The ''yu'' (; pinyin: yǔ) was a wooden percussion instrument carved in the shape of a
tiger with a serrated back comprising 27 "teeth", used since ancient times in China for
Confucian court ritual music. It was played by striking its head three times with a
bamboo whisk made from approximately 15 stalks of bamboo, and then scraping it across the serrated back once to mark the end of a piece of music or Confucian service.
The ''yu'' is mentioned along with another percussion instrument called ''
zhu'' (
柷) in pre-
Qin Dynasty annals; it also appears in the ''
Classic of History
The ''Book of Documents'' (''Shūjīng'', earlier ''Shu King'') or ''Classic of History'', also known as the ''Shangshu'' (“Venerated Documents”), is one of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature. It is a collection of rhetorica ...
''.
As used in Korean ceremonial music, this instrument is called ''eo'' (hangul:
어; hanja:
敔), and as formerly used in Vietnamese ceremonial music, it was called ''
ngữ'' (Hán tự:
敔).
The ''yu'' was also used in
Shao music.
See also
*
Raganella
A ratchet or rattle, more specifically, cog rattle is a musical instrument of the percussion family and a warning/signaling device. It operates on the principle of the ratchet device, using a gearwheel and a stiff board mounted on a handle, wh ...
References
External links
Page that talks about history of the Yu.Page that talks about the history of the Yu.
Idiophones
Chinese musical instruments
{{China-music-stub