biwa instrument classification

CLASSIFICATION DIAGRAM OF WOOD A fundamental structure of string instruments in the Asia and Western is a box-sound hole structure [4,5] as seen in the harpsichord, guitar, violin, and biwa . The archlute ( Spanish: archilad, Italian: arciliuto, German: Erzlaute) is a European plucked string instrument developed around 1600 as a compromise between the very large theorbo, the size and re-entrant tuning of which made for difficulties in the performance of solo music, and the Renaissance tenor lute, which lacked the bass range of the Biwa. NGDMI v.1: 234-237. The biwa is a plucked string instrument that first gained popularity in China before spreading throughout East Asia, eventually reaching Japan sometime during the Nara period (710794). A pipa player playing with the pipa behind his back. The higo-biwa is closely related to the heike-biwa and, similarly, relies on an oral narrative tradition focusing on wars and legends. The wu style was associated more with the Northern school while the wen style was more the Southern school. There are some types of traditional string instrument. In addition, there are a number of techniques that produce sound effects rather than musical notes, for example, striking the board of the pipa for a percussive sound, or strings-twisting while playing that produces a cymbal-like effect. Since the revolutions in Chinese instrument-making during the 20thcentury, the softer twisted silk strings of earlier times have been exchanged for nylon-wound steel strings, which are far too strong for human fingernails, so false nails are now used, constructed of plastic or tortoise-shell, and affixed to the fingertips with the player's choice of elastic tape. This is the original form of biwa that came to Japan in the 8th century. The biwa arrived in Japan in the 7th century, having evolved from the Chinese bent-neck pipa (; quxiang pipa),[1] while the pipa itself was derived from similar instruments in West Asia. February 20, 2008. It is assumed that the performance traditions died out by the 10th or 11th century (William P. Malm). . Wood, leather, Dimensions: [56], Texts from Tang dynasty mentioned many renowned pipa players such as He Huaizhi (), Lei Haiqing (), Li Guaner (), and Pei Xingnu (). [9] When singing in a chorus, biwa singers often stagger their entry and often sing through non-synchronized, heterophony accompaniment. 3 (Winter, 19771978). Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. It was in the late 20th century that this instrument started to be re-discovered and re-evaluated in various musical settings, such as soundtrack for movies and ensemble and orchestra music, culminating in Toru Takemitsus signature piece November Steps, which premiered in New York City in 1967. Players from the Wang and Pudong schools were the most active in performance and recording during the 20th century, less active was the Pinghu school whose players include Fan Boyan (). Catalogue of the Crosby Brown . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The surface of the frets is constantly shaved down by the strings, and one of the most important points in the maintenance of the biwa is to keep the surfaces as flat as possible to get goodsawari, The narrative biwa music adopts a relative tuning; the pitch is decided to match with the players range of voice. [3][4][5], The earliest mention of pipa in Chinese texts appeared late in the Han dynasty around the 2nd century AD. The scores were written in tablature form with no information on tuning given, there are therefore uncertainties in the reconstruction of the music as well as deciphering other symbols in the score. The biwa strings are plucked with large wooden pick called bachi () that requires a full-handed grip. Most ms biwas have tear-shaped bodies, but this rustic fish-shaped example was probably used by a wandering Buddhist monk. The fourth/fifth string G is an octave higher than the second string G. Again, note this is relative tuning; it could be AEAE, GDGD, etc, depending on the players range of voice. An English translation was published in the Galpin Society Journal in 1961. The fourth and fifth strings, if 5-stringed, are tuned to the same note. This is a type of biwa that wandering blind monks played for religious practice as well as in narrative musical performances during the medieval era, widely seen in the Kyushu area. In the 1920s and 1930s, the number of frets was increased to 24, based on the 12 tone equal temperament scale, with all the intervals being semitones. used to strike the hard soundboard sharply to create percussive effects, adding a more dynamic flavor to the music. greatest depth of resonator Each group can include either two open strings or one open and one fingered string. [16], While many styles of biwa flourished in the early 1900s (such as kindai-biwa between 1900 and the 1930s), the cycle of tutelage was broken yet again by the war. (80 30 3.4 cm), Classification: The short neck of the Tang pipa also became more elongated. Though its origins are unclear, this thinner variant of the biwa was used in ceremonies and religious rites. In performance it was held sideways and played with a plectrum. As part of, Mamoru Ohashi (Japanese, active Ogasa, Shizouka Prefecture 1953). One of the biwa's most famous uses is for reciting The Tale of the Heike, a war chronicle from the Kamakura period (11851333). The musical narrative of The Tale of Heike, in The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music, edited by Alison McQueen Tokita and David W. Hughes. The number of frets is considerably fewer than other fretted instruments. 89.4.123. The transmission parameter (product of propagation speed and Q value of the longitudinal wave along the wood grain . The peg box is angled about 90 degrees from the neck, and the back of the body is flat, unlike the western lute. The biwa's twangy plucks were most commonly accompanied by a single voice during court performances, but its popularity spread the instrument made its way into religious sermons and oral history . This singing style is complemented by the biwa, which biwa players use to produce short glissandi throughout the performance. Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted, Credit Line: These monophonic do not follow a set harmony. length Reflecting its history as an instrument for samurai, its music is often described as dynamic and heroic. [25] Extra frets were added; the early instrument had 4 frets (, xing) on the neck, but during the early Ming dynasty extra bamboo frets (, pn) were affixed onto the soundboard, increasing the number of frets to around 10 and therefore the range of the instrument. The biwa (Japanese: ) is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. 13 in. Further, the frets and the nut are wide, which provides a surface, not a point, for a string to touch. [6] Another Han dynasty text, Fengsu Tongyi, also indicates that, at that time, pipa was a recent arrival,[7] although later 3rd-century texts from the Jin dynasty suggest that pipa existed in China as early as the Qin dynasty (221206 BC). Pipa is also an important component of regional chamber ensemble traditions such as Jiangnan sizhu, Teochew string music and Nanguan ensemble. It is one of the most enduring work in Chinese theatre, and one that became a model for Ming dynasty drama as it was the favorite opera of the first Ming emperor. The open strings are shown in the first measures, and the pitches assigned the left-hand fingered notes in the following four measures. For example, a piece like "The Warlord Takes off His Armour" is made up of many sections, some of them metered and some with free meter, and greater freedom in interpretation is possible in the free meter sections. 592 AD, Sui dynasty. The pipa, pp, or p'i-p'a (Chinese: ) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. 36 1/2 7 7/8 5 in. These cookies do not store any personal information. Ye Xuran (), a student of Lin Shicheng and Wei Zhongle, was the Pipa Professor at the first Musical Conservatory of China, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. It is an instrument in Japan, that is a two-stringed fiddle (violin). [49] In Nanguan music, the pipa is still held in the near-horizontal position or guitar-fashion in the ancient manner instead of the vertical position normally used for solo playing in the present day. It was those blind monks who fell outside of governmental protection who, during the 17. century, creatively modified the biwa to introduce a shamisen flavor, such as making frets higher to play in-between notes. She now performs with Red Chamber and the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. Liu also studied with other musicians and has developed a style that combines elements from several different schools. Of the remaining post-war biwa traditions, only higo-biwa remains a style almost solely performed by blind persons. Although no longer as popular as it once was, several chikuzen biwa schools have survived to the present day in Japan and to a lesser extent in Japanese communities abroad (such as in Hawaii). Therefore the sound of the biwa is very strong at the attack but it has almost no resonance, and in that sense, its contribution to the overall sound of the orchestra is more rhythmic than harmonic. Ueda Junko and Tanaka Yukio, two of Tsuruta's students, continue the tradition of the modern satsuma-biwa. Both were pupils of Wang Yuting (18721951), and both were active in establishing and promoting Guoyue ("national music"), which is a combination of traditional regional music and Western musical practices. The biwa is a relative of Western lutes and guitars, as well as of the Chinese pipa. During the 1950s, the use of metal strings in place of the traditional silk ones also resulted in a change in the sound of the pipa which became brighter and stronger. Few pieces for pipa survived from the early periods, some, however, are preserved in Japan as part of togaku (Tang music) tradition. The encounter also inspired a poem by Yuan Zhen, Song of Pipa (). This is a system used to classify all musical instruments.This system was created by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs.The Hornbostel-Sachs system is based on how an instrument vibrates to produce sound. Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted, Credit Line: 38.5 in. It was those blind monks who fell outside of governmental protection who, during the 17th century, creatively modified the biwa to introduce a shamisen flavor, such as making frets higher to play in-between notes. As a point of clarification, the highest and last pitch of the biwa's arpeggio is considered as its melodic pitch. It eventually became the favored instrument to accompany narrative singing, especially on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu where it was performed by blind Buddhist priests (ms). Today, the instrument is played in both narrative and instrumental formats, in the traditional music scene as well as in various popular media. Once assembled, four wound silk strings of varying thicknesses are at one of their ends tied to the string holder bridge (detail #4) and the other to the tuning pegs. The biwas sound at the attack (top) at one second later (bottom). By the Song dynasty, the word pipa was used to refer exclusively to the four-stringed pear-shaped instrument. They recognized that studies in music theory and music composition in Japan almost entirely consisted in Western theory and instruction. Although typically it is used to play short standardized phrases between lines of vocal text, it may be used for longer programmatic pieces depicting battles, storms, or other dramatic events. Thought to be of Persian origin, the biwa was brought to Japan in the 8th century via Central Asia, China and the Korean Peninsula. Kindai-biwa still retains a significant number of professional and amateur practitioners, but the zato, heike, and moso-biwa styles have all but died out. Player - Instrument Interface and Sound Production. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. 77-103. Koto. This type of biwa is used for court music called gagaku (), which has been protected by the government until today. [67] It is very much the same as the modern pipa in construction save for being a bit wider to allow for the extra string and the reintroduction of the soundholes at the front. Famous solo pieces now performed include: Most of the above are traditional compositions dating to the Qing dynasty or early 20th century, new pieces however are constantly being composed, and most of them follow a more Western structure. biwa, Japanese short-necked lute, distinguished by its graceful, pear-shaped body. However, depictions of the pear-shaped pipas in China only appeared after the Han dynasty during the Jin dynasty in the late 4th to early 5th century. It always starts from the 4th string and stops on either the 3rd, 2nd, or 1st string depending if the arpeggio contains 2, 3, or 4 pitches, respectively. Several types of biwa, each with its own social setting and repertoire, have evolved in Japan over the past 1300 years, the specimens pictured here being called most accurately the chikuzen biwa. Gao Hong graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and was the first to do a joint tour with Lin Shicheng in North America. Influenced by the recitations of blind priests, the music of the heike biwa reflects the mood of the text. The instrument's rounded rectangular resonator has a snakeskin front and back, and the curved-back pegbox at the end of the neck has lateral, or side, tuning pegs that adjust three silk or nylon strings. Its pick or bachi () is the largest among all types of biwa it sometimes. It is an instrument in China, its mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. The strings are usually tuned to A2 D3 E3 A3 , although there are various other ways of tuning. The flowers fluttered, and from Heaven the phoenix trilled, The biwa is a relative of Western lutes and guitars, as well as of the Chinese pipa. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This may be due to the fact that the word pipa was used in ancient texts to describe a variety of plucked chordophones of the period from the Qin to the Tang dynasty, including the long-necked spiked lute and the short-necked lute, as well as the differing accounts given in these ancient texts. biwa, Japanese short-necked lute, distinguished by its graceful, pear-shaped body. Influenced by the shamisen, its music is rather soft, attracting more female players. [20], Garfias, Gradual Modifications of the Gagaku Tradition 16, Garfias, Gradual Modifications of the Gagaku Tradition 18, Ferranti, Relations between Music and Text in "Higo Biwa", The "Nagashi" Pattern as a Text-MusicSystem 150, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biwa&oldid=1097578427, This page was last edited on 11 July 2022, at 14:28. 2. This overlap resulted in a rapid evolution of the biwa and its usage and made it one of the most popular instruments in Japan. The biwa is a four stringed lute and it is approximately 106 cm long (42 inches). The sound can be totally different depending on where the instrument is hit, how the plectrum is held, and which part of the plectrum hits the surface. They included Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi. There is also evidence that other biwa instruments came from the Indian lute tradition. [39] The plectrum has now been largely replaced by the fingernails of the right hand. Biwa is a 4-stringed lute played with a large spectrum. And thanks to the low tension of the strings, it is easy to bend the strings by adding pressure. At first the chikuzen biwa, like the one pictured in gallery #1, had four strings and five frets, but by the 1910s Tachibana and his sons had developed a five-string model (gallery #2) that, since the 1920s, has been the most common form of the instrument. Tokyo:Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai. [14], Biwa usage in Japan has declined greatly since the Heian period. It is however possible to produce the tremolo with just one or more fingers. When two strings are plucked at the same time with the index finger and thumb (i.e. We speculate that being half-way in the section, the purpose of this clash may be to avoid a too strong feeling of cadence on the 'tonic E,' since there is one more phrase to come before completing this section. Chikuzen was an historic northern province on Kyushu, the southern-most main island of Japan. The Museum's collection of musical instruments includes approximately 5,000 examples from six continents and the Pacific Islands, dating from about 300 B.C. 20002023 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dunhuang, Mogao Caves. The biwa (Japanese: ) is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection . 89.4.2088. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Multiple strings are often played in one pluck like an arpeggio. The four-string specimen is tuned to a shamisen tuning called honchshi (interval structure, from the lowest string upwards, of P4 - P5, with the top two strings tuned in unison): approximately B2 E3 B3 B3; a typical tuning for the 5-string instrument has the intervallic sequence of P4 (down) P4 (up) M2 (up) P4 (up), approximately E3 B2 E3 F-sharp3 B3. For a long time, the biwa tradition was carried on by wandering blind monks who used the instrument to tell stories such as the Tale of Heike (). 1800 Geography: Japan Culture: Japanese Medium: Wood, mother-of-pearl and ivory Dimensions: 35 12 1/8 11 1/2 in. At the beginning of the Meiji period, it was estimated that there were at least one hundred traditional court musicians in Tokyo; however, by the 1930s, this number had reduced to just 46 in Tokyo, and a quarter of these musicians later died in World War II. Clara H. Rose (d. 1914) Catalogue of the Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments: Asia, Gallery 27. The biwa player with whom we worked, NAKAMURA Kahoru, improvised ten different versions of this rhythm. The instrument was invented in China in the 3rd to 5th centuries AD, during the Jin dynasty. Rubbing the strings: The plectrum is used to rub an open string. The instrument is tuned to match the key of the singer. Chikuzen was an historic northern province on Kyushu, the southern-most main island of Japan. It is similar in shape to the chikuzen-biwa, but with a much more narrow body. Different schools however can have sections added or removed, and may differ in the number of sections with free meter. Hornbostel-Sach Classification of instruments is a means of sorting out instruments according to how it produces sound. [24], In the subsequent periods, the number of frets gradually increased,[26] from around 10 to 14 or 16 during the Qing dynasty, then to 19, 24, 29, and 30 in the 20th century. . This music called heikyoku () was cherished and protected by the authorities and particularly flourished in the 14-15th centuries. The electric pipa was first developed in the late 20th century by adding electric guitarstyle magnetic pickups to a regular acoustic pipa, allowing the instrument to be amplified through an instrument amplifier or PA system. The Traditional Music of Japan. Biwa 6. All rights reserved. [32][33][34] A famous poem by Bai Juyi, "Pipa xing" (), contains a description of a pipa performance during a chance encounter with a female pipa player on the Yangtze River:[35]. Its classification is a type of an Aerophone. The artist Yang Jing plays pipa with a variety of groups. Typically, the three-note rhythm is either short-short-long or long-short-short. A rapid strum is called sao (), and strumming in the reverse direction is called fu ().