Pipa
The
pipa (
Chinese:
琵琶;
pinyin: pípá) is a plucked
Chinese string instrument. Sometimes called the Chinese
lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body. It has been played for nearly two thousand years of history in China, and belongs to the plucked category of instruments (彈'樂器). Several related instruments in East and Southeast Asia are derived from the pipa; these include the
Japanese
biwa, the
Vietnamese
đàn tỳ bà, and the
Korean
bipa. The Korean instrument is the only one of the three that is no longer used. Attempts to revive the instrument have failed, although examples survive in museums.
The name "pípá" is made up of two Chinese syllables, "pí" (琵) and "pá" (琶). These are the two most common ways of playing this instrument. "Pí" is to push the index finger of the right hand from right to left, and "pá" is to pull the thumb of the right hand from left to right, in the opposite direction. The strings were originally played using a large plectrum in the Tang Dynasty, then gradually replaced by the fingernails of the right hand. Since the revolutions in Chinese instrument making during the 20th century, the softer twisted silk strings of earlier times have been exchanged for nylon-wound steel strings, which are far too strong for human fingernails, so false nails are now used, constructed of plastic or tortoise-shell, and affixed to the fingertips with the player's choice of elastic tape.
|
A Tang Dynasty five-stringed pipa |
Prototypes of the
pipa already existed in China in the
Qin Dynasty (
221 BC -
206 BC). At that time, there were two types of
pipa. One was straight-necked, with a round
sound box, and two faces mounted with leather. The other was believed to be inspired by the primitive forms of
zheng,
konghou, and
zou. It also has a straight neck, a round
sound box, and also four strings, along with twelve standards of notes. This model was later developed into the instrument known today as the
ruan. The modern
pipa is closer to the instrument which originated in Persia/Middle-East (where it was called
barbat) and was introduced into China beginning in the late
Jin Dynasty (265-420 A.D.).
|
Back of the Tang dynasty five-stringed pipa |
By the Tang era, the pipa had become popular in the imperial court. It had a crooked neck, 4 or 5 silk strings, and 5 or 6 frets, and was played with a plectrum in a horizonal position. As the ages went by, the crooked neck was replaced by a straight one, the number of frets increased to between 14 or 16, and to 17, 24, 29, or 30 in the 20th century. 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"). In the 1920s and 1930s, the number of frets was increased to 24, based on the 12 tone equal temperament scale, with all the intervals being semitones. Since then the number of frets has been extended to 29 or 30. The traditional 16 fret pipa is becoming less common, although it is still used in some regional styles such as the
pipa in the southern genre of
nanguan/nanyin. The plectrum was replaced by fingernails and the horizontal playing position was replaced by the vertical (or near-vertical) position. During this time, the five-stringed pipa became lost.
The
pipa became a favourite in the
Tang Dynasty, during which time
Persian performers and teachers were in demand in the capital,
Chang'an (which had a large Persian community). Many delicately carved
pipas with beautiful inlaid patterns date from this period. Masses of
pipa-playing
Buddhist semi-deities are depicted in the wall paintings of the
Mogao Caves near
Dunhuang.
The
pipa is referred to frequently in Tang Dynasty poetry, where it is often praised for its refinement and delicacy of tone.
Bai Juyi's famous "
Pipa Xing" (Pipa Song) describes a chance encounter with a female
pipa player on the
Yangtze River:
大絃嘈嘈如急雨 : The bold strings rattled like splatters of sudden rain,:小絃切切如私語 : The fine strings hummed like lovers' whispers. :嘈嘈切切錯雜彈 : Chattering and pattering, pattering and chattering,:大珠小珠落玉盤 : As pearls, large and small, on a jade plate fall.
There are numerous pipa pieces in the common repertoire which can be split into four distinctive styles: 「文」 wen (civil), 「武」 wu (martial), 「大」 da (suite), and 「小」 xiao (solo).
Famous pieces include 《十面埋伏》 Shimian Maifu [Ambushed from Ten Sides], 《夕陽簫"》 Xiyang Xiaogu [Flute and Drum at Sunset], 《陽春白雪》 Yangchun Baixue [White Snow in a Sunny Spring], 《龍船》 Long Chuan [Dragon Boat], 《彝族舞曲》 Yizu Wuqu [Dance of the Yi People], 《大浪淘沙》 Dalang Taosha [Big Waves Pushing the Sand], 《昭君出塞》 Zhaojun Chusai [Zhaojun Outside the Frontier] and 《霸王卸"》 Bawang Xiejia [King Chu Takes Off his Armour].
In the late 20th century, largely through the efforts of Wu Man, Min Xiao-Fen, and other performers, Chinese and Western
contemporary composers began to create new works for the pipa (both solo and in combination with chamber ensembles and orchestra). Most prominent among these are
Terry Riley,
Philip Glass,
Lou Harrison,
Tan Dun,
Bright Sheng,
Chen Yi,
Zhou Long,
Bun-Ching Lam, and
Carl Stone.[
1]
The pipa has also been used in rock music; the California-based band
Incubus featured it in their song "Aqueous Transmission," as played by the group's guitarist,
Mike Einziger. [
2]
|
A standard modern pipa with white ox horn for neck and pegs |
In the 20th century, two of the most prominent
pipa players were Sun Yude (1904-1981) and Li Tingsong (1906-1976). Both were pupils of Wang Yuting (1872"1951), and both were active in establishing and promoting
guoyu (national music), a combination of traditional regional musics and Western musical practices. Sun performed in the United States, Asia, and Europe, and in 1956 became deputy director of the
Shanghai minzu yuetuan (Shanghai Folk Orchestra). 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. Wei Zhongle (1908 or 1909 - 1998) played many instruments, including the
guqin. In the early 1950s, he founded the traditional instruments department at the
Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Lin Shicheng (1922- ) born in Shanghai, began learning music under his father and was taught by Shen Haochu (1899"1953), a leading player in the Pudong school style of pipa playing. He also qualified as a doctor of Chinese medicine. In 1956, after working for some years in Shanghai, Lin accepted a position at the
Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Liu Dehai (1937 - ) also born in Shanghai, was a student of Lin Shicheng and in 1961 graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Liu also studied with other musicians and has developed a style that combines elements from several different schools.
Probably the best known pipa player internationally is
Wu Man, a virtuoso performer and former student of Lin Shicheng. Wu received the first-ever master's degree in pipa and won China's first National Academic Competition for Chinese Instruments. She lives in
San Diego,
California and works extensively with Chinese, cross-cultural, new music, and jazz groups.
Other contemporary players who have introduced the
pipa to North America, Europe, or Japan include
Min Xiao-Fen,
Tang Liangxing,
Jiang Ting,
Gao Hong,
Qiu Xia He,
Liu Fang,
Yang Jing, [
3],
Ting Ting (Zong Tingting), and
Zhou Yi. Beijing-born, London-resident pipa performer
Cheng Yu (程玉) performs on a
five-string pipa, a revival of a version of the instrument that formerly existed in China before the eighth century A.D.
Prominent pipa players in China include Yu Jia (俞嘉), Yang Wei (杨惟) and Fan Wei (樊薇).
The
loquat tree and fruit, called
pipa (
枇杷) in Mandarin Chinese, are named after the instrument, likely due to the distinctive shape of the tree's fruit and leaves, both of which resemble the body of the pipa.
*Lin, Shicheng, and Gao, Hong (1996).
Hunting Eagles Catching Swans. IFTPA (International Friendship Through the Performing Arts).
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London, 2001).
*
Cheng Yu and the UK Chinese Ensemble*
Pipa - Chinese Lute page from Philmultic Management & Productions Inc. site*
"Kishibe's diffusionism theory on the Iranian Barbat and Chino-Japanese Pi' Pa'," from The Shayda Institute-Iranian Classical Music site*
Yang Jing*
Gao Hong official site*
Ting Ting site*
Wu Man official site*
ORCHID / SHAO RONG*
Min Xiao-Fen official siteVideo
*
Liu Fang pipa videos*
Liu Fang pipa videos*
Ting Ting plays and sings "Moon Prayer"*
Ting Ting Plays Mozart Video*
Ting Ting plays and sings "Meadows Love Song"*
Traditional Chinese musical instruments
