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| Classification | Bowed string instrument |
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| Erhu | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 二胡 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Theerhu (Chinese:二胡;pinyin:èrhú;[aɻ˥˩xu˧˥]) is a Chinese two-stringedbowed musical instrument, more specifically aspike fiddle, that is sometimes known in the Western world as theChinese violin or aChinese two-stringed fiddle. It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of thehuqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. As a very versatile instrument, theerhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as pop, rock andjazz.[1]
Theerhu can be traced back to proto-Mongolic instruments which first appeared inChina during theTang dynasty. It is believed to have evolved from thexiqin (奚琴).[2] Thexiqin is believed to have originated from theXi people located in currentnortheast China.
The firstChinese character of the name of the instrument (二,èr, 'two') is believed to come from the fact that it has two strings. An alternate explanation states that it comes from the fact that it is the second-highesthuqin in pitch to thegaohu in the modernChinese orchestra. The second character (胡,hú) indicates that it is a member of thehuqin family, withhu commonly translated to mean 'barbarians'. The namehuqin literally means 'instrument of theHu peoples', suggesting that the instrument may have originated from regions to the north or west of China generally inhabited by nomadic people on the extremities of pastChinese kingdoms.
For most of history, theerhu was mostly a folk instrument used in southern China, whereas thesihu was preferred among northern musicians. However, in the 1920s,Liu Tianhua introduced theerhu toBeijing, and since, it has become the most popular of thehuqin.
Historic bowedzithers of China, including thexiqin,yazheng, andwenzhenqin, and also the Koreanajaeng, were originally played bybowing with arosined stick, which created friction against the strings. As soon as thehorsehair bow was invented, it spread very widely.[citation needed]
Theerhu consists of a long vertical stick-likeneck, at the top of which are two bigtuning pegs, and at the bottom is a small resonator body (sound box) which is covered withpython skin on the front (playing) end. Two strings are attached from the pegs to the base, and a small loop of string (千斤,qiān jīn) placed around the neck and strings acting as anut pulls the strings towards the skin, holding a minute wooden bridge in place.
Theerhu has some unusual features:
Various dense and heavy hardwoods are used in making theerhu. According to Chinese references the woods includezi tan (紫檀,red sandalwood and other woods of the genusPterocarpus such aspadauk),lao hong mu (老红木, aged red wood),wu mu (乌木, black wood), andhong mu (红木, red wood). Particularly fineerhu are often made from pieces of old furniture. A typicalerhu measures 81 cm (32 in) from top to bottom, the length of the bow also being 81 cm.
The parts of theerhu are:
Mosterhu are mass-produced in factories. The three most esteemed centres oferhu making areBeijing,Shanghai, andSuzhou. In the collectivist period after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, these factories were formed by merging what had been previously private workshops. Although mosterhu were machine-made in production lines, the highest quality instruments were handmade by specialist craftsmen.[3]
In the 20th century, there have been attempts to standardize and improve theerhu, with the aim of producing a louder and better sounding instrument. One major change was the use of steel strings instead of silk. The move to steel strings was made gradually. By 1950 the thinner A-string had been replaced by a violin E-string with the thicker D-string remaining silk. By 1958 professional players were using purpose made D and A steelerhu strings as standard.[4]
In 1988 China passed its Law on the Protection of Endangered Species after ratifying the UN Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), making it illegal to use and trade unlicensed pythons.[5] To regulate the use of python skins, China's State Forestry Administration introduced a certification scheme between python skin sellers inSoutheast Asia and musical instrument makers in China. From January 1, 2005, new regulations also requireerhu to have a certificate from the State Forestry Administration, which certify that theerhu python skin is not made with wild pythons, but from farm-raised pythons. Individuals are allowed to take up to twoerhu out of China when traveling; commercial buyers need additional export certificates.
Outside China, manufacturers oferhu can issue their ownCITES licenses with approval by governments of their respective countries. Such exports are legal as they have been made from legal skin sources.
Someerhu are made of recycled products.
TheHong Kong Chinese Orchestra began their research for an alternative to python skin in 2005 and has since designed the Eco-Huqin series, which substitutes python skin withPET Polyester Membrane. For this innovation the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra received theMinistry of Culture Innovation Award in 2012.[6]
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A notablecomposer for theerhu wasLiú Tiānhuá (刘天华/劉天華, 1895–1932), a Chinese musician who also studied Western music. He composed 47 exercises and 10 solo pieces (1918–1932) which were central to the development of theerhu as a solo instrument. His works for the instrument includeYue Ye (月夜; Moon Night) andZhu ying Yao hong (烛影摇红; Shadows of Candles Flickering Red).
Other solo pieces includeEr Quan Ying Yue (1950, Two Springs Reflecting the Moon) by Abing,Sai Ma (Horse Race) by Huang Haihuai,Henan Xiaoqu (Henan Folk Tune) byLiu Mingyuan, andSanmenxia Changxiangqu (1961, Sanmen Gorge Capriccio) by Liu Wenjin. Most solo works are commonly performed withyangqin accompaniment, although pieces such as the ten solos by Liú Tiānhuá andEr Quan Ying Yue (Two Springs Reflecting the Moon) originally did not have accompaniment.
In addition to the solo repertoire, theerhu is one of the main instruments in regional music ensembles such asJiangnan sizhu,Chinese opera ensembles, and the modern largeChinese orchestra.
Theerhu is used in the music of theCirque du Soleil showO and in solo performances in selectShen Yun tours. Even fusionprogressive rock groups likeThe Hsu-nami have incorporated theerhu into their music and it is their lead instrument. It is incorporated in the Taiwaneseblack metal bandChthoniC and played by the Tibetan singeralan, and used in the song "Field Below" byRegina Spektor.
An instrumental album byerhu artistSong Fei (宋飞) expresses the paintingAlong the River During the Qingming Festival (清明上河图;Qīngmíng Shànghé Tú) drawn in the Song dynasty byZhang Zeduan (张择端). It was performed with theerhu,jinghu,banhu,gaohu, etc., to show the livelihood, trade, festival[clarification needed] of the Song dynasty; the album contains 18 parts.
More recently, theerhu has appeared in several soundtracks, featuring prominently in the TV seriesEarth: Final Conflict (played byGeorge Gao) and themassively multiplayer online role-playing gameWorld of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (played byJiebing Chen). Anerhu solo is featured in several cues related toVulcans from 2009'sStar Trek soundtrack byMichael Giacchino.
Musical groups for wedding celebrations inCambodia often use theTro, a similar instrument to theerhu.
Anerhu is listed in the credits for theDoug Anthony All Stars albumIcon as being played byPaul McDermott. The erhu can be heard in the character songs of China, a character inAxis Powers Hetalia.
In 2020, the release of Genshin Impact, Players around the globe were treated to a mixture of traditional Chinese music and fusion with Western orchestra, including pieces that featured the Erhu.[7]
Theerhu is often described as a Chinese fiddle. However, when compared to a westernfiddle (violin), it has several key differences:
Theerhu is almost always tuned to the interval of afifth. The inside string (nearest to player) is generally tuned to D4 and the outside string to A4. This is the same as the two middle strings of the violin.
Theerhu is played sitting down, with the sound box placed on the top of the left thigh and the neck held vertically, in the similar fashion as that of a cello or double bass player. However, performers of more recent years have played while standing up using a specially developed belt-clip.
The bow is held with an underhand grip. The bow hair is adjusted so it is slightly loose. The fingers of the right hand are used to push the hairs away from the stick in order to create tension in the hairs. The bow hair is placed in between the two strings and both sides of the bow hair are used to produce sound, the player pushes the bow away from the body when bowing the A string (the outside string), and pulls it inwards when bowing the "inside" D string.
Because the bow rests on the barrel, either string can be bowed with minimal effort; the outer string can be played by pressing the stick downwards with the thumb, and the inner string by pressing the hair towards the player with the middle finger. All other fingers are technically unnecessary and are only used to support and stabilize the bow.
Aside from the bowing technique used for most pieces, theerhu can be plucked, usually using the second finger of the right hand. This produces a dry, muted tone (if either of the open strings is plucked, the sound is somewhat more resonant) which is sometimes used in contemporary pieces such as Horse Race.
The left hand alters the pitch of the strings by pressing on the string at the desired point. Being a fretless instrument, the player has fine control over tuning. Techniques includehua yin (slides),rou xian (vibrato), andhuan ba (changing positions).
Prior to the 20th century, mosthuqin instruments were used primarily to accompany various forms ofChinese opera andnarrative. The use of theerhu as a solo instrument began in the early 20th century along with the development ofguoyue (literally 'national music'), a modernized form of Chinese traditional music written or adapted for the professional concert stage. Active in the early 20th century were Zhou Shaomei (周少梅; 1885–1938) and Liú Tiānhuá. Liú laid the foundations of modernerhu playing with his ten unaccompanied solos and 47 studies composed in the 1920s and 1930s. Liu Beimao (刘北茂; 1903–1981) was born in Jiangyin, Jiangsu. His compositions includeXiao Hua Gu (1943) (Little Flower-drum). Jiang Fengzhi (蔣风之; 1908–1986) and Chen Zhenduo (陈振铎) were students of Liú Tiānhuá, the pieceHangong Qiuyue (Autumn Moon over the Han Palace) was adapted and arranged by Jiang.Hua Yanjun (A Bing) (华彥君-阿炳,c. 1893–1950) was a blind street musician. Shortly before his death in 1950, two Chinese musicologists recorded him playing a fewerhu andpipa solo pieces, the best-known beingErquan Yingyue.
With the founding of thePeople's Republic of China and the expansion of the conservatory system, the soloerhu tradition continued to develop. Important performers during this time include Lu Xiutang (陆修堂; 1911–1966), Zhang Rui (张锐; born 1920), Sun Wenming (孙文明; 1928–1962), Huang Haihuai (黄海怀), Liu Mingyuan (刘明源; 1931–1996), Tang Liangde (汤良德; 1938–2010), Zhang Shao (张韶) and Song Guosheng (宋国生).
Liu Mingyuan (刘明源; 1931–1996) was born inTianjin. He was known for his virtuosity on many instruments of thehuqin family, in particular thebanhu. His compositions and arrangements includeHenan Xiaoqu (Henan Folk Tune) andCao Yuan Shang (On Grassland) forZhonghu. For many years, he taught at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
Tang Liangde (Cantonese: Tong Leung Tak;汤良德; 1938–2010) was born in Shanghai into a famous Shanghainese musical family. He won the "Shanghai's Spring"erhu competition and continued to be the soloist for the Chinese Film Orchestra in Beijing, his composition and solos can be heard throughout theNixon to China documentary movie. Tang was the soloist and performed at the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, then went on to music broadcasting and education for the Hong Kong Government's Music Office making worldwide tours and was named Art Educator of the Year in 1991 by the Hong Kong Artist Guild.
Wang Guotong (王国潼; born 1939) was born inDalian, Liaoning. He studied with Jiang Fengzhi, Lan Yusong and Chen Zhenduo and, in 1960, graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He performed the premiere ofSanmenxia Changxiangqu (Sanmen Gorge Rhapsody) composed by Liu Wenjin. In 1972, Wang became theerhu soloist and later art director of the China Broadcasting Traditional Orchestra. He returned to the Central Conservatory of Music in 1983 as head of the Chinese music department. He has written many books and articles onerhu playing and has performed in many countries. Wang also worked with the Beijing National Instruments Factory to further developerhu design.
Min Huifen (閔惠芬; 1945–2014) was born inYixing, Jiangsu. She first became known as the winner of the 1963 fourth Shanghai Spring Art Festival. She studied with Lu Xiutang and Wang Yi, and graduated from theShanghai Conservatory of Music in 1968, and became theerhu soloist with the Shanghai Folk Orchestra. She was the undisputed master oferhu for 50 years.[8]
Song Fei (宋飞；1969-) fromTianjin, is a member of theJiusan Society and professor. She has been engaged in teaching, performing and researching erhu and huqin for a long time.[timeframe?] Song Fei has premiered more than 50 erhu works includingZhu Diao (竹调);Cu Hun (楚魂);Yan Zhao Chun Chao (燕赵春潮);Ye Cao (野草);Qīngmíng Shànghé Tú (清明上河图; "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"); andMeng Li Hua Kai (梦里花开).[9]
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