Jiangnan Sizhu, one of the traditional Chinese stringed and woodwind instruments, is popular in southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang. There have been more than 150 years of history so far. On May 20, 2006, Jiangnan Sizhu was included in the first national intangible cultural heritage list.
The “Si” in Jiangnan Sizhu is described as a stringed instrument made of silk strings, such as erh-hu and pipa etc.; and “Zhu” is used to describe bamboo instruments such as flute and vertical flute etc. In addition, commonly used instruments also include dulcimer, san-hsuan, sheng, drum, plate, and so on. Jiangnan Sizhu is played in a band normally composed of 7 to 8 people.
Jiangnan Sizhu’s melody is beautiful and the style is fresh and smooth. The flute playing emphasizes the use of breath, whose treble is melodious, clear and distant, the bass subtl and agreeble, and the timbre mellow and full; erh-hu’s bowing is full and soft, delicate changes in force; several other musical instruments also have their own characteristics. These musical instruments together constitute a delicate pretty, lively and healthy personality of Jiangnan Sizhu.
The eight famous songs of Jiangnan Sizhu include The Song of Joy, Celebration of Cloud, Traditional Three-Six, Slow Three-Six, Moderato Decorated Six-Beat, Slow Six-Beat, Four-in-One Felicity and Streets Walking. These songs have fully shown their beautiful softness in the south of the Yangtze River and are full of affection, which have always been loved by people.
