The chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng

The chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng

Bianzhong (pronounced [pi̯ɛ́n t͡ʂʊ́ŋ]) is an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of bronze bells, played melodically. China is the earliest country to manufacture and use musical chimes. They are also called Chime Bells.[1] These sets of chime bells were used as polyphonic musical instruments and some of these bells have been dated at between 2,000 to 3,600 years old. They were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet. Using a wooden hammer and a rod to beat the bronze bell can make different pitch. Along with the stone chimes called bianqing, they were an important instrument in China's ritual and court music going back to ancient times. The chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng are the most numerous, the largest, the best preserved, the most complete and the widest musical instruments in the ancient chime bells discovered so far. It proves that in the spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period (5th century BC), China already had the concept of seven sound scales and absolute pitch, indicating that the culture and technology of the Zhou Dynasty had reached a very high level.

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The chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng

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