Chinese Orchestra: Pluck Section

Hi everyone! So sorry for not updating for the past few months as I was very busy with school work and performances. Just 2 weeks ago, I had an annual concert with the Singapore Foochow Chinese Orchestra and it was lit. Will talk about that in my later post.

Today I will be talking about a special section of the Chinese Orchestra, the pluck string section. To be very honest, it is a weird but very important part of CO. It provides the bass and the rhythm feels to the group, allowing everyone to stick to each other closely.  This section has mainly 5 instruments,

1: 柳琴 (LiuQin)
2: 琵琶 (PiPa)
3: 中阮 (ZhongRuan)
4: 大阮 (DaRuan)
5: 三弦 (SanXian)

Let's start with the LiuQin. LiuQin is a pear-looking instrument with 4 strings tuned as GDGD. I have a love/hate relationship with this instrument. On good times, the instrument sounds brightly beautiful, adding Chinese textures to the arrangement. On bad times, strings are hard to tune as they are very tight. Moreover, the brittle first string snaps easily and trust me, it is worse than a paper cut when the string cuts you. There is actually a 1-to-1 comparison with the LiuQin and that is XiaoRuan. However, since many years, many people feel that Liuqin has a better texture and sound compared to XiaoRuan and thus you seldom see arrangements involving XiaoRuan. A good LiuQin concerto to listened to is 雨后庭院. A very technically challenging LiuQin piece that requires the musician to use old and new techniques.

柳琴

Next, we have the PiPa. A bigger pear-looking instrument that is sometimes named as the Chinese Lute. It also has 4 strings and mainly tuned as AEDA. Yes, it is a very weird tuning that many western musicians do not get it. I do not really know how or why this tuning was made but it has been like that for hundreds of years. While other pluck instruments use a pick to strum or play the instruments. the PiPa using artificial nails to play. It is different from the ones GuZheng uses. As such, this allows PiPa players to do special techniques to the PiPa that cannot be done on other pluck instruments. I think PiPa is a very unique instrument with its own rights. It can be played solo with a sorrowful tone, or help the ensemble/orchestra to have a deeper texture as it belongs in the tenor range. A PiPa concerto that I would recommend listening is 云想花想. A very modern piece inspired by an ancient Chinese poem, <<清平乐>>. 

琵琶

Next, we have the Ruans, or Chinese guitar. Like the LiuQin, it is tuned GDGD but what makes it special is the high resonance in the instrument. It is the loudest and resounding instrument in the pluck strings family. This allows many power chords to be played and support the ensemble/orchestra. I absolutely love the Ruan. One can play many modern songs/pieces on the Ruan and it will still sound as good. A notable Ruan concerto would be 北方民族生活素描. Its a 4 movement concerto depicting about the northern tribe and their daily life.

Ruan

Last but not least we have the SanXian. The only pluck instruments that do not have frets and only has 3 strings. Unlike the other pluck mentions where the sound is produced by resonating on a piece of wood, the SanXian resonated on a dried phyton skin, just like the erhu. It creates a deep resounding sound and its also personally one of my favorites. Unfortunately, there are no SanXian concertos that I know of but you will see SanXian a lot in ensemble pieces and classic CO pieces.

SanXian

That's all for today, have a great day everyone!

Mellifluous Monday! (4)

Hi everyone! Am so sorry for not posing in like what 2 months?! Super busy with school works and performances. Now that i have a little free time, I am going to post new pieces for everyone to enjoy.

Today's piece: 油纸伞下的回忆 (Memories Under the Paper Umbrella)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD-Tbz-Xg-E

"Memories Under the Paper Umbrella" is an Erhu concerto written in 2006 by 朱云嵩. Drawing from the music of Taiwan's Hakka culture, this work is an imagination of the history of the Hakka people, depicting scene after scene of how they left their homes and crossed the seas of Taiwan. A couple hand in hand as they looks towards the future with hope; crossing the treacherous Taiwan Strait; ethnic conflicts breaking up families; not fearing hardship and living with optimism for the future... it is almost like flipping through an old photo album. But the scenes themselves are not as important as the state of mind that each scene evokes- remembering the joys ans sorrows of their history, fully accepting the past and bravely welcoming the future.

One the score, the composer deliberately avoids naming the different sections. Instead, he gives generic descriptions, such as "prelude", "affectionately", "treacherous", etc. The intention is to encourage the performers not to let their performance be constrained by names. Instead, it is hoped that both the performers and audience can approach and respond to the music with an open mind and let their inner music emotions take flight.

I totally love this piece. I remembered when i first heard this piece, I teared as I could imagine the scenes that was written. Not much complex notes or chords yet it is able  to portray the ups and downs of the Hakka couple. Lastly to end of today's post, I give you a poem that fully depicts this piece:
Is the work an epic? A touching romantic entanglement? Or is it simply an unrestrained collage? Perhaps the work is all of the above at once... or not. Because what it is, exists only in your heart.

Overall rating: 9/10
Difficulty: 7/9

Mellifluous Monday! (3)

Hi everyone! Today's Mellifluous Monday! will be featuring a local piece in Singapore. Singapore, like many other countries, contains many folklore and urban legends. An example will be the Sisters' Island legend. The Sisters' Islands is located the South of the Singapore mainland. The 2 Islands are separated by a narrow channel, where are currents are so strong water activities are dangerous. Singaporean composer, 王辰威 (Wang Chen Wei) got inspiration from the legend and decided to compose a Chinese Orchestral Symphonic Poem based on the story. Titled "the Sisters' Islands".
Link: The Sisters' Islands

Composed at age 17, "The Sisters' Islands" won the "Singapore Composer Award" at the 2006 Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestra Composition and was subsequently featured on CD albums by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and Taiwan Philharmonic Chinese Orchestra. The symphonic poem consist of mainly 4 parts,

1: Fishing Village.
A strike of the gong opens the piece, introducing the peaceful tropical scenery of Singapore. The alto guan introduces the deep and broad "sea" theme in the prelog pentatonic scale upon a backdrop wave-like ornamentations in Indonesian Gamelan style. Next, the graceful "sisters" theme enters with the bamboo flute, representing the beautiful young Malay sisters Minah and Linah in an Asli dance. The music then proceeds into a lively Malay Zapin dance portraying the festivities of the village.

2: Capture of the Bride 
Suddenly, a throng of pirates raids the village, illustrated by the menacing "pirates" theme in hexatonic scale played the by the bass Suona. The captain, awestruck by Linah's beauty, intends to abduct her as a bride. A weeping zhonghu implored the release of Linah but to no avail as she was dragged onto the ship.

3: Raging Waves
Bass instruments played a transformed "sea" theme, while woodwind glissandi octatonic scale and percussion effects depict the stormy sea. A struggling "sisters" theme emerges amidst the chaos as Minah swims after the pirates until she was overcome by exhaustion and disappears amidst the raging waves. Linah struggles to break free from her captors and jumped into the sea to join her sister represented by a liuqin solo. This tragedy incurs the wrath of the gods; thunder and lightning strike, and a giant orchestral wave engulfs the pirate ship. After a long timpani roll, calmness was restored.

4: Spirit of the Sea
The next morning, a pair of islands surrounded by corals appears where the sisters were drown. A conch calls out as a symbolism of the sea and a lament for the sisters' death. The original "sea" and "sisters" theme returns, this time more stately and passionate. At the coda, both themes are played together in counterpoint, building up to a climatic ending as the sisters have merged with the sea in their eternal transformation into the Sisters' islands.

I personally love this piece a lot as it was able to bring me through the legend. From the festivities to the invasion of the pirates, every scene was carefully depicted. Unfortunately, not many orchestras can play this piece perfectly as it is technically difficult and hard to portray the scenes. That being said, I would love to play this piece in a high standard orchestra. That's all for today's Mellifluous Monday! Do leave comments below if you do enjoy it.

Musicality: 10/10
Difficulty: 10/10

Mellifluous Monday! (2)

Hi everyone! Sorry for not posting for more than 2 weeks :( Have been really busy with a recent gig that was just over. Many thoughts went through my mind after the gig but hey that is a story for another day.

 With a little free time available, I'm back for your weekly Mellifluous Monday! pleasure. Today I will be introducing everyone a grand Chinese Orchestral piece composed by maestro 姜莹 (Jiang Ying),     <印象国乐> or  <Impressions Of Chinese Music>. It was composed in 2013 for a play named "Impressions Of Chinese Music". You would think this piece, like most other Chinese Orchestra piece, contains many traditional Chinese music writings with chord progressions under the Chinese genre. Nope, this piece contains many fusion writings with mixtures from Chinese, Western and Middle Eastern writings. Hear it for yourself!
Link: 印象国乐

According to the maestro herself, she composed this piece with 5 big factors in mind,

1: "Who are the owners of the music?"
Musicians owned music with every rights, not the audience. Viewers should respect musicians for their hard-work. How a music is able to touch the audience is not entirely based on techniques or music dynamic. It is solely based on the experiences, the journey, the feelings that musicians went through.

With this in mind, maestro Jiang Ying wrote many melodic phrases that allow musicians to freely express his/her thoughts or experience. Conductors are also given the freedom to interpret however they like while staying true to the music. Musicians no longer need to hide behind their instruments and being lead by the audience.

2: "Chinese music is something to be passed on"
Maestro Jiang Ying used many music writings from various genres and regions. This was a bold attempt as many Chinese composers do not there to westernize Chinese music in fear of losing it's integrity. To stay true to this. maestro Jiang Ying made used of the word "Grand" and wrote it for Chinese Orchestra, showing that Chinese Culture and Chinese music is versatile and can be used in many ways.

3: "Chinese music is a mission"
By using Chinese instruments to produce "Grand" music, one is able to feel the ups and downs of the music, the never ending chills down one's spine and melodic phrases that can make one cry in happiness.

4: "Beauty of music does not need to be read"
Maestro Jiang Ying attempted to tell audiences that "If music can go across your ears' it has the ability to carve yours heart; to make one's fast paced life come to a pause and enjoy the beauties around it".

5: "Reviving Chinese music roots"
While it is true that many westernize music writings are used, hidden behind those notes lie subtle Chinese music style of writings. Showing that while music can be changed and adapted, the roots are firmly rooted to the core to glorify Chinese music.

I personally love this piece a lot and would put this as my top 10 Chinese Orchestra piece of all time. Many times when I feel tired or lost the sense of direction, this piece never fails to remind me of my culture and who I'm playing for. That's all for today's Mellifluous Monday! Do feel free to leave comments below on how you feel about this piece and what kind of pieces would you like me to introduce next time. See ya!

Music: 10/10
Difficulty: 7/10

P.S Maestro Jiang Ying has many well knowned compositions. Do check it out!

Mellifluous Monday!

Hi everyone! I am starting a new series call Mellifluous Monday! Every Monday, I will be posting 1 classic Chinese Orchestra piece to say goodbye to your Monday blues. I will be talking about the composer/arranger, what is the piece about and my thoughts about the piece and finally a personal rating. Links will be hyperlinked from the title of the pieces.

First up, we have 秦兵马俑幻想曲 (Terracotta Warriors Fantasia). Composed in March 1984 by 彭修文, it depicts a soldier's life during the conquest of the Qin Dynasty emperor, Qin Shi Huang. With 3 movements, it brilliantly expresses the highs and lows of the soldier's morale and fighting will and the missing of their love ones. The 3 movements are

军正肃 封禅遨游几时休
This movement depicts the main conquest theme lead by Qin Shi Huang. The piece starts off soft yet significant footsteps (played by Chinese cymbals and Chinese Wind Pipe), depicting the soldier's march from afar. As the theme continues, the footsteps get louder and more significant. Chinese trumpets and pluck string instruments come in to play the main melody, signifying the conquest. A sudden change in emotion was made when the Erhus enter. Giving us a sneak peak of the soldier's actual feelings as the piece continues. The emotions of the soldiers are further expressed in later movements. The Chinese snare drum comes in a with a short passage, followed by a grand motif played by the winds, depicting the entry of royal maids for the emperor. After much exhaustion, the soldier's finally settled down in their camps. Mix emotions arise as they look up to the beautiful night sky, entering the next movement.

春闺梦 征人思妇相思苦
The night deepens, soldiers playing the patrol drum (played by wood blocks) can be heard everywhere. Out of nowhere, a  sorrowful melody appears (played by 埙, clay flute). The melody etched deeply inside the soldier's heart as they sang along (played by the plucks strings section) while thinking about their wives and children. In summary, instruments took turns to play sorrowful melodies to depict the missing of love ones. Lastly, the interaction between 中胡 and 柳琴 expressed the complaints yet unable to do anything kind of feeling. Suddenly, the Chinese cymbal crashed into the minds of the soldiers. As if waking up from a dream, the soldiers stood up and get ready for the next battle.

大纛悬 关山万里共雪寒
The soldiers are on the road again. Motifs from the first movement are played with a slightly different feeling. The weather turned bad, snowing everywhere in the soldier's path. Played using Bb major, the melody from the first movement further showed the sadness and grievances from the soldiers. As if asking god: when will this war end? When can I be reunited with my family again? The piece finally ends with the screaming of grievances from the soldiers.

I personally love this piece. The musicality in the scores showed multiple thought through layers of emotions. Sad to say, not many orchestras in the world is able to depict such emotions entirely. Most broke the linkage from movement to movement which stops the development of emotions. With that i end today's Mellifluous Monday! and I hope everyone can enjoy this piece as much as i do.

Cheers!

Overall rating: 10/10

Chinese Orchestra: Strings Section

Hi everyone! Sorry for the time lag aye, I had a busy schedule and thus the lateness in posting.

Today I will be talking about a specific section in a modern Chinese Orchestra setup: the strings section. The strings section includes 二胡(Erhu)，高胡(GaoHu)，中胡(ZhongHu)，Cello (革胡) and the Double Bass(低音革胡). Let's start with the Erhu. An Erhu is a Chinese fiddle originated from the Hu Tribe (胡族) and therefore the Erhu is sometimes called Hu Qin (胡琴). It is said to be evolved from the 奚琴(XiQin) which originated from the Xi people of Central Asia. Thus debunking the myth of the Erhu originated from China.

The Erhu

The Erhu has several parts, mainly:

琴桶; Sound box or resonator

蛇皮; Skin, made from python, Gives the Erhu its characteristic sound

琴杆; Neck

琴头; Top of the neck. Usually attached with a curved bone

琴轴; Tuning pegs

千斤; Nut; usually made from strings

内线; Inner string. Usually tuned to D4

外线; Outer string. Usually tuned to A4

琴码; Bridge

弓; The bow

弓杆; Bow stick. Made from bamboo

弓毛; Bow hair. Made from horse hair

琴垫; Pad. Usually a small piece of cloth tucked at the bottom to further refine the sound

琴托; The base. A smooth bottom surface to rest on the lap

The Erhu works by the vibration of the string generated from the friction between the strings and the bow hair, which is transferred to the skin for its vibration to produce its characteristic sound. The optimal range of an Erhu is normally D4-A5. Yes, it is a very small range. While it is still possible to play beyond A5, the sound produced will not be as bright and as clean. Frequent practices are needed to control the pressure on the higher notes to produce a more decent sound. Compared to the Violin, the intonation on the Erhu is harder to catch. Unlike violin which has a backboard to stop the strings, the Erhu needs strength control to make sure the note is correct. Too hard, notes will be sharp. Too light, notes will be flat or sometimes worse, unnecessary harmonic note. 

Some notable Erhu pieces or concertos are 二泉映月，江河水，长城随想曲. Over the years, many prominent Erhu players appeared which I will talk about it in the later post.

Next up, 高胡(GaoHu) and 中胡(ZhongHu). They are usually referred as reformed instruments as their existence didn't come about until the last century to accommodate the modern orchestra setting. The parts of the GaoHu and ZhongHu are the same as the Erhu with the exception of the size. ZhongHu has a bigger resonator, usually in octagon shape and Gaohu has a smaller resonator, usually in perfect circle shape. They are usually tuned to G D, with ZhongHu in G3-D5 range and Gaohu in G4-D6 range. If I were to compare Erhu, Gaohu and ZhongHu to western symphonic orchestra strings section, it will be Gaohu=Violin I, Erhu=Violin II and ZhongHu=Viola. 

Lastly, the 革胡 and 低音革胡. In the previous post. I have stated that the very first modern orchestra setting consisted of mainly high pitched instruments. Pieces do not sound very balanced as the orchestra was missing the lows. To counter this issue, the Cello and Double bass was added and is used in modern orchestra setting till today. However, some argued that the Cello and Double Bass cannot be considered as CO instruments as they are originated from the west. A guy name 杨雨森 decide to remake the Cello into more “Chinese" and thus the 革胡 was born. The playing techniques and open strings tuning are the same as cello bit sound produced mimics from the Erhu.

The 革胡

This ends my presentation to the Strings Section. Find it interesting? Please do comment below if you have any questions, I will be glad to answer those for you :)

Cheers!

Chinese Orchestra

Hi everyone! As an introduction, I will be first talking about the world of Chinese Orchestra (CO). To start things off, modern CO is actually a very recent invention considering the history of some of the instruments. The first modern CO was actually introduced in the 1920s by Jiangnan Sizhu to mimic western symphonic orchestra using Chinese instruments. A modern CO setup has 4 different sections. The strings, which are further subdivided into Chinese strings and lower strings. The pluck, the Winds and finally Percussion.

A modern CO setup

While it's true that the modern CO setup didn't appear until the early 20th century, archaeological findings suggest that ancient China has developed and sophisticated music culture. The ancient form of the orchestra was used to play a form of ceremonial music known as 雅乐 (yayue). Ancient China was also the first the establish the pentatonic scale, with 宫(gong)，商(shang)，角(jue)，徵(zhi)，羽(yu), corresponding to do, re, mi, so, la. Fa and Ti was added later to make the 7-tone scale used now. During the Zhou dynasty, the Zhou scholars came along and provided a classification system for the traditional instruments, 八音. This classification was based on the materials made:

Metal(金), such as the 钟, or copper bells.

Silk(丝), for string instruments such as 琴(Qin)，瑟(Se).

Gourd(匏), use to make mouth organs, 笙(Sheng).

Leather(革), stretch to make animal skin drums. 大鼓(DaGu)

Stone(石), for ceremonial chimes. 磬(Qing)

Bamboo(竹), material use to make flutes. 笛子(DiZi)

Clay(土), which can be used to make flute or percussion instruments. 埙(Xun)

Wood(木), such as the 拍板(PaiBan)

Source: Introduction to CO

With western influence and the exchange of ideas made on the silk road, more and more instruments that contributed to the modern orchestra started appearing. Instruments such as 二胡，琵琶，阮, originally evolved from traditional middle eastern instruments (In-depth description will come later). By the 20th century, China was filled with many instruments with different origins. With this new asset, China begins to explore the combinations of the different types of instruments. By the 1960s, the modern setup was more or less completed with the current orchestra setup you see now. Experimentation of music and instruments still carries on today. Many modern orchestras started to have musical influence from the west, such as jazz, blue and pop, which many have applied to their compositions. Recent pieces also made used of western chords progressions to be played using Chinese instruments, bringing out a new flavor in the music scene. 

This ends my introduction to Chinese Orchestra. Interesting isn't it? Do drop by comments if you have any inquiries. My next post will be about the specific instruments in the orchestra. Stay Tuned!