The wu style was associated more with the Northern school while the wen style was more the Southern school. The pipa, pp, or p'i-p'a (Chinese: ) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Heike-biwa is an accompaniment instrument specifically used to chant the Tale of Heike stories () in the traditional way dating from the medieval era. Other noted players of the early 20th century include Liu Tianhua, a student of Shen Zhaozhou of the Chongming school and who increased the number of frets on the pipa and changed to an equal-tempered tuning, and the blind player Abing from Wuxi. The loquat is in the family Rosaceae, and is native to the cooler hill regions of south-central China. In Satsuma-biwa classical pieces, the thickest string (the first) is in principle used only as a drone, and usually tuned to the same note as the third string, making the second the lowest. Among ethnomusicologists, it is the most widely used system for classifying musical instruments. 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. [27] The traditional 16-fret pipa became less common, although it is still used in some regional styles such as the pipa in the southern genre of nanguan/nanyin. Another often-used technique is rubbing the long side of the bachi on the strings to get wind-like sounds. 5-string: biwa (gallery #2): The same piece of music can therefore differ significantly when performed by students of different schools, with striking differences in interpretation, phrasing, tempo, dynamics, playing techniques, and ornamentations. [2][29] Wang Zhaojun in particular is frequently referenced with pipa in later literary works and lyrics, for example Ma Zhiyuan's play Autumn in the Palace of Han (), especially since the Song dynasty (although her story is often conflated with other women including Liu Xijun),[30][29] as well as in music pieces such as Zhaojun's Lament (, also the title of a poem), and in paintings where she is often depicted holding a pipa. [18], As biwa music declined in post-Pacific War Japan, many Japanese composers and musicians found ways to revitalize interest in it. Noted contemporary pipa players who work internationally include Min Xiao-Fen, Yang Jin(), Zhou Yi, Qiu Xia He, Liu Fang, Cheng Yu, Jie Ma, Yang Jing(, Yang Wei (),[64] Guan Yadong (), Jiang Ting (), Tang Liangxing (),[65] and Lui Pui-Yuen (, brother of Lui Tsun-Yuen). The strings are struck with a hand-held wooden plectrum. 1. The biwa (Japanese: ) is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. Because of this tradition as a narrative music, the biwa is mostly played solo and is less commonly played with other types of instruments, except in gagaku () or the court orchestra where it is used in its original instrumental role, and in modern instrumental repertoire. de Ferranti, Hugh. 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. [19] Pipa acquired a number of Chinese symbolisms during the Han dynasty - the instrument length of three feet five inches represents the three realms (heaven, earth, and man) and the five elements, while the four strings represent the four seasons.[7]. String-bending for example may be used to produce a glissando or portamento. Modern biwa used for contemporary compositions often have five or more frets, and some have a doubled fourth string. Biwa Description The biwa is a four stringed lute and it is approximately 106 cm long (42 inches). Its size and construction influences the sound of the instrument as the curved body is often struck percussively with the plectrum during play. In all biwa styles, except for Gaku-biwa (: please refer to the section Types of Biwa), fingers are positioned between the frets, not on the frets. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Thick strings clatter like splattering rain, This music called heikyoku () was cherished and protected by the authorities and particularly flourished in the 14-15th centuries. The biwa, considered one of Japan's principal traditional instruments, has both influenced and been influenced by other traditional instruments and compositions throughout its long history; as such, a number of different musical styles played with the biwa exist. Telling stories and holding religious practices with biwa accompaniment became a profession for blind monks, and it was these wandering blind monks who carried on the tradition. His well-received compositions, such as November Steps, which incorporated biwa heikyoku with Western orchestral performance, revitalized interest in the biwa and sparked a series of collaborative efforts by other musician in genres ranging from J-Pop and enka to shin-hougaku and gendaigaku. The number of frets is considerably fewer than other fretted instruments. A string instrument which is made of Paulownia wood that is used in an ensemble in gagaku or a solo instrument. The strings are made of wound silk. Figure 5 shows examples of harmonic structures of, 2, 3, and 4 pitches in Ichikotsu-ch. The traditional Satsuma-biwa has 4 strings and 4 frets (Sei-ha and Kinshin-ryu schools), and newer styles have 5 strings and 5 frets (Nishiki and Tsuruta-ryu schools). Hornbostel-Sachs or Sachs-Hornbostel is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs, and first published in the Zeitschrift fr Ethnologie in 1914. 36 1/2 7 7/8 5 in. All rights reserved. The performer sings while playing the biwa, and the instrumental part is modular in structure in that there are dozens of named or numbered phrases that the player must internalize and that are used as the building blocks of the instrument part that supports the vocal part. are crucial techniques to create the biwas subtle in-between notes that are unique for fretted instruments. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. It has the largest body and relatively short neck among biwas. The basic technique is to pluck down and up with the sharp corner. In the narrative traditions where the pipa is used as an accompaniment to narrative singing, there are the Suzhou tanci (), Sichuan qingyin (), and Northern quyi () genres. On the plectrum, figure of a golden phoenix with flowers in its beak, This is the original form of biwa that came to Japan in the 8th century. The biwa strings are plucked with large wooden pick called bachi (, The basic technique is to pluck down and up with the sharp corner. The typical 5-stringed Satsuma-biwa classical tuning is: CGCG, from first string to fourth/fifth string, respectively. Hornbostel-Sach Classification of instruments is a means of sorting out instruments according to how it produces sound. Kakubachi: This is the performance of arpeggio with a downward motion of the plectrum, and it is always loud. The 4 wedge-shaped frets on the neck became 6 during the 20th century. 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. In modern biwa, particularly in Satsuma-biwa, one sometimes strikes the soundboard sharply to get percussive effects. In the 9th century the Ms (blind monks') biwa began to be used by blind musicians as an accompaniment to chanted religious texts and sutras. Multiple strings are often played in one pluck like an arpeggio. For the left hand, as mentioned above under the Construction section, bending of the strings (oshikan ) and delicate control of it to create a vibrato effect (yuri ) are crucial techniques to create the biwas subtle in-between notes that are unique for fretted instruments. 4. Blind priests would play them in order to tell stories and tales of ancient war. In spite of its popularity, the nin War and subsequent Warring States Period disrupted biwa teaching and decreased the number of proficient users. New York, 1903, vol. https://japanese-music.com/profile/nobuko-fukatsu/. Mural from Kizil, estimated Five Dynasties to Yuan dynasty, 10th to 13th century. Typically, the three-note rhythm is either short-short-long or long-short-short. The five-stringed pipa however had fallen from use by the Song dynasty, although attempts have been made to revive this instrument in the early 21st century with a modernized five-string pipa modeled on the Tang dynasty instrument. The biwa became known as an instrument commonly played at the Japanese Imperial court, where biwa players, known as biwa hshi, found employment and patronage. Several related instruments are derived from the pipa, including the Japanese biwa and Korean bipa in East Asia, and the Vietnamese n t b in Southeast Asia. The narrative biwa music adopts a relative tuning; the pitch is decided to match with the players range of voice. Although shaped like a Western lute, the Biwa's back is flat and it has a shallower body. Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item, Title: Chikuzen Biwa. 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. For the left hand, as mentioned above under the Construction section, bending of the strings (oshikan, ) and delicate control of it to create a vibrato effect (yuri. ) The instrument itself also varies in size, depending on the player. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Beginning in the late 1960s to the late 1980s, composers and historians from all over the world visited Yamashika and recorded many of his songs; before this time, the biwa hshi tradition had been a completely oral tradition. [9] When singing in a chorus, biwa singers often stagger their entry and often sing through non-synchronized, heterophony accompaniment. This is due to the fact that the space between the strings on the first three frets is so short that a fingered 1st fret on the 3rd string, for example, would damp the following 4th string, as shown on Figure 7. Japanese and foreign musicians alike have begun embracing traditional Japanese instruments, particularly the biwa, in their compositions. [citation needed]. The gagaku biwa (), a large and heavy biwa with four strings and four frets, is used exclusively for gagaku. 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 (). However, following the collapse of the Ritsury state, biwa hshi employed at the court were faced with the court's reconstruction and sought asylum in Buddhist temples. Members of these schools are sighted and include both females and males. The earliest-known piece in the collection may be "Eagle Seizing a Crane" () which was mentioned in a Yuan dynasty text. Yoko Hiraoka, a member of the Yamato Komyoji ryu, presents a lecture/recital of Japanese Biwa music. The name "pipa" is made up of two Chinese syllables, "p" () and "p" (). (80 30 3.4 cm), Classification: We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. An English translation was published in the Galpin Society Journal in 1961. The pipa, pp, or p'i-p'a ( Chinese: ) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Its purpose is to show in context how the biwa uses its various patterns to color some melodic tones. Japanese Music and Musical Instruments. As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes. The frets of the satsuma-biwa are raised 4 centimetres (1.6in) from the neck allowing notes to be bent several steps higher, each one producing the instrument's characteristic sawari, or buzzing drone. Lin Shicheng (; 19222006), born in Shanghai, began learning music under his father and was taught by Shen Haochu (; 18991953), a leading player in the Pudong school style of pipa playing. This is the original form of biwa that came to Japan in the 8. century. [8][9] Liu Xi also stated that the instrument called pipa, though written differently (; pp or ; pb) in the earliest texts, originated from amongst the Hu people (a general term for non-Han people living to the north and west of ancient China). [10] In solo performances, a biwa performer sings monophonically, with melismatic emphasis throughout the performance. 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. Players hold the instrument vertically. [72] He was also the first musician to add a strap to the instrument, as he did for the zhongruan, allowing him to play the pipa and the zhongruan like a guitar. The body is narrower and smaller than the other types of biwa. Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. The six fret type is tuned to B, E, B and b. Clattering and murmuring, meshing jumbled sounds, [31] Celebrated performers of the Tang dynasty included three generations of the Cao familyCao Bao (), Cao Shancai () and Cao Gang (),[59][60] whose performances were noted in literary works. By the middle of the Meiji period, improvements had been made to the instruments and easily understandable songs were composed in quantity. Tachibana sought to create a new narrative style that would appeal to a contemporary urban audience (de Ferranti p. 120) and that would be performed by sighted musicians. Most prominent among these are Minoru Miki, Thring Brm, YANG Jing, Terry Riley, Donald Reid Womack, Philip Glass, Lou Harrison, Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Bun-Ching Lam, and Carl Stone. 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. [38] It has however been suggested that the long plectrum depicted in ancient paintings may have been used as a friction stick like a bow. This singing style is complemented by the biwa, which biwa players use to produce short glissandi throughout the performance. Though its origins are unclear, this thinner variant of the biwa was used in ceremonies and religious rites. The pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for almost two thousand years in China. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The biwa sounds as written, and it is tuned to an A-430Hz. Gao Hong graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and was the first to do a joint tour with Lin Shicheng in North America. This seeming shortcoming is compensated for by the frets height and the low tension of the strings. The traditional pieces however often have a standard metrical length of 68 measures or beat,[46] and these may be joined together to form the larger pieces dagu.[47]. Thought to be of Persian origin, the biwa was brought to Japan in the 8th century via Central Asia, China and the Korean Peninsula. While the modern satsuma-biwa and chikuzen-biwa both originated from the ms-biwa, the satsuma-biwa was used for moral and mental training by samurai of the Satsuma Domain during the Warring States period, and later for general performances. The peg box is angled about 90 degrees from the neck, and the back of the body is flat, unlike the western lute. As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes. [31] The pipa is mentioned frequently in the Tang dynasty poetry, where it is often praised for its expressiveness, refinement and delicacy of tone, with poems dedicated to well-known players describing their performances. Today, the instrument is played in both narrative and instrumental formats, in the traditional music scene as well as in various popular media. Wood, leather, Dimensions: This type of instrument was introduced to Korea (the bipa ), to Japan (the biwa ), and to Vietnam (the tyba ). During the 1910s a five-string model was developed that, since the 1920s, has been the most common form of the instrument (gallery #2). [11] The style of singing accompanying biwa tends to be nasal, particularly when singing vowels, the consonant , and syllables beginning with "g", such as ga () and gi (). Traditionally they are lashed with heavier rope, though some modern instruments are tightened with large screws. Like pearls, big and small, falling on a platter of jade. 36 in. Waribachi: This is a downward sweeping of the four strings, dividing the motion into two groups of two notes. Ms Biwa (), Dimensions: 20002023 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since biwa pieces were generally performed for small groups, singers did not need to project their voices as opera singers did in Western music tradition. Chikuzen-biwa is another major type of biwa that is widely played today. later versions were played by the blind Japanese lute priests of the Heian period and it was also played as background music for story-telling The body is narrower and smaller than the other types of biwa. greatest depth of resonator, multiple (by pressure stopping against fretted fingerboard). Moreover, it always starts from the 1st string and stops on either the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th string depending if the arpeggio contains 2, 3, or 4 pitches, respectively. These, according to the Han dynasty text by Liu Xi, refer to the way the instrument is played "p" is to strike outward with the right hand, and "p" is to pluck inward towards the palm of the hand. The Biwa is a four-stringed Japanese lute with a short neck that was commonly used in Japanese court music in the seventh and eighth centuries. What is the hornbostelsachs classification of biwa instrument - 9005546 Typically 60 centimetres (24 in) to 106 centimetres (42 in) in length, the instrument is . Idiophones African Thumb Pianos The two-headed tacked drum hung in an elaborate circular frame in court music is a gaku-daiko or tsuri-daiko. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 681. Other early known players of pipa include General Xie Shang from the Jin dynasty who was described to have performed it with his leg raised. Nation: Japan. 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. The sanxian is made in several sizes. [citation needed], In 2014, an industrial designer residing in the United States Xi Zheng () designed and crafted an electric pipa "E-pa" in New York. [1][2] Modern researchers such as Laurence Picken, Shigeo Kishibe, and John Myers suggested a non-Chinese origin. This seeming shortcoming is compensated for by the frets height and the low tension of the strings. Another new style called Chikuzen-biwa () was created in the 19th century in northern Kyushu Island, based off of the blind monks biwa music, and adopting shamisen, Satsuma-biwa, and other contemporary musical styles. This type of biwa music has been preserved until now in gagaku (), or the court orchestra. . 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. Beginning in the late 1960s, these musicians and composers began to incorporate Japanese music and Japanese instruments into their compositions; for example, one composer, Tru Takemitsu, collaborated with Western composers and compositions to include the distinctly Asian biwa. A pipa player playing with the pipa behind his back. Title: Satsuma Biwa () Date: ca. [3][4][5], The earliest mention of pipa in Chinese texts appeared late in the Han dynasty around the 2nd century AD. A Sound Classification Musical instruments can be classified by the Western orchestral system into brass, percussion, strings, and woodwinds; but the S-H system allows non-western instruments to be classified as well. Its tuning is A, c, e, a or A, c-sharp, e, a. greatest width of resonator [69] The instrument is also played by musician Min Xiaofen in "I See Who You Are", a song from Bjrk's album Volta. 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. Though formerly popular, little was written about the performance and practice of the biwa from roughly the 16th century to the mid-19th century. Ieyasu favored biwa music and became a major patron, helping to strengthen biwa guilds (called Todo) by financing them and allowing them special privileges. Examples of popular modern works composed after the 1950s are "Dance of the Yi People" and "Heroic Little Sisters of the Grassland" (). [39] The plectrum has now been largely replaced by the fingernails of the right hand. . 1984. biwa, Japanese short-necked lute, distinguished by its graceful, pear-shaped body. greatest width of plectrum During the Yuan dynasty, the playwright Gao Ming wrote a play for nanxi opera called Pipa ji (, or "Story of the Pipa"), a tale about an abandoned wife who set out to find her husband, surviving by playing the pipa. Updates? (92.7 20 12.7 cm), Classification: And thanks to the low tension of the strings, it is easy to bend the strings by adding pressure. Exploiting the sound of the open strings increases the overall sounds volume. (92.7 20 12.7 cm), The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889. This music was cherished and protected by the authorities and particularly flourished in the 14th-15th centuries. The ms-biwa (), a biwa with four strings, is used to play Buddhist mantras and songs. The biwas sound at the attack (top) at one second later (bottom). Interest in the biwa was revived during the Edo period (16001868), when Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan and established the Tokugawa shogunate. Koizumi, Fumio. It is an instrument in China, its mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. L 31 1/2 W. 11 13/16 D. 1 5/16 in. Played with a large wooden plectrum, the instrument has four or five strings of twisted silk stretched over four or more . 1. Cheng Yu researched the old Tang dynasty five-stringed pipa in the early 2000s and developed a modern version of it for contemporary use. He also qualified as a doctor of Chinese medicine. One of these, the new chikuzen biwa tradition, became popular amongst many thousands of amateurs between c.1900 and 1920. This type of biwa, known as the gaku-biwa, was later used in gagaku ensembles and became the most commonly known type. After having arrived in Japan via the Silk Road for purely instrumental music, the biwa evolved over time into a narrative musical instrument. Further, the frets and the nut are wide, which provides a surface, not a point, for a string to touch. This scale sometimes includes supplementary notes, but the core remains pentatonic. The fish is an auspicious symbol of Buddhism signifying wakeful attention since most fish lack eyelids and remain alert. 2008. Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. Not to be confused with the five-stringed variants of modern biwa, such as chikuzen-biwa. [13] What the plectrum is made of also changes the texture, with ivory and plastic plectrums creating a more resilient texture to the wooden plectrum's twangy hum. Australian dark rock band The Eternal use the pipa in their song "Blood" as played by singer/guitarist Mark Kelson on their album Kartika. Another excerpt of figurative descriptions of a pipa music may be found in a eulogy for a pipa player, Lament for Shancai by Li Shen:[33]. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/500681, Mary Elizabeth Adams Brown ; James L. Amerman, The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can now connect to the most up-to-date data and images for more than 470,000 artworks in The Met collection. 77-103. The nishiki-biwa (), a modern biwa with five strings and five frets, was popularised by the 20th-century biwa player and composer Suit Kinj (, 19111973). 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. [42] During the Qing dynasty there originally two major schools of pipathe Northern and Southern schools, and music scores for these two traditions were collected and published in the first mass-produced edition of solo pieces for pipa, now commonly known as the Hua Collection (). 38.5 in. Each group can include either two open strings or one open and one fingered string.