Pipa

Pipa

Name: Pipa

Class: Chordophone

Subclass:  

Category: lute 

Origin: China

Instrument maker: unknown

Date:  unknown

Description: Chinese lute reputed to be technically difficult. A large ";short-necked"lute in contrast with the long ";lute sanxian", it is one of the most played of Chinese stringed instruments. Very shallow body and neck in one piece, it is with the belly of paulownia wood and today usually with a small sound hole concealed by the bridge. It arrived to China during the 2nd century BC from Central Asia.

As early as the HAN Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) the pipa was used in Court music. During the DANG Dynasty (618-907 AD) it became a solo instrument, and then later in the MING (1368-1644 AD) and QING (1644-1911 AD) Dynasties in entered the orchestras that accompanied opera performances. Its strong and resonant sound gives the pipa a broad and noble flavor. Nowadays in China, the pipa is one of the favorite classical instruments. The Pipa’s rich diversity of sound allows it to depict a large range of musical expressions. Its repertoire is mainly divided into two styles: the Wen style, a lyrical style, characterized by subtle play and the Wu style, a martial style, whose strength inspires dramatic emotions.

Dimensions:

Museum or collection: unknown

Photo credit: - Courtesy of Wind Records.

Information Sources: World Music Portal, Wind Records (Taiwan) and Artways Productions/Linling Yu (China).

Pipa Players:

• Luo Chao-Yun
• Lingling Yu

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Last Updated Thursday, April 03 2003 @ 12:49 PM EST|2,273 Hits