Taiping Drum
Zhou Long
About this work: (Published by Oxford University Press)
Taiping Drum (also called
dan gu) is a percussion instrument that originated in Northeastern China in the Tang dynasty. Made from a single membrane (“16 x 20" ) in a round fan shape, the drum is held in the left hand with iron rings linked under the handle, while the right hand beats it with a piece of rattan. Originally used by shamans in hunting and sacrificial rites, “Taiping Drum” became the name of a popular form of song and dance among the Han people, as well as the Mongolian and Man ethnic
groups today. While playing the drum, the performer dances in rhythmic patterns.
In my piece
Taiping Drum for violin and piano, I have drawn on pentatonic folk
tune material found in “Er Ren Tai” a kind of duo singing and dancing form popularized
in Northeastern China. The music is in a rondo form. The piece opens with
a strong piano introduction, imitating the drum beating in a free tempo; the violin
solo imitates rhythmic drum beats with strong pizzicato chords. The first episode is
formed by a lyrical melody flowing on the top of moving arpeggios. The second
episode brings the two themes together on the violin and the piano, with both playing
in octaves. While the first theme returns, the violin plays intensive double stops
and chords, and eventually the music reaches a concluding climax.
- Zhou Long
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Oxford University Press
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Year composed: 1983
Duration: 00:05:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Keyboard plus One Instrument
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, 1 Violin