Chapter 100 Xiao's history

The timbre of Xiao is round and soft, quiet and elegant, suitable for solo and ensemble. It is one of the most common and popular musical instruments in ancient my country.Xiao has a very long history. Whether in literary works or historical materials, there are many legends about Xiao, from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period of Nongyu and Xiaofeng, to Lan Cai and Chuanxiao, one of the Eight Immortals, to Jin Yongzhong. Zhi Yuxiao's Huang Yaoshi is everywhere. However, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Xiao played by Nongyu and the Xiao played by Huang Yaoshi are not the same thing (assuming Huang Yaoshi really exists).

Xiao has been made of bamboo since the Neolithic Age.The flute and flute have the same origin, both originated from the bone whistle in ancient times. Xiao was also called flute in history, and only after the Tang Dynasty did it refer to the flute played vertically.From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, Xiao refers to the pan flute with braided tubes. That is to say, the Xiao who plays jade blowing is Pan Xiao. Xiao was called "Xiao", "Zhu" or "Qiangdi" in the Han Dynasty.The Qiang flute was originally a musical instrument of the Qiang people who lived in Sichuan and Gansu in ancient times. At first, it only had 4 holes. After the Jingfang of the Western Han Dynasty added a hole for the highest note, it became a 5-hole flute.

The flute reformed by Liehe, a musician in the Western Jin Dynasty, and Xun Xu, a supervisor of Zhongshu, has 6 holes (5 in the front and 1 in the back), and its shape is very similar to today's Xiao.Huan Yi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was good at music. He had Cai Yong's Keting flute (Xiao), and he was the number one flute player in the south of the Yangtze River, with a high status and reputation.He once played three pieces of music for Wang Huizhi, whom he had never met before, which was passed down as a good story in history. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao has been used in solo, ensemble, and band.

Before the Tang Dynasty, there was no distinction between flute and flute. In the Tang Dynasty, there appeared a flute with six holes in the front and one hole on the side, with a bamboo membrane. At this time, the concept of flute and flute was basically separated.In other words, the Xiao Cai played by Huang Yaoshi in the Song Dynasty is similar to the current one. In the Qing Dynasty, the shape of Xiao was exactly the same as it is now.