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Sheng (instrument)
The ( zh, c=笙) is a Chinese mouth-blown polyphonic free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments, with images depicting its kind dating back to 1100 BCE, and there are original instruments from the Han dynasty that are preserved in museums today. Traditionally, the has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo or performances. It is one of the main instruments in and some other forms of Chinese opera. Traditional small ensembles also make use of the , such as the wind and percussion ensembles in northern China. In the modern large Chinese orchestra, it is used for both melody and accompaniment. The has been used in the works of a few non-Chinese composers, including Unsuk Chin, Jukka Tiensuu, Lou Harrison, Tim Risher, Daníel Bjarnason, Guus Janssen and Christopher Adler. Some believe that Johann Wilde and Pere Amiot traveled to China and brought the first to Europe in 1740 and 1777 respectively, altho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zheng (instrument)
The zheng (), or guzheng (), is a Chinese plucked zither. The modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25, or 26 strings, is long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard made from ''Paulownia'' wood. Other components are often made from other woods for structural or decorative reasons. Guzheng players often wear a fingerpick made from materials such as plastic, resin, tortoiseshell, or ivory on one or both hands. It can have nylon steel strings, steel strings, silk strings, etc., depending on the genre. The most common guzheng has 21 strings. The high-pitched strings of the guzheng are close to the player, and the low-pitched strings are on the opposite side. The strings' order from the inside to the outside is 1 to 21. The guzheng is ancestral to several other Asian zithers such as the Japanese koto, the Korean gayageum and ajaeng, Mongolian yatga, the Vietnamese đàn tranh, The guzheng should not be confused with the guqin, a Chinese zither ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kunqu
Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu (region), Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate Chinese theater from the 16th to the 18th centuries. refined the musical style of kunqu, and it gained widespread popularity when Liang Chenyu used the style in his drama ''Huansha ji'' (''Washing Silken Gauze''). Well-known pieces of Kunqu opera included ''The Peony Pavilion'' from the Ming dynasty. The melody or tune of Kunqu is one of the Four Great Characteristic Melodies in Chinese opera. It is known for its elegant lyrics, graceful style and delicate performance. It is one of the operas grouped under Southern Opera, and it is known as the "ancestor of a hundred operas." Kunqu uses drum and board to provide rhythm to the tunes, with flute, sanxian and so on as the main accompanying instrument. The opera is sung in "Yunbai, Zhongzho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musician Dunhuang
A musician is someone who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate a person who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters, who write both music and lyrics for songs; conductors, who direct a musical performance; and performers, who perform for an audience. A music performer is generally either a singer (also known as a vocalist), who provides vocals, or an instrumentalist, who plays a musical instrument. Musicians may perform on their own or as part of a group, band or orchestra. Musicians can specialize in a musical genre, though many play a variety of different styles and blend or cross said genres, a musician's musical output depending on a variety of technical and other background influences including their culture, skillset, life experience, education, and creative preferences. A musician who records and releases music is often referred to as a recordin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after India, representing 17.4% of the world population. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and Borders of China, borders fourteen countries by land across an area of nearly , making it the list of countries and dependencies by area, third-largest country by land area. The country is divided into 33 Province-level divisions of China, province-level divisions: 22 provinces of China, provinces, 5 autonomous regions of China, autonomous regions, 4 direct-administered municipalities of China, municipalities, and 2 semi-autonomous special administrative regions. Beijing is the country's capital, while Shanghai is List of cities in China by population, its most populous city by urban area and largest financial center. Considered one of six ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean Joseph Marie Amiot
Jean Joseph Marie Amiot (; February 8, 1718October 8, 1793) was a French Jesuit priest who worked in Qing China, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. Born in Toulon, Amiot entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus at the age of 19. After he was ordained in 1746, he aspired to serve in an overseas mission. Eventually, he was assigned a mission in China and left France in 1749. He arrived at Beijing in 1751 and remained there for the rest of his life. Amiot served as an intermediary between the academics of Europe and China. His correspondence provided insight on the culture of China to the Europeans. He translated Chinese works into French. Most notably, his translation of Sun Tzu's ''The Art of War'' is the first rendition of the work into a Western language. Early life Amiot was born in Toulon on February 8, 1718 to Louis Amiot, the royal notary of Toulon, and Marie-Anne Serre. He was the eldest of ten children: five boys and five girls. His brother Pierre-Jules-R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johann Wilde
} The nail violin is a musical instrument that consists of a semicircular wooden soundboard, with nails of various lengths arranged to produce a chromatic scale when a bow is drawn across them. It was invented in 1740 by German violinist Johann Wilde. History Wilde was inspired to create the instrument when he accidentally drew his bow across a metal peg, which produced a musical sound. The instrument consists of a semicircular wooden soundboard, about by in size, with iron or brass nails of different lengths arranged to produce a chromatic scale when bowed; the deeper the nails are driven in, the shorter the nail and the higher the pitch. The bow used was fitted with coarse black horsehair, which produced sound by friction. An improved instrument, now in the collection of the Hochschule in Berlin, has two half-moon sound-chests of different sizes, one on the top of the other, forming terraces. In the rounded wall of the upper sound-chest are two rows of iron staples, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Adler (musician)
Christopher Adler (born 1972) is a musician, composer and music professor at University of San Diego. A virtuoso player of the khaen, a reed instrument native to Laos and Thailand, he has been composing works for the khaen both as a solo instrument and in combination with western instruments since 1996. His works for solo piano include the three-part ''Bear Woman Dances'', commissioned to accompany a dance depicting a Korean creation myth and largely based the Korean musical system nongak. Four of his compositions have been broadcast internationally on WGBH's ''Art of the States'' series.MacBlane, Amanda (24 March 2003)"Siberia to Cyberia: “Art of the States” Comes to the Web" '' New Music Box''. Retrieved 9 June 2016. His composition for sheng, viola and percussion, ''Music for a Royal Palace'', was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for Yo-Yo Ma's '' Silk Road Project''. An homage to Thailand's Bang Pa-In Palace, the work incorporates traditional Thai melody and embellishments. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guus Janssen
Guus Janssen (born 13 May 1951) is a Dutch composer of contemporary music and a recording artist. A pianist and harpsichordist, he is also active as a jazz performer. He studied piano and composition at the Sweelinck Academy of Music in Amsterdam with Ton de Leeuw and piano with Jaap Spaanderman.Janssen 2004 . He also studied piano with Ton Hartsuiker. He has performed with , George Lewis, |
Daníel Bjarnason
Daníel Bjarnason (born 26 February 1979) is an Icelandic composer and conductor. He has garnered widespread acclaim for his debut album, ''Processions'' (2010), with TimeOut NY writing he "create(s) a sound that comes eerily close to defining classical music's undefinable brave new world". Life and career Born on 26 February 1979, Daníel studied composition, piano and conducting in Reykjavik, before going on to further study orchestral conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. He has had a number of works commissioned and debuted by Los Angeles Philharmonic. Daníel is currently composer-in-residence at the Muziekgebouw Frits Philips, Eindhoven, Netherlands and was artist-in-residence with Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2015 to 2018. He has also collaborated with artists from many different genres, including Ben Frost, Sigur Rós and Brian Eno. Various conductors have also performed Daníel's work, including Gustavo Dudamel, John Adams, André de Ridder, James ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Risher
Tim Risher (born 1957) is an American composer. Risher received his B.A. in Music at the University of Central Florida and his M.M. in music composition from Florida State University. While living in Tallahassee, Florida, Risher was a member of the new music ensembles Paragaté and Tallahassee Camerata. Risher's output is typically tonal, with primary influences being minimal music, American and Brazilian popular musics, early music, and American shape note hymnody. Most works feature the use of conventional harmony, with great clarity of individual melodic lines. Risher's works transcend the superficiality of much popular music, however, in their frequent use of complex canonic and polyphonic structures and additive rhythms. Risher composes prolifically for ensembles ranging from concert band to Chinese traditional instrumental ensemble. He has also composed works for electronic media and incidental music for theatrical works. His most significant output, however, comprises ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lou Harrison
Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his former teacher and contemporary, Henry Cowell, but later moved toward incorporating elements of non-Western cultures into his work. Notable examples include a number of pieces written for Javanese style gamelan instruments, inspired after studying with noted gamelan musician Kanjeng Notoprojo in Indonesia. Harrison would create his own musical ensembles and instruments with his partner, William Colvig, who are now both considered founders of the American gamelan movement and world music; along with composers Harry Partch and Claude Vivier, and ethnomusicologist Colin McPhee. The majority of Harrison's works and custom instruments are written for just intonation rather than the more widespread equal temperament, making him one of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jukka Tiensuu
Jukka Santeri Tiensuu (born 30 August 1948) is a Finnish contemporary classical composer, harpsichordist, pianist and conductor. Career Tiensuu was born in Helsinki. After extensive musical studies (piano, harpsichord, conducting, composing, historically informed performance, electroacoustic and computer music a.o.t.) at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki (1967–1972), the Juilliard School, New York (1972–1973), Hochschule für Musik Freiburg (1974–1976), IRCAM, Paris (1978–1982) and other institutes Jukka Tiensuu toured three continents giving numerous concerts with a wide repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the latest avant-garde and performing both classical and free improvisations. He has received numerous prizes for his compositional work as well as for his recordings and performances. In 2020, he won the Wihuri Sibelius Prize. According to the jury report his "compositions emanate a deep spirituality, and his unwavering adherence to artistic goals is impressive". Alo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
