Qudi players often use tremolos and repetition in their performances. It can produce melodious, euphemistic, and exquisite tunes, showing the vivid style from the south of the Yangtze River. The timbre of the qudi is much mellower and clearer than other types of dizi. The southern branch of dizi produces elegant and clear sounds, mainly represented by qudi (often used in the accompaniment of Kunqu Opera). Typically, dizi can be divided into two main genres. The timbre of dizi is generally mellow, fresh, and bright. Being inculcated these cultural implications, dizi players have been retaining and passing down the tenacity and unyielding spirit of Chinese culture from generation to generation for thousands of years. The straight shape of the dizi also reflects the Chinese cultural quality of integrity and perseverance. After that, a series of procedures is followed that include cutting, lacquering, drilling, proofing, winding, and engraving. To begin making a dizi, a suitable piece of bamboo is selected and then placed in the shade to dry. Most dizi are made from bitter bamboo, purple bamboo, white bamboo, and Xiangfei bamboo. ![]() In a culture where bamboo has been endowed with such bountiful cultural connotations, it is not surprising that there is a long history of grading the numerous species of bamboo for their special qualities. Wang Xi is playing dizi at the opening ceremony of the third Bamboo Flute Culture and Art Festival in Datong, Shanxi Province, on August 13, 2020.īamboo, which is the material commonly used for making dizi since about 4,000 years ago, symbolizes the virtues of modesty and tenacity in China. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the great dizi player Feng Zicun introduced this traditional Chinese musical instrument to the stage of solo performance. With the rise of poetry and the boom of operas in the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties, dizi soon became an accompanying instrument for many types of shows. Understandably, under the favor of the royal family, dizi quickly gained popularity during the Tang Dynasty. Many emperors such as Taizong (Li Shimin) and Xuanzong (Li Longji) of Tang personally enjoyed playing dizi and often organized orchestra performances in the court. By the Tang Dynasty, transverse flutes and vertical flutes were called di and xiao respectively. ![]() Since then, transverse flutes began to occupy an important place in the orchestra of the court and the military. During the reign of Emperor Wudi (156-87 BC) of the Han Dynasty, transverse flutes emerged on the scene. Thus, the oldest Chinese wind musical instrument – the bone flute, was born.īefore the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), the word dizi mostly referred to the vertical flute. At that time, our ancestors drilled holes in tibia of birds and blew them to trap prey and convey signals. It is a traditional Chinese wind instrument with a history of over 8,000 years.ĭizi has a long history that dates all the way back to the Neolithic age. I was afraid of forgetting the beautiful music, so this morning I kept playing the rhythm with my fingers to keep it fresh in my mind.” The instrument that Emperor Xuanzong finally used to record this “fairy music” was dizi, a Chinese flute. When I woke up, I felt the melody was still ringing in my ears, so I wrote it down right away. The heavenly tune was wistful, intoxicating, and moving. ![]() Later, the fairies played music again to see me off. The melody was so captivating that I was totally engrossed in it. Last night I dreamed I was visiting the Moon Palace, and the fairies played celestial music for me. Are you feeling unwell?” Emperor Xuanzong replied, “No, I am fine. After the court was dismissed, Gao Lishi, the royal steward, came in and asked the emperor, “Your Majesty, I noticed you pressing your fingers up and down your abdomen. Once, while sitting at court, Emperor Xuanzong kept moving his fingers up and down his stomach. ![]() There are many anecdotes about the talented emperor. Emperor Xuanzong (685-762) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) has been renowned for his versatility, particularly in music.
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