Pipa

Classification	Necked bowl lutes String instruments
Related instruments
Angélique Archlute Balalaika Barbat Bağlama Baglamas Biwa Bouzouki Charango Chitarra Italiana Đàn tỳ bà Dombra Domra Dutar Electric pipa Komuz Irish bouzouki Liuqin Lute Mandocello Mandola Mandolin Oud Pandura Rubab Setar Sitar Surbahar Tambouras Tanbur Tambur Tembûr Theorbo Tiorbino Topshur Veena

The pipa (Chinese: 琵琶; pinyin: pípá, [pʰǐpʰǎ]) is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26. Another Chinese four-string plucked lute is the liuqin, which looks like a smaller version of the pipa.

The pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for almost two thousand years in China. Several related instruments in East and Southeast Asia are derived from the pipa; these include the Japanese biwa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà, and the Korean bipa. The Korean instrument is the only one of the three that is no longer used; examples survive in museums, but attempts to revive that instrument failed.

History[link]

Musicians in a scene from paradise, Yulin Cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty

The earliest mention of pipa in Chinese texts appeared late in the Han Dynasty around 2nd century AD.^[1][2] According to Liu Xi's Eastern Han Dynasty Dictionary of Names, the word pipa may have an onomatopoeic origin (the word being similar to the sounds the instrument makes)^[1] although modern scholarship suggests a possible derivation from the Persian word "barbat".^[3][4] Liu Xi also stated that the instrument called "pipa", though written differently (枇杷 or "piba" 批把) in the earliest texts, originated from amongst the Hu (meaning foreigners or barbarians). These Han Dynasty texts also indicate that, at that time, pipa was a recent arrival,^[2] although later third century texts from the Jin Dynasty suggest that pipa existed in China as early as the Qin Dynasty (221 BC–206 BC).^[5] The word pipa, however, was used in the ancient texts to describe a variety of plucked chordophones from the Qin to the Tang Dynasty, as a result, there are still considerable confusion and disagreements about its history. One instrument, called xiantao (弦鼗), with strings stretched over a small drum with handle, was said to have been played by labourers who constructed the Great Wall of China during late Qin Dynasty.^[6][5] This may have given rise to the Qin pipa, which had a straight neck and a round sound box, along with twelve frets.^[7] Qin pipa later became the instrument known today as the ruan which was named after Ruan Xian, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.^[8][9] Yet another term used in ancient text was Qinhanzi (秦漢子), perhaps related to Qin pipa, but modern opinions differ as to what it may be.^[3][10]

The pear-shaped pipa was likely to have been introduced to China from Central Asia, Gandhara, and/or India.^[11] Pear-shaped lutes have been depicted in Kusana sculptures from first century AD.^[12] Pipa from the Han Dynasty is referred to as Han pipa, however, depictions of the pear-shaped pipas in China only appeared after the Han Dynasty during the Jin Dynasty in the late fourth to early fifth century.^[13] There are therefore differing opinions about the form of the Han Dynasty pipa. Pipa acquired a number of Chinese symbolisms during the Han Dyansty - the instrument length of three feet five inches represents the three realms (heaven, earth, and man) and the five elements, while the four strings represent the four seasons.^[2]

Depictions of the pear-shaped pipas appeared in abundance from the Southern and Northern Dynasties onwards, and pipas from this time to the Tang Dynasty were given various names, such as Hu pipa (胡琵琶), bent-neck pipa (曲項琵琶) and Kuchean pipa (龜茲琵琶), some of these terms however may refer to the same pipa. Apart from the four-stringed pipa, other instruments introduced include the five-stringed, straight-necked, wuxian pipa (五弦琵琶), a six-stringed version, as well as the two-stringed hulei (忽雷). From the third century onwards, through the Sui and Tang Dynasty, the pear-shaped pipas became increasingly popular in China. By the Song Dynasty the word pipa was used to refer exclusively to the pear-shaped instrument.

The pipa reached a height of popularity during the Tang Dynasty, and was a principal musical instrument in the imperial court. During this time Persian and Kuchan performers and teachers were in demand in the capital, Chang'an (which had a large Persian community).^[14] Many delicately carved pipas with beautiful inlaid patterns date from this period. It had close association with Buddhism and often appeared in mural and sculptural representations of musicians in Buddhist contexts. For example, masses of pipa-playing Buddhist semi-deities are depicted in the wall paintings of the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang. The four and five-stringed pipas were especially popular during the Tang Dynasty, and these instruments were introduced into Japan during the Tang Dynasty as well as into other regions such as Korea and Vietnam. The five-stringed pipa however had fallen from use by the Song Dynasty, although attempts have been made to revive this instrument in the early 21st century with a modernized five-string pipa modeled on the Tang Dynasty instrument.^[15]

Front of a Tang Dynasty five-stringed pipa		Back of a Tang Dynasty five-stringed pipa

Pipa fell from favour in the imperial court during the Song Dynasty. During the Ming period, the plectrum was replaced by fingernails, while the horizontal playing position became the vertical (or near-vertical) position by the Qing Dynasty. The early instrument had 4 frets (相) on the neck, but during the early Ming Dynasty extra bamboo frets (品) were affixed onto the soundboard, increasing the range of the instrument. The number of frets gradually increased to 10, 14 or 16 during the Qing Dynasty, then to 19, 24, 29, and 30 in the 20th century. The 4 wedge-shaped frets on the neck became 6 during the 20th century. The 14- or 16-fret pipa had frets arranged in approximately equivalent to the western tone and semitone, starting at the nut, the intervals were T-S-S-S-T-S-S-S-T-T-3/4-3/4-T-T-3/4-3/4, (some frets produced a 3/4 tone or "neutral tone"). In the 1920s and 1930s, the number of frets was increased to 24, based on the 12 tone equal temperament scale, with all the intervals being semitones. The traditional 16-fret pipa is becoming less common, although it is still used in some regional styles such as the pipa in the southern genre of nanguan/nanyin. During the 1950s, the use of metal strings in place of the traditional silk ones also resulted in a change in the sound of the pipa which became brighter and stronger.^[11]

[edit] Pipa in Chinese literature

Early literary tradition in China, for example in a third-century description by Fu Xuan, Ode to Pipa,^[16][17] associates the Han pipa with the northern frontier, Princess Liu Xijun, and Wang Zhaojun, who were married to nomad rulers of the Wusun and Xiongnu peoples in what is now Mongolia and northern Xinjiang respectively. Wang Zhaojun in particular was frequently referenced in later literary works, as well as in music pieces such as "Zhaojun's Lament" (昭君怨), and in paintings where she was often depicted holding a pipa.

There are many references to pipa in Tang literary works, for example, in A Music Conservatory Miscellany Duan Anjie related many anecdotes associated with pipa.^[18] The pipa is mentioned frequently in Tang Dynasty poetry, where it is often praised for its refinement and delicacy of tone, with poems dedicated to well-known players describing their performances.^[19][20][21] A famous poem by Bai Juyi's Pipa xing (琵琶行), describes a chance encounter with a female pipa player on the Yangtze River:^[22]

大絃嘈嘈如急雨 小絃切切如私語 嘈嘈切切錯雜彈 大珠小珠落玉盤	The bold strings rattled like splatters of sudden rain, The fine strings hummed like lovers' whispers. Chattering and pattering, pattering and chattering, As pearls, large and small, on a jade plate fall.

During the Song Dynasty, many of the literati and poets wrote Ci verses, a form of poetry meant to be sung and accompanied by instruments such as pipa. They included Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi.

Playing and performance[link]

The name "pípá" is made up of two Chinese syllables, "pí" (琵) and "pá" (琶). These, according to the Han Dynasty text by Liu Xi, refer to the way the instrument is played - "pí" is to strike with the right hand from right to left, and "pá" is to pluck in the opposite direction.^[1] The strings were played using a large plectrum in the Tang Dynasty, a technique still used now for the Japanese biwa.^[23] The plectrum was then gradually replaced by the fingernails of the right hand, although finger-playing techniques existed as early as Tang.^[24] The most basic technique, tantiao (彈挑), involves just the index finger and thumb (tan is striking with the index finger, tiao with the thumb). The fingers normally strike the strings of pipa in the opposite direction to the way a guitar is usually played, i.e. the fingers flick from right to left from the player's perspective, while the thumb moves form left to right. Plucking in the opposite direction to tan and tiao are called mo (抹) and gou (勾) respectively. When two strings are plucked at the same time with the index finger and thumb (i.e. the finger and thumb separate in one action), it is called fen (分), the reverse motion is called zhi (摭). A rapid strum with four fingers is called sao (掃), and rapid strumming in the reverse direction is called fu (拂). A distinctive sound of pipa is the tremolo produced by the lunzhi (輪指) technique which involves all the fingers and thumb of the right hand. It is however possible to produce the tremolo with just one or more fingers.

The left hand techniques are important for the expressiveness of pipa music. Left-hand techniques that produce vibrato, portamento, glissando, pizzicato, harmonics or artificial harmonics found in violin or guitar are also be found in pipa. String-bending for example may be used to produce a glissando or portamento. Note however that the frets on all Chinese lutes are high so that the fingers and strings never touch the fingerboard in between the frets, this is different from western fretted instruments and may allow for greater manipulation over timbre and tone.

In addition, there are a number of techniques that produce sound effects rather than musical notes, for example, striking the board of the pipa for a percussive sound, or strings-twisting while playing that produces a cymbal-like effect.

The strings are usually tuned to A-D-E-A, although there are various other ways of tuning. Since the revolutions in Chinese instrument-making during the 20th century, the softer twisted silk strings of earlier times have been exchanged for nylon-wound steel strings, which are far too strong for human fingernails, so false nails are now used, constructed of plastic or tortoise-shell, and affixed to the fingertips with the player's choice of elastic tape.

The pipa is held in a vertical or near-vertical position during performance, although in the early periods the instrument was held in the horizontal position, or near-horizontal with the neck pointing slightly downwards.^[10][12] Through time, the neck was raised gradually and by the Qing Dynasty the instrument was played upright.

Half-section of the Night Revels of Han Xizai, original by Gu Hongzhong, 12th century remake. One lady is seen entertaining guests with a pipa and another lady is seen holding onto one.

Repertoire[link]

Early 10th century tablature for pipa from Dunhuang Mogao Caves.

Pipa has been played solo, or as part of a large ensemble or small group since the early times. Few pieces for pipa survived from the early periods, some however were preserved in Japan as part of togaku (Tang music) tradition. In the early 1900s, twenty-five pieces were found amongst tenth century manuscripts in the Mogao caves near Dunhuang, most of these pieces however may have originated from the Tang Dynasty.^[25] Three Ming Dynasty pieces were discovered in the Gaohe Jiangdong (高河江東) collection dating from 1528 which are very similar to those performed today, such as "The Moon on High" (月兒高). During the Qing Dynasty, scores for pipa were collected in Thirteen Pieces for Strings.^[26] There were originally two major schools of pipa during the Qing Dynasty — the Northern (Zhili, 直隸派) and Southern (Zhejiang, 浙江派) schools, and music scores for these two traditions were collected and published in the first mass-produced edition of solo pieces for pipa, now commonly known as the Hua Collection (華氏譜).^[27] The collection was edited by Hua Qiuping (華秋萍) and published in 1818 in three volumes.^[3] The first volume contains 13 pieces from the Northern school, the second and third volumes contain 54 pieces from the Southern school. Famous pieces such as "Ambushed from Ten Sides", "The Warlord Takes Off His Armour", and "Flute and Drum at Sunset" were first described in this collection. The earliest-known piece in the collection may be "Eagle Seizing Swan" (海青挐天鵝) which was mentioned in a Yuan Dynasty text.^[28] Other collections from the Qing Dynasty were compiled by Li Fangyuan (李芳園) and Ju Shilin (鞠士林), each representing different schools, and many of the pieces currently popular were described in these Qing collections. Further important collections were published in the twentieth century.

The pipa pieces in the common repertoire can be categorized as wen (文, civil) or wu (武, martial), and da (大, large or suite) or xiao (小, small). The wen style is more lyrical and slower in tempo, with softer dynamic and subtler colour, and such pieces typically describe love, sorrow, and scenes of nature. Pieces in the Wu style are generally more rhythmic and faster, and often depict scenes of battles and are played in a vigorous fashion employing a variety of techniques and sound effects. The wu style was associated more with the Northern school while the wen style was more the Southern school. The da and xiao categories refer to the size of the piece - xiao pieces are small pieces normally containing only one section, while da pieces are large and usually contain multiple sections.

Famous solo pieces now performed include:

Most of the above are traditional compositions dating to the Qing Dynasty or early twentieth century, new pieces however are constantly being composed, and most of them follow a more Western structure. Examples of popular modern works composed after 1950s are "Dance of the Yi People" and "Heroic Little Sisters of the Grassland" (草原英雄小姐妹). Non-traditional themes may be used in these new compositions and some may reflect the political landscape and demands at the time of composition, for example "Dance of the Yi People" which is based on traditional melodies of the Yi people, may be seen as part of the drive for national unity, while "Heroic Little Sisters of the Grassland" extols the virtue of those who served as model of exemplary conduct in the People's commune.^[29]

Schools[link]

Scene from a Ming Dynasty painting, Tao Gu Presents a Poem, c. 1515, by Tang Yin.

Different traditions with different styles of playing pipa are found in different regions of China which then developed into schools. In the narrative traditions where the pipa is used as an accompaniment to narrative singing, there are the Suzhou (蘇州彈詞), Sichuan (四川清音), and Northern (北方曲藝) styles. A number of other schools are associated with regional chamber ensemble traditions such as the Jiangnan, Chaozhou and Nanguan music. Nanguan pipa is unusual in that it is held in the horizontal position in the ancient manner instead of the vertical position normally used for solo playing in the present day.

There are five main schools associated with the solo tradition, each are associated with one or more collections of pipa music and named after its place of origin -

A page of music notation from the Li Collection by Li Fangyuan.

• Wuxi (無錫派) - associated with the Hua Collection by Hua Qiuping, who studied with Wang Junxi (王君錫) of the Northern school and Chen Mufu (陳牧夫) of the Southern school, and may be considered a synthesis of these two schools of Qing Dynasty. As the first published collection, the Hua Collection had considerable influence on later pipa players.
• Pudong (浦東派) - associated with the Ju Collection (鞠氏譜) which is based on a handwritten manuscript, Xianxu Youyin (閑敘幽音), by Ju Shilin from the eighteenth century.
• Pinghu (平湖派) - associated with the Li Collection (李氏譜) first published in 1895 and compiled by Li Fangyuan who came from a family of many generations of pipa players.^[30]
• Chongming (崇明派) - associated with Old Melodies of Yingzhou (瀛洲古調) compiled by Shen Zhaozhou (沈肇州) in 1916.
• Shanghai (汪派) - the Shanghai or Wang school (named after Wang Yuting (汪昱庭) who created this style of playing) may be considered a synthesis of the other four schools especially the Pudong and Pinghu schools. Wang did not publish his notation book in his life time, although handwritten copies were passed onto his students.

These schools of the solo tradition emerged by students learning playing the pipa from a master, and each school has it own style, performance aesthetics, notation system, and may differ in their playing techniques.^[31][32] Different schools have different repertoire in their music collection, and even though these schools share many of the same pieces in their repertoire, a same piece of music from the different schools may differ in their content. For example, a piece like "The Warlord Takes off His Armour" is made up of many sections, some of them metered and some with free meter, and greater freedom in interpretation is possible in the free meter sections. Different schools however can have sections added or removed, and may differ in the number of sections with free meter.^[31] The music collections from the nineteenth century also used the gongche notation which provides only a skeletal melody and approximate rhythms with minimal playing instructions, and how this basic framework can become fully fleshed out during performance may only be learnt by the students from the master. The same piece of music can therefore differ significantly when performed by students of different schools, with striking differences in interpretation, phrasing, tempo, dynamics, playing techniques, and ornamentations.

In more recent times, many pipa players, especially the younger ones, no longer identify themselves with any specific school. Modern notation systems, new compositions as well as recordings are now widely available and it is no longer crucial for a pipa players to learn from the master of any particular school to know how to play a score.

Performers[link]

A Sui Dynasty (581–618) terracotta pipa-player in a suit of armor

Historical[link]

Early known players of pipa include General Xie Shang (謝尚) from the Jin Dynasty who was described to have performed playing it on tiptoe.^[33] The introduction of pipa from Central Asia also brought with it virtuoso performers from that region, for example Sujiva (蘇祇婆) from the Kingdom of Kucha during the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Kang Kunlun (康崑崙) from Kangju, and Pei Luoer (裴洛兒) from Shule. Pei Luoer was known for pioneering finger-playing techniques,^[24] while Sujiva was noted for the "Seven modes and seven tones", a musical modal theory from India.^[34][35] (The heptatonic scale was used for a time afterwards due to Sujiva's influence until it was abandoned as it conflicted with the traditional pentatonic scale.) These players had considerable influence on the development of pipa playing in China. Of particular fame were the family of pipa players founded by Cao Poluomen (曹婆羅門) and who were active for many generations from the Northern Wei to Tang Dynasty.^[36]

Texts from Tang Dynasty mentioned many renowned pipa players such as He Huaizhi (賀懷智), Lei Haiqing (雷海清), Li Guaner (李管兒), and Pei Xingnu (裴興奴).^[37][21][38] Duan Anjie described the duel between the famous pipa player Kang Kunlun and the monk Duan Shanben (段善本) who was disguised as a girl, and told the story of Yang Zhi (楊志) who learned how to play the pipa secretly by listening to his aunt playing at night.^[18] Celebrated performers of the Tang Dynasty included three generations of the Cao family — Cao Bao (曹保), Cao Shancai (曹善才) and Cao Gang (曹剛),^[39][40] whose performances were noted in literary works.^[19][20]

During the Song Dynasty, players mentioned in literary texts include Du Bin (杜彬).^[41] From the Ming Dynasty, famous pipa players include Zhong Xiuzhi (鍾秀之), Zhang Xiong (張雄, known for his playing of "Eagle Seizing Swan"), the blind Li Jinlou (李近樓), and Tang Yingzeng (湯應曾) who was known to have played a piece that may be an early version of "Ambushed from Ten Sides".^[42]

In Qing Dynasty, apart from those of the various schools previously mentioned, there was Chen Zijing (陳子敬), a student of Ju Shilin and known as a noted player during late Qing Dynasty.

Modern era[link]

In the 20th century, two of the most prominent pipa players were Sun Yude (孙裕德; 1904–1981) and Li Tingsong (李庭松; 1906–1976). Both were pupils of Wang Yuting (1872–1951), and both were active in establishing and promoting guoyue ("national music"), a combination of traditional regional musics and Western musical practices. Sun performed in the United States, Asia, and Europe, and in 1956 became deputy director of the Shanghai minzu yuetuan (Shanghai Folk Orchestra). As well as being one of the leading pipa players of his generation, Li held many academic positions and also carried out research on pipa scales and temperament. Wei Zhongle (卫仲乐; 1908 or 1909–1998) played many instruments, including the guqin. In the early 1950s, he founded the traditional instruments department at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Players from the Wang and Pudong schools were the most active in performance and recording during the 20th century, less active was the Pinghu school whose players include Fan Boyan (樊伯炎). Other noted players of the early 20th century include include Liu Tianhua, a student of Shen Zhaozhou of the Chongming school and who increased the number of frets on the pipa, and the blind player Abing from Wuxi.

Lin Shicheng (林石城; 1922–2006), born in Shanghai, began learning music under his father and was taught by Shen Haochu (沈浩初; 1899–1953), a leading player in the Pudong school style of pipa playing. He also qualified as a doctor of Chinese medicine. In 1956, after working for some years in Shanghai, Lin accepted a position at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Liu Dehai (b. 1937) also born in Shanghai, was a student of Lin Shicheng and in 1961 graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Liu also studied with other musicians and has developed a style that combines elements from several different schools.

Prominent students of Lin Shicheng include Liu Guilian (刘桂莲, b. 1961), Wu Man (b. 1963) and Gao Hong (b. 1964). Wu, who is probably the best known pipa player internationally, received the first-ever master's degree in pipa and won China's first National Academic Competition for Chinese Instruments. She lives in San Diego, California and works extensively with Chinese, cross-cultural, new music, and jazz groups. Shanghai-born Liu Guilian graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and became the director of the Shanghai Pipa Society, and a member of the Chinese Musicians Association and Chinese National Orchestral Society, before immigrating to Canada. She now performs with Red Chamber and the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. Gao Hong graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and was the first to do a joint tour with Lin Shicheng in North America. They recorded the critically acclaimed CD "Eagle Seizing Swan" together.

Other prominent contemporary pipa players who works internationally include Min Xiao-Fen, Zhou Yi, Qiu Xia He, Liu Fang, Cheng Yu, Jie Ma, Yang Jing (楊靜), Jiang Ting (蔣婷), Tang Liangxing (湯良興), and Lui Pui-Yuen (呂培原). Some other notable pipa players in China include Yu Jia (俞嘉), Wu Yu Xia (吳玉霞), and Fang Jinlung (方錦龍).

Use in contemporary classical music[link]

In the late 20th century, largely through the efforts of Wu Man, Min Xiao-Fen, and other performers, Chinese and Western contemporary composers began to create new works for the pipa (both solo and in combination with chamber ensembles and orchestra). Most prominent among these are Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Lou Harrison, Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Bun-Ching Lam, and Carl Stone.

Use in other genres[link]

The pipa has also been used in rock music; the California-based band Incubus featured one, borrowed from legendary guitarist Steve Vai, in their 2001 song "Aqueous Transmission," as played by the group's guitarist, Mike Einziger.^[43] The Shanghai progressive/folk-rock band Cold Fairyland, which was formed in 2001, also use pipa (played by Lin Di), sometimes multi-tracking it in their recordings. Australian dark rock band The Eternal use the pipa in their song 'Blood' as played by singer / guitarist Mark Kelson on their album 'Kartika'.

Electric pipa[link]

The electric pipa was developed in the late 20th century by adding electric guitar-style magnetic pickups to a regular acoustic pipa, allowing the instrument to be amplified through an instrument amplifier or PA system.

See also[link]

• List of Chinese musical instruments
• Biwa
• Lute
• Jiangnan sizhu
• Wang Wei (8th century poet)

References[link]

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Further reading[link]

• New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London, 2001).
• John Myers (1992). The way of the pipa: structure and imagery in Chinese lute music. Kent State University Press. ISBN 0-87338-455-5. 

External links[link]

• The Pipa on the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Liu Fang
Background information
Born	(1974-05-10) May 10, 1974 (age 38)
Genres	Chinese music from the classical tradition / Contemporary classical music / World Music
Occupations	Soloist
Instruments	pipa and guzheng
Years active	1985-present
Website	www.philmultic.com

Liu Fang (simplified Chinese: 刘芳; traditional Chinese: 劉芳) (born 1974) is one of the most prominent pipa players in the world. Described in the media ^[1] as the "empress of pipa" (L'actualité), "divine mediator" (World), "the greatest ambassadress of the art of the pipa" (La presse), Liu Fang is known as “possessing virtuoso technique, grace and a unique empathy toward the music she plays – whether it is a traditional and folk tune or a modern Western composition” (All Music Guide). "She has an extraordinary focused, poised presence in her manner and her playing. In a lesser player this is just a trained formality; the body of material and techniques for her instruments is extremely highly developed, passed down through centuries. But Liu Fang’s total devotion to her playing has moved her beyond perfect execution to the creativity and flexibility that marks a true musician."^[2](in the fRoots Magazine, 06.2006).

Biography[link]

Born in Kunming in the Chinese province of Yunnan, she began playing the pipa at the age of 6. Her first solo public performance was at the age of 9. In 1986, at age 11, she played for Queen Elizabeth II. Her studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music broadened her musical range and allowed her to study the guzheng. At the age of 22, Liu Fang immigrated to Canada and is now a Canadian citizen, currently residing in Montreal. The decision to move to Quebec allowed her virtuosic playing to reach a wider international audience. Since 1999, she has performed hundreds of solo concerts featuring Chinese traditional and classical music on her two solo instruments - pipa and guzheng. Her profile ^[3] has risen due to her rich and deeply spiritual performances as well as a wide ranging repertoire that features music from Chinese classical ^[4] and folk traditions (including pieces rarely heard) as well as contemporary works from both east and west.

Side projects[link]

Apart from her numerous solo concerts, Liu Fang has also many intercultural collaborations in terms of "Silk and Steel Projects",^[5] where "Silk" represents the traditional culture of China whereas "steel" is a metaphor for modernity and western culture. Her last album entitled "Silk Sound" (Le son de soie) featured musical dialogues with artists from three different continents and was awarded the grand prize of L'Académie Charles Cros, the French equivalent of the US Recording Academy.

Awards[link]

Back in 2001, Liu Fang was the only musician to receive the prestigious "Future Generation Millennium Prize"^[6] awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts to three artists of different disciplines under 30 years of age. The words of the jury summed up her achievements rather succinctly: "Liu Fang's mastery of the pipa and the guzheng has established her international reputation as a highly talented young interpreter of traditional Chinese music. She aspires to combine her knowledge and practice of eastern traditions with western classical music, contemporary music and improvisation, thereby creating new musical forms, uniting different cultures and discovering new audiences."

Live performances[link]

Liu Fang has made a number of national and international radio and TV appearances, produced several CDs. Liu Fang was invited as one of the featured artists by BBC World Service for the concert on November 7, 2003, dedicated to World AIDS Day. She performed at the 60th anniversary of UNESCO in Paris on November 16, 2005, and has also been honored by the government of Canada.^[7] She has performed with orchestras, string quartets and various instruments the works of many contemporary composers, including R. Murray Schafer, Tan Dun, Philip Glass, Janet Maguire, Ian Wilson, José Evangelista, Zhou Long, Melissa Hui, Diego Luzuriaga, Chen Yi, Toshiyuki Hiraoka, Yoshiharu Takahashi, David Loeb, Hugue Leclair, Simon Bertrand and Chantale Laplante, to mention a few, and has performed frequently with guitarist Michael O'Toole and the violinist Malcolm Goldstein.

Discography[link]

Albums solo :

• The soul of pipa, vol. 3 : Pipa Music from Chinese folk traditions, Philmultic, 2006
• Emerging Lotus : Chinese traditional guzheng music, Philmultic, 2005
• The soul of pipa, vol. 2 : Chinese classical Pipa Music: from the ancient to the recent, Philmultic, 2003
• The soul of pipa, vol. 1 : Chinese Pipa Music from the classical tradition, Philmultic, Canada, 2001
• Chinese Traditional Pipa Music : Oliver Sudden Productions Inc, Canada/USA, 1997

Collaborations :

• Along the Way - Duo pipa & violin : Philmultic, 2010
• Changes - Duo pipa & Guitar : Philmultic, 2008
• Le son de soie : Accords-Croisés/Harmonia Mundi, Paris, 2006
• Mei Hua - Fleur de prunier : ATMA Classique, Canada, 2004
• Arabic and Chinese music : Liu Fang et Farhan Sabbagh, Philmultic, 2000
• Musique chinoise : Solo, duo, et avec orchestre de chambre, Philmultic, 1999

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Liu Fang at CBC TV
• Liu Fang live at Dutch TV Vrije Geluiden
• Liu Fang Interview at allaboutjazz.com
• Liu Fang's official site
• Liu Fang on Myspace

Wu Man (Chinese: 吴蛮; pinyin: Wú Mán; born 1963 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang) is a Chinese pipa and ruan player and composer. She is an exponent of the Pudong School of pipa playing.

Biography[link]

Wu received a Master's degree at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing,^[1] where her instructors included Lin Shicheng, Kuang Yuzhong, Chen Zemin, and Liu Dehai. She became the first recipient of a master's degree in pipa and won the first prize in the 1989 National Music Performance Competition.^[1]

Wu came to the United States in 1990 at the age of 25, ostensibly to study English. She lived in Boston, and began playing with an ensemble called Music from China. In 1992, she first played with the Kronos Quartet, the beginning of an ongoing relationship whose first full-length album was Tan Dun: Ghost Opera (1997), containing music written by Tan Dun for quartet and pipa.^[2]

Wu performs with Chinese traditional music groups but is also known for her interpretation of contemporary compositions, as well as her work in jazz and cross-cultural music. Many composers (including Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Lou Harrison, Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Gabriela Lena Frank, Bun-Ching Lam, Evan Ziporyn, and others) have composed new works for her.

Wu has performed and recorded with the Kronos Quartet, Henry Threadgill, Liu Sola, Martin Simpson, and Yo-Yo Ma's The Silk Road Ensemble. In 1999, she became the first Chinese musician to play at the White House.^[1] She played there, together with Yo-Yo Ma, in honor of Zhu Rongji, the premier of China. Also in 1999, Wu was chosen by Ma to receive the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize. The award consisted of a bronze statue of famous Canadian pianist Gould himself.

Discography[link]

A standard modern pipa with white ox horn for neck and pegs

• 1993 - Chinese Music for the Pipa (Nimbus)
• 1995 - Zhou Long: Nature and Spirit (Composers Recordings, Inc.)
• 1996 - Chinese Traditional & Contemporary Music (Nimbus)
• 2003 - Pipa from a Distance (Naxos)
• 2003 - Posture of Reality (Asian Improv)
• 2003 - Bright Sheng: Silent Temple (Bis)
• 2004 - Lou Harrison: For Strings (Mode)
• 2005 - Wu Man and Friends (Traditional Crossroads)
• 2008 - Tan Dun: Pipa Concerto (Onyx Classics UK)

With Philip Glass[link]

• 2005 - Orion (Orange Mountain)

With Kronos Quartet[link]

• 1997 - Tan Dun: Ghost Opera
• 1997 - Early Music (Lachrymae Antiquae)
• 2008 - Terry Riley: The Cusp of Magic

With Kronos Quartet and Asha Bhosle[link]

• 2005 - You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R. D. Burman's Bollywood (Nonesuch)

With Martin Simpson[link]

• 1997 - Music for the Motherless Child (Water Lily Acoustics)

With Liu Sola[link]

• 1994 - Blues in the East (Axiom)
• 1997 - China Collage (Avant Japan)
• 2001 - Spring Snowfall (Also Productions)

With The Silk Road Ensemble[link]

• 2002 - Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet (enhanced SACD) (Sony)
• 2005 - Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon (Sony)
• 2007 - New Impossibilities (Sony Classics)
• 2009 - Off the Map (World Village & In a Circle Records)

With Henry Threadgill[link]

• 1994 - Carry the Day

Compilations[link]

• 1994 - World Music Sampler, Volume 2 (Nimbus)
• 1997 - China: Spirit and Wisdom (Ellipsis Arts China)
• 1998 - China: Sounds of Our Stories (Ellipsis Arts China)
• 1998 - China - Time To Listen: The Best of China (3-CD set) (Ellipsis)
• 2008 - Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago (CSO Resound)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wu Man official site
• Wu Man biography

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