Traditional Chinese Chamber Music (Sizhu Music)

The players of Chai Found Music Workshop and their instruments:
(from left to right) Yangqin, Liuqin, Erhu, Di, Pipa, Guzheng

Fundamentally different from the concept of harmony and melody in western music, Chinese music defines itself through shifts of timbre originating from a dialogue-like interplay of wind and string instruments which are still unknown to most Western audiences: Erhu (two-stringed Chinese fiddle), Yangqin (Chinese dulcimer), Guzheng (Chinese Zither), Pipa (Chinese Lute), Di (Wooden Flute), Ruan (Chinese Banjo) and Liuqin (Chinese Ukulele).

Over the years, Chai Found Music Workshop has performed countless arrangements and originals of traditional Chinese music encompassing all regional styles and historical periods: Beiguan (Northern style), Jiangnan (Shanghai style), Guangdong Yinyue (Cantonese style), as well as Gezai music (Taiwanese Opera) and Taiwanese folk songs in arrangements by composers from Taiwan. In Sizhu Music, there is always plenty of space for creative expression and improvisation, and the players use this chance freely and creatively. Musical experience and the love for their musical tradition has brought an enormous reputation for the artistry of Chai Found Music Workshop in Taiwan and abroad.

History of Sizhu Music

The youngest ensemble of Chai Found Music Workshop

To the Chinese, timbre is everything in music. This is why, as early as 2,000 years ago, they designed a system organizing instruments into eight categories according to their main materials: metal, stone, silk, bamboo, clay, earth, leather, and wood. The silk and bamboo categories are what are more commonly known these days as string and wind instruments respectively.

These two categories of instruments are considered so fundamental in the Chinese musical tradition that their two names, si and zhu, have become the equivalent for traditional Chinese chamber music, or Sizhu music. This delicate, refined sound contrasts sharply against the more vigorous sound of more percussion-oriented styles.

Until the Song dynasty (960-1279AD), Chinese music lacked any kind of bowed string instrument. However, after the Song dynasty, Chinese music had evolved to include three main kinds of playing methods: instruments which were blown, instruments which were bowed, and instruments which were plucked. This development and these three styles have had a long and profound influence on the development of Chinese music, both as straight performance music and as accompaniment for Chinese opera, and they have come to represent the true essence of Chinese music.

A traditional Chinese orchestra is made up of only one of each instrument, with each piece effectively played as though in a solo performance, letting each of the pieces in the whole truly shine, while still creating a harmonious whole. But an even more essential difference between Chinese and Western orchestral music is the Chinese approach to timbre and technique. In the Chinese tradition, a more contrastive effect between pieces is sought, expressing the interrelationship of yin and yang elements of the universe. The give-and-take nature of traditional playing creates a dialogue-like effect. Another important aspect of the Chinese musical tradition is the immense room for creative expression available to the player, thanks to the holistic, synergistic concept of timbre, the encouragement of improvisational embellishment, and the spacious effect that can be created through the skillful contrasting of tones and colors. As a result of this freedom of expression, it is also entirely possible to combine traditional and contemporary musical styles. The main branches of modern Sizhu Music are Nanguan, Cantonese, and Jiangnan styles.

Posing with instruments on the beach