The
suona ( ); also called
laba ( ) or
haidi ( ) is a
Han Chinese shawm (oboe). It has a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, and is used frequently in Chinese traditional music ensembles, particularly those that perform outdoors. It is an important instrument in the folk music of northern China, particularly the provinces of
Shandong and
Henan, where it has long been used for festival and military purposes. It is still used, in combination with
sheng mouth organs, gongs, drums, and sometimes other instruments, in wedding and funeral processions. Such wind and percussion ensembles are called
chuida or
guchui. Stephen Jones has written extensively on its use in ritual music of
Shanxi province. It is also common in the ritual music of Southeast China. In
Taiwan, it forms an essential element of ritual music that accompanies Daoist performances of both auspicious and inauspicious rites, i.e., those for both the living and the dead.
Construction
The
suona has a conical wooden body, similar to that of the European oboe, but uses a tubular brass or copper
bocal to which a small double reed is affixed, and possesses a detachable metal bell at its end.
The instrument is made in several sizes. Since the mid-20th century, "modernized" versions of the suona have been developed in China; such instruments have keys similar to those of the European oboe, to allow for the playing of chromatic notes and equal tempered tuning (both of which are difficult to execute on the traditional suona). There is now a family of such instruments, including the zhongyin suona, cizhongyin suona, and diyin suona. These instruments are used in the woodwind sections of modern large Chinese traditional instrument orchestras in China, Taiwan, and Singapore, though most folk ensembles prefer to use the traditional version of the instrument. Chinese rock musician Cui Jian featured a modernized suona in his song "Nothing To My Name" (一无所有) (played by the saxophonist Liu Yuan).
The nazi (呐子), a related instrument that is most commonly used in northern China, consists of a suona reed (with bocal) that is played melodically, the pitches changed by the mouth and hands.video Sometimes the nazi is played into a large metal horn for additional volume.
Ranges of the orchestral "suona":
Haidi in G and F (piccolo)
Xiaosuona in D and C (sopranino)
Dasuona in A and G (soprano)
Zhongyinsuona in D (alto)
Cizhongyinsuona in G (tenor)
Diyinsuona in various keys (bass)
The tenor and bass varieties are normally keyed; the alto and soprano varieties are sometimes keyed. The highest varieties are not normally keyed.
History
The
suona is believed to have been developed from
Central Asian instruments such as the
sorna,
surnay, or
zurna, from which its Chinese name probably derives. It was originally introduced into China from central or
South Asia. A musician playing an instrument very similar to a
suona is shown on a drawing on a
Silk Road religious monument in western
Xinjiang province dated to the 3rd to 5th centuries, and depictions dating to this period found in
Shandong and other regions of northern China depict it being played in military processions, sometimes on horseback. It was not mentioned in Chinese literature until the
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), but by this time the
suona was already established in northern China.
Use outside China
In
Korea, a similar instrument is called
taepyeongso, and in Vietnam similar oboes are called
kèn.
In Japan, a similar instrument is called charumera. This instrument's name is derived from charamela, the Portuguese word for shawm. Its sound is well known throughout Japan, as it is often used by street vendors selling ramen.
A similar instrument is played during ceremonial occasions in India.
The suona is also used as a traditional instrument in Cuba, having been introduced by Chinese immigrants during the colonial era. It is known there as trompeta china and is used in some forms of son and carnival music.
The American jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman often played the suona in his performances, calling it a "musette."
Notable performers
Liu Qi-Chao (刘起超)
Liu Ying (刘英)
Liu Yuan (刘元), saxophonist with Cui Jian's band, who trained on the suona at the Beijing Art School, and who used the instrument on Cui's 1994 album Balls Under the Red Flag (Hongqi xia de dan)
Song Baocai (宋保才)
See also
Traditional Chinese musical instruments
Guan (instrument)
Zurna
Musette
Rhaita
Kangling
Sopila
References
Wang, Min (2001). The Musical and Cultural Meanings of Shandong Guchuiyue from the People's Republic of China. Ph.D. dissertation. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University.
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London, 2001).
Jones, Stephen (2007). Ritual and Music of North China: Shawm Bands in Shanxi Province. SOAS Musicology Series. Burlington, Vermont: Ashgate Publishing.
External links
Suona website (Chinese)
Audio
http://music.cn.yahoo.com/search?pid=ysearch&source;=ysearch_music_result_topsearch&p;=%DF%EF%C4%C5&mimetype;=all Click the image of the headphones to play a track.
Category:Single oboes with conical bore
Category:Chinese musical instruments
