Erhu Art
01 · Historical Records
Sun-family erhu art can be traced back to a group of itinerant blind performers and Daoist priests scattered across northern Zhejiang in the mid-19th century. At the end of the 19th century this form of music was passed to the musician and Daoist priest Sun Shiyin, and was afterwards handed down through generation after generation in the Sun family, forming a complete lineage of transmission. The first three generations of Sun-family inheritors were folk artists. The third-generation inheritor Sun Wenming came to Fengxian, Shanghai, in the 1950s and completed most of the works handed down to posterity there. Sun-family erhu works originate in the Jiangnan folk tradition, widely absorb many types and styles of folk musical elements, and, nourished by Jiangnan culture, explore the various possibilities of erhu timbre.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Later, because of social turmoil and increased movement of artists, the area of transmission of this heritage item kept expanding. Jiangnan Sun-family erhu art has its own distinctive character in instrument construction, composition and performance technique. Its erhu resonator is wooden and slightly larger than the standard size. The neck is made of bronze, and the distance from the bridge to the lower peg is 62-63 centimetres. The qianjin uses a bronze hook, and its position is not fixed. The bridge is commonly folded from a matchstick, and sometimes a copper wire bridge is used. The strings are relatively thick, generally medium and old strings, and there is no mute pad, so that the tone is loud and full, in keeping with the specific occasions and repertoire of erhu playing in the Jiangnan region. The eleven surviving Jiangnan Sun-family erhu works are "Liubo Qu", "Sifang Qu", "Songting", "Tanle", "Yejing Xiaosheng", "Chunqiu Hui", "Renjing Anxin", "Zhiyuan Jun Guiguo", "Du Shiniang", "Erqin Guangliang" and "Song Chun". The special performance techniques of Sun-family erhu give its works greater expressiveness. These special techniques include the double-string double-horsehair technique, the no-qianjin technique, the half-qianjin technique, the xiao-tone technique, left-hand natural harmonics, the slingshot technique, rubbing the bow hair up and down against the strings to imitate sound effects, and various tuning methods. The Sun-family erhu inheritors are Jiangnan folk artists who have contributed to the development of Jiangnan erhu art in erhu performance technique, the creation of works, and the development of instrument making.
Liubo Qu, Sifang Qu, Songting
One of the eleven surviving Jiangnan Sun-family erhu works.
Tanle, Night Silence and Flute Sound, Chunqiu Hui
One of the eleven surviving Jiangnan Sun-family erhu works.
Remaining Sun-family works
The remaining pieces among the eleven surviving Jiangnan Sun-family erhu works.
Double-string and no-qianjin techniques
The special techniques of Sun-family erhu include the double-string double-horsehair technique, the no-qianjin technique, the half-qianjin technique, the xiao-tone technique, left-hand natural harmonics, the slingshot technique, rubbing the bow hair up and down against the strings to imitate sound effects, and various tuning methods.
Bronze neck and matchstick bridge
The erhu resonator is wooden and slightly larger than the standard size, the neck is made of bronze, and the distance from the bridge to the lower peg is 62-63 centimetres. The qianjin uses a bronze hook and its position is not fixed; the bridge is commonly folded from a matchstick, and sometimes a copper wire bridge is used. The strings are relatively thick, generally medium and old strings, and there is no mute pad, so that the tone is loud and full.
Sun family lineage
Sun-family erhu art can be traced back to a group of itinerant blind performers and Daoist priests scattered across northern Zhejiang in the mid-19th century. At the end of the 19th century it was passed to the musician and Daoist priest Sun Shiyin, and was afterwards handed down through generation after generation in the Sun family. The first three generations of inheritors were folk artists, and the third-generation inheritor Sun Wenming came to Fengxian, Shanghai, in the 1950s and completed most of the works handed down to posterity there.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Jiangnan Sun-family erhu art is one of the traditional forms of music of the Jiangnan region, distributed across the Yangtze River Delta and the greater Jiangnan area. Its main regions of transmission include Shanghai Municipality (Fengxian District, Minhang District, Songjiang District, Qingpu District, Xuhui District and others), Jiangsu Province (Nanjing Gaochun, Danyang, Suzhou, Wuxi, Zhenjiang and others) and Zhejiang Province (Hangzhou Fuyang, Chun'an, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Shaoxing Shangyu, Cixi and others). Its special experiences and regional culture fostered a love of folk music and the drive to transmit and innovate, forming a distinctive style that expresses life and society through a sound art of great local character.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
This item is of positive significance for gaining an in-depth understanding of fine Chinese folk music, for transmitting and studying erhu art, and for carrying forward national culture.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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