Page 107 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

SYMBOLS, EMBLEMS, AND CHARMS. 75

sonorous metal plates which emit a sound more or less musical
when struck.
No. 104. A drum.
temple
No. 105. Guitar. "Middle Kingdom," vol. ii. p. 169:
" The
balloon-shaped guitar, or pipa, has four strings, arranged
and secured like those of a violin. It is about three feet
and the unvarnished table has twelve frets to
long, upper
guide the performers. The pipa frequently accompanies the
songs of strolling musicians and ballad singers. The san hien,
or three-stringed guitar, resembles a rebeck in its contour, but
the neck and head is three feet and the body is
long, cylindrical
which
and hollow, usually covered with a snake's skin, upon
the bridge is set. Another kind of guitar, called yueh kin,
or full moon guitar, has a large round belly and short neck,
resembling the theorbo, or arch lute of Europe, but with only
four Similar in its contour to the san Men is the
strings.
rebeck, or two-stringed fiddle. This instrument is merely a
bamboo stick thrust into a of the same material, and
cylinder
having two strings fastened at one end of the stick on pegs,
and over a on a to the other end. A
passed bridge cylinder
modification of it, called ti kin, or crowing lute, is made by
employing a cocoanut for the belly ; its sounds are, if anything,
more dissonant."
" The yang kin" ("Middle Kingdom," vol. ii. p. 169) "is a
of a or less number of brass
kind of dulcimer, consisting
greater
wires of different tuned at proper intervals, and fastened
lengths,
upon a sounding board. It is played with light hammers, and
forms a rudimentary pianoforte, but the sounds are very
attenuated."
" "
Nos. 106, 107. The sang (" Middle Kingdom," vol. ii. p.
" It is a hollow
170) is in like manner the embryo of the organ.
conical-shaped box, which corresponds to a wind chest, having
a on one side, and with thirteen
mouthpiece communicating
reeds of different inserted in the Some of the
lengths top.
tubes are of them
provided with valves, part opening upwards
and part downwards, so that some of them sound when the
breath fills the wind-box, and others are heard when it is
only
sucked out and the air rushes down the tube to refill it. The
tubes stand in groups of 4, 4, 3, 2 around the top, and those
having ventiges are placed so that the performer can open or