biwa instrument classification biwa instrument classification

This causes a sustained, buzzing noise called sawari () which adds a unique flavor to the biwa sound. The design and construction of the 5-string Chikuzen biwa pictured in gallery #2 is basically the same as for the 4-string model described above except accommodations need to be made to the pegbox (detail #7) and bridge (detail #8) for the additional string. [12][13] Yet another term used in ancient text was Qinhanzi (), perhaps similar to Qin pipa with a straight neck and a round body, but modern opinions differ on its precise form. 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). 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. The instrument initially used for this practice was the four-stringed chikuzen biwa (gallery #1), which was produced and sold cheaply--a fact attested to by the numbers of such instruments taken overseas by working-class emigrants. (de Ferranti, p. 122) [The instrument pictured in gallery #1 is very likely one of those many biwas taken overseas--it was purchased in a Honolulu shop specializing in Japanese antiques many of which were brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants in the early 20th century.] to the present. (92.7 20 12.7 cm), Classification: In gagaku, it is known as the gaku-biwa (). It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. to the present. There, they assumed the role of Buddhist monks and encountered the ms-biwa. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In order to boost the volume of its sound the biwa player rarely attacks a single string, and instead arpeggios 2, 3, or 4 pitches, with one note per string. The pipa is held in a vertical or near-vertical position during performance, although in the early periods the instrument was held in the horizontal position or near-horizontal with the neck pointing slightly downwards, or upside down. Thought to be of Persian origin, the biwa was brought to Japan in the 8th century via Central Asia, China and the Korean Peninsula. In biwa, tuning is not fixed. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. The instrument was invented in China in the 3rd to 5th centuries AD, during the Jin dynasty. The strings are usually tuned to A2 D3 E3 A3 , although there are various other ways of tuning. Chikuzen-biwa is another major type of biwa that is widely played today. With this, the biwa entered a period of popularity, with songs reflecting not just The Tale of the Heike, but also the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, with songs such as Takeo Hirose, Hitachimaru and 203 Hill gaining popularity. 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. 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. 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. [21] During this time, Persian and Kuchan performers and teachers were in demand in the capital, Chang'an (which had a large Persian community). In the performers right hand the bachi (plectrum) is held, its upward-pointing tip used to pluck the strings near the string holder. 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. [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. These cookies do not store any personal information. Japanese lute with 4-5 strings and frets. [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. After almost dying out post-World War II, the tradition was revived in part due to interest shown in the instrument by the internationally known contemporary composer Tru Takemitsu, who wrote instrumental compositions for the instrument. The satsuma-biwa is traditionally made from Japanese mulberry, although other hard woods such as Japanese zelkova are sometimes used in its construction. The instrument itself also varies in size, depending on the player. Its pick or bachi () is the largest among all types of biwa it sometimes used to strike the hard soundboard sharply to create percussive effects, adding a more dynamic flavor to the music. The body is often made of stretched snakeskin, and come in varying sizes. The typical 5-stringed Satsuma-biwa classical tuning is: CGCG, from first string to fourth/fifth string, respectively. 5, period of the Northern Wei (384-441 A.D.), A Song dynasty fresco depicts a female pipa player among a group of musicians, Group of female musician from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907-960 AD), A mural from a Yuan dynasty tomb found in Hengshan County, Shaanxi, showing a man playing the pipa, A group of Qing dynasty musicians from Fuzhou. By the middle of the Meiji period, improvements had been made to the instruments and easily understandable songs were composed in quantity. Recently, this instrument, much like the konghou harp, has been revived for historically informed performances and historical reconstructions. [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. Songs are not always metered, although more modern collaborations are metered. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/502655, Mary Elizabeth Adams Brown ; Clara H. Rose (d. 1914), 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. Malm, William P. 1959. The biwa (Japanese: ) is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. A. Biwa B. Koto C. Shakuhachi D. Shamisen 3. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. They recorded the critically acclaimed CD "Eagle Seizing Swan" together. This is the original form of biwa that came to Japan in the 8th century. 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 loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is a large evergreen shrub or tree, grown commercially for its orange fruit and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea.It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.. The 5-string specimen is larger (the vibrating length of its strings is 30.3 inches) and heavier than the 4-string specimen and also has some delicate decorative detail added that is carved out of mother-of-pearl (detail #8 and #9). An English translation was published in the Galpin Society Journal in 1961. Its tuning is A, c, e, a or A, c-sharp, e, a. The pipa has also been used in rock music; the California-based band Incubus featured one, borrowed from guitarist Steve Vai, in their 2001 song "Aqueous Transmission," as played by the group's guitarist, Mike Einziger. 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. 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. Popular Japanese three-stringed lute. The biwas shallow body is a bouncing board that sharply projects its sound forward. 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. greatest depth of resonator It produces distinctive ichikotsuch () and hyj (). There were originally two major schools of pipa during the Qing dynastythe Northern (Zhili, ) and Southern (Zhejiang, ) schoolsand from these emerged the five main schools associated with the solo tradition. The heike-biwa, smaller than the ms-biwa, was used for similar purposes. As well as being one of the leading pipa players of his generation, Li held many academic positions and also carried out research on pipa scales and temperament. used to strike the hard soundboard sharply to create percussive effects, adding a more dynamic flavor to the music. . From the 3rd century onwards, through the Sui and Tang dynasty, the pear-shaped pipas became increasingly popular in China. [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. the fingers and thumb flick outward, unlike the guitar where the fingers and thumb normally pluck inward towards the palm of the hand. It is the most widely used system for classifying musical instruments by ethnomusicologists and organologists . OnMusic Dictionary - Term During the 1910s a five-string model was developed that, since the 1920s, has been the most common form of the instrument (gallery #2). In modern biwa, particularly in Satsuma-biwa, one sometimes strikes the soundboard sharply to get percussive effects. The biwa developed into five different types in its long history: . The left hand techniques are important for the expressiveness of pipa music. The most basic technique, tantiao (), involves just the index finger and thumb (tan is striking with the index finger, tiao with the thumb). He also qualified as a doctor of Chinese medicine. 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. All rights reserved. There are seven main types of Biwa, each distinguished by the number of strings, sound produced, and use. Life in post-war Japan was difficult, and many musicians abandoned their music in favor of more sustainable livelihoods. Influenced by the recitations of blind priests, the music of the heike biwa reflects the mood of the text. Pipa is also an important component of regional chamber ensemble traditions such as Jiangnan sizhu, Teochew string music and Nanguan ensemble. Each type has different and unique tones, techniques, and musical styles. Biwa music is based on a pentatonic scale (sometimes referred to as a five-tone or five-note scale), meaning that each octave contains five notes. This seeming shortcoming is compensated for by the frets height and the low tension of the strings. Depictions of the pear-shaped pipas appeared in abundance from the Southern and Northern dynasties onwards, and pipas from this time to the Tang dynasty were given various names, such as Hu pipa (), bent-neck pipa (, quxiang pipa), some of these terms however may refer to the same pipa. The biwa, originally an instrument of high society, gradually spread among wandering blind monks who used this instrument to tell stories. There are more than seven types of biwa, characterised by number of strings, sounds it could produce, the type of plectrum, and their use. The strings are sounded with a large, thick, fan-shaped plectrum called a bachi (detail #6), traditionally made of wood (the practice bachi pictured here is made from resin). Thick strings clatter like splattering rain, Though formerly popular, little was written about the performance and practice of the biwa from roughly the 16th century to the mid-19th century. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. An example tuning of the four string version is B, e, f and b, and the five string instrument can be tuned to C, G, C, d and g. For the five string version, the first and third strings are tuned the same note, the second string three steps down, the fifth string an octave higher than the second string, and the fourth string a step down from the fifth. Options are limited when considering that a fingered string between two open strings must be fingered on the 4th fret to avoid damping. Biwa (Japanese instrument) - MIT Global Shakespeares Biwa (Japanese instrument) The Biwa is a Japanese teardrop lute, similar to the lute and the oud, with a short neck and frets. 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. We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. The biwa is a stringed instrument used in Japan as a sort of story telling method. Over 100 years after its development, the H-S system is still in use in most museums and in large inventory projects. biwa, Japanese short-necked lute, distinguished by its graceful, pear-shaped body. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. greatest depth of resonator, multiple (by pressure stopping against fretted fingerboard). Like pearls, big and small, falling on a platter of jade. It is the most widely used system for classifying musical . Its purpose is to show in context how the biwa uses its various patterns to color some melodic tones. Brian Grimm placed the contact mic pickup on the face of the pipa and wedged under the bridge so he is able to plug into pedalboards, live computer performance rigs, and direct input (DI) to an audio interface for studio tracking. Further important collections were published in the 20th century. In this case, the left hand fourth finger taps the string so that the un-attacked pitch or pitches can be somewhat heard. During the war time in early 20th century, biwa music was easily adapted to the nationalism of Imperial Japan, and many songs that emphasized the virtue of loyalty and sacrifice for the country were created and widely played. Although shaped like a Western lute, the Biwa's back is flat and it has a shallower body. (88.9 30.8 29.2 cm) Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1968 Accession Number: 68.62.1 Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings Ms Biwa () Japanese. Japanese Musical Instruments. There are some confusions and disagreements about the origin of pipa. 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. Pipa is commonly associated with Princess Liu Xijun and Wang Zhaojun of the Han dynasty, although the form of pipa they played in that period is unlikely to be pear-shaped as they are now usually depicted. biwa, Japanese short-necked lute, distinguished by its graceful, pear-shaped body. 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. 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. ) Techniques that produce vibrato, portamento, glissando, pizzicato, harmonics or artificial harmonics found in violin or guitar are also found in pipa. 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. The strings are tuned in fourths, and the melody is played almost exclusively on the highest pitched string. What is the hornbostelsachs classification of biwa instrument - Brainly This biwa often has five strings (although it is essentially a 4-string instrument as the 5th string is a doubled 4th that are always played together) and five or more frets, and the construction of the tuning head and frets vary slightly. [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. Chikuzen Biwa. This music called heikyoku () was cherished and protected by the authorities and particularly flourished in the 14-15th centuries. However, the biwas cultural significance is due to its evolution during the medieval era into a narrative musical instrument. Finally, measure 5 shows a rare instance where a melodic tone (F# in this case) is doubled on the second beat of the biwa's pattern. The Birbyne and Biwa | The Other Instrument - Pennsylvania State University Shanghai-born Liu Guilian graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and became the director of the Shanghai Pipa Society, and a member of the Chinese Musicians Association and Chinese National Orchestral Society, before immigrating to Canada. Its pick or bachi () is the largest among all types of biwa it sometimes. Classification of Musical Instruments: Sachs-Hornbostel - LiveAbout The biwa is a pear-shaped instrument with four or five strings. Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item, Title: The . However, the playing of the biwa nearly became extinct during the Meiji period following the introduction of Western music and instruments, until players such as Tsuruta Kinshi and others revitalized the genre with modern playing styles and collaborations with Western composers. This music was cherished and protected by the authorities and particularly flourished in the 14th-15th centuries. [2] Pear-shaped lutes have been depicted in Kusana sculptures from the 1st century AD. Its size and construction influences the sound of the instrument as the curved body is often struck percussively with the plectrum during play. The 14- or 16-fret pipa had frets arranged in approximately equivalent to the western tone and semitone, starting at the nut, the intervals were T-S-S-S-T-S-S-S-T-T-3/4-3/4-T-T-3/4-3/4, (some frets produced a 3/4 tone or "neutral tone"). 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. Corrections? The wen style is more lyrical and slower in tempo, with softer dynamic and subtler colour, and such pieces typically describe love, sorrow, and scenes of nature. From the Dingjiazha Tomb No. 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. The biwa is a four stringed lute and it is approximately 106 cm long (42 inches). The performers left hand is used both to steady the instrument, with the thumb hooked around the backside of the neck, and to depress the strings, the index finger doing most of the work but sometimes aided by the middle finger. [6] The strings were played using a large plectrum in the Tang dynasty, a technique still used now for the Japanese biwa. Komoda Haruko. By the Ming dynasty, fingers replaced plectrum as the popular technique for playing pipa, although finger-playing techniques existed as early as Tang. 'Ghost of Tsushima' composer reveals the instrument behind the game's One of these, the new chikuzen biwa tradition, became popular amongst many thousands of amateurs between c.1900 and 1920. 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. What is known is that three main streams of biwa practice emerged during this time: zato (the lowest level of the state-controlled guild of blind biwa players), shifu (samurai style), and chofu (urban style). Classification (Sachs-Von Hornbostel revised by MIMO) 321.312 chordophone--spike box lute or spike guitar: the resonator is built up from wood, the body of the instrument is in the form of a box through which the handle/neck passes Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted. Another Chinese four-string plucked lute is the liuqin, which looks like a smaller version of the pipa. He premiered the oldest Dunhuang Pipa Manuscript (the first interpretation made by Ye Dong) in Shanghai in the early 1980s. Liu also studied with other musicians and has developed a style that combines elements from several different schools. The heike-biwa (), a biwa with four strings and five frets, is used to play The Tale of the Heike. 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. The biwa, originally an instrument of high society, gradually spread among wandering blind monks who used this instrument to tell stories. Japanese and foreign musicians alike have begun embracing traditional Japanese instruments, particularly the biwa, in their compositions. [34][57][58] Duan Anjie described the duel between the famous pipa player Kang Kunlun and the monk Duan Shanben () who was disguised as a girl, and told the story of Yang Zhi () who learned how to play the pipa secretly by listening to his aunt playing at night. Kakubachi: This is the performance of arpeggio with a downward motion of the plectrum, and it is always loud. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 77-103. This type of biwa music has been preserved until now in gagaku (), or the court orchestra. 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. The main part of the music is vocal and the biwa part mostly plays short interludes. Description.