CHINESE MUSIC.

12

When

the I'm were

invented they were well-selected bamboos, but ui subsequent

first

times, principally during the Chin

of jadestone.

The opinion was

(^) dynasty, the

would thus be

that they

made

of copper, of marble,

less subject to

atmospheric changes.

lus were

In order to illustrate fully the difference between the 12

iil^

and the

and

12 semitones of

our chromatic scale (tempered form), I give here a table showing the names of our notes
corresponding to the Chinese
best

and most

lils,

the length of each

reliable Chinese critics

i;

lU,

in Chinese inches, according to the

and the same length reduced

to

120th parts of an

inch and compared with the numerical values of our notes.

One Chinese

foot

is

equal to 0.255 metres, and our

is

supposed to be kuang-chung.

Comparative Table of Chinese and Western Notes.

Names of

Corresponding
Western Notes.

Lus.

Length of Liis

Length of Liis

in
Chinese Inches.

reduced to 120th
Parts of an Inch.

Eequu'ed Length
of Tubes to render

corresponding

Western Notes.

Huang-chung, upper

4-3853

526.237

540

Ying-chung

4.66

559-2

576

IVu-i

Bb

4.S848

586.176

607.5

Nan-lii

5-3

636

645-3

I-tse.

Ab

5-551

666.

lAn-chung

720

720

Jui-pin

Gb

6.28

753-6

768.45

Chung-lii

6.5824

789.888

810

Ku-hsi

7-1

852

864

Chia-chung

Eb

74373

892.476

910.71

Tai-ts'u

960

963.99

Ta-lii

Db

8.376

1005.12

1024.578

Huaiig-cliung, base..

1080

1080

By

the above table

it

is

seen that while the base and the

fifth

6S3.1

perfectly, agree, all

the other notes of the Chinese scale are too sharp, and consequently could not possibly be
rendered on our Western tempered instruments. Besides, the octave is so high as to be very
unpleasing to our Western ears.

This

a better impression on the minds of

il IS

SH

HJ i^.

.^ ii f*

*.

is

the principal reason

why

Chuiese music does not leave

foreigners.

.Sj

A^

m,

#M

^.

-d

other.s.