China Popular Itineraries |
|
|
|
|
Pipa Music: Playing Xiao and Drum Under the Setting Sun |
| The music score of Playing Xiao and Drum Under the Setting Sun was first recorded in the hand-copied Pipa scores by Ju Shilin (about 1736-1820) and the hand-written copy by Wu Yuanqing in 1875. It is believed that this music had become popular in the south of the Yangtzi River at least as early as the 18th century. It is a famous Pipa civil divertimento. Civil diverti-mentos lays emphasis on revealing artistic conception and presents a penetrat-ing description of feelings. Their rhythms are usually strong and the playing pace is slow. There are eleven periods in Playing Xiao and Drum Under the Setting Sun, with insertions as a variation. The whole music sounds like a piece of portrait of landscape, showing the tranquillity in the spring night, boats floating on the rivers, flowers flickering in the dark. A Wonderful Moon-Night over the Chun-River, which enjoys tremendous popularity both at home and abroad, with Pipa as the leading instrument develops from Playing Xiao and Drum Under the Setting Sun. |
|
