Chinese Musical Instruments Past and Present

As contemporary China welcomes Western musical instruments， its traditional musical instruments retain popularity among novices， including some overseas amateur musicians.

At the same time， performances overseas by Chinese folk music troupes of such classical pieces as A Moonlit River in Spring， Moon Mirrored in the Pool， Jasmine Flower， Notturno in the Fisherboat， and the innovative Impression of Chinese Music have instantly won them international reputations.

Both Chinese folk music and musical instruments are entering the international music scene and winning the hearts of audiences globally.

Erhu

The erhu， which belongs to the huqin family， is one of the typical traditional bowed string instruments hailing from North China.

The huqin， combining the cultures of Chinas Central Plains， Mongolia， and the Western Regions （a Han Dynasty term for the area west of Yumenguan， including what is now Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia）， dates back to the Tang Dynasty （618-907）. It later evolved into an umbrella of different versions to fit the performance styles of various regional operas. These instruments include the banhu， jinghu， jing erhu， zhuihu and gaohu.

Liu Tianhua （1895-1932）， a famous Chinese musician who learned from the techniques and skills of Western musical instruments， was a pioneer of rou xian （vibrato） for the erhu， and thus introduced a wider register for the instrument allowing it to feature in solos rather than just accompaniments.

Classical Pieces：

Moon Mirrored in the Pool （Er Quan Ying Yue）， Beautiful Evening（Liang Xiao）， Listen to Pine Trees （Ting Song）， Bird Song on a Desolate Mountain （Kong Shan Niao Yu）， Cold Wind in Early Spring （Han Chun Feng Qu）， Moonlit Night （Yue Ye） and Waves （Liu Bo Qu）.

Guzheng

The guzheng， or zheng， a plucked instrument， is a traditional Han Chinese musical instrument， as well as a unique and major folk instrument throughout China， with a history of over 2，500 years. The guzheng has a rectangle wooden resonating cavity on which there are movable string rests. Tuned to a pentatonic scale， the guzheng is frequently used in solos， but also as part of ensembles and orchestras as well as in accompaniments to songs and dances. The guzheng has a beautiful sound. It can be tuned to a wide range of pitches and has various playing techniques， aspects that make it popular with players and audiences alike. It is thought of by many as an “oriental piano.” Traditional guzheng music was divided into northern and southern styles， however， nowadays， there are few differences among the various genres of guzheng music.

Classical Pieces：

Songs of Fishing Boats at Dusk （Yu Zhou Chang Wan）， Towering Mountain and Running Water （Gao Shan Liu Shui）， Lotus Blossoms Emerging from the Water （Chu Shui Lian） and Lin Chong Flees in the Night （Lin Chong Ye Ben）.endprint