Daoism
mystic Chinese religion. guqin is referred to “the sound of emptiness” referring to the Daoist goal of freeing one’s mind through the contemplation of nothingness
Confucianism
guqin is closely associated with this religion, and its social class of literati who cultivate the ideals of balance, harmony, and moderation in China
Buddhism
Main religion in China??
yayue
art music of the court and rituals in China
suyue
common entertainment and folk music in China
diao
five possible anhemitonic pentatonic modes in China
zheng
curved board zither associated with the household and romantic songs in the literati class of Confucianism. has a different string for each pitch, but pitch can change by pressing down behind the bridge after plucking.
pipa
pear-shaped lute in China; does not have the same place in the Chinese tradition as the guqin, but still highly regarded.
huqin
name for traditional bowed lutes in china, originally meant “foreign” because it came from Central Asia.
erhu
most important type of huqin;; primarily a solo instrument although it is featured in the sizhu ensemble; used in opera performance
jinghu
a fiddle pitched an octave higher than the erhu; used as lead instrument in Beijing opera; china
sanxian
lute with a very long fretless fingerboard and a shalloe box resonator covered in snake skin; three strings can be used to suit any range of singer; china
yueqin
“the moon lute”; distinctive circular shaped resonator. comes in many different sizes; china
ruan
four-string fretted lute with a large circular resonator; china
yangqin
a trapezodial hammered box-zither; adapted from the middle-eastern santur; each string is stretched over an intermediate bridge, but the strings alternate from the left to right side; china
dizi
transverse end-blown flute with six fingerholes; has a hole covered with a thin rice paper membrane that buzzes when the flute is played, giving it a rich, reedy timbre. common solo and small instrument, principle carrier of the melody in kunqu; china
dizi
transverse end-blown flute with six fingerholes; has a hole covered with a thin rice paper membrane that buzzes when the flute is played, giving it a rich, reedy timbre. common solo and small instrument, principle carrier of the melody in kunqu; china
xiao
bamboo flute comes in different sizes; china
suona
loud double reed with a conicall bore and a trumpet-like flared bell; player places reeds in his mouth, similar to the middle eastern zurna; china
sheng
multiple pipes, each with a single reed connnected to an air chamber; player both blows and sucks air from the mouthpiece; much like the sho in japan; used in china
luo
chinese gongs; often used in folk bands and chinese opera; pitch swoops up and down when the gong is hit. china
dagu
large, barrel-shaped drum with riveted heads; used in folk music, religious music, and some repertories of court music’ set horizontally in front of player, who plays with two sticks. china
xiaogu
small horizontal drum on a stand that serves as the conductor in many forms of chinese opera
ban
set of small wooden slats tied together on a string, china
bo
small chinese cymbals
guqin
the chinese zither; most revered instrument in China; ancient instrument from before confucius’ time; solo music is almosts always peaceful, serene, and balanced; meter is slow; one of the most difficult instruments to master because of the many differnt ways in which tone can be played
harmonic
describes an open string instrument; fan yin in chinese
luogu
chinese gong-and-drum ensembles very comomon in rural areas
guchui
luogu + two suona; ensemble where suona carry the melody; more instruments can be added but the suona will dominate; improvised variations of familiar tunes; china
sizhu
silk-and-bamboo ensembles; generally feature dizi, sanxian, erhu, and maybe xiao, sheng, yueqin, or yangqin; play traditional tunes in an elaborate heterophonic tapestry with a soft drum or clappers; china
guqu
the drum song; shorter type of sung narrative; singer accompanies himself or herself with a clapper and dagu; each presentation lasts about 15-20 minutes; china
kungu
one of the oldest genres of chinese regionalized opera; today is considered a classical dramatic form known for its ornate sophostication
jingxi
known in the West as Beijing Opera or Peking Opera, the most popular of the regional opera styles; origins relfect the cosmopolitan nature of the captial at the end of the 18th century; divided into dialogue, songs, dances, pantomimes, and musical interludes; 10 standard rhythmic types