13

CHINESE MUSIC.

OF THE PITCH.
What was

the real pitch of the Hrst hioany-chung tube

The

capacity,

size,

successive dynasties that

on

and material
it

of the tubes

have so often been changed during the

has become almost impossible to form any acceptable conclusion

this subject.

Pere Amiot,

who died more than a century

ago, gives

as the equivalent of liuany-

the strains of his

but he says himself in his works that he adopted this key because
in the key of F
playing
was
he
when
more
harmonium impressed his Chinese hearers much

clni.vy;

than when he played in any other key.

The present pitch approaches our

The
But,

(60 1

vibratioiis per second) as nearly as possible.

give the D as tonic.

principal fixed instruments, as the yiln-lo, the shmcj, the flute, all
contrast of Chinese
or
similarity
the
with the view of pointing out in the clearest manner

music

to

our Western music,

of hvxmg-chung, and to liave

oiu-

have thought

it

natural scale of

convenient

to

give our

as tlie equivalent

in apposition to the Chinese natural scale.