Jiangnan sizhu
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Jiangnan sizhu is a style of traditional Chinese instrumental music from the Jiangnan region of China.
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[edit] Name
The name Jiangnan sizhu (江南丝竹 pinyin: Jiāngnán sīzhú) is made up of two parts. Jiangnan is the traditional name for the area south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze river in southern Jiangsu, Shanghai and northern Zhejiang. Sizhu, literally "silk and bamboo," refers to string and wind musical instruments, silk being the traditional material of which strings are made in China, and bamboo being the material from which the Chinese flute dizi is made. The term sizhu by extension also came to mean music in general, especially one play indoors. Other sizhu traditions also exist, particularly along China's south eastern coastal regions.
[edit] History
[edit] Instruments
Instruments typically used in Jiangnan sizhu include plucked, bowed, and struck string instruments; flutes; and small percussion instruments. The most commonly used instruments are the dizi, erhu, pipa, yangqin, sheng, sanxian, xiao, and wooden clapper and small drum, although other instruments such as the qinqin, ruan, liuqin, or zhonghu may also be used. As in an Irish traditional music session, the instrumentation is not fixed, and so may vary according to the musicians who are available. Usually only one of each instrument is used, and can range from few as two to as many as ten, with the erhu, dizi or xiao, pipa and yangqin being the core instruments.
[edit] Repertoire
The repertoire is based on old melodies such as "Lao Liu Ban" (Old Six Beats), which are elaborated to create new pieces.
[edit] Social context
Jiangnan sizhu is generally considered to be a folk tradition rather than a professional one, performed by amateurs. It is typically performed in informal gatherings, often at tea houses.
[edit] Notable Jiangnan sizhu musicians
In the second half of the 20th century, a quartet from China playing Jiangnan sizhu repertoire as well as newly composed pieces comprised four men: dizi player Lu Chunling (陆春龄), pipa player Ma Shenglong (马圣龙), yangqin player Zhou Hui (周惠), and erhu player Zhou Hao (周皓). They brought the style to new audiences and performed together for many years.
[edit] Reference and further reading
- Jones, Stephen (1995). Folk Music of China. Oxford: Clarendon Press OUP.
- Witzleben, J. Lawrence (1995). "Silk and Bamboo" Music in Shanghai: The Jiangnan Sizhu Instrumental Ensemble Tradition. Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press
