Xun is a musical instrument made of clay. Like other musical instruments, it develops with labor. The history of Xun can be traced back to the Neolithic period. At that time, our ancestors discovered that when they were hunting with pomegranate stars, they could make a whining sound by blowing into the small holes on the pomegranate stars used to tie ropes. It is very similar to the cry of wild beasts, and the ancients used it to lure wild beasts. This is probably the prototype of the original single-hole Xun (Xun was developed from the round stone of the pomegranate star). At present, the oldest Xun discovered in my country is a single-hole Xun used by the original inhabitants of Hemudu, Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang, my country 7,000 years ago, and the other two were discovered at the matriarchal society site in Banpo Village, Xi'an, my country. One of them has only a blow hole, and the other, in addition to the blow hole, also has a sound hole that can blow two tones. These two xuns have a history of more than 6,700 years.
Xun, a musical instrument, has also been unearthed in Shanxi, Gansu, Henan, Shandong and other places in my country. Judging from the unearthed cultural relics, Xun has gone through a long stage of development. About four to five thousand years ago, Xun developed from one sound hole to two sound holes and could play three tones. After entering the slave society, the Xun developed further. A few years ago, the Xun from the late patriarchal society to the early slave society was unearthed in Huoshaogou, Yumen, Gansu Province. It has three sound holes and can play four tones. By the late Shang Dynasty, more than 1,000 BC, Xun had developed to have five sound holes and could play six tones. By the Spring and Autumn Period more than 700 BC, Xun had six sound holes and could play a complete pentatonic and heptatonic scale. It took more than 3,000 years for Xun to develop from one sound hole to six sound holes.
It is worth mentioning that according to the current investigation and textual research of unearthed cultural relics, it is found that Xun is a piece of stone that has evolved over a long period of three to four thousand years from the Neolithic period to the Xia and Shang periods. As an instrument that develops continuously and sequentially, it is possible to find the answer to the emergence and development of ancient Chinese musical scales in the sound measurement of sequential pottery xuns.
In ancient times, Xuns had many shapes, including pear-shaped, fish-shaped, spherical, and pen-tube shapes. The materials for making Xuns include pottery, stone, jade, wood, ivory, etc. Later, most of them were made of pottery. Ancient Chinese books have detailed records of the shape, size, name, etc. of the xun. "Shiben" says: "Baoxin Gong made Xun", and another theory is that it was made by Renshi during the reign of Emperor Ku. "Du's General Principles" said: "There is a violent country in Zhou Ji, how can people at that time do it?" These pouring methods are not credible. Erya's note: "The main thing is to burn earth. The big one is like a goose, with a sharp top and a flat bottom. It is shaped like a weight with six holes. The small one is like a chicken." Nie's Three-Body Diagram says, "There are six holes, one at the top, three at the front, and two at the back." "Old Tang Book·Music Chronicles" also said: "Xun, the sound of the beginning of autumn, all things are yellow, and the earth is the source of it..."; "Shi Xiaoya" He Rensi said: "Bo's blows the xun, Zhong's blows the chi "It means that God guides the people to be harmonious like Xunchi.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, harmony as beauty was once an important musical aesthetic concept. "Singing and singing in harmony" is a concentrated reflection of the Confucian philosophy of "harmony is precious" in music. Harmony means that the content is soothing and peaceful, conducive to education, and reflects the musical aesthetic view of the time. It means the sound is harmonious. The musical function of Xun in this aspect is significant. The ancients said, "Xun has the virtue of governing the future, and the sage is noble; therefore, he borrowed money from ordinary people and borrowed fortune." Xun is a kind of alto wind instrument. Because of its simple and mellow tone, which is particularly soft and smooth compared with the high-frequency tones that the ancients used to speak, Xun was particularly respected by the ancients.
Xun is one of the important musical instruments in ancient my country. More than 3,000 years ago, ancient my country divided musical instruments into eight types based on different manufacturing materials: gold, stone, soil, leather, silk, bamboo, gourd and wood, which are called eight tones. Among the eight tones, Xun has the unique local sound. It plays the role of filling in the midrange and harmonizing the high and low sounds in the entire ancient band. The ancients said: "The five tones are correct, the six rhythms are adjusted, the hardness and softness must be in the center, and the lost ones are captured lightly. The gold and stone are treated with the same respect, and the sheng and yu are used to start the criticism." Xun is regarded as having the same important status as bells and chimes. , and other musical instruments cannot compare with it.
It has a unique charm and occupies the land of eight tones. No wonder the ancients valued it so much and treated gold and stone with the same respect. Therefore, from the slave society to the entire feudal society, Xun was almost an important part of the palace band. Some emperors even introduced Xun as the music in the harem.
The Xun has accompanied the Chinese nation through thousands of years of history. However, in the past hundred years, due to domestic and foreign troubles in our country and the limitations of the instrument itself, the Xun has almost become extinct.
Today, the rebirth of Xun should be attributed to those national musicians and performers who are enthusiastic about excavation, development, reform and innovation. Thanks to their hard work, the sound range of the Xun has continued to develop, from the past six sound holes to more than a dozen sound holes. They can successfully play the twelve equal temperaments, and the expressive power of the Xun has been greatly enriched. The continuous innovation of playing techniques and the continuous emergence of works have rejuvenated the ancient musical instrument Xun. Today's xun can not only play quaint, deep, sad and tearful melodies, but also play passionate and humorous joyful movements. It is not only favored by the majority of domestic music lovers, but has also gone global and has been highly praised by foreign musicians and listeners.
Chinese and foreign music critics pointed out: "Xun is almost as old as the Chinese nation, and its unique timbre is very charming. This unique instrument cannot be replaced by other instruments.
"They praised: "Xun is a music bottle that can make wonderful sounds."
With the continuous popularization and promotion of Xun art, it will surely radiate more dazzling brilliance!