Bianzhong (
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
:编钟) is an
ancient Chinese musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
consisting of a set of
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
bells, played melodically. China is the earliest country to manufacture and use musical chimes. They are also called Chime Bells. These sets of chime bells were used as polyphonic musical instruments and some of these bells have been dated at between 2,000 to 3,600 years old. They were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet. Using a wooden hammer and a rod to beat the bronze bell can make different pitch. Along with the stone chimes called ''
bianqing
The ''bianqing'' (Chinese: 编磬) is a traditional Chinese percussion instrument consisting of a set of L-shaped flat stone chimes known as ''qing'', played melodically. The chimes were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet. Along wit ...
'', they were an important instrument in China's ritual and court music going back to ancient times.
Several sets of ''bianzhong'' were imported to the
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
n court during the
Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
. Pronounced in Korean as pyeonjong, the instrument became an important part in Korea's ritual and court music and is still in use. In Vietnam, the instrument, which was used in ceremonies in the court at
Huế
Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...
, is called biên chung. The instrument's name is pronounced henshō in Japanese.
History
While the oldest clapperless bells in China date to as early as 2100 BCE, the organization of ''zhong'' bells into ''bianzhong'' (literally “arranged ''zhong''”
) developed in the
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...
(1046–256 BCE).
''Bianzhong'' from this era had varied numbers of individual ''zhong'' (between 13 and 64), each of which could produce two distinct pitches and were suspended obliquely or vertically.
In ancient China, the chime was a special instrument for upper class people and it was a symbol of power and wealth. In one set from this time period, the biggest bell was 153.4 centimeters (60.4 in) in height and weighed 203.6 kilograms (449 lb), while the smallest bell was 20.4 centimeters (8.0 in) in height and weighed 2.4 kilograms (5.3 lb).
The instrument’s construction shifted dramatically in the
Qin Qin may refer to:
Dynasties and states
* Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China
* Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC
* Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...
and
Tang dynasties (221 BC – 907 BC). ''Bianzhong'' decreased in size during this period, being limited to sets of 14, 16, and 24 bells.
Due to differences in bell construction, each ''zhong'' produced only one pitch. These ''bianzhong'' were tuned either to a seven-note scale or in twelve semitones.
Musicians standardized ''bianzhong'' construction and ritual performance by the end of the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
(960–1279 CE).
Typical instruments from this period consisted of 16 bells suspended vertically in a two-tiered frame.
Through the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
(1644–1911 CE) into the modern day, this construction of ''bianzhong'' remained standard.
Since the rediscovery of Zhou-dynasty ''bianzhong'' by archaeologists in 1978, there has been a revitalization of the performance and construction of that form of the instrument.
Modern historical-performance ensembles (such as the Hubei Song and Dance Ensemble) have been performing on reconstructions of Zhou-dynasty ''bianzhong'' nationally and internationally since the 1980s.
In the modern day,
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...
ritual celebrations in Korea still utilizes ''bianzhong''. The instrument's role is to lead the orchestra (doubling the melody of the winds and strings), while larger bells punctuate hymn phrases.
Structure
The bianzhong was part of a larger category of ancient Chinese bells referred to as a zhong. This is defined by a leaf-shaped cross-section, concave mouth (or rim) and an overall shape expands slightly from top to bottom.
All sets of bianzhong were suspended together in a wooden frame, but how they were suspended can differ. The most common type of suspension in the zhong family is when the bell has an elongated handle with a small ring at its base and is then hung at a diagonal angle. Some bianzhong have been found to be suspended vertically by a loop, but this is found less frequently. Each bianzhong has the same thickness, which means that the pitch is determined by size.
The general range of bianzhong height is ; however, archaeologists have discovered some that are as small as and as large as .
Individual bianzhong usually have many decorative features; these could include raised rectangular ribs, repetitive claw-like (or horn-like) designs, and protrusions in clusters (typically four clusters).
Archaeology
Among the most important sets of ''bianzhong'' discovered are a
complete ceremonial set of 65 ''zhong'' bells, found in a near-perfect state of preservation during the excavation of the tomb of
Marquis Yi
The Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng () is an archaeological site in Leigudun Community (), Nanjiao Subdistrict (), Zengdu District, Suizhou (during the Spring and Autumn period called Sui County), Hubei, China, dated sometime after 433 BC. The tomb co ...
, who died ca. 430 BCE. Yi was the ruler of
Zeng
Zeng (, ) is a Chinese family name. In Cantonese, it is Tsang; In Wade-Giles, such as those in Taiwan, Tseng or Tzeng; in Malaysia and Singapore, Chen or Cheng; in the Philippines, Chan; in Indonesia, Tjan; in Vietnam, Tăng. The surname Zeng is ...
, one of the minor states under control of the major
State of Chu
Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou hea ...
. This region is now part of the present-day
Hubei province. The instrument is currently on display at the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, China. It under protection by the government as an esteemed cultural relic, and has been performed on three times since its excavation in 1978, the most recent being for the Hong Kong Reunification ceremony in 1997.
Although tuned bells have been created and used for musical performance in many cultures, ''zhong'' are unique among all other types of cast bells in several respects. They have a
lens-shaped (rather than circular) section, the bell mouth has a distinctive "cutaway" profile, and the outer surfaces of the large bells feature 36 studs or bosses, symmetrically placed around the body in four groups of nine. This special shape gives ''zhong'' bells the remarkable ability to produc
two different musical tones depending on where they are struck. Striking the center of the bell produces the primary tone, while the left or right corners produce a secondary pitch either a
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
or
minor third higher, equivalent to a distance of four or five notes on a piano.
The bells of Marquis Yi cover a range of five octaves, and are fully chromatic in the central three octaves.
The set—still in playable condition after almost 2,500 years—is able to produce both
diatonic
Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize Scale (music), scales, and are also applied to musical instruments, Interval (music), intervals, Chord (music), chords, Musical note, notes, musical sty ...
and
pentatonic scales.
![Zhong Bell from Spring and autumn period](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Zhong_Bell_from_Spring_and_autumn_period.jpg)
The ''bianzhong'' chimes of Marquis Yi are mounted on intersecting racks set at 90 degrees to each other, consisting of two pairs of massive wooden beams, with three smaller beams (carrying the highest bells) mounted on top of the upper beams. The beams are separated and supported at their ends and intersections by six bronze human figurines with upraised arms and wearing swords; the upper three figures are slightly smaller than the lower, which are cast on their own elaborately decorated bronze pedestals. The ends and intersection of each pair of beams are fitted with decorated bronze caps and front part of the brackets supporting the largest bells are cast in the shape of animals. The longer pair of main beams are provided with extra support in the middle in the form of two slender bronze columns.
![VM 4737 Hubei Provincial Museum - bianzhong performance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/VM_4737_Hubei_Provincial_Museum_-_bianzhong_performance.jpg)
In 1992,
Ma Chengyuan
Ma Chengyuan (; 3 November 1927 – 25 September 2004) was a Chinese archaeologist, epigrapher, and president of the Shanghai Museum. He was credited with saving priceless artifacts from destruction during the Cultural Revolution, and was instru ...
, director of the
Shanghai Museum
The Shanghai Museum is a museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District, Shanghai, Huangpu District of Shanghai, China. Rebuilt at its current location in 1996, it is considered one of China's first world-c ...
, purchased the 3,000-year-old Jin Hou Su ''bianzhong'' (晉侯穌鐘) from the Hong Kong antique market. The bells had been looted from the tombs of the rulers of the
State of Jin and smuggled out of China. The bells are now listed by the Chinese government as one of the first 64
national treasures forbidden to be exhibited abroad.
![Jinhousu Bianzhong](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Jinhousu_Bianzhong.JPG)
These bells usually have inscriptions on them from which scholars use as references for studying ancient Chinese writings (also known as
Bronzeware script
Chinese bronze inscriptions, also commonly referred to as bronze script or bronzeware script, are writing in a variety of Chinese scripts on ritual bronzes such as ''zhōng'' bells and '' dǐng'' tripodal cauldrons from the Shang dynasty (2nd mi ...
). Another related ancient Chinese musical instrument is the ''
bianqing
The ''bianqing'' (Chinese: 编磬) is a traditional Chinese percussion instrument consisting of a set of L-shaped flat stone chimes known as ''qing'', played melodically. The chimes were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet. Along wit ...
'', which was made of stone rather than metal.
See also
*
Bianqing
The ''bianqing'' (Chinese: 编磬) is a traditional Chinese percussion instrument consisting of a set of L-shaped flat stone chimes known as ''qing'', played melodically. The chimes were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet. Along wit ...
*
Traditional Chinese musical instruments
*
Traditional Korean musical instruments
*
Carillon
A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...
, a western multi-bell instrument where the bells have clappers
References
Further reading
*Lee, Yuan-Yuan and Shen, Sinyan. (1999). ''Chinese Musical Instruments (Chinese Music Monograph Series)''. Chinese Music Society of North America Press.
*Shen, Sinyan (1987), Acoustics of Ancient Chinese Bells, ''Scientific American'', 256, 94.
*von Falkenhausen, Lothar. (1993). ''Suspended music: chime-bells in the culture of Bronze Age China''. University of California Press.
External links
Ancient Chinese Bellsfrom The Musical Instruments E-book (Archive copy)
{{Bells
Bells (percussion)
Chinese bronzeware
Chinese inventions
Chinese musical instruments
Korean musical instruments