CHAPTER XX.
In Ancient China.
THE FLUTES OF THE CHINESE.
Flutes I hold to be without doubt the earliest of wind instruments. They are found all over the world; no race however ancient, no tribe however rude, but possesses some instrument of this class. And if we may credit some stated example in museums, they may belong to the prehistoric age, the bones of bird or beast being adapted by man to whistling or fluting. There are two distinct styles common to flutes: the one is blown at the end, and is of the sort we use and call pipes or whistles; and the other is blown across a side hole near a closed end, and is with us the flute proper, or flûte traversière. But in addition to these, the Chinese have a flute which is quite unique, being an open tube, blown across centrally.
Given a land where river reeds are to be found, or a land where the bamboo flourishes, and we need no myths of origin nor tales of inventions to be assured that savage man would by observation of nature be led to convert the tubes to the purpose of producing sounds; and the gradual development from a simple pipe to one with additional side holes would in process of time be unavoidable. Travellers tell us that in the bamboo forests the rushing wind makes a wild music as it passes the stems of broken bamboos. The Pan’s pipes might well have been in its earliest form a collection of such broken tubes. Here up to this stage, therefore, nature was the guide. The Chinese were, it is said long in making the advance to the next stage,—that of cutting or piercing holes, to obtain more sounds from one tube by temporarily closing two or more holes. The first step counts for much; and with most races a long period may have elapsed before this step was taken, inevitable as it was.
Indeed the change from the use of two fingers of each hand to the use of three fingers must be regarded as a very significant advance. A long stretch of time was doubtless necessary before a pipe of six holes took a position in musical performance or supplanted the four holed pipe, for it could not be otherwise than an educational advance.
The bamboo is ranked by the Chinese as a product of special class, being neither tree nor plant; but intermediate by nature, and of peculiar value to human wants. Hence the bamboo occupies one of the divisions in their scheme of natural sonorous bodies, and in music is dedicated to flutes; although often flutes are made of marble, of jadestone, and of copper.
The dancers’ flute (called the Yueh) was a short flute and probably one of the most ancient. It had but three holes, recalling our flute of European usage, which was played accompanied with the tabor for dancing, and for marking time by rhythm. At present this Chinese flute is but a rudimentary survival, being held as a stick or bâton for directing the movements of the dancers. There is a shepherd’s flute Ch-iang-ti, and one Heng-ti; both blown traversely. The Hsiao, said to have been invented by Yeh Chung during the Han dynasty, is a flute of dark brown bamboo, about twenty inches in length, having five holes on the upper surface and one at the back. The use of this is now restricted to ritual music, being played at the Confucian ceremonies on the “Moon Terrace,” six being played simultaneously. There are various flutes with four, five, seven, or eight holes, both for popular and for ritual use.
The most popular of flutes is the Ti-tzu; it is bound with several rings of waxed silk to preserve the bamboo from splitting. It has eight holes, one for embouchure, six for the fingers, and one covered with a thin membrane peeled off the interior of reeds; this membrane, like that which our recorder flute had, is intended to give a particular character to the tone; and it is curious how often we find such an adaptation, although in our modern custom quite obsolete. The Ti-tzu is frequently ornamented with long silk tassels when possessed by the wealthy people. It is used alike in theatrical performances, in funeral and in marriage processions, and is indispensable to every Chinese orchestra.
The Dragon flutes, ornamented with a dragon’s head and tail, are essentially for ritual service, and not permitted for ordinary use. The illustration shows the awe inspiring aspect of these instruments.