Impression: the owner of the car snapped his whip in the air, the horse ran briskly, accompanied by a crisp bell; the camel caravan went away alone in the desert, accompanied by the steady footsteps of the camels was the sound of the camel's bell; the wind blew, and the bell in the corner of the tower sounded melodiously....
"bell", this is the English translation of bells and bells. But where is the enough! We belong to this broad category: bells, bells, and plutonium. The clock is also divided into a yong, a hammer and a button.
The Friar Museum of Art was built by an American tycoon and donated to the Smithsonian Institution. The tycoon's special collection is oriental cultural relics, and the main collection is Chinese cultural relics.
Clocks, one of the earliest metal tools made Chinese, have a history of more than three thousand years. Small, primitive "noise makers" evolved into playable handbells; and centuries of technological change became more sophisticated clocks, chimes that strike in different positions to produce two tones.
The various variations of the clock, including its size, shape, decoration and sound, also reflect the characteristics of different regions of China. In the late Bronze Age, both the north and south of China used sets of chimes to play. These bronze cast bells preserve a wealth of valuable information about early Chinese music.
Freer Art Museum is hosting a special exhibition on Chinese bell culture, and has the opportunity to systematically see the university in the little bell. The advantage of putting them together is that they are clearly distinguished: cymbals, yong, plutonium and buttons.
The museum not only exhibits physical objects from bells to various mature bells, but also specially invites professional composers and performers to record the musical background using a set of chimes with a history of more than 2,500 years, so that visitors can not only see the "bell", but also hear the "bell". Let this special exhibition of "Echoing, Ancient Chinese Bells" become a feast of sounds that can be seen.
The earliest bells, from the late Erlitou culture, are about 2000-1600 BC. What is rare is that the small bell tongue in the middle is still there. This little bell may have been worn around the neck of a horse or dog at the time.
Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang, bell with a gluttonous pattern, 1300-1050 BC
Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang, bird-shaped bell, 1300-1050 BC
Late Shang Dynasty, Anyang, with gluttony grain, 1300-1100 BC. It has been developed into a handbell for musical performance.
Shang Dynasty, dragon pattern with gluttony, 1200-1100 BC
Yong, late Spring and Autumn 500-450 BC
Plutonium, (front) Western Zhou 1050-900, with gluttonous pattern and tiger-type bird-type decoration; (left) Shang 1300-1100, with bird-type decoration, gluttonous pattern; (right) Western Zhou 1000-800, with bird-type decoration
Cadmium clock
Button clock, mid-Western Zhou Dynasty
Tiger-shaped bracket, mid-Western Zhou Dynasty
Each bell can produce a chime with three tones
Chime a set of bells
Small bells
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