YangQin - a Chinese hammered dulcimer
Xiao Xiannian (Xiao is the last name) is a conservatory-trained virtuoso of the YangQin-a Chinese hammered dulcimer. Once a soloist with a prestigious ballet company, Xiao decided to take his chances in the west. "I wanted to see if my music could interact with this environment," he said. Soon, he was playing in the subways of New York City. There, NYU professor and percussionist Julie Tay heard him. It was an encounter that changed both their lives.
Xiao Xiannian (Xiao is the last name) is a conservatory-trained virtuoso of the YangQin-a Chinese hammered dulcimer. Once a soloist with a prestigious ballet company, Xiao decided to take his chances in the west. "I wanted to see if my music could interact with this environment," he said. Soon, he was playing in the subways of New York City. There, NYU professor and percussionist Julie Tay heard him. It was an encounter that changed both their lives.
The Pipa - a four-stringed lute
Wu Man lives in San Diego, but works in venues around the world. And she is doing it on an instrument that had once been in decline. When she entered the Central Conservatory in Beijing, the pipa had a repertory of less than 30 solo pieces. Today, she is placing her 2,000-year-old instrument on the cutting edge, with musical partners that include the Silk Road Ensemble, jazz and bluegrass musicians, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Suona – a powerful Chinese horn
Yazhi Guo is a child of China’s Cultural Revolution when conservatories were closed and traditional Chinese music and musical instruments were all but left behind. Yazhi took up the French Horn like his father, but as the winds began to shift in politics, so did his musical interests. He picked up an ancient folk instrument; a strange and powerful horn known as the suona, and was hooked. Follow Yazhi Guo as he journeys from China's top conservatory to its remote villages to Boston's Berklee College of Music to explore this fascinating music.
Dizi – a bamboo flute
As a child, Jennifer Alexa Zhang spent around eight hours a day practicing the piano. As a teen, she added the Chinese bamboo flute to her regimen before traveling to the US to study Economics. A product of China's one-child policy, Jennifer had doting parents. Giving her every advantage they could muster, they spent half their wages on her music lessons alone, and Jennifer received the finest instruction in China. She is the legacy of master flute players who revolutionized the 2,000 year-old "dizi," or bamboo flute.
The Guzheng - an ancient zither
It's among the most popular instruments in China. Over most of its 2,500-year-history, the guzheng has been a mainstay in everything from opera to folk music, yet it nearly vanished in the 20th century. Like many casualties of political upheaval, modernization, and shifting cultural interests, the vast and varied traditions of the guzheng have faded in the eyes of the modern performer-yet new music is being written and performed all the time. Meet two musicians who are part of a movement to give this ancient zither a second life.
Percussion Music - The Wooden Fish
Have you ever heard of a wooden fish, a flowerpot drum or a nipple gong? They are part of a raucous, colorful-and wildly popular-feature in Chinese culture: percussion music. New York City percussionist Julie Tay takes us on a journey through an ancient folk tale to discover a staple of Buddhist and Taoist chant: the wooden fish.
The Erhu - a small two-stringed fiddle
At one time, the erhu was the muse of Central Asian nomads; this small, two-stringed fiddle could be played on horseback (imagine folk modifying an archer's bow with hair from the horse's tail to rub against silk strings). Over hundreds of years, this soulful little instrument made its way into the heart of China-enchanting the people of the Imperial court, the villagers and the poets, alike. It wasn't until the late 20th century that one of China's most beloved instruments made its way into the conservatories to continue its thousand-year evolution.
Chinese Ensembles
About 2,500 years ago, the body of a Chinese nobleman was placed in a tomb with items he cherished most: furnishings, bronze vessels, weapons and scores of musical instruments. Panoplies of instruments have long captivated listeners and performers alike. Today, globalization pits musical detectives against the clock in a fight to reclaim some of these almost-forgotten traditions.
One-hour Special
This one-hour special features the best of the eight-part series listed above and brings the joy of listening to each of the Chinese music instruments and the musicians' stories together.