Chinese musical instruments: history and varieties. musical instruments of ancient china traditional chinese musical

The peoples of the East call music what we call noise.

Berlioz.

I studied at a music school in Russia for 8 years and my love for musical instruments never left me. Chinese musical instruments are very diverse and sound very interesting. First, watch the Chinese Symphony Orchestra play Katy Perry's "Roar" to begin with. She (Katie), by the way, burst into tears.

Now we can talk about tools.

Chinese instruments can be divided into strings, brass, plucked and percussion.

Erhu
So let's start with the strings. Most have 2-4 strings. The most famous are erhu, zhonghu, jinghu, banhu, gaohu, matouqin (Mongolian violin) and dahu. The most famous wind instrument is the erhu, which has only 2 strings. Erhu you can hear right on the streets, often beggars on the streets play this particular instrument.

Sheng
Wind instruments are mostly made of bamboo. The most popular are: di, son, guanzi, sheng, hulus, xiao and xun. You can really walk around here. The Sheng, for example, is a very interesting instrument that has 36 bamboo and reed pipes, it pairs very well with other instruments. One of the oldest is xun, a clay whistle that can be bought in many souvenir shops. Sona can imitate birds, the instrument became popular in the 16th century. The di flute attracts attention because of its pleasant sound, it has only 6 holes. Xiao and di are one of the oldest instruments, they appeared 3000 years ago.

Guzheng
Perhaps the Chinese plucked instruments are the most famous. Pipa, sanxian, zhuan, yueqin, dombra, guqin, guzheng, kunhou, zhu. My favorite instrument - the guqin - has 7 strings, the guqin has its own musical notation system, so a huge number of musical works have been preserved, I even tried to play it, it's not difficult, it just requires training, like any other instrument, but definitely easier than piano. Guzheng looks a bit like guqing, but it has 18 to 20 strings.

And finally pipa- a lute-like instrument, only 4 strings - a borrowed instrument from Mesopotamia, was very popular in the eastern Han.

And percussion - dagu, paigu, shougu, tungu, bo, muyui, yunlo, xiangjiaogu. Usually there are copper, wood or leather.

All Chinese instruments are also related to the seasons and cardinal points:

Drum- winter, also the drum announced the beginning of the war.

Spring- all tools made of bamboo.

Summer- Instruments with silk strings.

Autumn- tools made of metal.

Chinese musical instruments are very independent, which is why the Chinese love solo, although, of course, orchestras exist. However, the solo is more popular, but this is not surprising, the sounds of Chinese instruments are a little shrill, so their combination does not always sound beautiful. For them, the characters are sharp timbres, especially in opera.

A large number of musical instruments are of foreign origin. The oldest one dates back 8000 years. According to various sources, there used to be about 1,000 instruments, but, unfortunately, only half have come down to us.

Oddly enough, Chinese traditional musical instruments go great with brawls. In many famous Chinese films, the main characters fight to the sound of guzheng or guqing. Here, for example, in the film - "Showdown in the style of kung fu."

Chinese instruments were multifunctional - they served as tools, and musical instruments, and even as a means of transmitting information (for example, a gong or a drum). In Chinese culture, music has always played an important role. Since the Han era, music has flourished as it has become an official part of Confucian ceremonies.

I would also like to say that musical instruments are divided into 8 categories:

metal, stone, string, bamboo, gourd, clay, leather and wood instruments.

According to historical sources, in ancient times there were about a thousand musical instruments, of which about half have survived to this day. The earliest of these dates back over 8,000 years.

Traditional Chinese musical instruments are closely related to the emergence of music in China. They symbolize Chinese culture and were also indicators of productivity levels in ancient times.

Ancient researchers divided all instruments into eight categories or "eight sounds", according to the material that was taken as the basis for the manufacture of an instrument, namely: metal, stone, strings, bamboo, dried and hollowed gourd, clay, leather and wood. .

Metal: refers to metal-made instruments such as gongs and bronze drums.

Stone: stone instruments such as carillon and stone plates (a kind of bells).

Strings: instruments with strings that are played directly with the fingers or in special thimbles - small plectra-marigolds worn on the performer's fingers or with a bow, such as the Chinese violin, 25-string horizontal harp and instruments with a large number of strings, like the zither .

Bamboo: instruments, predominantly flutes, made from bamboo stalk, such as the eight-hole bamboo flute.

Pumpkin tools: wind instruments in which a vessel made of dried and hollowed gourd is used as a resonator. These include sheng and yu.

Clay: clay-made instruments such as the xun, an egg-shaped wind instrument the size of a fist, with six holes or less, and fou, a clay percussion instrument.

Leather: instruments whose resonating membrane is made of dressed animal skin. For example, drums and tom-toms.

Wooden: tools made mostly of wood. Of these, the most common are the muyu - "wooden fish" (a hollow wooden block used to beat out the rhythm) and the xylophone.

Xun (埙 Xun)

Zheng (筝 Zheng)

According to ancient sources, the original zheng had only five strings and was made of bamboo. Under Qin, the number of strings increased to ten, and wood was used instead of bamboo. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the zheng became a 13-string instrument, the strings of which were stretched over an oblong wooden resonator. Today, you can still enjoy the harmonious tone of the 13, 14 or 16-string zheng, which is still actively used in China both in musical ensembles and solo.

Guqin (古琴 Guqin)

The guqin is characterized by a narrow and long wooden body with 13 round marks on the surface, designed to indicate the positions of the overtones or places where the fingers should be placed when playing. Generally speaking, the high notes of the guqin are pure and harmonious, the middle notes are strong and distinct, and its low notes are soft and elusive, with clear and charming overtones.

The sounds of the upper tonality "guqin" are clear, ringing, pleasant to the ear. Mid-pitched sounds are loud, while lower-pitched sounds are gentle and soft. The whole charm of the sound of "guqin" lies in the changeable timbre. It is used as a solo instrument, as well as in ensembles and as an accompaniment to singing. Nowadays, there are more than 200 varieties of guqin playing techniques.

Sona (唢呐 Suona)

Resonant and intelligible, this instrument is ideal for playing amazingly lively and pleasantly striking numbers and is often the leading instrument in brass and opera orchestras. Its loud sound is easy to distinguish from other instruments. He is also able to set the rhythm and imitate the chirping of birds and the chirping of insects. Sona is rightfully an indispensable instrument for folk festivities and festivals.

Sheng (笙 Sheng)

Sheng is distinguished by its bright expressiveness and incredible grace in changing notes, with a clear, sonorous sound in the upper key and gentle in the middle and lower keys, it is an integral part of folklore concerts for wind and percussion instruments.

Xiao and Di (箫 Xiao, 笛 Di)

Xiao - vertical bamboo flute, di - horizontal bamboo flute - traditional wind instruments of China.

The history of "xiao" is about 3000 years old, when "di" appeared in China in the 2nd century BC, having got there from Central Asia. In its original form, the xiao resembled something like a flute, consisting of 16 bamboo pipes. Today, xiao is most commonly seen in the form of a single flute. And since such a flute is quite easy to make, it is quite popular among the population. The two earliest pipes, dating from the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC), were discovered in the tomb of King Zeng in Suxian County, Hubei Province in 1978. Each of them consists of 13 perfectly preserved bamboo pipes, connected together in descending order of their length. The soft and elegant sound of the xiao is ideal for solo as well as playing in an ensemble to express deep soulful feelings in a long, gentle and sentimental melody.

Pipa (琵琶 Pipa)

The pipa, known in antiquity as the "bent-necked pipa", is a major plucked musical instrument, adopted from Mesopotamia towards the end of the Eastern Han period (25-220), and carried inland through Xinjiang and Gansu by the fourth century. During the Sui and Tang dynasties (581 - 907), the pipa became the main instrument. Almost all musical pieces of the Tang era (618 - 907) were performed on the pipa. A versatile instrument for solos, ensembles (of two or more instruments) and accompaniment, the pipa is renowned for its intense expressiveness and ability to sound passionately and heroically powerful, yet subtly subtle and graceful at the same time. It is used both for solo performances and in orchestras.

The Celestial Empire holds many secrets and mysteries. Culture, lifestyle, traditions and much more are so unusual for a European person that they seem unimaginable, and sometimes unrealistic. Today I would like to talk about Chinese folk musical instruments.

The traditional music of China is several thousand years old, in fact, as is the culture in general. Many instruments have a completely unusual appearance, and it is not even immediately possible to guess how to play correctly. The Chinese sound is characterized by sharp timbres, and if an ensemble plays, then due to the poor compatibility of overtones, the roughness effect is enhanced. However, as practice shows, it is precisely such unusual sounds that are a worthy sound for the Chinese. In addition to the above, it is worth adding that a frequent technique when playing musical instruments is vibrato, which also enhances the sharpness of the timbre. For example, the Chinese made a special hole in the traverse flute, which also gives the sound a peculiar sound.

Chinese music for Europeans may be an amateur, but for China itself, this perfect combination of rattling is real music. Instruments in China lend themselves to traditional classification: percussion, wind, etc. Tools are distinguished mainly by the composition from which they are made: silk, bamboo, stone, wood, leather and clay. Bianzhong bells are a noble musical instrument that the Chinese associate with the advent of religion and all sorts of rituals. The first bells replaced Indian bells when Buddhism became popular in China. However, they tightly occupied their niche and subsequently migrated to Japan and Korea.

The traditional Di flute is very similar to the classical (transverse) flute, the barrel is made of bamboo or reed, sometimes made of stones (jade), but these are very rare and expensive specimens. Sheng has a clear resemblance to an ordinary harmonica, but scientists consider it the oldest musical instrument among wind instruments. It is very loved not only in China precisely for the variability of sounds, it can be used both in orchestras and in solo performance.

Percussion instruments are also diverse in their shapes and sizes. Diangu is a flat drum, it may seem like an ordinary tambourine, since special beaters are attached to it, which is very reminiscent of the instrument we all know. Xiangjiaogu, translated as "elephant's foot", looks like an elephant's foot, hence the name. The body is made of wood and mounted on a cylindrical stand.

I am sure few people know that Chinese stringed instruments were made of silk strings until the 20th century, and only after that, thanks to Western practice, steel and nylon strings began to be used.

The Erhu is considered a Chinese violin and is played with vibrato. Huqin appeared in China in the 8th century, jinghu is used as an accompaniment in Peking opera, the second name of this instrument is “Beijing violin.” Researchers of Chinese folk instruments believe that the plucked sanxian or xianzi appeared after the Mongol invasion. This instrument was especially popular in the performance of songs and is similar to the Asian tanbur. Guzheng is another plucked instrument; plectrums (similar to guitar picks) are used to play it, since this instrument contains from 21 to 25 strings.

Victoria Lyzhova

Traditional Chinese music is characterized by sharp timbres, and in an ensemble, due to the poor combination of overtones, this effect is usually further enhanced. Apparently, it was precisely such timbres that the Chinese found pleasant. If you listen to traditional Chinese opera, you can appreciate the depth of the gulf between the tastes of European and Asian music lovers.

Moreover, one of the most common techniques when playing traditional Chinese instruments is vibrato, which in fact also enhances the sharpness of the timbre by repeating two adjacent sounds (a second is a very dissonant interval). And in the traverse di flute, the Chinese even made a special hole, which gives the sound an additional rattle.

Probably, it is thanks to the timbres that Chinese music seems so hysterical and poignant.

Guzheng

The guzheng is a plucked string instrument related to the zither. Typically, the guzheng has eighteen to twenty-five strings, which were traditionally made of silk, but now they are more often made of metal. Probably, before the timbre of the guzheng was much softer. Interestingly, the nut on the guzheng can be moved by changing the tuning of the instrument.

Qixianxin, or guqin (guqin) is an instrument with a similar timbre and structure, but with seven strings. The style of playing the guqing differs from the guzheng in many glissandos.
This is a very ancient instrument - Confucius played it two and a half millennia ago. This instrument is tuned very low - this is such a double bass from Chinese instruments. For the guqin, its own system of musical notation was invented, so very ancient music for this instrument has been preserved. The performer's gestures are part of a piece of music, they are described in notes. Each work had some kind of extra-musical meaning, usually associated with nature, often accompanied by poetry.

Pipa

Another plucked stringed instrument, the pipa, is shaped like a lute. The pipa has only four strings. It is believed that the pipa came to China from Central Asia.

Erhu

Erhu is a bowed stringed instrument. It is probably the most popular of the traditional Chinese instruments. The erhu has only two metal strings. The bow is fixed between the strings, forming a single whole with the erhu. The timbre of the erhu is soft, similar to a violin.

Sheng

Sheng (sheng) - a wind instrument similar in sound to a bandaneon. It consists of thirty-six (three octaves) bamboo or reed pipes "growing" from a stand with a mouthpiece. The timbre of the sheng is very well combined with the timbres of other traditional Chinese instruments, which cannot be said about the rest of the instruments.

Di

Di (dizi) - transverse flute with six holes. This instrument has an interesting feature - next to the air injection hole there is another one covered with a thin bamboo film, due to which the instrument has a slight rattling overtone.

Music since ancient times has occupied a prominent place in the life of the Chinese, as well as other peoples. Ethnographers-musicologists establish that in the early stages of human history, music was closely connected with pantomime performances, with dance.

The origin and development of Chinese musical art

The ancient Chinese in their legends associated the appearance of musical works and instruments with the gods. According to them, the gods considered man their finished creation only when they taught him music. However, a reliable picture of the history of the development of Chinese musical culture can only be recreated on the basis of data from a number of sciences: archeology, ethnography, etc. musicology, literary criticism, etc.

The oldest musical instruments in China (percussion musical instruments - stone plates) were found by archaeologists at Neolithic sites in the valley of the river. Huanghe. The oldest stringed instruments (chuse - se from the ancient kingdom of Chu) date back to the 5th-3rd centuries. BC e. Inscriptions on bones and shells speak of the variety of musical instruments, various musical performances. In the II millennium BC. e. bronze musical instruments appeared. Some later sources indicate that already in the middle of the II millennium BC. e. khu was arranged - crowded song and dance performances, which, apparently, had a ritual character (they were dedicated to the beginning and end of agricultural work). Gradually, the song as a piece of music separated from the dance. And in the period of the Western Zhou (XI-VIII centuries BC), a set of songs "Shijing" ("Book of Songs") was compiled for the first time from the folk songs of various regions of China. Recordings of ancient songs make it possible to talk about the differences in the music of songs from different regions of the country (for example, the music of the songs of the Chu kingdom).

Musical science began to be created in ancient China as well. The most ancient treatise on music "Yuejing" was included in the complex of 6 classical books that originally existed in China. "Description of Music" ("Yueji") was then included as one of the chapters in "Ili" ("Rite"), compiled by Confucius himself. Judgments of Confucius about music are also found in the Moon. Music played a big role in all aspects of Chinese life. That is why the Confucians attached such great importance to music. According to their teaching, musical harmony was supposed to be an indicator of social and political harmony.

Music enjoyed great honor at the courts of the Wangs in the Zhou era: the performance of songs and dances at the court was in charge of a special court service (Dasyue). During the Han period, a special music chamber (Yuefu) was established. During the Han era, there was a rapid development of musical culture. It was during this period that new musical instruments appeared (kunhou borrowed from outside - stringed harp-like instruments, etc.). It is well known that Buddhism, which penetrated China, had a great influence on the development of Chinese music.

A new flowering of Chinese music falls on the Tang era. Dunhuang's frescoes depict various musicians, singers, and dancers.

Notes of song and dance music of the Tang era have been found. At the end of the XIII-beginning of the XIV century. the famous poet and musician Zhang Yan creates the book "Sources of Qi" ("Ciyuan"), which is considered by Chinese music historians as the earliest work on vocal art.

In the XVIII century. The publication of a 62-volume collection of Chinese classical melodies was undertaken, covering the period of the 8th-17th centuries. Recently, the ancient signs of this code have been translated into modern notes. In the eras of Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, Chinese music was enriched by the influence of the music of other peoples: the Mongols, Tibetans, Uighurs, etc., many new musical instruments were borrowed (pipa, erhu, yangqing, etc.) . Since the 17th century orchestral music began to be created in China. In the Ming and Qing eras, music became much more diverse, and the specifics of the music for opera (musical and dramatic) performances were determined.

Melody of Chinese music

The melodic pattern of Chinese music is always unusually distinct, convex and peculiarly colorful, melodious and at the same time rhythmic.

It is characteristic that the musical notation captures far from all the bends of the melody, but only its main core, while the performer arbitrarily strings various ornaments on it, and his improvisation sometimes has a very wide amplitude, depending primarily on the skill of the performer.

Although modern choirs sing in many voices, the melody of traditional folk songs is always sung in unison; in Chinese music, especially ancient music, there is no polyphonic voice guidance, much less complex harmonization of the melody. Therefore, the Chinese folk song is essentially a solo song, regardless of the number of singers.

Weak intonation possibilities are largely compensated for by a very convex and emphasized rhythm, and hence the exceptional role of percussion instruments. Due to the emphasis on rhythm in the nature of Chinese music, it is close to poetry.

After all, every Chinese word has a characteristic melodic pattern, determined by tone. And it is very likely that in the musicality of Chinese speech one can look for its connection with Chinese music.

Rhythm is most characteristic of the music of the northern regions. For example, some researchers associate the origin of yangge (song and dance performance) with extra-melodic, rhythmic drum music, which then acquired a melody. In South Chinese music, the timbre coloration is much brighter; not the rhythm, but the melody comes to the fore. For example, Guangdong music is distinguished by melodiousness, in which, along with a clear and clear rhythm, generally inherent in Chinese music, the melody flows beautifully, melodiously, freely. melodious, reminiscent of Indonesian music.

The works of Chinese music are characterized by strict and clear programming. The predominance of landscape paintings is characteristic. Thus, among the musical compositions of the Chaozhou region (Guangdong province) one can * name the musical pictures "Festive boating" and "Reflection of the autumn moon on the surface of the lake."

musical scale

The most characteristic feature of the old scale of Chinese music is the pentatonic scale. With such a sound system, within one octave there are about sounds of different heights. The five-tone scale was established around the 4th century BC. n. e. musical theorists of ancient China with the help of mathematical calculations and philosophical reasoning. The most common is the non-semitone pentatonic scale, i.e., between adjacent steps, the intervals reach a whole tone or semitone. In this feature of Chinese music, there is also a certain limitation of its possibilities.

However, one cannot consider the national style of Chinese music only from the point of view of the pentatonic scale. Pentatonic frets did not hamper the development of musical culture. Already in the III century. BC e. a seven-sound, and then a twelve-sound gamma was installed. By the end of the Zhou era, the creation of a complete twelve-tone musical scale laid the foundation for the further development of Chinese music. The development of musical culture also took place as a result of influence coming from outside. With Buddhism, elements of the musical culture of India and Central Asia penetrated into China. In the XIV century. Under the influence of the Mongolian musical culture, the diatonic scale took shape in Chinese music. Although in China in the XVI century. Chou Tsaiyu used a tempered scale, the tempered scale was not established in Chinese music. Chinese music was still based on the five pentatonic scales. And in the nature of the sound of pentatonic music, its possibilities were fully used. Already since ancient times, despite a certain constraint of the sound row system, folk music has been distinguished by great melodic and intonational richness.

Musical instruments

Insufficient flexibility, static intonation-modal structure is compensated by a rich and very diverse composition of musical instruments that still exist in the compositions of folk orchestras and theater orchestras.

From the fact that the basis of the musical canvas was a clear rhythm, the extremely important role in Chinese music of percussion instruments, which are extremely diverse, is completely understandable. And the primacy among all this diversity undoubtedly belongs to the drum (gu); these are double-sided drums tangu, gangu, shugu, diangu, tambourine logu, etc., one-sided snare drum bangu. Membrane percussion instruments also include tambourine dagu and bajiaogu. Drums were made of wood, pumpkin, clay, bronze. Drum membranes were made of leather, bull bladder and other material. During the performance, the drums are held in hands or placed on special stands. The performer strikes the membrane with a hand and a stick. The use of drums is extremely wide. It would not be an exaggeration to say that without a drum in China not a single festival is conceivable, no celebration is conceivable. The importance of the drum in the orchestra is evidenced by the fact that the drummer essentially performs the functions of the conductor of an orchestra consisting of Chinese national instruments.

Other percussion instruments are also widespread - metal gongs, from which the sound is extracted by hitting a wooden mallet, copper cymbals, fangsyan - stone, jade or, very rarely, metal oblong quadrangular plates suspended on a wooden frame-stand, differing from each other only in thickness, and as a result, when struck with a stick, each emits its own sound. The presence of qings (stone gongs, lithophones) - shiqing, teqing or bianqing (a set of qings tuned differently) should be especially emphasized. A feature of another kind of percussion instruments - bronze bells and bells (bozhong and bianzhong - a set of bells) is that the sound is extracted by hitting the bell with a wooden mallet. To beat the rhythm, wooden percussion instruments are also used: wooden plates kuaiban, as well as castanets such as kaiban, banzi, paiban. The plates were made from hardwood trees. The performer holds one plate in his hand in the palm of his hand, hitting it with the second plate, which he holds in the other hand (banzi), or with the movement of the hand in which he holds a bunch of plates, hits them against each other (paiban). Among the percussion musical instruments, although rare, is the muyui (“wooden fish”), essentially a kind of wooden bell, usually in the form of a fish (hence the name of the instrument), from which the sound is also extracted by hitting a wooden mallet.

String instruments are also distinguished by a great variety: se and zheng - stringed plucked musical instruments such as table harp. The whole body of the instrument is slightly convex, it is a deck, strings, usually silk, are stretched along the entire length of the instrument, a stand is installed under each string, by moving which the instrument is tuned. Play with one (right) hand or both hands. Qixian-qing (a kind of zither), pipa (a kind of lute), kunhou (a kind of harp), etc. are very expressive. The type of bowed musical instruments hu (erhu, sihu, banhu, etc.) is diverse. The erhu body, for example, is hollow, with a snakeskin soundboard on the upper side. A bamboo neck-vulture is inserted into the resonator, there are a pair of pegs for two silk strings in it, with the help of rotating pegs the strings are stretched. They play sitting, the instrument rests against the knee with the resonator leg, holding it vertically. The hair of the bow is passed between the strings, the distance between which does not exceed

3-4 mm. In the Chinese folk instrument orchestra, the erhu occupies the same important place as the violin in the symphony orchestra.

Wind instruments are very popular. These are bamboo xiao (longitudinal flute type), chi and di (transverse flute type), paixiao (multi-barreled flute). Xuan was made from clay - an oval-shaped wind instrument with 6 holes for changing the pitch of sounds. Air was blown in through the hole-muzzle at the top of the xuan.

These tools are very simple. A more complex instrument is the laba (or son) trumpet, a kind of oboe. The body of the laba is an almost conical wooden tube with eight holes, through which the performer changes the pitch. A very peculiar instrument is the sheng, which consists of a round body, into which a branch pipe for blowing air and up to 20 bamboo tubes are inserted. Bronze tongues are inserted at the ends of the tubes in oblique sections. Holes are made in the lower part of the tubes, which the performer, when playing, closes alternately with his fingers.

The sound comes from the vibration of the reeds. Depending on the number of tubes inserted, several types of shengs are distinguished.

Contemporary music and performing arts

In the last period, especially after the May 4 movement, there has been a rapid process of enrichment in the content and form of new Chinese music. In 1919, the composer Xiao Yu-mei founded a music department at Peking University. It was the first department at a Chinese higher education institution, where classes were held according to the program of European music schools. A number of such departments arose later at other universities. During this period, patriotic works are created that glorify love for the motherland, the life of the common people. Thus, the composer Zhao Yuan-jen wrote "The Song of Labor" and "The Song of the Sale of the Canvas". With the development of the revolution, such revolutionary songs as "The Internationale", "Varshavyanka" and others penetrate into China. With the creation of the CPC and the outbreak of revolutionary wars, music begins to play an increasingly important role in the struggle of the people. As early as 1932, Nie Er and Lu Ji initiated the creation of a revolutionary musical group that rallied leading Chinese musicians around itself. In his short life (1912-1935), the communist composer Nie Er wrote about 50 militant revolutionary mass songs, among them the "March of the Volunteers", now approved as the anthem of the PRC. Significant works in Chinese music are the Cantata on the Yellow River and the Movement for the Rise of Production by the composer Xi Xing-hai (1905-1945), which had a great influence on the further development of Chinese music. What is new in the revolutionary song is its concreteness, political sharpness, simple language, sharp expressiveness. The revolutionary song is characterized by brevity, clarity and clarity of thought expressed in the text, swiftness, assertiveness, strong-willed rhythm, bright beautiful melody (“Praise to Lenin”, “Song of Workers and Peasants”, “May 1”, “Brother and Sister Raise Virgin Lands”) . The new content and new form did not deprive the song of its national flavor, it remained a Chinese folk song and thus replenished the treasury of the rich song culture of the people.

With the formation of the People's Republic of China, Chinese musical culture received certain conditions for its development. In the works of the first years, people's power is glorified, which gave land to the peasants, made a woman a free, equal member of society, etc. Song and dance musical art develops. New genres of music are being explored. Thus, a group of students from the Shanghai Conservatory wrote a concerto for violin and orchestra "Liang Shan-bo and Zhu Ying-tai", "Youth Concerto". The greatest Chinese composers Ma Si-tsun and He Lu-ding are working fruitfully. Composer Wu Tseu-qiang wrote the music for the national ballet "Beauty Fish", staged with great success at the Central Opera and Ballet Theater in Beijing, staged by P. A. Gusev.

The All-China Music Workers' Association and the Chinese Writers' Union are working together to collect, record, systematize and study folk music. Folk music is studied and taught in conservatories and music schools. After 1949, almost every enterprise, in the countryside, in an educational institution created its own amateur art group, local ensembles of national song and dance, musical drama, etc.

The musicians are trained by Beijing 1 and Shanghai Conservatory. Along with such great masters as the violinist Ma Sy-tsun, young musicians who have come forward in recent years, including laureates of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, also perform. P. I. Tchaikovsky Liu Shi-kun and Ying Cheng-tsun, as well as Li Ming-chiang (student of Prof. T. P. Kravchenko). Guo Shu-ying, a pupil of the Moscow Conservatory, successfully performs in opera performances. In 1957-1958. the Central Symphony Orchestra was created (chief conductor - Li De-lun, graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, student of Prof. N. P. Anosov). Successful concert activities are conducted by numerous orchestras of folk instruments. A large number of performers gather annual music festivals "Shanghai Spring".

Soviet music has an enormous influence on the development of Chinese musical culture. The Chinese people became acquainted with Soviet music through the fighting, mass Soviet song, which began to penetrate China already during the years of the revolution of 1925-1927. The Soviet songs "March of Budyonny", "Song of the Motherland", "Katyusha", "Hymn of the Democratic Youth of the World", "Moscow Evenings" and others are well known to the Chinese people. Numerous performances by Soviet musicians in China were a great success. Through acquaintance with Soviet music, Chinese musicians mastered the achievements of world musical culture, the Soviet experience in building a new musical culture, national in form, socialist in content.