Zhao Taisheng, the principal sanxian player in the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO), has a mission(keep)the traditional instrument, sanxian, alive and(devote) his career to perfecting his skill on the instrument and preserving this ancient art since he graduated from college.
Musician Zhao Taisheng calls his favored instrument—the sanxian, or three-stringed lute—a voice for his emotions. a vehicle for charm and honor, a ticket to an eventful life. He regards the sanxianan important part of Chinese folk music tradition. He explains that,in the early decades of the 2Oth century, the number of students of the sanxian( be)similar to that of those studying other traditional Chinese string instruments such as the pipa or guzheng However, the instrument began to lose(popular) with the adoption of Western orchestra styles, which preferred softer harmonies.
In fact, the sanxian hasattractive appearance: lt is usually around 120 centimeters long, and has three strings stretched over a fingerboard, allows for extensive glissando, or the glide from one pitch to another. Like most folk traditions, it is difficult to trace the origins of the sanxian. By some (account),it may date back to the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC). Images of similar instruments can be found in a Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) sculpture,and the characters (literal)mean"three strings", first appeared in a Ming Dynasty(1368-1644)text.
