Masks are required for all visitors. Not on view. Southeast Asian in origin and used before the twelfth century B. Now, it accompanies folk songs and is occasionally used in the Beijing opera to add harmony.
Similar to the Western harmonica, which it inspired, the sheng is the only Chinese wind instrument capable of sounding many notes at the same time. It is played by blowing and sucking. The bamboo pipes, symbolizing the folded wings of the phoenix, are fitted with free reeds made of metal, concealed by the bowl-shaped wind chamber.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. As part of the Met's Open Access policy , you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes. Period: Qing dynasty Date: late 19th century. Geography: China. Culture: Chinese. Medium: Wood, metal, ivory.
Dimensions: L. Classification: Aerophone-Free Reed-mouth organ. The instrument I am playing has a lot of overtones. The original, ancient Sheng has only 17 pipes and is also known under different names in Japan, Korea or Thailand.
In the last decades, the technical development of the Sheng has made a huge progress. My instrument disposes of a second resonance body which widens the sound and allows a better balance in harmony. Are there regional specificities for the Sheng? In fact, we know different types of Sheng in China. For example, the instruments in Southern China have longer tubes than the Sheng I am using. Well, as I said, the Sheng has known a considerable technical development. Modern instruments are built with 37 tubes which procures them another sound range.
In spite of this modernization it is not lost for the tradition. Not at all! The modernization has even contributed to a deeper respect for folkloristic music. The Sheng is still much in use in Chinese orchestras because its sound mixes so well with plucked instruments or strings. Beside this, the new, more complex instrument fits perfectly for contemporary music. By this way, the interest is also growing again in China.
This year, I will organize a festival for Sheng in Shanghai, where I studied. How did you meet her? I knew the music of Unsuk Chin for a long time. This concerto is really amazing. However, my first personal contact was at a private concert, where I played a piece of myself, and by chance Unsuk Chin was in the same place. She immediately showed interest in the instrument, which she knew of course in its Korean version, and so the idea to compose a concerto for Sheng was born.
Did you give her some practical advice? We really worked closely together. Analyzing it, is like studying a Stockhausen score. Unsuk Chin gave new dimensions to the instrument. Of course, the instrument comes from China, it has a very long history and tradition, but we are living in the 21st century and we have to find a new language for the Sheng.
Unsuk Chin surely opened new windows. My focus is clearly on the new repertoire. How is the reaction, especially of the Non-Asian audience, to Sheng?
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