The pipa, known in ancient times as “pipa with a curving neck”, is a major plucked instrument introduced from Mesopotamia in west Asia to China towards the end of the Eastern Han (25-220), and from Xinjiang and Gansu the hinterland during the 4th century. After the Sui and Tang (581-907), the pipa had become a major instrument. The preludes to virtually all the major pieces of music of the Tang (618-907) were played with the pipa. A versatile instrument for solo, ensembles (with two or more instruments) and accompaniment, the pipa is known for its high expressiveness and its capacity for both the impassioned and heroic and the graceful and subtle.
The pipa, known in ancient times as “pipa with a curving neck”, is a major plucked instrument introduced from Mesopotamia in west Asia to China towards the end of the Eastern Han (25-220), and from Xinjiang and Gansu the hinterland during the 4th century. After the Sui and Tang (581-907), the pipa had become a major instrument. The preludes to virtually all the major pieces of music of the Tang (618-907) were played with the pipa. A versatile instrument for solo, ensembles (with two or more instruments) and accompaniment, the pipa is known for its high expressiveness and its capacity for both the impassioned and heroic and the graceful and subtle.