Description:
The
erhu is a bowed-chordophone that belongs to the “yueqin” family of
bowed instruments. In the Chinese musical system the erhu is classified
as a member of the bowed “silk” family. According to the book of music
or “Yue Shu” a description of the musical instrument called a xiqin, as
a two stringed lute is mentioned. It is believed the xiqin may have its
origins with the Xi people. There is documented evidence of the erhu
since the Sung Dynasty (960-1270 AD). In Southern China another name
given to the erhu is “Nan Hu”. In the 20th century the erhu has
undergone many improvements both in teaching and the construction of
the musical instrument. Throughout the 1920s the current design of the
erhu is attributed to Lian Tianhua (b. 1825 d. 1932) who is a
pioneering Chinese erhu and pipa player and Hua Yanjun (b. 1893 d.
1950) a blind street musician. Since the foundation of the Peoples
Republic of China in 1949 the education and repertoire has improved
greatly for more then half a century. One can encounter the erhu as a
virtuosic instrument in symphonic orchestras to cinema, jazz,
mainstream pop and avantgarde. In the arrangement of a Chinese ensemble
the erhu along with the dizi, pipa, ruan and yang chin would compliment
the instrumentation.
Anatomy of the Erhu:
The acoustic chamber of erhu is created from cut strips of wood,
assembled into a hexagonal shape. Snake skin is stretched over the
body. The body of the erhu is called the "qin-tong". Older erhu are
often stretched with snake skin usually of python could be of Burmese
python (molorus bivittatus). The erhu has two identical hand carved
friction tuning pegs. A recent innovation involves a mechanical
mechanism built into the wooden tuning peg. A small brass hook is
attached to a looped chord or string called a “Qianjin”. The two
playing strings are held in place by the qianjin so that they can be
played from that point onwards. This is the mechanism that allows for
the erhu to be bowed in between the two strings. The bow for the erhu
differs from the violin bow. The tension of the erhu bow is adjustable.