Transcript Fou - Healthy Boys

Fou
Presented by Spencer Lere
What is a fou?
Or is it the ancient
Chinese celestial dog
Is it a simple jug
to carry mythical
wine and other goods?
possessing
protective powers and
the missing link
between the Chinese
Wolf and Chow
Chow?
Is it a popular Vietnamese dish?
If your answer was the
simple jar, you’re right!
 A Fou, not Phở or foo, is an ancient Chinese pot, jar, crock, or similar
vessel made of clay or bronze.
 Fou (缶) literally is used to refer to containers in Chinese and as cans
in Japanese.
 The Fou was not considered a real music instrument, or a musician’s
instrument, even in its hay days.
 Fous can come in many shapes and sizes. The most common are the
cylindrical and square shapes.
<---Square
Fou-->
History
Origins
 Its origin dates back to the Xia or Shang dynasties, where it was used
in ritual music. It later became a standard instrument in Confucian ritual
ensembles.
 Going back three millennia, 500 BCE. The earliest fou drums were
little more than low-grade food and wine vessels, fired from clay.
 Fou vessels were used as rhythm instruments for those too poor to
afford the woodwinds and string instruments of the nobility.
 Once after the common era, the fou became a specialized instrument of
primal expression. Before the Qin emperor unified the warring states of
China, it was the fou drum that set the beat for the emperor’s edicts.
 The fou became popular during China’s Spring and Autumn Period
(770-476 BCE), and the Warring States Period (475-221) BCE.
History
Origins
 The Book of History written by Sima Qian (145-c.90 BC), said that
when the Dukes of Qin and Zhao met in Mianchi (in today's Henan
province) in 279 BC, the Duke of Qin pretended to be drunk and asked
his counterpart to play se (a stringed instrument).
 When the Duke of Zhao finished, a Qin historian on the site
immediately noted that the Duke of Qin "ordered" the Duke of Zhao
to play music, a gesture of one-upmanship.
 Lin Xiangru, a wise prime minister serving the Duke of Zhao, asked
the Duke of Qin to play fou, which was popular in Qin. When he was
refused, Lin said: "If Your Highness doesn't play, in five steps, I am
willing to spray the blood of my neck onto Your Highness."
 Not far away, Lian Po, a great general of Zhao, had a big army
massed on the border, ready to rescue his king if necessary. Finally, the
Duke of Qin struck a fou with a stick. Lin noted this: On that day,
the Duke of Qin played fou "for" the Duke of Zhao.
Origins cont.
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 The fou as an instrument was not confirmed until the recent discovery of
nearly 500 musical instruments in the Tombs for Nobles of the Yue
State, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province In 2004.
 Zhang Min, director of Archeological Institute of Nanjing
Museum, said, “It’s the first time that we’ve confirmed the existence of
Fou, a clay musical instrument. We are sure it’s a musical instrument
this time. In the past, we thought it was just a jar, or a basin made of
clay. It’s not just a basin, but a delicate musical instrument, with a
beautiful sound.“
What makes a fou an instrument and not
just a container for wine and other goods?
 Essentially a fou is a container, but can be used as a musical
instrument.
 The fou fits in the category of a percussion instrument.
 A percussion instrument is describes as any object which
produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed,
scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into
vibration.
 The fou is struck with a stick to induce vibrations and pitch, but
in some cases, like the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing
Olympics, the drum is struck with hands.
Notation and Rhythm
 Gongche notation marks for the percussion, played at regular intervals and
written alongside the notes.
 It mimics traditional writing top to bottom and right to left.
 The rhythm marks are written at the top right of the note.
 In this method only the number of notes within a beat can specified. The
actual length of each note is up to tradition and the interpretation of the
artist.
 Gongche notation was invented in the Tang Dynasty. It became popular
in the Song Dynasty.
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2008 Beijing Olympics
opening ceremony!
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How and when a fou is used…
“Yayue and Parties”
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The Fou was used in Confucius court ritual music and ceremonial events such as funerals.
Yayue is a form of Chinese Classical music that was performed
at imperial courts. The basic conventions of yayue were established in the Western Zhou.
Together with law and rites, it formed the formal
representation of aristocratic political power. Yayue has also seen
its influence in other parts of East Asia, notably the gagaku in
Japan and aak in Korea.
Incorporated within yayue were elements of shamanistic or religious
traditions, as well as early Chinese folk music.
Yayue is rigid and when performed stately and formal serving to distinguish
the aristocratic classes.
Although the fou drums were used for music in the Qin State during the Warring State
Period (476 BC - 221 BC), Qin State's music and literature were considered inferior when
compared with its peer states. Since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), fou drums
were used exclusively for funerals.
It is also often used to show the warm welcome of the host in a party.
“BU”
BOO!
Fou + Bu =
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 In the Confucian ritual music of Korea, a musical instrument made from a clay
pot, called the bu (hangul: 부; hanja: 缶), derives from the Fou.
 The Bu is made of clay
and formed in the shape
of a cooking pot. The
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instrument with a bamboo
stick split into 9 pieces to
produce the sound.
The bu was found in
China's Ju Dynasty
but it is not known
exactly when the bu
was brought to Korea.
Today the bu is used in
the Confucian Shrine
Ceremony.
The Bu was played in Aak- a genre of Korean court music, imported from Chinese
ritual music