Erhu
The Erhu, which is mainly constructed of
various hard woods, has two string with a bow playing between
them. The 2 strings are tumed to D and A, a perfect fifth apart.
The sound box is covered with snake skin, which helps produce its
distictive tone colour. The Erhu is one of the most widely used
bowed strings instruments in China. Throughout its 500 years of
history, the construcetion of the instrument has been constantly
upgraded so that its tone is now mellow and bright. Played with a
variety of techniques, it is now extremely popular, for both solo
and orchestral performances.
In the past, Erhu was
used by priest and street artist, who had low social status. To
increase its status, the famous Musician Liu Tian Hua (1895-1932)
put in a lot of effort to learn the art of Erhu. He raised the
standard of Erhu playing to an unprecedented height with his ten
compositons for the Erhu and 47 exercises (something like
Czerny's School of Velocity) for the instrument.
Another famous Erhu
Soloist Hua Yan Jun (1893-1950), nickname Ah Bing, made Erhu,
which was previously used to accompany Chinese Opera, a solo
instrument. He learned from his father, a priest, the Erhu and
Pipa. In his mid-life, he became blind, and was well know as
"The Blind Man Ah Bing". He led a pathetic life and
earned his livings through playing solos on the streets. His
talent was later discovered in his late years when he was invited
to perform on stage but before he was able to enjoy his new found
status, he died in 1950.
Popular solos for
this instrument includes Moon Reflects in the Er Quan
and the Erhu Concerto The Great Wall Capriccio.
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