琴音
The sound of strings
Court orchestras, temple flutes, zithers and opera from Japan and China: 251 recordings, from today's players back to the first cylinders, all public domain, Creative Commons or shared by the players themselves, each with its source and licence. Press play and keep browsing — the music follows you.
Today's piece
A different recording each day.
Editors' picks
- 箏曲演奏会（1966年）第一部Sōkyoku ensōkai, 1966 — side A — A concert of Japanese koto music, 1966 — side A26:20
- 平沙落雁Píng shā luò yàn — Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank4:45
- 二泉映月Èr quán yìng yuè — The Moon Reflected on Second Spring4:28
- 岩清水Iwashimizu — Water Welling from the Rock6:04
- 贵妃醉酒：海岛冰轮初转腾Guìfēi zuì jiǔ: Hǎidǎo bīnglún chū zhuǎn téng — The Drunken Concubine: “The icy moon rises over the sea”3:25
- 流水樂團音樂會（1972年）The Flowing Stream Ensemble in concert, 19721:11:21
- 思川Omoigawa — River of Memory14:35
Collections
箏と尺八Strings and Bamboo: Japanese Chamber Music
Koto and shakuhachi are the two voices most people now associate with Japanese traditional music, and they began in very different places. The koto was the domain of the blind musicians' guilds of the Edo period, who taught it as a refined chamber art for the parlour. The shakuhachi belonged to wandering Fuke Zen monks, who played it as a breathing discipline. By the Meiji era the two had met, with the shamisen, in the ensemble music called sankyoku.
廟埕Temple Courtyards of Taiwan
In Taiwan, the square in front of a temple is a stage. Opera troupes, puppet companies and gong-and-drum bands perform there as offerings to the god, and passers-by are welcome to stop and listen.
絲竹Silk and Bamboo: Chinese Instrumental Music
'Silk and bamboo' is the old Chinese shorthand for music: silk for strings, bamboo for flutes. This collection follows Chinese instruments from the scholar's study to the concert hall.
京劇唱段Peking Opera Arias, Sung Today
These recordings were made in Beijing in 2017 by students and teachers at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts and other institutions, for a research corpus on jingju singing. Some are sung with jinghu accompaniment mixed in; others are completely unaccompanied, which makes them an unusually clear window on the vocal art itself.
茶室Tea Room
Music to share a room with: calm solo pieces for qin, shakuhachi and koto, alternating between China and Japan.
Music of Japan
- 箏曲Koto music6 recordings
- 尺八本曲Solo shakuhachi repertoire5 recordings
- 現代邦楽Contemporary music for Japanese instruments5 recordings
- 和太鼓Japanese drumming18 recordings
- 民謡Folk song7 recordings
- 声明・読経Buddhist chant5 recordings
- 神楽Shinto ritual music2 recordings
- 祭囃子Festival music1 recording
- 浪花節Sung narrative (rōkyoku)5 recordings
- 長唄Long song16 recordings
- 義太夫節Gidayū narrative6 recordings
- 琵琶楽Biwa narrative14 recordings
- 能・謡曲Nō chant2 recordings
Music of China
- 京劇Peking opera33 recordings
- 地方戲Regional opera29 recordings
- 民間音樂Folk music and drama8 recordings
- 琴曲Music for the guqin8 recordings
- 國樂Chinese instrumental music24 recordings
- 吟誦Poetry chanting17 recordings
- 儀式音樂Ritual and temple music24 recordings
- 南管Nanguan (nanyin)1 recording
- 偶戲Puppet theatre2 recordings
- 舞獅Lion and dragon dance6 recordings
- 北管Beiguan7 recordings