Chime Bells Research Articles

한·중 편종과 편경 연구 현황 및 전망

Confucian ritual music culture in East Asia can be traced back to Xia Dynasty and
 developed into a standardized ritual music system in the Zhou Dynasty. The 'JIn Shi
 Zhi Yue (Music of metal and stone)' in the Confucian ritual music tradition is mainly
 composed of pyeonjong (a set of bells; bianzhong in Chinese) and pyeon'gyeong (a set
 of L-shaped stone chimes; bianqing in Chinese). The earliest research on pyeonjong in
 China was the article 'Golden Chime Bells' published by Cui Yutang in 1958. After
 that, a series of researches examining rhythmic systems, acoustic characteristics,
 inscriptions, materials and rehabilitation of pyeonjong were published. However, the
 study of pyeongyeong was relatively late compared to that of pyeonjong. The earliest
 study about pyeongyeong was published in 1972; it was the article 'The Painted Stone
 Chimes of Chu State Discovered in Jiangling, Hubei Province and Related Issues' by the
 Hubei Provincial Museum. The subsequent researches of pyeongyeong mainly focused
 on inscriptions, rhythmic systems, materials, reproduction and acoustic characteristics.
 In South Korea, Jang Sahun was the first scholar who conducted the research
 specialized in this field. The subsequent researches in South Korea mainly focused on
 the production, materials, rhythmic systems, acoustic characteristics, inscriptions, and
 restoration of pyeongyeong and pyeonjong. Although the academic histories of
 pyeongyeong and pyeonjong in both countries have some similarities in research
 objects and problem awareness, they also have their own characteristics in terms of
 the focus, emphasis, scope, and interest of the research. As the representative musical instruments of Confucian ritual music culture, pyeongyeong and pyeonjong need to
 explore their multiple possibilities not only in the field of academic research, but also
 in current musical practice.

Design and implementation of a metaverse platform for traditional culture: the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng

Metaverse platforms have become increasingly prevalent for collaboration in virtual environments. Metaverse platforms, as opposed to virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, expand with enhanced social meanings within virtual worlds. The research object in this study is the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng, one of China's most treasured cultural heritage sites. We aimed to create a metaverse platform for the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng to provide visitors with a highly immersive and interactive experience. First, we collected the materials and data of the chime bells and other exhibits, as well as historical information. Then, the data were processed and integrated for 3D model reconstruction. In addition, we designed the virtual roaming system through which visitors could interact with the exhibits to obtain multimedia information and even knock to ring the chime bells. Finally, we built our system to connect multiple visitors in different geographic locations and encourage them to collaborate and communicate within the virtual space. This platform helps users visualize cultural heritage, simulates real-life tour experiences with intuitive manners of interaction, and motivates visitors’ interest in traditional culture. This research also reveals the potential use of metaverse-related techniques in cultural heritage sectors.

Research on Music Information Visualization of Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng

Chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng is an important ritual and musical instrument in ancient China, which embodies great cultural value and social influence. However, the particularity of the chime itself is not convenient to go out for display. The audience can only watch the chime through the protective glass, so they can't directly enjoy the unique music of the chime. This paper will intro-duce the music information of chime, think about the problems faced by chime music display at this stage, analyze the implementation method of sound visualization, explore the feasibility of chime mu-sic visualization, and explore the method of chime music visualization.

The Liujiawa site of the Rui state of the Eastern Zhou in Chengcheng County, Shaanxi Province

Abstract In 2017 and 2018, Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology and other institutions conducted a rescue excavation to the Liujiawa site, which recovered features including city site, ditches (moats), rammed-earth foundations, burials, and unearthed bronze ding-cauldrons with “Rui Gong (Duke of Rui)” inscription, as well as bronze gui-tureens, chime bells, zheng-bells, chime music stones, jade ge-dagger axes, and other ritual and musical instruments. The scale of the site and the ranks of the artifacts all showed that the Liujiawa site was the site of the capital of the Rui state at its late stage in the early and mid Spring-and-Autumn period; the bronze chime bells and chime music stones unearthed at this site provided critical materials for the studies on the development history of ancient musical instruments and musical archaeology of China.

The tomb of Emperor Sui Yangdi at Caozhuang in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu

AbstractIn March 2012, two brick-chamber tombs (numbered as 2013YCM1 and 2013YCM2) of the Sui and Tang Dynasties were found at Caozhuang Section of Situ Village in Xihu Town, Hanjiang District, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu. From March through November of that year, a joint archaeological team conducted detection and excavation to these tombs and the surrounding area, but no traces of graveyard were found. In M1, a stone epitaph with text of “Epitaph of the late Emperor Sui Yangdi” and so on was unearthed, the legible contents of which generally match the records in the historic literature. From the two tombs, the diexie belt decorated with 13 sets of jade plaques and gold plates, gilt bronze pushoudoorknockers, jade zhang-scepter, bronze chime bells and chime music stones and crown with phoenix design and other high-ranking and high quality grave goods were unearthed, as well as large amounts of elaborately and true-to-life made pottery human and animal figurines. The discoveries of the stone epitaph and the high-ranking and high quality grave goods fully proved that these two brick-chamber tombs found in Caozhuang are the final graves of Emperor Yangdi and Empress Xiao of the Sui Dynasty.

On the Issues Related to the “Musical Instrument Pit” of the Viscount of Qin State Discovered at Dapuzishan Site, Lixian County

In the autumn 2006, the Collaborative Archaeological Team of the Early Qin Culture excavated a large-scale “Musical Instrument Pit” nearby the robbed large tomb attributed to certain Duke of Qin, and unearthed complete sets of bronze chime bells and music stones with inscription “Qin Zi 秦子 (Viscount of Qin)”. We plan to discuss in depth the chronology, nature and the relevant issues about this “Musical Instrument Pit” in this paper.

Study on excitation of the two-tone acoustic characteristic of the chime bell of Marquis Yi of Zeng by finite element method

The bronze chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng are precious cultural relics of China. The bells have a two-tone acoustic characteristic, i.e., striking different parts of the bell generates different tones. In this study, we use a finite element method to simulate the propagation of elastic waves and the generation of free oscillations of the bell. Vibrations with different spectral characteristics can be obtained by striking different parts of the chime bell of Marquis Yi of Zeng. By the observation of the vibration design and through spectral analysis, we further help the understanding of the two-tone acoustic characteristic of the chime bell of Marquis Yi of Zeng.

Tunings of historical Korean pyeongyeong and pyeonjong

In order to reconstruct the whangjongeum or scale in Korean traditional instruments, we have measured frequencies of historical pyeongyeong stones and pyeonjong bells mainly from the 14th to 19th centuries. Pyeongyeong consists of 16 chime stones tuned to a scale quite similar to the Western scale beginning with C4. Pyeongjong consists of 16 chime bells, tuned approximately an octave lower than pyeongyeong. We present frequency averages and standard deviations for 124 chime stones and 64 chime bells available in the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts. The spread in frequencies appears to be greater in some periods in history than in others, but the average frequency is quite consistent.

Acoustics of the Korean percussion instruments pyeongyeong and pyeonjong

Pyeongyeong is a set of 16 L‐shaped chime stones and pyeonjong is a set of 16 oval chime bells. Vibrational mode shapes and mode frequencies of the pyeongyeong determined by holographic interferometry and by experimental modal testing agree very well with those calculated using finite‐element methods. A model of the pyeongyeong in which the geometry can be varied shows that the actual shape is probably the one that gave the preferred sound. Vibrational mode shapes and frequencies of the pyeonjong, also determined by holographic interferometry and by experimental modal testing, are split into doublets due to the oval shape of the bells. The splitting is less than in Chinese two‐tone bells but it gives rise to audible beats, as in large Korean temple bells.

Vibrational modes of pyen-gyoung (Korean chime stone) and pyeon-jong (Korean chime bell)

Pyeon-gyoung, chime stone, and Pyeon-jong, chime bell, have been allocated as a set of instruments in Korean traditional court music and Confucian ceremony. Pyeon-gyoung is a set of 16 L-shaped chime stones covering one and one-third octaves and pyeon-joung is a set of 16 almond-shaped bronze chime bells, one octave lower than pyeon-gyoung. The nominal frequencies increase with the thickness of the stones and bells. The vibrational mode frequencies in a pyeon-gyoung and pyeon-jong have been studied. The frequency ratios of the modes in stone chimes are smaller than those of marimbas. The modal shapes of the lowest and highest stones, mapped by TV holography, by scanning with an accelerometer and animated by STAR, are shown.

The sound of chime bells of 2400 years ago

The discovery in 1978 of a magnificent undamaged set of chime bells more than 2000 years old created a sensation in Chinese musical circles. As their immense value severely limited direct investigation, it was decided to make replicas and use these for research purposes. This complex task was completed in 1984. An important result of the investigation was the discovery that the bells were cast not by the cire perdue method but by casting in clay moulds. In the West bell-casting was not practised until about the eighth century A.D. and the bells were circular in section: Chinese bells have an approximately ellipsoidal section.

Comment on ?The bronze chime bells of the Marquis of Zeng: Babylonian biophysics in Ancient China? by E. G. McClain

Study of the bells and other instruments uncovered in the fifth century BC tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng promises a contribution to the fields of history of science, technology, and culture of such magnitude that it should command the attention of experts in many fields around the world. Professor McClain makes this observation himself in an addendum to his article, circulated privately under the title ‘Some personal observations of Chinese bells, with special attention to interiors’. ‘Babylonian biophysics’ is the first technical article on the bells by a non-Chinese writer that has garnered the interest of the Chinese. Huang Xiangpeng of the Central Academy of Music, a key researcher on the bells who is cited by McClain, plans to have the article translated into Chinese for distribution in China to musico1ogists.t I began writing this article in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, site of the ancient state of Zeng. I have had the pleasure of making two study visits to the Hubei Provincial Museum, where the bells are now on display. The director of the museum, Professor Tan Weisi, is co-author of one of the key articles cited by McClain, analyzing the musical properties of the upper tier bells, especially McClain’s Ib and Ic, the two sets on the west wall upper tiers. Writing on the subject of tuning systems with Tan is Feng Guangsheng, a young scholar of musicology with whom I have also had the pleasure of discussing the bells and their tunings. Chen Zhongxing is director of the preservation department and is in charge of making replicas of the bells. Ordinarily, the availability of replicas would not be exciting, but there are two extraordinary things about these. First, the appearance of the replicas, even under close scrutiny, is impressive. They are visually indistinguishable from the authentic set. But the acoustical properties of the replicas are even more astonishing. The museum claims that both the lower

Acoustics of Ancient Chinese Bells

In 1978 a set of 65 chinese bronze chime bells was unearthed in hubei province, southern china. The chime, dating from the 5th century bc, covers 5 octaves. A filigree of gold inlaid inscriptions on the bells and their frame indicates the existence of an elaborate theory of music and has prompted the re-writing of acoustical history. Neither the principle nor the practice of this unique bell design was passed down. Single chime bells first began to be discovered some 80 years but their ability to produce dual pitch (1 note if sounded from inside, another if struck on the side) was only rediscovered by chance in 1977. The asymmetric construction which produces these acoustical properties is explained, with diagrams and photographs.

Acoustics of Oriental gongs and bells

Many different types of bells and gongs are found throughout the Far East. Each has an interesting story to tell the acoustician as well as the musicologist. Among the instruments we will discuss are gamelan gongs from Indonesia, opera gongs from China, gongs from Thailand, temple bells from Japan, and chime bells from China.

The bronze chime bells of the Marquis of Zeng: Babylonian biophysics in Ancient China

Abstract The recent recovery of a well-tuned carillon of sixty-five bronze bells, from a tomb dating to 433 BC, is one of the most startling musical archeological events of all time. The five-octave, chromatic chime-set, with most of its bells tuned to the ‘philosophical pitch standard’ (middle C = 256 cps), is a sophisticated achievement beyond the reach of Western science and technology for another two thousand years. Some 2800 characters inscribed on the bells and the bell-stand name the tones within both a ‘relative pitch’ system and an ‘absolute pitch’ system, the latter in the key of A-flat, related directly to the calendar. Alternate tunings together with the inscriptions suggest that this funerary set may have been conceived as both an acoustical laboratory and a musicological library. Coincidences between abstract Chinese tone ratios and measured frequencies of the largest bells suggest that Zeng acousticians may have been able to make accurate frequency determinations. Patterns in both the tuning and the naming system, never known to historians, now show that in the fifth century BC the tone systems of China and Greece shared extensive structural similarities. This new archeological evidence thus strengthens the hypothesis that an ancient Mesopotamian biophysics linking number, tone, and calendar enjoyed a pan-Eurasian development.