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Object Description
| Instrument name | qin |
| Instrument no. | 289 |
| Alternate image name | E Asian zither 4 |
| Country/Area | China |
| K-S Classification No. | C55.11 |
| Short descriptive term | convex-top box zither |
| Description | Although given to the Allen Art Museum in 1926, this might be the oldest instrument in the collection, because it was clearly old upon acquisition, and was probably made in the late 19th century. The qin (chin) is a seven-string plucked zither without frets or bridges. It is one of China's oldest instruments, having been associated from Confucian times with the scholarly class. It is a box with a gently convex top. The dark wood is lacquered with a substance that cracks or crazes over time, and the nature of the patterns created in this process is part of the aesthetic beauty of the instrument. This instrument displays some of this cracking, but also structural cracking along the edges of the body. The instrument is played by touching the strings with the left hand and plucking them with the right. The different sonorities of open, stopped, or harmonic tones are fully utilized, as are a large variety of right-hand techniques. The range is deep and the tone very soft, suitable for the player's meditative mood when playing. |
| Materials | wood, mother-of-pearl inlay, (supposed to be) silk strings, green silk tassels |
| Dimensions | length 119 cm (46.75 in.); width at widest 18 cm (7 in.); depth 4.5 cm (1.75 in.) |
| Condition | Fair; the instrument was acquired with the strings already replaced, and the material is not the correct silk in graded strengths. |
| Page prepared by | RCK |
| Acquisition number | 1926.2 |
| Acquisition information | Given to the Allen Art Museum in 1926. Shown briefly at the inauguration of ethnomusicology courses in 1971. Transferred to Conservatory custody in 2009. |
| Digital Publisher | Oberlin College. Library |
| Repository | Oberlin College. Conservatory of Music |
| Copyright Statement | The images and text in this database may be copied, distributed and transmitted without express permission for personal and educational uses, providing the materials are cited as follows: From the Roderic C. Knight Musical Instrument Collection, Oberlin College ( http://www.oberlin.edu/library/digital/knight ). For all other uses, please write the author at rknight@oberlin.edu. |
| Collection Name | Roderic C. Knight Musical Instrument Collection |
| Type | CompoundObject |
| Format | cpd |
Description
| Instrument name | full view |
| Instrument no. | i289 |
| Digital Publisher | Oberlin College. Library |
| Repository | Oberlin College. Conservatory of Music. |
| Copyright Statement | The images and text in this database may be copied, distributed and transmitted without express permission for personal and educational uses, providing the materials are cited as follows: From the Roderic C. Knight Musical Instrument Collection, Oberlin College ( http://www.oberlin.edu/library/digital/knight ). For all other uses, please write the author at rknight@oberlin.edu. |
| Collection Name | Roderic C. Knight Musical Instrument Collection |
| Digital Master Filename | Knight_i289.tif |
| Type | Image |
| Format | tif |
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