Spark Study Buddy (Challenger): Ancient Chinese gourds making music in modern orchestras
The sheng and hulusi, instruments made from gourds, have a rich history dating back to the spring and autumn periods
A dried calabash or bottle gourd. These were used for millennia for transporting liquids, and in ancient China were turned into musical instruments including the sheng and “hulusi” or “Chinese bagpipes”. Photo: Shutterstock[1] For most people, gourds are for eating, not for making music. In Chinese music, gourds fall into one of the eight categories of instruments and produce some of the most essential sounds in a modern orchestra, such as the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra.
[2] The category, known as pao in Cantonese and hulu in Mandarin, is named after a specific kind of gourd called the calabash or bottle gourd. The sheng and the hulusi are two of the most common gourd instruments found in Chinese orchestras today.
[3] People started using gourds to make instruments during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC to 476BC) in China. The instrument’s overall shape resembles that of a mythical phoenix with folded wings.
[4] The sheng was invented when people stuck bamboo pipes into a calabash and blew air into it to make musical notes. It was introduced to the imperial court and was often played during gatherings and rituals.
[5] Variations of the sheng are played by some ethnic groups in China, such as the Miao people who live in southwest China and Southeast Asia and the Yi, also from southern China. Over time, the sheng spread to other countries. The Japanese shō was introduced during the Nara period, from AD710 to AD794. The sheng also inspired the khaen in Laos, developed during the 18th century.
[6] The hulusi is a cousin of the sheng and translates to “gourd silk”, a reference to its soft sound. It has also been called the “Chinese bagpipes” or the “gourd flute”. The top of the instrument, where the mouthpiece is located, is shaped like a gourd. This part is attached to three bamboo pipes with finger holes. Each pipe has a metal tongue that produces sound as air passes through it.
[7] While it is unclear exactly when the instrument was invented, it is said to have originated among the Dai people of Yunnan in southwest China sometime during the first century BC and was traditionally played by men during courtship. A similar instrument is played by the indigenous people of Assam in northeast India.
[8] These days, the instrument is mass-produced and sold in a variety of styles and colours. Some feature illustrations of phoenixes and generic scenes from ancient China, while others are decorated with Chinese calligraphy.
Source: South China Morning Post, August 26
Questions
1. What do most people do with gourds according to paragraph 1?
___________________________________________________
2. In paragraph 3, what do the musical instruments made from gourds look like?
___________________________________________________
3. Which two instruments mentioned in paragraph 5 are based on the sheng? (2 marks)
___________________________________________________
4. According to paragraph 6, people make music using the hulusi by ...
A. hitting the bamboo pipes with a gourd.
B. strumming the metal tongues inside the pipes.
C. blowing into the mouthpiece and covering and uncovering the finger holes.
D. shaking the gourd so that the bamboo pipes hit the metal tongues.
5. Find a word in paragraph 8 that means “made in large quantities”. ___________________________________________________
6. Write a question using where, when, or how based on the sentences. (3 marks)
(i) Question: ___________________________________________
Sentence: The sheng was invented when people put bamboo pipes inside a gourd and blew air through them to make sounds.
(ii) Question: ___________________________________________
Sentence: The hulusi’s mouthpiece is located on the top of the instrument.
(iii) Question: __________________________________________
Sentence: It is believed the hulusi was invented during the first century BC.
Answers
1. eat them
2. a mythical phoenix with folded wings
3. the shō and the khaen
4. C
5. mass-produced
6. (i) How was the sheng invented?; (ii) Where is the hulusi’s mouthpiece located?; (iii) It is believed the hulusi was invented during the first century BC.