String & Wind Music from South of the Yangtze (Black Bamboo)

This ensemble music originates in southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and has a special flavor of Shanghai style about it. The chief instruments used are the erhu, pipa, yangqin and three-string, (Fig. 2-6) and the di, sheng and xiao wind instruments. Percussion instruments like drums and clappers are also sometimes included. The number of musicians ranges from two or three to seven or eight. During performances, each instrument contributes its individuality to the harmony of the whole, and embellishments and variations are common. The style is refined, smooth and indirect, expressing the hard-working meticulous and Spartan character of the people who live south of the Yangtze. Following are some representative pieces of this genre:

Zhonghua Liuban. This developed on the basis of the Lao Liuban, but is distinguished from it by its relaxed and ornamented style. It is slower and more expansive in tempo than the tune from which it was derived, for instance, one clapper beat will replace two or even four beats in the original work. Additionally, extra neighboring notes are added to the framework of the original tune to make it more elaborate. The fresh and lyrical quality of Zhonghua Liuban is typical of the musical style south of the Yangtze.

Sihe Ruyi, also known simply as Sihe, is a qu tune medley composed of eight interrelated parts. There is not necessarily any connection between the subject matter of the various tunes, but they often copy each other's tempo and mood. When the musicians are seated, an arrangement of alternating wind and string instruments is strictly adhered to, and the eight parts are played by the individual instruments in turn; just like the game in which a bunch of flowers is passed round to the sound of drumbeats, the instruments hand the tune on to each other, compete and intersperse the solo performances with ensemble pieces, the contrast in musical tone forming the fascination of this kind of rendering. Yunqing and Song of Joy are ornamented variations of one part of the Sihe.

"Sanliu" (originally called Meihua Sannong), is composed mainly of a number of different melodies, each of which consists of a string of connected musical phrases. Contrasting tempos and the restraining influence of synchronism serve to produce effects of scattering and tightening. This type of "cyclical" movement is fairly common in Chinese instrumental music. Hua (Man) Sanliu is an elaboration on the basis of Sanliu.

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