Hichiriki
{{Short description|Musical instrument}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox Instrument
|name={{transliteration|ja|Hichiriki}}
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|image=Hichiriki.JPG
|classification=Double reed
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The {{nihongo||{{linktext|篳篥}}|hichiriki}} is a double reed Japanese {{nihongo3|flute||fue}} used as one of two main melodic instruments in {{transliteration|ja|gagaku}} music.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} It is one of the "sacred" instruments and is often heard at Shinto weddings in Japan.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} Its sound is often described as haunting.{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20021229a1.html|title=Hideki Togi out to gagaku your world|first=Ryoko Maria|last=Nakamura|publisher=The Japan Times|date=2002-12-29|access-date=2009-03-23}}{{cite web|url=http://www.firstvoice.org/pdf/KuanYin%20Ballet_UK.pdf|title=Kuan Yin: Our Lady of Compassion|first=Renee|last=Renouf|publisher=ballet.co.uk|date=2002-12-30|access-date=2009-03-23}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}
The {{transliteration|ja|hichiriki}} is derived from the Chinese guan, which was imported into Japan during the Tang dynasty. According to scholars, the {{transliteration|ja|hichiriki}} emerged after the 12th century when the popularity of the Chinese melodies in Japan called {{transliteration|ja|tōgaku}} waned.{{Cite book|title=Music from the Tang Court: Volume 7: Some Ancient Connections Explored|last1=Picken|first1=Laurence E. R.|last2=Nickson|first2=Noël J.|date=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-54336-1|location=Cambridge, UK|pages=28}}
Description
Although a double reed instrument like the oboe, the {{transliteration|ja|hichiriki}} has a cylindrical bore and thus its sound is similar to that of a clarinet.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} It is difficult to play due in part to the double reed configuration.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} It is made of a piece of bamboo that measures {{convert|18|cm}} with a flat double reed inserted which makes a loud sound.{{Cite book|title=Analytical and Cross-Cultural Studies in World Music|last1=Tenzer|first1=Michael|last2=Roeder|first2=John|date=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-538458-1|location=Oxford|pages=25, 26}}
Pitch and ornamentation (most notably bending tones) are controlled largely with the embouchure. The instrument is particularly noted for the {{transliteration|ja|embai}} ("salted plum seasoning"), a kind of pitch-gliding technique.
The {{transliteration|ja|hichiriki}} is the most widely used of all instruments in {{transliteration|ja|gagaku}}{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} and it is used in all forms of music aside from poetry recitation. The {{transliteration|ja|hichiriki}} is derived from the Chinese {{transliteration|zh|guan}} or {{transliteration|zh|bili}}, and is also related to the Korean {{transliteration|ko|piri}}. This is evident in the notations of the finger positioning, a tablature of signs derived from Chinese characters.
Notable Japanese musicians who play the {{transliteration|ja|hichiriki}} include Hideki Togi and Hitomi Nakamura.
Non-Japanese musicians who have learned to play the {{transliteration|ja|hichiriki}} include Alan Hovhaness, Richard Teitelbaum, Valerie Samson, Thomas Piercy and Joseph Celli.
References
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External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080213195121/http://jtrad.columbia.jp/eng/i_hichiriki.html Traditional Japanese Music]
- [http://www.thomaspiercy.com/hichiriki.html Hichiriki] (by Thomas Piercy)
{{Fue}}
{{Traditional Japanese musical instruments}}
{{Double reed}}
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Category:Japanese musical instruments
Category:Japanese words and phrases
Category:Sacred musical instruments
Category:Single oboes with cylindrical bore
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