CHAPTER II.

Antiquity of Chinese Music-Musical instruments-Music of the Chinese -Chinese airs.

THE Chinese claim the distinction of having invented music, as well as printing, and many other arts and sciences; and if we may rely upon their traditional history, and vain boasting, this science was, in olden times, and before the memory of man, brought to the very acme of perfection by them. It is certain, however, that Confucius interested himself considerably about the cultivation and improvement of music, and his instructions and precepts are as highly prized upon this, as upon all other subjects, and deep regret is expressed, at the present day, for the loss of certain ancient treatises upon the subject. Far be it from us to dispute the right of the Celestial Empire to the credit and distinction which it claims; but we must express our hope that the music at present in use is far dissimilar to celestial music; at all events, it is very different from our own ideas of that which is pleasing or melodious.

The airs which are in general use amongst the Chinese, as sang or played by them upon their various instruments, with the exception of the kin, are acquired

by ear and by rote; and many of their best performers extemporise; and sometimes these airs, sung by a good voice, or played by a skilful performer upon their instruments, has something agreeable, even to our European ears. A species of recitative is perceptible in the spoken language; and is more marked in their calculations with the swan-paun, or calculating instrument, which are always aloud.

The Chinese have a great variety, both of stringed and wind musical instruments, together with drums, symbols, timbrels, and bells. The most simple of the wind instruments is the Hwang-tei, or flute, which is made of bamboo, and is about two feet long; having two embouchures, the first is much farther removed from the end than in our flutes, and the second is two inches farther down; this last is covered by the internal coating of a peculiar reed: the finger-holes are small, equidistant, and of equal calibre; they are ten in number, of which the performer appears only to use six. The player is afforded the means of varying the pitch, by changing the embouchure. The instrument is neatly bound round with silk at different places, in order to secure it against splitting; and notwithstanding the labour which must be spent upon its construction, it may be purchased for about fortyfive cents, or less than two shillings of our money. We find the performers upon the flute in the north of China much superior to those at Canton, who are very mediocre indeed, and the instrument in their hands is very indifferent.

The Heang-tei, or clarinet, comes next in rank, the stock of which is also made of bamboo, with a bell

and mouth-piece of copper; to the latter is adapted a reed, like our own: there are eight finger-holes, and one of them for the thumb, and the bell is decorated with pendent silken ornaments. This appears to be the favourite instrument of the Chinese, being used as the leader in all solemn ceremonies, and on all festive occasions; it is considered equally indispensable in all congregations, either for profane or religious purposes; and it is remarkable for its sonorous and deafening blasts.

There are two or three varieties of horns; one is somewhat similar in shape to the Heang-tei, and is composed of copper. This instrument possesses the same peculiarity as our trombone, the stem or tube being constructed, to admit of being extended or shortened at the pleasure of the performer. The sound produced is very sombre and uninviting, but when contrasted with the tones of the heang-tei, and performed with more piercing instruments, the effect is good. There is another horn, which in shape resembles a shepherd's crook inverted, having a bell attached to the end, and having the same power of extension as described in the last instrument; the tones of this horn are also very melancholy, and far from pleasing when used alone.

The last wind instrument we shall describe is much more complicated than any of the preceding, and may be fairly called a species of organ, composed of a series of tubes of unequal lengths, which are placed in a hollow chamber of semi-spherical form, to which is attached a mouth-piece, by means of which the performer's mouth fills the chamber with air; some of

the tubes have perforations near the chamber, which prevent them from sounding, unless stopped by the performer's finger. They are set up at intervals, and in order, one standing alone, and the clusters increasing in progressive ratio up to four. Great nicety and skill is required in the management and use of the pipes; by stopping some of them, the performer can produce most agreeable harmonies; while regular harmonic divisions of eighths and twelfths seem to be caused by covering others, by blowing gently, or by increasing the force of the blast. Again, the performer, by drawing his breath and stopping the perforations, may, at his discretion, make any one of the tubes sound singly.

Of all the stringed instruments in use amongst the Chinese, the Kin is by far the most agreeable, as well as the most difficult to acquire any degree of proficiency in performing upon. It is only used by the best informed and most educated portion of society in China, and is looked upon by the literary world as their peculiar property, because tradition has connected it with Confucius and the ancient sages, who are said to have devoted much of their leisure hours in practising and using this instrument.

The antiquity, however, of the Kin is carried back to ages much more remote than that of the philosopher in question, as the Chinese say they can trace it nearly to the common parent of mankind.

The difficulty of acquiring a competent knowledge of this instrument, as well as the excessive intricacies of the system of notation used for the Kin, are the true reasons for its exclusiveness, as the middle classes