Pipa

The pipa, or Chinese lute, is a four-stringed instrument with a history of more that two thousand years. Probably originating form India, the pipa has 19 to 26 bamboo frets glued on its body, which together with 6 ledges, are arranged as stops. Pi means to pluck outwards while pa means to pluck inwards, hence its name. The 4 strings of the pipa are tuned to (from lowest) D-G-A-D.

Due to its resonant, delicate, clear and enchanting timbre, the pipa holds a unique position among China's many plucked-strings intruments. A large number of compositions exists for this instruments, which can be classified into 2 groups - the civil pieces and the military pieces. The civil pieces are elegant and expressive while the military pieces are majestic and fierce.

From the Wei Dynasty (AD 386 - 534), the Pipa became the main entertainment for court banquets. Famous emperors and empresses have been credited with having written famous Pipa compositions such as The Lion Dance in 5 Directions and The Battleline-Smashing Music, which is performed with 180 dancers.

One of the most popular Classical Chinese solos is Ambush on All Sides, a military pipa piece. This work describes the tiumphant Han troop under Liu Bang, the winner of the Chu-Han War of the late 3rd century B.C. Employing the unique viruosity of the pipa, the music unfolds a panoramic scene of the mountain-shaking battle: rumbling drums, clanging swords, shrieking arrows and nenighing horses. This is truly a composition of the best quality.

Other famous compositions for the pipa include The High Moon and A Moonlit Night on the Xunyang River.

This page is hosted by

Get your Free Homepage