The famous western violin melodyAria on G-stringwins its popularity for its complicated performance on one single string. However, have you ever heard of the ChineseErhuversion ofAria on G-string?
Erhu,also calledHuqin,was known asXiqinduring the Song Dynasty (960-1279).Huqindescribed in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) records was the real forerunner of the modernErhu, having its stem, sound box and pegs made of wood.
There lived oneXiqin(the original type ofErhu) musician, Xu Yan, in the Song Dynasty. Once he was invited to perform at an imperial banquet and his wonderful performance attracted all the audience. Suddenly, one string of hisXiqinbroke, which scared the rest musicians: how could he continue his play with the absence of one string? In surprise, before the audience realized what happened, Xu immediately shifted all the tones of his broken string to another string. Only aXiqinmaster as experienced as him could accomplish this in such short notice. The audience did not realize the swift change until Xu finished and told them all about this. They all praised him for his superb technique and prompt reaction.
This is the sister story of theAria on G-stringon Chinese traditional musical instrument --Erhu.
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