MS. XIAOCHUN QI: Acclaimed Erhu Player
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The erhu is a kind of violin with two strings that is said to have a very similar sound to that of the human voice. It is a very expressive instrument that gives great emotional depth to melancholic tunes, although it features extensively in uplifting and rhythmic melodies as well. The erhu can imitate many natural sounds such as birds and even horses.
An early version of the erhu started to be used in the Tang dynasty (618-907). The instrument was called xiqin and was used by the Mongolian tribe Xi. During the Song dynasty (960-1279), the second generation of the xiqin was among the instruments played at the imperial banquets.
During the Dynasties of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911), the erhu underwent a phase of great development at the time of the golden age of local opera. The erhu then developed in a different "school". Two famous artists- Hua Yanjun (1893-1950) and Liu Tianhua (1895-1932)- made an exceptional contribution to the improvement of the erhu. It was due to the latter that the erhu, an instrument mainly for accompaniment in an opera, started to be featured as a solo instrument.
Today, the erhu continues to play an important role in Chinese orchestras. In smaller orchestras, there are usually 2 to 6 erhu; in the largest there are 12. In fact, the erhu plays the same role as the violin in the Western orchestras.
Together with zhonghu, gaohu, sihu, etc, the erhu belongs to the
"huqin" family of instruments.
Click here to listen to a sample of ehru music.
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