Yangqin (dulcimer)

(Note: Each icon above opens in a new tab.)

Alternative Title

Yangqin.

Instrument

Dulcimer

Instrument Family

Strings

Place Made

China ; Asia

Date Made

Probably before 1885

Description

Technical description: Trapezoidal dark varnished sound box with two inset roses (possibly made of ivory). Two bridges sit vertically at the centre of the instrument across which 21 strings are laid, with 7 in pairs and 7 single strings. A drawer in the centre of the sound box has space for a tuning key. Includes a lit and two small hammers, or beaters. Traditionally, there would be two rows of bridges, each row with seven or eight chessman-shaped bridges. Strings on older instruments are made of copper; more recent strings are steel. Length 670 - 388 mm; width 242 mm; height: 38 mm. Beaters: Pair of wooden beaters; round wooden heads, diameter 17, and spade-shaped handles. Performance technique: To perform, the instrument is placed on a stand or table and the performer sits behind it at its longest end, striking the strings with two slender bamboo hammers. Extended techniques can include plucking strings with the back end of the hammer or manually manipulating the strings close to the nuts. The left row of bridges is positioned to divide strings in a 2:3 relationship on the soundboard, allowing the performer to sound two pitches a fifth apart, one on each side of its bridge. Traditional tuning sets ti and fa to be positioned on either side of the same bridge at a perfect fifth. On the right row of bridges, only the strings on the left side are used. Range is just over two octaves, depending on the number of bridges. Larger concert hall instruments developed during the 20th century have up to five rows of bridges and ranges of up to four octaves. Historical sources and dispersal: Adopted from the Persian santur, which was brought to the coastal areas of Guangdong province in south China during the late Ming dynasty (1358-1644). The yangqin was mentioned frequently in south Chinese literature from the eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries. Historically, the yangqin was used in local Cantonese and Chaozhou ensembles and to accompany narrative singing in Sichuan province. Silk-and-bamboo (sizhu) enesembles in the Jiangnan area of central-eastern China began using the yangqin in the twentieth century.

Notes

P.R. Cooke, 1995.

Measurements

670.

Collection

MIMEd ; Reid Collection

Accession Number

0178

Related Items