Xun is a unique open-ended wind instrument in my country and occupies an important position in the history of primitive art in the world. The origin of Xun is related to the labor and production activities of the Chinese ancestors. It may have been made by the ancestors by imitating the sounds of birds and animals to trap prey. Later, with the progress of society, it evolved into a simple musical instrument, and gradually added sound holes, and developed into a melody instrument that can play tunes. Xun utensils in primitive society came in various shapes. For example, the pottery Xun excavated at the Hemudu site in Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province was oval in shape, with only blowing holes and no sound holes. It dates back about 7,000 years. Dating back to 6800 years ago, the Harahai pottery xun at the Zhaobaogou Cultural Site in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia is 5.4 cm high, 5.9 cm in belly diameter, 1.4 cm in diameter, and 0.25 cm thick. It is made of sanded red pottery, with a pear-shaped shape and primitive structure. There is only one blow hole and no finger holes.
The pottery whistle from the Yangshao Culture site in Banpo Village, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province is slightly shaped like an olive, with only one blowing hole. It is made of fine clay and is one of the original forms of Xun. It dates back about six decades. millennium.
The xuns of the Shang Dynasty have developed greatly compared with the primitive period and the Xia Dynasty. They are made of pottery, stone and bone. Pottery is the most common, and the shape is mostly flat-bottomed and oval. During the Warring States Period, pottery xuns were also flat-bottomed and oval, but there were also other shapes.
After the Qin and Han Dynasties, Xun was mainly used in the court music of past dynasties in the history of Chinese music. In court music, Xun was divided into two types: Song Xun and Ya Xun. Songxun is smaller in shape, like an egg, and has a slightly higher sound; Yaxun is larger in shape and has a deep and deep sound. It is often played with a wind instrument made of bamboo. In the Book of Songs, China's earliest collection of poems, there is a sentence such as "Bo's blows the xun, Zhong's blows the chi", which means that two brothers, one blows the xun and the other blows the chi, expressing the brotherhood of harmony and goodwill.
Some special-shaped pottery or porcelain xuns are occasionally found in archaeological excavations and xuns handed down from ancient times.
During the Qing Dynasty, the inheritance of the Xun had been discontinued. Wu Xunyuan, a native of Zhili, occasionally obtained the Xun and copied the pear-shaped pottery Xun with five sound holes of the Yin Dynasty. So far, "Tanghu Xun Pu" is the earliest and only officially published Xun music score. It is of high value for the study of ancient Xun production methods, playing methods and Xun music scores. It is a rare and precious historical material.
The Palace Museum and the Music Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts have a red lacquer Yunlong Xun used by the Qing Dynasty court. It is 8.5 centimeters high and 7 centimeters in diameter. The Xun body has six sound holes: four in the front and two in the back. It is painted in red and depicts golden dragons and cloud patterns. The nine-hole pottery xun improved and developed by modern people is based on the ancient six-hole xun, and then expands its shoulders and inner tube to increase the volume. The sound holes are increased to eight: six in the front and two in the back, plus blowing holes, *** It is nine holes.
In order to facilitate fingering performance and minimize the complicated cross fingering method, the sound holes are arranged in a sequence similar to that of a flute. Professional players can play twenty-six notes, including all semitones and one overtone in two octaves.
Professor Cao Zheng of the China Conservatory of Music has been making antique pottery xuns since the late 1930s. Later, Professor Chen Zhong of Tianjin Conservatory of Music designed a new type of nine-hole pottery Xun based on the ancient pear-shaped six-hole Xun, which was made of purple pottery from Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. This kind of nine-hole xun not only maintains the original shape and timbre of the traditional xun, but also increases the volume and expands the range of the sound. It can play scales and semitones, making it an instrument that can be modulated. The timbre is simple, mellow, deep and solemn, and extremely Rich in character. In addition, because the nine-hole xun has changed the original irregular sound hole arrangement, it makes it more convenient to play according to modern people's playing habits and can be used solo, in ensemble or with accompaniment. The emergence of the nine-hole pottery Xun marks that ancient Chinese Xun has regained its vitality. Soon after, another student of Professor Chen Zhong, Zhao Liangshan of the Hubei Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, developed a ten-hole xun out of mahogany, which solved the problem of the xun being difficult to play high notes.
In 2004, Hou Yimin from Xingtai, Hebei Province improved the traditional bamboo xun, designed and produced a new type of bamboo xun, and applied for a national patent. This bamboo xun is a 10-hole bass xun. Zhongxun has a wide range of sounds, a deep, rich, ethereal and soft tone. This kind of xun has sensitive pronunciation, saves energy, and is easy to play high notes.
In 2011, Zhao Haibin (Zuiwo Lanting), an ancient xun performer and producer from Jilin Province, began a five-year research and development. With decades of professional painter foundation and excellent performance skills, he successfully Founded Linglong Xunfang and its brand, became China's first professional performer and producer of purple clay scholar's xun, and developed a series of professional playing xuns with exquisite shapes and ancient sounds, which made up for the ancient xun's role in the field of purple sand molding Breakthroughs and innovations!