Template:Zh) and keyed Template:Transliteration (Template:Zh) (sometimes also known as "improved Template:Transliteration" (Template:Zh)). Keyed shengs were only developed in the 20th century, from roughly 1950 onwards.
With more and more hybrid models being introduced, the difference between the two types of Template:Transliteration are increasingly blurred. However, Template:Transliteration instruments are generally categorized into either type based on the kind of fingering system that they adopt. This includes (on traditional Template:Transliteration) certain notes (namely the leading note, submediant, dominant, followed by tonic) present as a group on the left posterior side. Due to fourth and fifth harmonies being common in traditional Template:Transliteration repertoire, the fingerings on traditional Template:Transliteration are optimized for such. As a result, fingerings for traditional Template:Transliteration tend to look jumbled up, and can vary regionally. Keyed Template:Transliteration, on the other hand, have sequenced fingerings that allow for easy key changes.
On a traditional Template:Transliteration, there are holes on the finger pipes which can be covered by the player's fingers to sound that particular note. On a keyed Template:Transliteration, the holes are opened and closed by means of keys or levers. The greater number of pipes combined with the size of the larger instruments makes it impractical to operate newer instruments without keys.
Traditional Template:Transliteration
The traditional Template:Transliteration (Template:Zh) used in, for example, northern Chinese ritual music, Template:Transliteration and Jiangnan sizhu ensembles generally have 17 pipes but with only 13 or 14 sounding pipes. Its scale is mainly diatonic, for example the 17-pipe (4 of which are silent decorative pipes) Template:Transliteration used in Jiangnan sizhu is tuned:[5]
<score sound="1">\relative c { a b c cis d e fis g a b cis d}</score>
With the development of Template:Transliteration music in mid-20th century China, the Template:Transliteration underwent changes to increase its range and volume. The Template:Transliteration had all its 17 pipes fitted with reeds, then the number of pipes increased to 21, and metal tubes were attached to the bamboo pipes to amplify its sound. The other change was the development of the keyed Template:Transliteration.
<score sound="1">\relative c' { d e fis g a b c cis d e f fis g gis a b c cis d e fis}</score> Nowadays, traditional Template:Transliteration are usually only used for solo repertoire, due their not being fully chromatic (and also the fact that certain techniques – like glissandi – can only be achieved on a traditional Template:Transliteration). For an orchestra setting, keyed Template:Transliteration tend to be preferred for being fully chromatic. Many modern traditional Template:Transliteration do come with some keys for ease of fingering; there are also fully chromatic traditional Template:Transliteration. These are still known by the blanket term "traditional Template:Transliteration" due to them retaining the typical traditional Template:Transliteration-like fingering. Also, traditional Template:Transliteration are usually held in the player's hands when playing, and a 37-reed fully chromatic traditional Template:Transliteration tends to be too heavy to be held for long performances.
Keyed Template:Transliteration
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Chromatic 24- and 26-reed keyed Template:Transliteration were common during the 1950s, but current models usually have 32 to 38 reeds. There are four main ranges of keyed Template:Transliteration, forming a family of soprano, alto, tenor and bass. All are chromatic throughout their range, and equal tempered. They have markedly different fingering from their traditional counterparts, having been redesigned so that key changes can be achieved without cumbersome fingerings. These also differ from their traditional counterparts by the fact that they tend to be placed on the musician's lap or on a stand while playing.
Soprano Template:Transliteration
The soprano Template:Transliteration (Template:Zh) is a 36-reed Template:Transliteration with a soprano range of G3 to F#6. It primarily uses the treble clef in sounding pitch.
However, to suit the needs of modern repertoire, 38- or even 42-reed Template:Transliteration have become increasingly prevalent in the late 2010s (those go all the way up to C7). Some models even include levers that allow for sounding of chords (i.e. more than one note is sounded when one lever is depressed).
The Piccolo Sheng is twice as size as soprano sheng but has one octave higher than the soprano sheng
Alto Template:Transliteration
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Man playing Template:Transliteration outdoors, Beijing
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Musician Wu Wei playing the Template:Transliteration
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The alto Template:Transliteration (Template:Zh) is a 36-reed Template:Transliteration with an alto range of C3 to B5. They sound a perfect 5th lower than soprano Template:Transliteration. They often sport an additional row of 12 black keys, that plays all 3 pipes corresponding to the same note in different octaves (e.g., pressing the black "C" causes the notes C3, C4 and C5 to be sounded simultaneously). It primarily uses the treble (octave down) and alto clefs (albeit less common as of the late 2010s – notably with Singapore Chinese Orchestra deciding to scribe alto Template:Transliteration scores in treble clef). The alto variants tend to have a more mellow timbre than the slightly more metallic sounding soprano Template:Transliteration. While many countries have alto Template:Transliteration with a range of C3 to B5, some regional variants tend to have a range of G2 to F#5 (i.e. the tenor Template:Transliteration's range).Template:Fact
The alto Template:Transliteration plays an important role in modern Chinese orchestras, serving to provide chordal accompaniment as well as supplementing lower-pitched instruments like the cello. There are two main form factors of alto Template:Transliteration in modern Chinese music: the Template:Zhp and the Template:Zhp. The Template:Transliteration is usually placed on the musician's lap; one would reach around to the buttons on its posterior (in effect hugging the instrument, and hence the name). It is cylindrical in nature, and tends to be smaller (i.e. less heavy and bulky) due to the pipes having been engineered to bend inside the body to make effective use of all available space inside the Template:Transliteration. This, however, presents the drawback of it being difficult to disassemble and reassemble for maintenance or repairs. The Template:Transliteration on the other hand, is typically placed on a Template:Transliteration stand. This form is so named as the pipes and resonators are arranged into 3 rows (in a linear manner) instead of a circular fashion. These are commonly seen in school orchestras, as there is a reduced likelihood of it being dropped (since it is placed on a stand), and is less difficult/expensive to repair (due to its simpler layout).
Tenor Template:Transliteration
The tenor Template:Transliteration (Template:Zh) is a 36-reed Template:Transliteration with a tenor range of G2 to FTemplate:Music5 or F2 to E5 that sound one octave lower than soprano Template:Transliteration, and primarily uses the tenor clef or treble clef (octave down), and at times the bass clef. This variant tends to have a warmer and richer timbre, despite being less common than its alto counterpart. They are sometimes made with more reeds to cover the alto Template:Transliteration's range as well, and also come in 2 form factors (Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration).
Bass Template:Transliteration
The bass Template:Transliteration (Template:Zh) is usually a 32-reed Template:Transliteration with a bass range of C2 to G4, and primarily uses the bass clef.
These similarly come in two form factors as well: the Template:Zhp; a large standing organ-like instrument that comes with or without pedals (the pedals are used to pump air into the instrument like a reed organ), and the Template:Transliteration (lit. "held Template:Transliteration", although it is placed on a stand due to its weight). With the bass Template:Transliteration, the differences between the 2 variants are more pronounced; bass paisheng tend to require a greater breath volume to play.
The Contrabass Sheng is also used for bass sheng but two octaves lower than the alto sheng and tenor sheng
Keyboard Template:Transliteration
In the 21st century, keyboard Template:Transliteration (Template:Zh), or Template:Transliteration that have a keyboard layout instead of the typical buttons, have emerged. These can vary from 37-reed Template:Transliteration all the way to 53-reed ones (if not more like 61), covering a variety of ranges from alto to bass. The keyboard Template:Transliteration has a range of up to 5 octaves from C2 to C7 just like many modern day pipe organs. Keyboard Template:Transliteration are considered niche, as very few repertoires make use of the keyboard layout. In fact, many of the chordal parts written for Template:Transliteration are currently heavily clustered, and as such, a keyboard layout tends to result in slightly cumbersome fingering. However, repertoire written for piano is playable on them.
See also
- Music of China
- Traditional Chinese musical instruments
- Khene
- Lusheng
- Mangtong
- Plung
- Saenghwang
- Shō
- Yu (wind instrument)
Notes
Further reading
- Alan R. Thrasher; Sheng article, Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online.
External links
- Template:Cite EB1911
- Sheng – Chinese mouth organ from the Silk Road Project
- The Classical Free-Reed, Inc. History of the Free-Reed Instruments in Classical Music
- A visit to the home of master sheng player Hu Tianquan (Script error: No such module "Lang".) – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, YouTube
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- ↑ Witzleben, J. Lawrence (1995). "Silk and Bamboo" Music in Shanghai: The Jiangnan Sizhu Instrumental Ensemble Tradition. Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, p. 42
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".