Wednesday, 8 December 2021
Introduction to Chinese Harp "Kong Hou" Part 2 - Techniques & Perspective
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the copyright to this video. This documentary was made by the Music channel of the China Central Television (CCTV – Music) and thus the CCTV still owns the copyright to the video.
Narrator:
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Introduction to Chinese Harp "Kong Hou" Part 1 - History & Structure
I'm sooo sick of waiting for reply from CCTV, I'm just going to declare not own the copy right of this video...
Opening introductory by the show host:
箜篌KongHou, an ancient and mysterious musical instrument, exterior appearance and structure is similar to the Harp. The ancient 箜篌KongHou is sub-divided into two kinds, 臥式箜篌Horizontal KongHou, and 豎式箜篌Vertical KongHou. The Horizontal Konghou had been in the Chinese history since forever; however, there were no definitive answers as to its origin. The Vertical KongHou, on the other hand, originated from middle Asia, and made its way to China via 新疆XinJiang during the later Han Dynasty. During the most glorious days of the Tang Dynasty, the development of the KongHou reached its peak period, it was widely used amongst both the royalty and the civilian; it even made its way to neighboring countries such as Japan and Korea, the Japanese house of national treasures – 正倉院ShoSoIn still has two of the KongHous that were made during the Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, after the Sung Dynasty KongHou gradually lost its place in history, and when it got to the Ming Dynasty, it was lost for good. Nowadays, people can only admire the drawings of the KongHou on wall paintings and sculptures. On today’s episode we are going to explore the mysterious kingdom of KongHou.
<1:22>
Narrator: KongHou is an exotic piece of rare gem in the treasure chest of traditional Chinese musical culture. Its timber is clear yet soft, mysterious and misty. According to historical documentation, from Han Dynasty to Tang Dynasty, KongHou was very popular, and the art in its performance also reached a very high level. In 舊唐書音樂誌Old Book of Tang – Music, and 通典Comprehensive Institution (both are resourceful ancient Chinese literature), they both have description of KongHou. However, after the Sung Dynasty, the KongHou gradually started to degenerate and eventually was lost and no one even remembered it in Ming and Qing Dynasty. After the establishment of the New China (the Communist Party from 1949 – now), several musical idealists wanted to promote traditional Chinese musical culture. After studying historical graphic and literature documentation of the KongHou for years, they finally managed to bring this instrument back into the spotlight of Chinese music in the early 80s.
<2:17>
Narrator: The path of the re-birth of KongHou had been full of roughness. There are about 10,000 people doing research on KongHou. In September 1984, a pedalled, full pitch change, phoenix head piece KongHou was born at the foot of 鳳凰山Phoenix Mountain, in 遼寧省LiaoNing Province.
<2:32>
R = Reporter, Z = 趙廣運Zhao GuangYun (Associate Professor of ShenYang Conservatory of Music, the patent owner of the modern KongHou)
R: When did the KongHou first appeared in China?
Z: Ummm… according to literature, it was around Han Dynasty, there were records of it around the times of 漢陵帝Emperor HanLing, and 漢武帝Emperor HanWu, there were also records of it in 漢樂書The Music Book of Han. At that time, there were two kinds of KongHou, one of them is the Horizontal KongHou, another kind is the Vertical KongHou, and the Vertical KongHou was also called the foreign KongHou, it was an imported instrument, and we named it after a Chinese known instrument, kind of like us now calling the Piano and the Violin as 鋼琴(GangQin) and 提琴(TiQin) we borrowed the Chinese word 琴Qin (which is also a Chinese string instrument) for their Chinese name.
<3:11>
Narrator: Because there were several hundreds of years of interruption in the development of the KongHou, and the KongHou replica is a Vertical KongHou; therefore, we can only admire the charms of the Horizontal KongHou from wall paintings and sculptures. In ancient Chinese literatures, there were quite an abundance of records of these two kinds of KongHou. For example, 白居易Bai JuYi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty wrote in his poem 《雲和詩》(Cloud and Poem), “非琴非瑟亦非箏Not Qin not Se and not Zheng, 撥柱推弦調未成Adjust columns and strings but a tune is yet to be formed…” which is actually a description of the Horizontal KongHou. And “今曲項琵琶this crooked lute, 豎頭箜篌之徒this thing resembles a vertical version of the KongHou, 並出自西域which came from the west” was the description the Chinese通典Comprehensive Institution gave to the instrument KongHou, this literature documentation proves that the Vertical KongHou made its way to China from “the west”. A Tang Dynasty poet named顧況Gu Kuang wrote an article called 李供奉彈箜篌歌Li GongFeng Playing a Song of the KongHou, it told the story of how a KongHou master was favored by the Emperor. From this story, we can also tell how much the rulers of the Tang Dynasty admired the KongHou, they didn’t allow the performers to teach outside the palace, and they also don’t allow KongHou music to be played amongst civilians, this greatly restricted the development of the KongHou, which also led to the loss of the art later on. The success in developing the new KongHou, enabled us to enjoy the heavenly music from the palace in the Tang Dynasty; however, due to the performance techniques required in modern days, the newly developed KongHou is not how it was supposed to look like any more.
<4:41>
Z = 趙廣運Zhao GuangYun
Z: After the revolution, it (modern KongHou) is not the original KongHou any more, it’s a new instrument inspired by the (original) KongHou. This instrument used to come from the west, the KongHou we have now should be considered more of an “authentic” Chinese KongHou, and this is because it is exceptionally good for expressing Chinese music and oriental music; it is also an instrument with the characteristics of modern times. It is technically capable of performing musics with complicated harmony, and polyphonic; and even performing complicated techniques such as fast overtone.
<5:26>
Narrator: To stimulate the music syncretism between the musical culture of the east and the west, the existence of the KongHou now serves a different meaning; its re-birth filled a huge void in the history of modern instrumental music in not only China, but the world. On the other hand, to allow an ancient instrument from centuries ago to adapt to the new environment, experts had to re-design the instrument entirely, and the abundance experience that the researchers had with other instruments had hence become the most important element of the development of the KongHou.
<5:52>
Z = 趙廣運Zhao GuangYun
Z: Although this instrument had been lost for so many years, there are probably a couple thousand people in China who are re-discovering and developing this instrument. The good thing was, I worked really hard on this subject, it feels like it’s my responsibility, so when I was studying in University, I purposefully studied instruments such as the piano, the harp, and the 古箏GuZheng; I researched a lot into the structure and performance technique of these instruments, and used them as my stepping stone for developing and re-designing this instrument (KongHou).
<6:34>
Narrator: The KongHou nowadays look simple and graceful, has a pure and soft timbre to it. On the Chinese parasol wood (梧桐木WuTong Mu) resonance chamber which looks like one from a 琵琶PiPa, there are two sets of tuning column. The dual alignment strings are made out of nylon wrapped steel strings, two sets of 36 each, a total of 72 strings, the two sets of strings are arranged by the same pitches, each set is tuned to the diatonic scale (first sign it’s a “new” instrument”), has a wide range of 5 octaves. It is a product of careful and skillful combination of the resonance, and acoustic features from instruments like 古琴GuQin, 古箏GuZheng, 琵琶Pipa; with the appearance, structure, length of strings, distance between strings, and the pitch level arrangement of the western Harp.
<7:15>
R = Reporter, Z = 趙廣運Zhao GuangYun
Z: The body of the KongHou is an inverted triangle, it looks more elegant this way, and there are pedals down here, the pedals are for pitch change and provide extra support for the instrument as it sits in the base of the instrument. The pegs on the peg board are for holding the strings in place and for tuning; these mechanisms under the pegs are for pitch changing (once again adapted from the western Harp), they are made out of metal.
R: So you step on the pedal down there…
Z: It would link it all the way up there by the mechanical parts. So this upper beam here serves two functions, one is to hold and maintain the tension in the strings, and the other one is to host the pitch changing mechanisms. This is a special function of it (the upper beam of the KongHou). And this post here, of course, provides the support of the body. The most important thing here is the sound case of the instrument, it is responsible for allowing resonance, and the quality of the instruments highly depends on the quality of the sound case. The major component of the sound case is the sound board, the choice of material and the craftsmanship of the sound board is really the key to decide the quality of the instrument.
<8:31>
Z: This is the sound board of the KongHou.
R: The sound board for the sound case.
Z: For the sound case. It is the main resonating component.
(Information in the running subtitles: The sound case consists of two sound boards and for sound pillars sandwiched between the two sound boards. For the sound case to give a pleasant sound, intricate calculations should be made as to where the pillars should be placed and the angles that they should be placed in.)
Z: I am currently scraping and sanding the surface.
R: So this stick here is a sound pillar?
Z: Yes, for one it is used for transmitting sound wave, it also serves the function of supporting, that’s why it’s called the sound pillar. It has to stick really flat on the sound board, the two ends that are popping up, we have to sand it down, and then we glue it onto the sound board. Glue it very firmly, so that it can best perform its intended function.
<9:40>
R: This is the completed sound case?
Z: This is a completed sound case. The sound board has been stuck together, on the side frame of the sound case there are several sound holes, which allows the sound inside to expand and project outwards, which is the important function.
R: So only 3 sound holes?
Z: Only 3 holes and this is where the post gets inserted. This is the completed sound case.
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Once again, the translation process was exhausting, yet rewarding. The KongHou is my absolute obsession and ultimate dream instrument. I currently cannot afford one, but one of these days, I will get my hands on one, this is a promise I made to myself!! And because I love this stunning instrument so much, I wish to share this with the world, I hope more people would fall in love with this instrument like I did, and that this time, hopefully, it can live on forever!!!! Thank you very much for reading this post, I know this is a really long one!! And yet, there is a part two still awaits my translation!! Stay tuned!! I’ll be back with more!!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the copyright to this video. This documentary was made by the Music channel of the China Central Television (CCTV – Music) and thus the CCTV still owns the copyright to the video.
箜篌KongHou, an ancient and mysterious musical instrument, exterior appearance and structure is similar to the Harp. The ancient 箜篌KongHou is sub-divided into two kinds, 臥式箜篌Horizontal KongHou, and 豎式箜篌Vertical KongHou. The Horizontal Konghou had been in the Chinese history since forever; however, there were no definitive answers as to its origin. The Vertical KongHou, on the other hand, originated from middle Asia, and made its way to China via 新疆XinJiang during the later Han Dynasty. During the most glorious days of the Tang Dynasty, the development of the KongHou reached its peak period, it was widely used amongst both the royalty and the civilian; it even made its way to neighboring countries such as Japan and Korea, the Japanese house of national treasures – 正倉院ShoSoIn still has two of the KongHous that were made during the Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, after the Sung Dynasty KongHou gradually lost its place in history, and when it got to the Ming Dynasty, it was lost for good. Nowadays, people can only admire the drawings of the KongHou on wall paintings and sculptures. On today’s episode we are going to explore the mysterious kingdom of KongHou.
<1:22>
Narrator: KongHou is an exotic piece of rare gem in the treasure chest of traditional Chinese musical culture. Its timber is clear yet soft, mysterious and misty. According to historical documentation, from Han Dynasty to Tang Dynasty, KongHou was very popular, and the art in its performance also reached a very high level. In 舊唐書音樂誌Old Book of Tang – Music, and 通典Comprehensive Institution (both are resourceful ancient Chinese literature), they both have description of KongHou. However, after the Sung Dynasty, the KongHou gradually started to degenerate and eventually was lost and no one even remembered it in Ming and Qing Dynasty. After the establishment of the New China (the Communist Party from 1949 – now), several musical idealists wanted to promote traditional Chinese musical culture. After studying historical graphic and literature documentation of the KongHou for years, they finally managed to bring this instrument back into the spotlight of Chinese music in the early 80s.
<2:17>
Narrator: The path of the re-birth of KongHou had been full of roughness. There are about 10,000 people doing research on KongHou. In September 1984, a pedalled, full pitch change, phoenix head piece KongHou was born at the foot of 鳳凰山Phoenix Mountain, in 遼寧省LiaoNing Province.
<2:32>
R = Reporter, Z = 趙廣運Zhao GuangYun (Associate Professor of ShenYang Conservatory of Music, the patent owner of the modern KongHou)
R: When did the KongHou first appeared in China?
Z: Ummm… according to literature, it was around Han Dynasty, there were records of it around the times of 漢陵帝Emperor HanLing, and 漢武帝Emperor HanWu, there were also records of it in 漢樂書The Music Book of Han. At that time, there were two kinds of KongHou, one of them is the Horizontal KongHou, another kind is the Vertical KongHou, and the Vertical KongHou was also called the foreign KongHou, it was an imported instrument, and we named it after a Chinese known instrument, kind of like us now calling the Piano and the Violin as 鋼琴(GangQin) and 提琴(TiQin) we borrowed the Chinese word 琴Qin (which is also a Chinese string instrument) for their Chinese name.
<3:11>
Narrator: Because there were several hundreds of years of interruption in the development of the KongHou, and the KongHou replica is a Vertical KongHou; therefore, we can only admire the charms of the Horizontal KongHou from wall paintings and sculptures. In ancient Chinese literatures, there were quite an abundance of records of these two kinds of KongHou. For example, 白居易Bai JuYi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty wrote in his poem 《雲和詩》(Cloud and Poem), “非琴非瑟亦非箏Not Qin not Se and not Zheng, 撥柱推弦調未成Adjust columns and strings but a tune is yet to be formed…” which is actually a description of the Horizontal KongHou. And “今曲項琵琶this crooked lute, 豎頭箜篌之徒this thing resembles a vertical version of the KongHou, 並出自西域which came from the west” was the description the Chinese通典Comprehensive Institution gave to the instrument KongHou, this literature documentation proves that the Vertical KongHou made its way to China from “the west”. A Tang Dynasty poet named顧況Gu Kuang wrote an article called 李供奉彈箜篌歌Li GongFeng Playing a Song of the KongHou, it told the story of how a KongHou master was favored by the Emperor. From this story, we can also tell how much the rulers of the Tang Dynasty admired the KongHou, they didn’t allow the performers to teach outside the palace, and they also don’t allow KongHou music to be played amongst civilians, this greatly restricted the development of the KongHou, which also led to the loss of the art later on. The success in developing the new KongHou, enabled us to enjoy the heavenly music from the palace in the Tang Dynasty; however, due to the performance techniques required in modern days, the newly developed KongHou is not how it was supposed to look like any more.
<4:41>
Z = 趙廣運Zhao GuangYun
Z: After the revolution, it (modern KongHou) is not the original KongHou any more, it’s a new instrument inspired by the (original) KongHou. This instrument used to come from the west, the KongHou we have now should be considered more of an “authentic” Chinese KongHou, and this is because it is exceptionally good for expressing Chinese music and oriental music; it is also an instrument with the characteristics of modern times. It is technically capable of performing musics with complicated harmony, and polyphonic; and even performing complicated techniques such as fast overtone.
<5:26>
Narrator: To stimulate the music syncretism between the musical culture of the east and the west, the existence of the KongHou now serves a different meaning; its re-birth filled a huge void in the history of modern instrumental music in not only China, but the world. On the other hand, to allow an ancient instrument from centuries ago to adapt to the new environment, experts had to re-design the instrument entirely, and the abundance experience that the researchers had with other instruments had hence become the most important element of the development of the KongHou.
<5:52>
Z = 趙廣運Zhao GuangYun
Z: Although this instrument had been lost for so many years, there are probably a couple thousand people in China who are re-discovering and developing this instrument. The good thing was, I worked really hard on this subject, it feels like it’s my responsibility, so when I was studying in University, I purposefully studied instruments such as the piano, the harp, and the 古箏GuZheng; I researched a lot into the structure and performance technique of these instruments, and used them as my stepping stone for developing and re-designing this instrument (KongHou).
<6:34>
Narrator: The KongHou nowadays look simple and graceful, has a pure and soft timbre to it. On the Chinese parasol wood (梧桐木WuTong Mu) resonance chamber which looks like one from a 琵琶PiPa, there are two sets of tuning column. The dual alignment strings are made out of nylon wrapped steel strings, two sets of 36 each, a total of 72 strings, the two sets of strings are arranged by the same pitches, each set is tuned to the diatonic scale (first sign it’s a “new” instrument”), has a wide range of 5 octaves. It is a product of careful and skillful combination of the resonance, and acoustic features from instruments like 古琴GuQin, 古箏GuZheng, 琵琶Pipa; with the appearance, structure, length of strings, distance between strings, and the pitch level arrangement of the western Harp.
<7:15>
R = Reporter, Z = 趙廣運Zhao GuangYun
Z: The body of the KongHou is an inverted triangle, it looks more elegant this way, and there are pedals down here, the pedals are for pitch change and provide extra support for the instrument as it sits in the base of the instrument. The pegs on the peg board are for holding the strings in place and for tuning; these mechanisms under the pegs are for pitch changing (once again adapted from the western Harp), they are made out of metal.
R: So you step on the pedal down there…
Z: It would link it all the way up there by the mechanical parts. So this upper beam here serves two functions, one is to hold and maintain the tension in the strings, and the other one is to host the pitch changing mechanisms. This is a special function of it (the upper beam of the KongHou). And this post here, of course, provides the support of the body. The most important thing here is the sound case of the instrument, it is responsible for allowing resonance, and the quality of the instruments highly depends on the quality of the sound case. The major component of the sound case is the sound board, the choice of material and the craftsmanship of the sound board is really the key to decide the quality of the instrument.
<8:31>
Z: This is the sound board of the KongHou.
R: The sound board for the sound case.
Z: For the sound case. It is the main resonating component.
(Information in the running subtitles: The sound case consists of two sound boards and for sound pillars sandwiched between the two sound boards. For the sound case to give a pleasant sound, intricate calculations should be made as to where the pillars should be placed and the angles that they should be placed in.)
Z: I am currently scraping and sanding the surface.
R: So this stick here is a sound pillar?
Z: Yes, for one it is used for transmitting sound wave, it also serves the function of supporting, that’s why it’s called the sound pillar. It has to stick really flat on the sound board, the two ends that are popping up, we have to sand it down, and then we glue it onto the sound board. Glue it very firmly, so that it can best perform its intended function.
<9:40>
R: This is the completed sound case?
Z: This is a completed sound case. The sound board has been stuck together, on the side frame of the sound case there are several sound holes, which allows the sound inside to expand and project outwards, which is the important function.
R: So only 3 sound holes?
Z: Only 3 holes and this is where the post gets inserted. This is the completed sound case.
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Once again, the translation process was exhausting, yet rewarding. The KongHou is my absolute obsession and ultimate dream instrument. I currently cannot afford one, but one of these days, I will get my hands on one, this is a promise I made to myself!! And because I love this stunning instrument so much, I wish to share this with the world, I hope more people would fall in love with this instrument like I did, and that this time, hopefully, it can live on forever!!!! Thank you very much for reading this post, I know this is a really long one!! And yet, there is a part two still awaits my translation!! Stay tuned!! I’ll be back with more!!
Monday, 5 May 2014
Thursday, 24 April 2014
Pros vs Cons of the Numbered Musical Notation (NMN)
I was sorting through my older posts and suddenly realize that I've posted detailed information about the NMN system; however, I have yet listed the good and bad things of using the NMN system, so here we go:
Click HERE to review the post about NMN system.
Pros |
Cons |
|
|
Update on Chinese Harp Video Translation Project
The show was separated into two halves, and I have done the translation of the first half for now. However, I've decided it's best for me to ask for the TV broadcasting company that made this documentary for permission to use it first... That way I can avoid any possible legal issues that might occur... In the mean time, please be patient and keep your fingers crossed that they would grant me the permission and I'll upload it in no time!! And while we're waiting, let's listen to some more 箜篌KongHou (the Chinese Harp) music~~
Monday, 14 April 2014
The Phoenix of Ancient Chinese Musical Instrument - the 箜篌KongHou
Burning into Ashes:
箜篌KongHou, is an ancient Chinese harp that was exclusive to royal musicians, and was not allowed to be played among civilians, which caused the lost in the art of manufacturing, making, and performing this gorgeous instrument.Rebirth and Rise from the Ashes:
Fortunately, the Chinese musicians and historians in the early 1980s started re-constructing this fascinating instrument by using the Western harp as a basic structure, following description and drawing of historical literature about the instrument, borrowing features of several traditional Chinese instruments that still exists.Becomes the Phoenix:
The 箜篌KongHou has become more and more popular among Chinese musicians, and as more and more people learn about this instrument, the more they are stunned by this almost forgotten gem in the history of music in China.Here's a video of a 箜篌KongHou performance on a Chinese talent show. Enjoy!!
Preview: the next post is going to take a while, as I will be translating a documentary of the rebirth and arise from the ashes of this fabulous instrument!! Please check back regularly for the next post!!
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
The Five Elements vs the Five Pitches (in the Pentatonic Scale)
Anyone who has the
slightest idea about Chinese culture might know that the Chinese emphasized a
lot on the nature, elements, harmony; as a result, they assigned each note in
the pentatonic scale to one of the elements, where each of the elements
represents a number of different things including the five major human organs,
directions, climates, basically everything a person would encounter in their
daily life. The Chinese believed everything is interlinked.
Five Tone
(Pentatonic Scale) |
宮Gong
|
商Shang
|
角Jiao
|
徵Zhi
|
羽Yu
|
Scale Degree
(Western Diatonic) |
1
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
6
|
Men & Things in General
|
Chief, Ruler,
Emperor
|
Minister
|
People,
Public |
Affairs of the
State
|
Material Objects
|
The Five
Elements
|
Earth
|
Metal
|
Wood
|
Fire
|
Water
|
Human Organs
|
Spleen
|
Lungs
|
Liver
|
Heart
|
Kidney
|
Directions
|
Center
|
West
|
East
|
South
|
North
|
Climates
|
Moist
|
Dry
|
Wind
|
Heat
|
Cold
|
Tastes
|
Sweet
|
Hot
|
Sour
|
Bitter
|
Salty
|
Mindsets
|
Meditate
|
Sad
|
Angry
|
Happy
|
Scared
|
Body Actions
|
Sitting
|
Laying Down
|
Walking
|
Looking
|
Standing
|
Table
1 Examples of things in co-relation with the 5
elements
The Chinese believed that “金生水, 水生木, 木生火, 火生土, 土生金” which means “Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood
generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal”. The best way
to understand this logic is that the earth is full with Metal elements, and
Water at some point in history all started from the earth, so Metal generates
Water. Water helps the growth of tree and hence generates Wood; Wood burns to
create Fire, Fire burn things to the ground create Earth, and Earth contains
Metal.
The Chinese also
believed that “金克木, 木克土, 土克水, 水克火, 火克金” which means
“Metal damages Wood, Wood damages Earth, Earth damages Water, Water damages
Fire, and Fire damages Metal”. Which could be understood as, Metal makes axes
which chop down trees (Wood), the trees (Wood) drains the nutrients out of the
Earth, Earth can be piled up to block Water, Water (of course) puts out Fire,
and Fire can melt Metal.
Combining the two principles above, the
Chinese believed that if, for example, someone had weak lungs, the lungs
belongs to Metal, so the person should avoid everything that is associated with
Fire, and try to acquire more things that are associated with Earth; so sit and
meditate, and avoid laughing (imagine someone with asthma laughing real hard
without their inhaler, that would be the reason for this). One may ask, how is
this related to music? Doctors in ancient China would actually prescribe
patients music they should listen to, use the previous example, a doctor would
tell a patient with weak lungs to listen to music in the Gong key (Earth), and
avoid music in the Zhi key (Fire).
Monday, 7 April 2014
My First Composition - A Short Little Experimental String Quintet
Just having fun, not Xun related, but it is, after all, my work!!
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Interview of the Xun tuner, Mr. Wang ShengXiang
DV 365, people's 365. (show slogan)
Today DV 365 is going to introduce you all to a folk instrument performer, his name is Wang ShengXiang. Wang ShengXiang knows how to play the DiZi and HuLuSi, yet his favorite instrument not either of the above. It is an instrument which is thick and round in the middle, narrow and pointy on either end, shaped like an olive seed, and there's a hole going through it. When you blow air into it, it creates sound. And even more mysteriously, the place where they first discovered this instrument is Xi'An YangShaoGu Cultural Anthropological Site, other words, that is almost the oldest instrument in China! Therefore, Wang ShengXiang is exceptionally fond of this old antique.
<1:03> (Narrative)
His name is Wang ShengXiang, he is 64 this year, a huge fan of wind instruments. Six years ago, he saw some Xun merchants playing the Xun on the streets, which triggered his strong interest to the instrument. Later on, he discovered that most of the Xuns on the market were not suitable for performing, so he tried to improve it. In 2004, Wang ShengXiang started working with his friends to develop musical Xuns, and succeeded shortly after they had started, they named it the Feng's Xun. In the past 4 years, Wang ShengXiang had been busy moving back and forth from his house in urban Xi'An and the kiln in Zao Yuan Village, town of XieKou. Wang ShengXiang and his friends worked day and night for their career.
<2:13> (W=Wang ShengXiang)
W: Because the Xun is the oldest instrument in China, if not the entire world, so it's essentially the oldest man-made instrument. To be more precise, from the Matriarchal society, other words, before humans even started wearing clothes, this instrument (the Xun) already existed.
<2:45> (Narrative)
Musical Xun has high demand to the sound quality; therefore, during the process of developing and manufacturing the Xuns, Wang ShengXiang always tune them by himself to maintain the quality of the Xuns.
<3:02>
W: This is a kiln here, after the shape of the Xun is made, it's being baked into setting in this kiln. This kiln is already loaded with the Xuns that we have half finished, it is only after when it's baked that it becomes a finished product.
<3:23> (Narrative)
The Feng's Xun that Wang ShengXiang and his partners make also got approved exclusive production patent, got the approval of the market.
<3:45>
W: these are a few Xuns my friends gave me as keepsake. These two are only half finished.
(Narrative)
Wang ShengXiang not only love playing, and making the Xun, he also likes to collect Xuns. He has a lot of Xuns of unique styles at home. In his leisure, he'll even take them out and play a tune or two!!
<4:15> (Host)
This ancient Chinese instrument being performed by Wang ShengXiang seemed extra musical. Actually when the Xun was first invented, it was used to call for animal. It only become an instrument after some people modify it and improved it. The reason why the tunes Wang ShengXiang played was so beautiful was because he developed and improved the instrument. In our culture, there is actually so many more fascinating things awaits us to promote and pass on.
DV everyday, wonderful everyday!! (show slogan)
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This one is a lot shorter and a lot easier to translate; however, it also doesn't have as much information as the other video, still pretty cool though.
Friday, 28 March 2014
Clarification
Just heard back from the manufacturer, the founder's birth name is 馮寶慶Feng BaoQing, 馮柄中Feng BingZhong is his "art name"
This post refers back to the previous post Interviews of the Manufacturer and the Tuner
This post refers back to the previous post Interviews of the Manufacturer and the Tuner
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