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104-706: The pipa is a plucked Chinese string instrument. Pipa or PIPA may also refer to: Pipa The pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for almost two thousand years in China. Several related instruments are derived from the pipa, including the Japanese biwa and Korean bipa in East Asia , and the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà in Southeast Asia . The Korean instrument

208-524: A 3rd-century description by Fu Xuan , Ode to Pipa , associates the Han pipa with the northern frontier, Wang Zhaojun and other princesses who were married to nomad rulers of the Wusun and Xiongnu peoples in what is now Mongolia , northern Xinjiang and Kazakhstan . Wang Zhaojun in particular is frequently referenced with pipa in later literary works and lyrics, for example Ma Zhiyuan 's play Autumn in

312-579: A constant disruptions to the throne often caused loss of support for northern campaigns. For example, lack of support by the Jin court was a major cause of Huan Wen's failure to recover the north in his expeditions. Additionally, internal military crises—including the rebellions of generals Wang Dun and Su Jun , but also lesser fangzhen ( 方鎮 'military command') revolts—plagued the Eastern Jin throughout its 104-year existence. The local aristocrat clans of

416-423: A friction stick like a bow. The plectrum has now been largely replaced by the fingernails of the right hand. The most basic technique, tantiao (彈挑), involves just the index finger and thumb ( tan is striking with the index finger, tiao with the thumb). The fingers normally strike the strings of pipa in the opposite direction to the way a guitar is usually played, i.e. the fingers and thumb flick outward, unlike

520-412: A glissando or portamento. Note however that the frets on all Chinese lutes are high so that the fingers and strings never touch the fingerboard in between the frets, this is different from many Western fretted instruments and allows for dramatic vibrato and other pitch changing effects. In addition, there are a number of techniques that produce sound effects rather than musical notes, for example, striking

624-401: A noted player during the late Qing dynasty. In the 20th century, two of the most prominent pipa players were Sun Yude (孙裕德; 1904–1981) and Li Tingsong (李廷松; 1906–1976). Both were pupils of Wang Yuting (1872–1951), and both were active in establishing and promoting Guoyue ("national music"), which is a combination of traditional regional music and Western musical practices. Sun performed in

728-419: A platter of jade. The encounter also inspired a poem by Yuan Zhen , Song of Pipa (琵琶歌). Another excerpt of figurative descriptions of a pipa music may be found in a eulogy for a pipa player, Lament for Shancai by Li Shen : On the plectrum, figure of a golden phoenix with flowers in its beak, With turned wrist, he gathered the strings to pluck and strum faster. The flowers fluttered, and from Heaven

832-663: A small drum with handle, was said to have been played by labourers who constructed the Great Wall of China during the late Qin dynasty. This may have given rise to the Qin pipa , an instrument with a straight neck and a round sound box , and evolved into ruan , an instrument named after Ruan Xian , one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove and known for playing similar instrument. Yet another term used in ancient text

936-452: A standard metrical length of 68 measures or beat, and these may be joined to form the larger pieces dagu . Famous solo pieces now performed include: Most of the above are traditional compositions dating to the Qing dynasty or early 20th century, new pieces however are constantly being composed, and most of them follow a more Western structure. Examples of popular modern works composed after

1040-625: A strong Chinese flavor within a modern Western pop music mould. Jin dynasty (266%E2%80%93420) The Jin dynasty or Jin Empire , sometimes distinguished as the Sima Jin or the Two Jins , was an imperial dynasty in China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan , eldest son of Sima Zhao , who had previously been declared the King of Jin. There are two main divisions in

1144-537: A vigorous fashion employing a variety of techniques and sound effects. The wu style was associated more with the Northern school while the wen style was more the Southern school. The da and xiao categories refer to the size of the piece – xiao pieces are small pieces normally containing only one section, while da pieces are large and usually contain multiple sections. The traditional pieces however often have

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1248-505: Is also an important component of regional chamber ensemble traditions such as Jiangnan sizhu , Teochew string music and Nanguan ensemble. In Nanguan music, the pipa is still held in the near-horizontal position or guitar-fashion in the ancient manner instead of the vertical position normally used for solo playing in the present day. There were originally two major schools of pipa during the Qing dynasty—the Northern ( Zhili , 直隸派) and Southern ( Zhejiang , 浙江派) schools—and from these emerged

1352-594: Is called sao (掃), and strumming in the reverse direction is called fu (拂). A distinctive sound of pipa is the tremolo produced by the lunzhi (輪指) technique which involves all the fingers and thumb of the right hand. It is however possible to produce the tremolo with just one or more fingers. The left hand techniques are important for the expressiveness of pipa music. Techniques that produce vibrato , portamento , glissando , pizzicato , harmonics or artificial harmonics found in violin or guitar are also found in pipa. String-bending for example may be used to produce

1456-683: Is mentioned frequently in the Tang dynasty poetry , where it is often praised for its expressiveness, refinement and delicacy of tone, with poems dedicated to well-known players describing their performances. A famous poem by Bai Juyi , " Pipa xing " (琵琶行), contains a description of a pipa performance during a chance encounter with a female pipa player on the Yangtze River : Thick strings clatter like splattering rain, Fine strings murmur like whispered words, Clattering and murmuring, meshing jumbled sounds, Like pearls, big and small, falling on

1560-850: Is not exactly known. Then the lodged Huaide County was also established in Jiankang, around 320. According to the Book of Song : 晉永嘉大亂，幽、冀、青、並、兗州及徐州之淮北流民，相率過淮，亦有過江在晉陵郡界者……又徙流民之在淮南者于晉陵諸縣，其徙過江南及留在江北者，並立僑郡縣以司牧之。徐、兗二州或治江北，江北又僑立幽、冀、青、並四州……(After Disaster of Yongjia, the refugees from You, Ji, Qing, Bing, Yan and Xu provinces came across the Huai River, some even came across the Yangtze River and stayed in Jinling Commandery... The lodged administrative divisions were established to govern them. The seats of Xu and Yan provinces perhaps were moved to

1664-471: Is the only one of the three that is no longer widely used. There are some confusions and disagreements about the origin of pipa. This may be due to the fact that the word pipa was used in ancient texts to describe a variety of plucked chordophones of the period from the Qin to the Tang dynasty , including the long-necked spiked lute and the short-necked lute, as well as the differing accounts given in these ancient texts. Traditional Chinese narrative prefers

1768-614: Is unlikely to be pear-shaped as they are now usually depicted. Other early known players of pipa include General Xie Shang from the Jin dynasty who was described to have performed it with his leg raised on tiptoe. The introduction of pipa from Central Asia also brought with it virtuoso performers from that region, for example Sujiva (蘇祇婆, Sujipo ) from the Kingdom of Kucha during the Northern Zhou dynasty, Kang Kunlun (康崑崙) from Kangju , and Pei Luoer (裴洛兒) from Shule . Pei Luoer

1872-504: The Book of Jin : 今九域同規，大化方始，臣等以為宜皆蕩除末法，一擬古制， 以土斷 ，定自公卿以下，皆以所居為正，無復懸客遠屬異土者。 然承魏氏凋弊之跡，人物播越，仕無常朝，人無定處，郎吏蓄於軍府，豪右聚於都邑，事體駁錯，與古不同。謂九品既除，宜先開移徙，聽相並就。且明貢舉之法，不濫於境外，則冠帶之倫將不分而自均，即 土斷 之實行矣。 Hence, it was perhaps initially proposed by these two people, but was only seriously implemented during the Eastern Jin and the Southern dynasties. Taoism was polarized in the Jin dynasty. The Jin emperors repressed Taoists harshly, but also tried to exploit it, given

1976-529: The Eastern Jin (317–420). The Eastern Jin dynasty remained in near-constant conflict with its northern neighbors for most of its existence, and it launched several invasions of the north with the aim of recovering its lost territories. In 383, the Eastern Jin inflicted a devastating defeat on the Former Qin , a Di -ruled state that had briefly unified northern China. In the aftermath of that battle,

2080-635: The High River Flows East (高河江東, Gaohe Jiangdong ) collection dating from 1528 which are very similar to those performed today, such as "The Moon on High" (月兒高, Yue-er Gao ). During the Qing dynasty , scores for pipa were collected in Thirteen Pieces for Strings . During the Qing dynasty there originally two major schools of pipa —the Northern and Southern schools, and music scores for these two traditions were collected and published in

2184-678: The Shanghai Conservatory of Music . Players from the Wang and Pudong schools were the most active in performance and recording during the 20th century, less active was the Pinghu school whose players include Fan Boyan (樊伯炎). Other noted players of the early 20th century include Liu Tianhua , a student of Shen Zhaozhou of the Chongming school and who increased the number of frets on the pipa and changed to an equal-tempered tuning, and

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2288-582: The Song dynasty , although attempts have been made to revive this instrument in the early 21st century with a modernized five-string pipa modeled on the Tang dynasty instrument. During the Song dynasty, pipa fell from favour at the imperial court, perhaps a result of the influence of neo-Confucian nativism as pipa had foreign associations. However, it continued to be played as a folk instrument that also gained

2392-568: The Upheaval of the Five Barbarians began in 304. During this unrest, the Jin capital Luoyang was sacked by Han-Zhao ruler Liu Cong in 311, and Jin emperor Sima Chi, posthumously known as Emperor Huai , was captured and later executed. Emperor Huai's successor Sima Ye, posthumously known as Emperor Min , was then also captured and executed by Han-Zhao forces when they seized Chang'an (present-day Xi'an ) in 316. This event marked

2496-523: The pipa in their song "Blood" as played by singer/guitarist Mark Kelson on their album Kartika . The artist Yang Jing plays pipa with a variety of groups. The instrument is also played by musician Min Xiaofen in "I See Who You Are", a song from Björk 's album Volta . Western performers of pipa include French musician Djang San , who integrated jazz and rock concepts to the instrument such as power chords and walking bass . The electric pipa

2600-409: The qiaoren : the qiaozhou ( 僑州 , 'province'), qiaojun ( 僑郡 , 'commandery'), and qiaoxian ( 僑縣 , the lodged county), these lodged administrative divisions were merely nominal without possessing actual domain, or rather, they were local government in exile; what could scarcely be denied was their significance in Jin's legitimacy for the northern territory as somewhat an announcement. Furthermore, it

2704-485: The soundboard , increasing the number of frets to around 10 and therefore the range of the instrument. The short neck of the Tang pipa also became more elongated. In the subsequent periods, the number of frets gradually increased, from around 10 to 14 or 16 during the Qing dynasty, then to 19, 24, 29, and 30 in the 20th century. The 4 wedge-shaped frets on the neck became 6 during the 20th century. The 14- or 16-fret pipa had frets arranged in approximately equivalent to

2808-557: The "pipa." Pear-shaped lutes have been depicted in Kusana sculptures from the 1st century AD. The pear-shaped pipa may have been introduced during the Han dynasty and was referred to as Han pipa. However, depictions of the pear-shaped pipas in China only appeared after the Han dynasty during the Jin dynasty in the late 4th to early 5th century. Pipa acquired a number of Chinese symbolisms during

2912-506: The 10th century, players began to hold the instrument "more upright", as the fingernail style became more important. Through time, the neck was raised and by the Qing dynasty the instrument was mostly played upright. Pipa has been played solo, or as part of a large ensemble or small group since the early times. Few pieces for pipa survived from the early periods, some, however, are preserved in Japan as part of togaku (Tang music) tradition. In

3016-584: The 1950s are " Dance of the Yi People " and "Heroic Little Sisters of the Grassland" (草原英雄小姐妹). Non-traditional themes may be used in these new compositions and some may reflect the political landscape and demands at the time of composition, for example "Dance of the Yi People" which is based on traditional melodies of the Yi people , may be seen as part of the drive for national unity, while "Heroic Little Sisters of

3120-539: The 2nd century AD. According to Liu Xi's Eastern Han dynasty Dictionary of Names , the word pipa may have an onomatopoeic origin (the word being similar to the sounds the instrument makes), although modern scholarship suggests a possible derivation from the Persian word " barbat ", the two theories however are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Liu Xi also stated that the instrument called pipa , though written differently ( 枇杷 ; pípá or 批把 ; pībǎ ) in

3224-865: The Central Conservatory of Music and became the director of the Shanghai Pipa Society, and a member of the Chinese Musicians Association and Chinese National Orchestral Society, before immigrating to Canada. She now performs with Red Chamber and the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. Gao Hong graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and was the first to do a joint tour with Lin Shicheng in North America. They recorded

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3328-589: The Eastern Dhṛtarāṣṭra , is often depicted with a pipa. Additionally, masses of pipa -playing Buddhist semi-deities are depicted in the wall paintings of the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang . The four and five-stringed pipas were especially popular during the Tang dynasty, and these instruments were introduced into Japan during the Tang dynasty as well as into other regions such as Korea and Vietnam . The five-stringed pipa however had fallen from use by

3432-757: The Former Qin state splintered, and Jin armies recaptured the lands south of the Yellow River . The Eastern Jin was eventually usurped by General Liu Yu in 420 replaced with the Liu Song dynasty . The Eastern Jin dynasty is considered the second of the Six Dynasties . During the Three Kingdoms period, the Sima clan—with its most accomplished individual being Sima Yi —rose to prominence within

3536-525: The Former Qin—which had recently unified northern China—began to collapse, and the Jin dynasty recovered the lands south of the Yellow River . Some of these lands were later lost, but the Jin regained them once more when Liu Yu defeated the northern states in his northern expeditions of 409–416. Despite successes against the northern states like the Battle of Fei River, paranoia in the royal family and

3640-570: The Grassland" extols the virtue of those who served as model of exemplary behaviour in the People's commune . There are a number of different traditions with different styles of playing pipa in various regions of China, some of which then developed into schools. In the narrative traditions where the pipa is used as an accompaniment to narrative singing, there are the Suzhou tanci (蘇州彈詞), Sichuan qingyin (四川清音), and Northern quyi (北方曲藝) genres. Pipa

3744-538: The Han dynasty - the instrument length of three feet five inches represents the three realms (heaven, earth, and man) and the five elements , while the four strings represent the four seasons. Depictions of the pear-shaped pipas appeared in abundance from the Southern and Northern dynasties onwards, and pipas from this time to the Tang dynasty were given various names, such as Hu pipa (胡琵琶), bent-neck pipa (曲項琵琶, quxiang pipa), some of these terms however may refer to

3848-467: The Han dynasty text by Liu Xi, refer to the way the instrument is played – "pí" is to strike outward with the right hand, and "pá" is to pluck inward towards the palm of the hand. The strings were played using a large plectrum in the Tang dynasty , a technique still used now for the Japanese biwa . It has however been suggested that the long plectrum depicted in ancient paintings may have been used as

3952-563: The Jin dynasty, for example in the 4th century collection of tales Soushen Ji . Novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties such as Jin Ping Mei showed pipa performance to be a normal aspect of life in these periods at home (where the characters in the novels may be proficient in the instrument) as well as outside on the street or in pleasure houses. The name "pipa" is made up of two Chinese syllables, "pí" (琵) and "pá" (琶). These, according to

4056-485: The Jin refugees Sima Fei  [ zh ] ( 司馬朏 ) and Sima Chuzhi  [ zh ] ( 司馬楚之 ). They both married Xianbei princesses. Sima Fei's wife was named Huayang ( 華 陽 公主 ), who was a daughter of Emperor Xiaowen ; Sima Chuzhi's son was Sima Jinlong , who married a Northern Liang princess who was a daughter of the Lushuihu king Juqu Mujian . More than fifty percent of Tuoba Xianbei princesses of

4160-606: The King of Jin and regent of Cao Wei in 265, Sima Yan declared himself emperor of the Jin dynasty in February 266 and forced the final Wei ruler Cao Huan to abdicate. Emperor Wu permitted Cao Huan to live with honor as the Prince of Chenliu, and buried him with imperial ceremony. Under Emperor Wu, the Jin dynasty conquered Eastern Wu in 280 and united China proper, thus ending the Three Kingdoms period. The period of unity

4264-432: The Ming dynasty, famous pipa players include Zhong Xiuzhi (鍾秀之), Zhang Xiong (張雄, known for his playing of "Eagle Seizing Swan"), the blind Li Jinlou (李近樓), and Tang Yingzeng (湯應曾) who was known to have played a piece that may be an early version of "Ambushed from Ten Sides". During the Qing dynasty, apart from those of the various schools previously mentioned, there was Chen Zijing (陳子敬), a student of Ju Shilin and known as

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4368-508: The Northern Wei were married to southern Han Chinese men from the imperial families and aristocrats from southern China of the Southern dynasties who defected and moved north to join the Northern Wei. Much later, Sima Guang (1019–1086), who served as chancellor for the Song and created the comprehensive history Zizhi Tongjian , claimed descent from the Jin dynasty (specifically, Sima Fu , brother of Sima Yi ). The uprising of

4472-518: The Palace of Han (漢宮秋), especially since the Song dynasty (although her story is often conflated with other women including Liu Xijun), as well as in music pieces such as Zhaojun's Lament (昭君怨, also the title of a poem), and in paintings where she is often depicted holding a pipa. There are many references to pipa in Tang literary works, for example, in A Music Conservatory Miscellany Duan Anjie related many anecdotes associated with pipa. The pipa

4576-547: The Pipa"), a tale about an abandoned wife who set out to find her husband, surviving by playing the pipa . It is one of the most enduring works in Chinese theatre, and one that became a model for Ming dynasty drama as it was the favorite opera of the first Ming emperor . The Ming collection of supernatural tales Fengshen Yanyi tells the story of Pipa Jing , a pipa spirit, but ghost stories involving pipa existed as early as

4680-642: The Pipa, built by an instrument maker named Tim Sway called "Electric Pipa 2.0". The pipa has also been used in rock music; the California-based band Incubus featured one, borrowed from guitarist Steve Vai , in their 2001 song " Aqueous Transmission ," as played by the group's guitarist, Mike Einziger . The Shanghai progressive/folk-rock band Cold Fairyland , which was formed in 2001, also use pipa (played by Lin Di ), sometimes multi-tracking it in their recordings. Australian dark rock band The Eternal use

4784-566: The United States, Asia, and Europe, and in 1956 became deputy director of the Shanghai Chinese 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 (卫仲乐; 1908－1997) played many instruments, including the guqin . In the early 1950s, he founded the traditional instruments department at

4888-614: The Wang ( 王 ) clans of Langya and Taiyuan , the Xie ( 謝 ) clan of Chenliu , the Huan ( 桓 ) clan of Qiao Commandery , and the Yu ( 庾 ) clan of Yingchuan . Among the people, a common remark was that " Wang Dao and Sima Rui , they dominate the nation together" ( 王與馬，共天下 ). It was said that when Emperor Yuan was holding court, he even invited Wang Dao to sit by his side so they could jointly accept congratulations from ministers, but Wang Dao declined

4992-458: The area north of the Yangtze River, where the lodged You, Ji, Qing, Bing provinces were established.) The lodged Pei, Qinghe, Xiapi, Dongguang, Pingchang, Jiyin, Puyang, Guangping, Taishan, Jiyang, and Lu commanderies were established when Emperor Ming ruled. The rebellions and invasions occurring in Jianghuai area led to more refugees switching to settle in the south of the Yangtze River, where

5096-693: The blind player Abing from Wuxi. Lin Shicheng (林石城; 1922–2006), born in Shanghai, began learning music under his father and was taught by Shen Haochu (沈浩初; 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 (1937–2020), also born in Shanghai,

5200-556: The board of the pipa for a percussive sound, or strings-twisting while playing that produces a cymbal -like effect. The strings are usually tuned to A 2 D 3 E 3 A 3 , although there are various other ways of tuning. 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

5304-605: The capital, Chang'an (which had a large Persian community). Some delicately carved pipa s with beautiful inlaid patterns date from this period, with particularly fine examples preserved in the Shosoin Museum in Japan. It had close association with Buddhism and often appeared in mural and sculptural representations of musicians in Buddhist contexts. One of the Buddhist Four Heavenly Kings ,

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5408-402: The collection may be "Eagle Seizing a Crane" (海青挐鶴) which was mentioned in a Yuan dynasty text. Other collections from the Qing dynasty were compiled by Li Fangyuan (李芳園) and Ju Shilin (鞠士林), each representing different schools, and many of the pieces currently popular were described in these Qing collections. Further important collections were published in the 20th century. The pipa pieces in

5512-462: The common repertoire can be categorized as wen (文, civil) or wu (武, martial), and da (大, large or suite) or xiao (小, small). The wen style is more lyrical and slower in tempo, with softer dynamic and subtler colour, and such pieces typically describe love, sorrow, and scenes of nature. Pieces in the Wu style are generally more rhythmic and faster, and often depict scenes of battles and are played in

5616-547: The critically acclaimed CD "Eagle Seizing Swan" together. Noted contemporary pipa players who work internationally include Min Xiao-Fen , Zhou Yi , Qiu Xia He , Liu Fang , Cheng Yu , Jie Ma , Gao Hong , Yang Jing , Yang Wei (杨惟), Yang Jin (杨瑾), Guan Yadong (管亚东), Jiang Ting (蔣婷), Tang Liangxing (湯良興), and Lui Pui-Yuen (呂培原, brother of Lui Tsun-Yuen ). Some other notable pipa players in China include Yu Jia (俞嘉), Wu Yu Xia (吳玉霞), Fang Jinlong (方錦龍) and Zhao Cong (赵聪). In

5720-401: The current versions are based on Chinese pipa, including one with five-strings. The 5 String Pipa is tuned like a Standard Pipa with the addition of an Extra Bass String tuned to an E2 (Same as the Guitar) which broadens the range (Tuning is E2, A2, D3, E3, A3). Jiaju Shen from The Either also plays an Electric 5 String Pipa/Guitar hybrid that has the Hardware from an Electric Guitar combined with

5824-413: The development of proto-celadon . Jar designs often incorporated animal, as well as Buddhist, figures. Examples of Yue ware are also known from the Jin dynasty. After the fall of Chang'an and the execution of Emperor Min of Jin , Sima Rui, posthumously known as Emperor Yuan , was enthroned as Jin emperor in 318. He reestablished the Jin government at Jiankang (present-day Nanjing ), which became

5928-482: The dynasty's new capital. This marked the start of the Eastern Jin period. One of Sima Rui's titles was the prince of Langya , so the recently established northern states , who denied the legitimacy of his succession, occasionally referred to his empire as "Langya". The Eastern Jin period witnessed the pinnacle of menfa ( 門閥 'gentry clan') politics. The authority of the emperors was limited, while national affairs were controlled by powerful immigrant elite clans like

6032-458: The earliest texts, originated from amongst the Hu people (a general term for non-Han people living to the north and west of ancient China). Another Han dynasty text, Fengsu Tongyi , also indicates that, at that time, pipa was a recent arrival, although later 3rd-century texts from the Jin dynasty suggest that pipa existed in China as early as the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). An instrument called xiantao (弦鼗), made by stretching strings over

6136-520: The early 1980s. Other prominent students of Lin Shicheng at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing include Liu Guilian (刘桂莲, born 1961), Gao Hong and Wu Man . Wu Man, probably the best known pipa player internationally, 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. Shanghai-born Liu Guilian graduated from

6240-443: The early 20th century, twenty-five pieces were found amongst 10th-century manuscripts in the Mogao caves near Dunhuang , most of these pieces however may have originated from the Tang dynasty. The scores were written in tablature form with no information on tuning given, there are therefore uncertainties in the reconstruction of the music as well as deciphering other symbols in the score. Three Ming dynasty pieces were discovered in

6344-463: The electric pipa at the center of music. He was also the first musician to add a strap to the instrument, as he did for the zhongruan, allowing him to play the pipa and the zhongruan like a guitar. In 2014, an industrial designer residing in the United States Xi Zheng (郑玺) designed and crafted an electric pipa – "E-pa" in New York. In 2015, pipa player Jiaju Shen (沈嘉琚) released a mini album composed and produced by Li Zong (宗立), with E-pa music that has

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6448-479: The end of the Han dynasty . From 291 to 306, a series of civil wars known as the War of the Eight Princes were fought over control of the Jin state which weakened it considerably. In 304, the dynasty experienced a wave of rebellions by non- Han ethnicities termed the Five Barbarians , who went on to establish several short-lived dynastic states in northern China . This inaugurated the chaotic and bloody Sixteen Kingdoms era of Chinese history, in which states in

6552-450: The end of the Western Jin. The surviving members of the Jin imperial family, as well as large numbers of Han Chinese from the North China Plain , subsequently fled to southern China. These refugees had a large impact on the lands they moved to—for example, they gave Quanzhou 's Jin River its name upon their settlement there. The Jin dynasty is well known for the quality of its greenish celadon porcelain wares, which immediately followed

6656-401: The family of pipa players founded by Cao Poluomen (曹婆羅門) and who were active for many generations from the Northern Wei to Tang dynasty. Texts from Tang dynasty mentioned many renowned pipa players such as He Huaizhi (賀懷智), Lei Haiqing (雷海清), Li Guaner (李管兒), and Pei Xingnu (裴興奴). Duan Anjie described the duel between the famous pipa player Kang Kunlun and the monk Duan Shanben (段善本) who

6760-449: The fingertips with the player's choice of elastic tape. However, false nails made of horn existed as early as the Ming period when finger-picking became the popular technique for playing pipa. The pipa is held in a vertical or near-vertical position during performance, although in the early periods the instrument was held in the horizontal position or near-horizontal with the neck pointing slightly downwards, or upside down. Starting about

6864-528: The first mass-produced edition of solo pieces for pipa, now commonly known as the Hua Collection (華氏譜). The collection was edited by Hua Qiuping (華秋萍, 1784–1859) and published in 1819 in three volumes. The first volume contains 13 pieces from the Northern school, the second and third volumes contain 54 pieces from the Southern school. Famous pieces such as " Ambushed from Ten Sides ", "The Warlord Takes Off His Armour", and "Flute and Drum at Sunset" were first described in this collection. The earliest-known piece in

6968-438: The five barbarians led to one in eight northerners migrating to the south. These immigrants were called qiaoren ( 僑人 'lodged people'), accounting for one-sixth of the population of the south at the time. With consideration of the material loss refugees had experienced before arrival, they were exempt from the diao ( 調 ) tax, and other services. Those whose registers were bound in white paper were called baiji ( 白籍 ), while

7072-503: The five main schools associated with the solo tradition. Each school is associated with one or more collections of pipa music and named after its place of origin: These schools of the solo tradition emerged by students learning to play the pipa from their master, and each school has its own style, performance aesthetics, notation system, and may differ in their playing techniques. Different schools have different repertoire in their music collection, and even though these schools share many of

7176-401: The guitar where the fingers and thumb normally pluck inward towards the palm of the hand. Plucking in the opposite direction to tan and tiao are called mo (抹) and gou (勾) respectively. When two strings are plucked at the same time with the index finger and thumb (i.e. the finger and thumb separate in one action), it is called fen (分), the reverse motion is called zhi (摭). A rapid strum

7280-409: The history of the dynasty. The Western Jin (266–316) was established as the successor to Cao Wei after Sima Yan usurped the throne from Cao Huan . The capital of the Western Jin was initially in Luoyang , though it later moved to Chang'an (modern Xi'an ). In 280, after conquering Eastern Wu , the Western Jin ended the Three Kingdoms period and reunited China proper for the first time since

7384-408: The imperial hierarchy. As a result, popular Taoist religions were considered heterodoxy while the official schools of the court were supported, but the popular schools like Tianshi Taoism were still secretly held dear and promulgated amongst ordinary people. Disunity, disintegration, and chaos also made Buddhism more popular, in part due to the focus on addressing suffering. The Jin dynasty marked

7488-465: The interest of the literati. The pipa underwent a number of changes over the centuries. By the Ming dynasty , fingers replaced plectrum as the popular technique for playing pipa, although finger-playing techniques existed as early as Tang. Extra frets were added; the early instrument had 4 frets (相, xiāng ) on the neck, but during the early Ming dynasty extra bamboo frets (品, pǐn) were affixed onto

7592-704: The kingdom of Cao Wei that dominated northern China. Sima Yi was the regent of Cao Wei, and in 249 he instigated a coup d'état known as the Incident at Gaoping Tombs , the Sima clan began to surpass the Cao clan's power in the kingdom. After Sima Yi's death in 251, Sima Yi's eldest son Sima Shi succeeded his father as regent of Cao Wei, maintaining the Sima clan's tight grip on the Cao Wei political scene. After Sima Shi's death in 255, Sima Shi's younger brother Sima Zhao became

7696-659: The late 20th century, largely through the efforts of Wu Man (in USA), Min Xiao-Fen (in USA), composer Yang Jing (in Europe) 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 Minoru Miki , Thüring Bräm , YANG Jing , Terry Riley , Donald Reid Womack , Philip Glass , Lou Harrison , Tan Dun , Bright Sheng , Chen Yi , Zhou Long , Bun-Ching Lam , and Carl Stone . Cheng Yu researched

7800-406: The lodged Huainan Commandery was established afterwards. However, carrying these out was more complex than the policy was formulated. Several actual counties were under the jurisdiction of the lodged commanderies. A few lodged administrative divisions are still retained in China nowadays. For instance, Dangtu County was originally located in the area of Bengbu , however, the lodged Dangtu County

7904-417: The nobility of northern China subdued the nobility of southern China during the Jin dynasty. Southern China overtook the north in population due to depopulation of the north and the migration of northern Chinese to southern China. Different waves of migration of aristocratic Chinese from northern China to the south at different times resulted in distinct groups of aristocratic lineages. In 403, Huan Xuan ,

8008-542: The north rose and fell in rapid succession, constantly fighting both one another and the Jin. Han-Zhao , one of the northern states established during the disorder, sacked Luoyang in 311 , captured Chang'an in 316, and executed Emperor Min of Jin in 318, ending the Western Jin era. Sima Rui , who succeeded Emperor Min, then reestablished the Jin dynasty with its capital in Jiankang (modern Nanjing ), inaugurating

8112-686: The number of sections with free meter. The music collections from the 19th century also used the gongche notation which provides only a skeletal melody and approximate rhythms sometimes with the occasional playing instructions given (such as tremolo or string-bending), and how this basic framework can become fully fleshed out during a performance may only be learnt by the students from the master. The same piece of music can therefore differ significantly when performed by students of different schools, with striking differences in interpretation, phrasing , tempo , dynamics , playing techniques, and ornamentations . In more recent times, many pipa players, especially

8216-453: The offer. In order to recover the lands lost during the fall of the Western Jin, the Eastern Jin dynasty launched several military campaigns against the northern states, such as the expeditions led by Huan Wen from 354 to 369. Most notably, in 383, a heavily outnumbered Eastern Jin force inflicted a devastating defeat on the state of Former Qin at the Battle of Fei River . After this battle,

8320-465: The old Tang dynasty five-stringed pipa in the early 2000s and developed a modern version of it for contemporary use. It is very much the same as the modern pipa in construction save for being a bit wider to allow for the extra string and the reintroduction of the soundholes at the front. It has not caught on in China but in Korea (where she also did some of her research) the bipa was revived since then and

8424-401: The others with registers bound in yellow paper were called huangji ( 黃籍 ). When the crisis had subsided, this preferential increasingly seemed a heavy burden on the people, arousing dissatisfaction in the natives. Hence, tu duan was an increasingly important issue for the Eastern Jin. The Eastern Jin court established three levels of administrative divisions which served as strongholds for

8528-468: The phoenix trilled, Lingering, filling the palace hall, spring snow flew. During the Song dynasty, many of the literati and poets wrote ci verses , a form of poetry meant to be sung and accompanied by instruments such as pipa . They included Ouyang Xiu , Wang Anshi , and Su Shi . During the Yuan dynasty , the playwright Gao Ming wrote a play for nanxi opera called Pipa ji (琵琶記, or "Story of

8632-466: The pipa in the southern genre of nanguan /nanyin. The horizontal playing position became the vertical (or near-vertical) position by the Qing dynasty, although in some regional genres such as nanguan the pipa is still held guitar fashion. During the 1950s, the use of metal strings in place of the traditional silk ones also resulted in a change in the sound of the pipa which became brighter and stronger. Early literary tradition in China, for example in

8736-434: The regent of Cao Wei. Sima Zhao further assisted his clans' interests by suppressing rebellions and dissent. In 263, he directed Cao Wei forces in conquering Shu Han and capturing Liu Shan (the son of Liu Bei ), marking the first demise of one of the Three Kingdoms. Sima Zhao's actions awarded him the title of King of Jin, the last achievable rank beneath that of emperor. He was granted the title because his ancestral home

8840-608: The ruler of the new Song dynasty (which is referred to as the Liu Song dynasty by historians in order to prevent confusion with the Song dynasty established in 960). Sima Dewen was then asphyxiated with a blanket in the following year. In the north, Northern Liang , the last of the Sixteen Kingdoms , was conquered by Northern Wei in 439, ushering in the Northern dynasties period. The Xianbei Northern Wei accepted

8944-413: The same pieces in their repertoire, a same piece of music from the different schools may differ in their content. For example, a piece like "The Warlord Takes off His Armour" is made up of many sections, some of them metered and some with free meter , and greater freedom in interpretation is possible in the free meter sections. Different schools however can have sections added or removed, and may differ in

9048-455: The same pipa. Apart from the four-stringed pipa, other pear-shaped instruments introduced include the five-stringed, straight-necked, wuxian pipa (五弦琵琶, also known as Kuchean pipa (龜茲琵琶)), a six-stringed version, as well as the two-stringed hulei (忽雷). From the 3rd century onwards, through the Sui and Tang dynasty, the pear-shaped pipas became increasingly popular in China. By the Song dynasty ,

9152-614: The son of esteemed general Huan Wen , usurped the Jin throne and declared the dynasty of Huan Chu . Huan Xuan was soon toppled by Liu Yu , who reinstated Jin rule by installing Sima Dezong on the throne, posthumously known as Emperor An . Meanwhile, the civilian administration suffered, as there were further revolts led by Sun En and Lu Xun, and Western Shu became an independent kingdom under Qiao Zong . In 419, Liu Yu had Sima Dezong strangled and replaced by his brother Sima Dewen, posthumously known as Emperor Gong . Finally, in 420, Sima Dewen abdicated in favour of Liu Yu, who declared himself

9256-506: The south were often at odds with the immigrants from the north. As such, tensions increased, and rivalry between the immigrants and southern locals loomed large in the domestic politics of the Jin. Two of the most prominent local clans, the Zhou ( 周 ) clan of Yixing and the Shen ( 沈 ) clan of Wuxing , were dealt a bitter blow from which they never quite recovered. There was also conflict between

9360-501: The story of the Han Chinese Princess Liu Xijun sent to marry a barbarian Wusun king during the Han dynasty , with the pipa being invented so she could play music on horseback to soothe her longings. Modern researchers such as Laurence Picken , Shigeo Kishibe , and John Myers suggested a non-Chinese origin. The earliest mention of pipa in Chinese texts appeared late in the Han dynasty around

9464-486: The various northern immigrant clans. This led to a virtual balance of power, which somewhat benefited the emperor's rule. Special "commanderies of immigrants" and "white registers" were created for the massive amounts of northern Han Chinese who moved south during the Eastern Jin. The southern Chinese aristocracy was formed from the offspring of these migrants. Particularly in the Jiangnan region, Celestial Masters and

9568-616: The way it had been used near the end of the Han era in the Yellow Turban Rebellion . Amidst the political turmoil of the era, many successful merchants, small landowners, and other moderately comfortable people found great solace in Taoist teachings and a number of major clans and military officers also took up the faith. Ge Hong emphasized loyalty to the emperor as a Taoist virtue; he even taught that rebels could never be Taoist immortals, which made Taoism more palatable to

9672-434: 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. The traditional 16-fret pipa became less common, although it is still used in some regional styles such as

9776-478: The word pipa was used to refer exclusively to the four-stringed pear-shaped instrument. The pipa reached a height of popularity during the Tang dynasty , and was a principal musical instrument in the imperial court. It may be played as a solo instrument or as part of the imperial orchestra for use in productions such as daqu (大曲, grand suites), an elaborate music and dance performance. During this time, Persian and Kuchan performers and teachers were in demand in

9880-432: The younger ones, no longer identify themselves with any specific school. Modern notation systems, new compositions as well as recordings are now widely available and it is no longer crucial for a pipa players to learn from the master of any particular school to know how to play a score. Pipa is commonly associated with Princess Liu Xijun and Wang Zhaojun of the Han dynasty, although the form of pipa they played in that period

9984-464: Was Qinhanzi (秦漢子), perhaps similar to Qin pipa with a straight neck and a round body, but modern opinions differ on its precise form. The pear-shaped pipa is likely to have been introduced to China from Central Asia, Gandhara , and/or India. As people traveled along the Silk Road , the "oval" or oval-shaped pipa traveled through Central Asia and was introduced to China, where it became known as

10088-556: 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. Ye Xuran (叶绪然), a student of Lin Shicheng and Wei Zhongle, was the Pipa Professor at the first Musical Conservatory of China, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music . He premiered the oldest Dunhuang Pipa Manuscript (the first interpretation made by Ye Dong) in Shanghai in

10192-489: Was also an action done to appease the refugees' homesickness, which was evoking their desire to reacquire what had been lost. During the rule of Emperor Yuan, Emperor Ming, and Emperor Cheng, the lodged administrative divisions were concentrated in the area south of the Huai River and the Lower Yangtze Plain. At first there was the lodged Langya Commandery within lodged Fei County in Jiankang, but when it began

10296-429: Was disguised as a girl, and told the story of Yang Zhi (楊志) who learned how to play the pipa secretly by listening to his aunt playing at night. Celebrated performers of the Tang dynasty included three generations of the Cao family—Cao Bao (曹保), Cao Shancai (曹善才) and Cao Gang (曹剛), whose performances were noted in literary works. During the Song dynasty, players mentioned in literary texts include Du Bin (杜彬). From

10400-418: Was established in where it is now, and the latter replaced the former, inheriting its place name. The tu duan ( 土斷 ) is the abbreviation for yi tu duan ( 以土斷 , means classifying people according to their present habitation to register). It was a policy to ensure the ancient hukou system working since the Western Jin. These terms were first recorded in the biographies of Wei Guan and Li Chong included in

10504-656: Was first developed in the late 20th century by adding electric guitar –style magnetic pickups to a regular acoustic pipa, allowing the instrument to be amplified through an instrument amplifier or PA system . A number of Western pipa players have experimented with amplified pipa. Brian Grimm placed the contact mic pickup on the face of the pipa and wedged under the bridge so he is able to plug into pedalboards, live computer performance rigs, and direct input (DI) to an audio interface for studio tracking. In 2014, French zhongruan player and composer Djang San , created his own electric pipa and recorded an experimental album that puts

10608-399: Was known for pioneering finger-playing techniques, while Sujiva was noted for the "Seven modes and seven tones", a musical modal theory from India. (The heptatonic scale was used for a time afterwards in the imperial court due to Sujiva's influence until it was later abandoned). These players had considerable influence on the development of pipa playing in China. Of particular fame were

10712-671: Was located in Wen County , on the territory of the Zhou -era state of Jin , which was centered on the Jin River in Shaanxi . Sima Zhao's ambitions for the throne were visible, but he died in 265 before any usurpation attempt could be made, passing the opportunity to his ambitious son Sima Yan . The Jin dynasty was founded by Sima Yan, who was known posthumously as Emperor Wu (the "Martial Emperor of Jin"). After succeeding his father as

10816-487: Was relatively short-lived, as the Jin state was soon weakened by corruption, political turmoil, and internal conflicts. Emperor Wu's son Zhong, posthumously known as Emperor Hui , was developmentally disabled . Emperor Wu died in 290, and in 291 conflict over his succession caused the devastating War of the Eight Princes . The dynasty was greatly weakened by this civil conflict, and it soon faced more upheaval when

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