Pipa (English Wikipedia)

Chinese Text Project – 《釋名·釋樂器》 Shiming by Liu Xi (劉熙)]. Original text: 枇杷，本出於胡中，馬上所鼓也。推手前曰枇，引手卻曰杷。象其鼓時，因以為名也。 Translation: Pipa, originated from amongst the Hu people, who played the instrument on horseback. Striking outward with the hand is called "pi", plucking inward is called "pa", sounds like when it is played, hence the name. (This ancient way of writing pipa (枇杷) also means "loquat".)
應劭 -《風俗通義·聲音》 Fengsu Tongyi (Common Meanings in Customs) by Ying Shao. Original text: 批把: 謹按：此近世樂家所作，不知誰也。以手批把，因以為名。長三尺五寸，法天地人與五行，四弦象四時。 Translation: Pipa, made by recent musicians, but maker unknown. Played "pi" and "pa" with the hand, it was thus named. Length of three feet five inches represents the Heaven, Earth, and Man, and the five elements, and the four strings represent the four seasons. (Note that this length of three feet five inches is equivalent to today's length of approximately two feet and seven inches or 0.8 meter.)
李紳《悲善才》 Lament for Shancai by Li Shen. The name Shancai is also used to mean virtuoso or maestro in the Tang dynasty.
劉義慶《世說新語》 A New Account of the Tales of the World by Liu Yiqing. Original text: 桓大司馬曰：「諸君莫輕道，仁祖企腳北窗下彈琵琶，故自有天際真人想。」 Translation: Grand Marshal Huan said: "Gentlemen, do not disparage Renzu, he played the pipa under the north window with his leg raised on tiptoe, and thus evoked thoughts of an immortal in heaven." (Note that Renzu (仁祖) refers to Xie Shang.)

danwei.com

Millward, James A. (10 June 2011). "The pipa: How a barbarian lute became a national symbol". Danwei. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.

doi.org

Picken 1955, p. 40. Picken, Laurence (March 1955). "The Origin of the Short Lute". The Galpin Society Journal. 8: 32–42. doi:10.2307/842155. JSTOR 842155.
Picken 1955, pp. 32–42. Picken, Laurence (March 1955). "The Origin of the Short Lute". The Galpin Society Journal. 8: 32–42. doi:10.2307/842155. JSTOR 842155.
James A. Millward (June 2012). "Chordophone Culture in Two Early Modern Societies: "A Pipa-Vihuela" Duet". Journal of World History. 23 (2): 237–278. doi:10.1353/jwh.2012.0034. JSTOR 23320149. S2CID 145544440.
Lui, Tsun-Yuen; Wu, Ben (2001). "Pipa". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.45149.
Bulag, Uradyn E. (July 1999). "Models and Moralities: The Parable of the Two "Heroic Little Sisters of the Grassland"". The China Journal. 42 (42): 21–41. doi:10.2307/2667639. JSTOR 2667639. S2CID 143684883.
Lin, Esther E.-Shiun (20 April 1996). Pipa pai : concept, history and analysis of style. Open.library.ubc.ca (Thesis). doi:10.14288/1.0087817. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

gfax.ch

lit.gfax.ch

Laurence E. R. Picken and Noel J. Nickson (2000). Music from the Tang court (PDF). Vol. 7. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-78084-1.

grimmusik.com

"BC GRIMM Experimental Acoustic-Electric Music EPK". Grim Musik. 26 January 2017.

jstor.org

Picken 1955, p. 40. Picken, Laurence (March 1955). "The Origin of the Short Lute". The Galpin Society Journal. 8: 32–42. doi:10.2307/842155. JSTOR 842155.
Picken 1955, pp. 32–42. Picken, Laurence (March 1955). "The Origin of the Short Lute". The Galpin Society Journal. 8: 32–42. doi:10.2307/842155. JSTOR 842155.
James A. Millward (June 2012). "Chordophone Culture in Two Early Modern Societies: "A Pipa-Vihuela" Duet". Journal of World History. 23 (2): 237–278. doi:10.1353/jwh.2012.0034. JSTOR 23320149. S2CID 145544440.
Bulag, Uradyn E. (July 1999). "Models and Moralities: The Parable of the Two "Heroic Little Sisters of the Grassland"". The China Journal. 42 (42): 21–41. doi:10.2307/2667639. JSTOR 2667639. S2CID 143684883.

koreanbuddhism.net

"Diamond Gate". Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2023.

liufangmusic.net

琵琶行 The "Pipa Song" by Bai Juyi, translation here

mdw.ac.at

iwk.mdw.ac.at

"Comparison of Three Chinese Traditional Pipa Music Schools with the Aid of Sound Analysis" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

metmuseum.org

"Pipa (琶) late 16th–early 17th century". Metropolitan Museum of Art.

naxos.com

"Wei Yang". Naxos.

philmultic.com

"Pipa - A Chinese lute or guitar, its brief history, photos and music samples". Philmultic.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
琵琶行 (Pipa xing) Original text: – 曲罷曾教善才伏，妝成每被秋娘妒。 Translation: Her art the admiration even of master Shancai, Her beauty the envy of all pretty girls.

scmp.com

Chou, Oliver (6 December 2014). "Lui Pui-yuen, master of Chinese music, returns to perform once again". South China Morning Post.

semanticscholar.org

api.semanticscholar.org

James A. Millward (June 2012). "Chordophone Culture in Two Early Modern Societies: "A Pipa-Vihuela" Duet". Journal of World History. 23 (2): 237–278. doi:10.1353/jwh.2012.0034. JSTOR 23320149. S2CID 145544440.
Bulag, Uradyn E. (July 1999). "Models and Moralities: The Parable of the Two "Heroic Little Sisters of the Grassland"". The China Journal. 42 (42): 21–41. doi:10.2307/2667639. JSTOR 2667639. S2CID 143684883.

shayda.info

"Avaye Shayda - Kishibe's diffusionism theory on the Iranian Barbat and Chino-Japanese Pi' Pa'". Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

si.edu

asia.si.edu

"Celestial Pipa Musician". Smithsonian Museum. HISTORICAL PERIOD(S) Five Dynasties to Yuan Dynasty, 10th to 13th century; MEDIUM Pigment on stucco; DIMENSIONS H x W: 38.2 x 36.2 cm (15 1/16 x 14 1/4 in); GEOGRAPHY China; CREDIT LINE Gift of Arthur M. Sackler; COLLECTION Arthur M. Sackler Gallery; ACCESSION NUMBER S1987.265

sohu.com

m.sohu.com

"琵琶小知识". Sohu.

tnua.edu.tw

trd-music.tnua.edu.tw

"The music of pipa". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-21.

ubc.ca

open.library.ubc.ca

Lin, Esther E.-Shiun (20 April 1996). Pipa pai : concept, history and analysis of style. Open.library.ubc.ca (Thesis). doi:10.14288/1.0087817. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

uberproaudio.com

"Incubus - Mike Einziger Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment". Uberproaudio.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

ukchinesemusic.com

"Cheng Yu : 5-string pipa". Ukchinesemusic.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
Cheng Yu : 5 string pipa (retrieved 13 July 2016

unesco.org

en.unesco.org

Silk Roads Programme. "Cultural Selection: The Evolution in Forms of Lutes and other Stringed Instruments along the Silk Roads". UNESCO. UNESCO Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads - Bahram Bayat. Retrieved 7 May 2024.

web.archive.org

Millward, James A. (10 June 2011). "The pipa: How a barbarian lute became a national symbol". Danwei. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.
"The music of pipa". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
元稹《琵琶歌》 Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine Pipa Song by Yuan Zhen.
"Comparison of Three Chinese Traditional Pipa Music Schools with the Aid of Sound Analysis" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
"[search page, albums featuring Yang Jing]". yangjingmusic.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019.
Pauline Bandelier (June 19, 2015). "La scène musicale alternative pékinoise vue par Jean Sébastien Héry (Djang San)". chine-info.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2016.

wikisource.org

zh.wikisource.org

Song Shu 《宋書·樂志一》 Book of Song quoting earlier work by Fu Xuan (傅玄), Ode to Pipa (琵琶賦). Original text: 琵琶，傅玄《琵琶賦》曰：漢遣烏孫公主嫁昆彌，念其行路思慕，故使工人裁箏、築，為馬上之樂。欲從方俗語，故名曰琵琶，取其易傳於外國也。 Translation: Pipa – Fu Xuan's "Ode to Pipa" says: "The Han Emperor sent the Wusun princess to marry Kunmi, and being mindful of her thoughts and longings on her journey, instructed craftsmen to modify the Chinese zither Zheng and zhu to make an instrument tailored for playing on horseback. Therefore the common use of the old term pipa came about because it was transmitted to a foreign country." (Note that this passage contains a number of assertions whose veracity has been questioned by scholars.)
《琵琶錄》 Records of Pipa by Duan Anjie (段安節)] citing Du Zhi of Jin dynasty. Original text: 樂錄雲，琵琶本出於弦鼗。而杜摯以為秦之末世，苦於長城之役。百姓弦鼗而鼓之 Translation: According to Yuelu, pipa originated from xiantao. Du Zhi thought that towards the end of Qin dynasty, people who suffered as forced labourers on the Great Wall, played it using strings on a drum with handle. (Note that for the word xiantao, xian means string, tao means pellet drum, one common form of this drum is a flat round drum with a handle, a form that has some resemblance to Ruan.)
《舊唐書·音樂二》 Jiu Tangshu Old Book of Tang. Original text: 琵琶，四弦，漢樂也。初，秦長城之役，有鞀而鼓之者。 Translation: Pipa, four strings, comes from Han dynasty music. In the beginning, forced labourers on the Qin dynasty's Great Wall played it using a drum with handle.
杜佑《通典》 Tongdian by Du You. Original text: 阮咸，亦秦琵琶也，而項長過於今制，列十有三柱。武太后時，蜀人蒯朗於古墓中得之，晉竹林七賢圖阮咸所彈與此類同，因謂之阮咸。 Translation: Ruan Xian, also called Qin pipa, although its neck was longer than today's instrument. It has 13 frets. During Empress Wu period, Kuailang from Sichuan found one in an ancient tomb. Ruan Xian of The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove from the Jin dynasty was pictured playing this same kind of instrument, it was therefore named after Ruan Xian.
《舊唐書·音樂二》 Jiu Tangshu Old Book of Tang. Original text: 今《清樂》奏琵琶，俗謂之「秦漢子」，圓體修頸而小，疑是弦鞀之遺制。其他皆充上銳下，曲項，形制稍大，疑此是漢制。兼似兩制者，謂之「秦漢」，蓋謂通用秦、漢之法。 Translation: Today's "Qingyue" performance pipa, commonly called the Qinhanzi, has a round body with a small neck, and is suspected to be descended from Xiantao. The others are all shaped full on top and pointed at the bottom, neck bent, rather large, and suspected to be of Han dynasty origin. Being composite of two different constructions, it's called "Qinhan", as it is thought to use both Qin and Han methods. (Note that the description of the pear-shaped pipa as being "full on top and pointed at the bottom", an orientation that is inverted compared to modern instrument, and refers to the way pipa was often held in ancient times).
杜佑《通典》 Tongdian by Du You citing Fu Xuan of Jin dynasty. Original text: 傅玄云：「體圓柄直，柱有十二。」 Translation: Fu Xuan said: "The body is round and the handle straight, and has twelve frets."
杜佑《通典》 Tongdian by Du You Original text: 舊彈琵琶，皆用木撥彈之，大唐貞觀中始有手彈之法，今所謂搊琵琶者是也。《風俗通》所謂以手琵琶之，知乃非用撥之義，豈上代固有搊之者？手彈法，近代已廢，自裴洛兒始為之。 Translation: The olden ways of playing pipa all used a wooden plectrum for playing. During the reign of the Tang dynasty's Emperor Taizong, there began the use of a finger-playing technique, which is what's called plucked pipa today. What's referred to in Common Meanings in Customs as playing pipa by hand is thus understood to be played without plectrum, but how are we sure that there were those who played by plucking in this early period? The use of this technique has fallen away in recent times, but it was started by Pei Luoer. (Note that Pei Luoer is also known as Pei Shenfu (裴神符)).
杜佑《通典》 Tongdian by Du You. A longer quote of Fu Xuan here.
"樂府雜錄 - 维基文库，自由的图书馆". Zh.wikisource.org. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
琵琶行 The "Pipa Song" by Bai Juyi, translation here
Luanjing Zayong 《灤京雜詠》^{[permanent dead link‍]} by Yang Yunfu (楊允孚) Original text: 為愛琵琶調有情，月髙未放酒杯停，新腔翻得凉州曲彈出天鵝避海青海。《海青挐天鵝》新聲也。 This piece is however listed as "Eagle Seizing a Swan" (海青挐天鵝) here.
隋書 Book of Sui. Original text: 先是周武帝時，有龜茲人曰蘇祗婆，從突厥皇后入國，善胡琵琶。聽其所奏，一均之中間有七聲。因而問之，答雲：『父在西域，稱為知音。代相傳習，調有七種。』以其七調，勘校七聲，冥若合符 Translation: In the beginning, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, there was a Kuchean named Sujiva, who came into the country with the Tu-jue empress and excelled in playing the hu pipa. Listening to what he played, within one scale there were seven notes. He was thus questioned about it, and he replied: "In the Western Region, my father was praised for his knowledge of music. As transmitted and practised through generations, there were seven kinds of mode." Taking his seven modes, and on investigating and comparing them with the seven notes, they fitted together and tallied well.
《舊唐書·音樂二》 Jiu Tangshu (Old Book of Tang) Original text: 後魏有曹婆羅門，受龜茲琵琶于商人，世傳其業。至孫妙達，尤為北齊高洋所重，常自擊胡鼓以和之。 Translation: During Later Wei there was Cao Poluomen, who was a trader in Kuchean pipa for whose craft he was famous. His grandchild Miaoda [曹妙达] in particular was highly regarded by Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi dynasty, who would often play the hu drum in accompaniment. (Note that Poluomen (or Bolomen) means Brahmin or Indian.)
"琵琶錄 - 维基文库，自由的图书馆". Zh.wikisource.org. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
Duan Anjie – A Music Conservatory Miscellany (Yuefu zalu 樂府雜錄) Original text: – 貞元中有王芬、曹保，保其子善才其孫曹綱皆襲所藝。次有裴興奴，與綱同時。曹綱善運撥，若風雨，而不事扣弦，興奴長於攏撚，不撥稍軟。時人謂：「曹綱有右手，興奴有左手。」 Note that Shancai was used as a word to mean virtuoso or maestro during the Tang dynasty.
劉禹錫《曹剛》 Cao Gang by Liu Yuxi Original text: 大弦嘈囋小弦清，噴雪含風意思生。一聽曹剛彈薄媚，人生不合出京城。
Houshan Shihua《後山詩話》 by Chen Shidao (陳師道), relating a story about Ouyang Xiu listening to Du Bin. Original text: 故公詩雲：座中醉客誰最賢？杜彬琵琶皮作弦。自從彬死世莫傳。 Translation: So Master (Ouyang Xiu) in his poem says: "Who amongst the drunken guests in their seats was the most worthy? It's Du Bin who played the pipa with animal hide for strings. Ever since Du Bin's death such skill is lost to the world".
《湯琵琶傳》 Original text: 而尤得意於《楚漢》一曲，當其兩軍決戰時，聲動天地，瓦屋若飛墜。徐而察之，有金聲、鼓聲、劍弩聲、人馬辟易聲。俄而無聲。久之，有怨而難明者，為楚歌聲；淒而壯者，為項王悲歌慷慨之聲、別姬聲；陷大澤，有追騎聲；至烏江，有項王自刎聲、餘騎蹂踐爭項王聲。

yangjingmusic.com

"[search page, albums featuring Yang Jing]". yangjingmusic.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019.

zwbk.org

元稹《琵琶歌》 Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine Pipa Song by Yuan Zhen.