The Zeng Houyi Bells and Pre-Qin Tuning

The Zeng Houyi bells, cast to sound two pitches each, document a twelve-lü system and modal rotation in the fifth century BCE.

Related

BianzhongBianqingThe Twelve LüSanfen Sunyi (Subtract and Add a Third)

Time and place

In 1978, at Leigudun near Suizhou in Hubei, the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng was opened. The ruler died around 433 BCE. Sixty-five bells hang in three tiers in the central chamber, weighing about 2.5 tonnes; chimes, drums, zithers and sheng were buried with them.

What happened

Each bell sounds two pitches, one at the centre and one at the side, roughly a third apart. Some 2,800 characters cover the bells, with more on the frame and fittings, recording pitch names and intervals from Zeng, Chu, Qi, Jin and Zhou. The casters generated pitches by sanfen sunyi and corrected them by ear, leaving twelve semitones available in the middle register for modal rotation.

Musical features

The oval bells decay quickly, so melodies stay clear instead of blurring. The set spans more than five octaves, deep below and bright above. Inscriptions place gong, shang, jue, zhi and yu beside altered notes: the pentatonic frame is basic, while seven-note and twelve-lü resources remain available.

What to listen for

Begin with the tubular-bell imitation: hear each strike's attack and long decay, then follow the pentatonic points C, D, E, G and A. In the library, Chuhan Ge is a Jilin narrative song about the Chu-Han contest, and Jisi Ge is a Guangdong ritual song; they show pentatonic motion and ceremonial tone, not the actual bells.

Common misunderstandings

A common claim is that the bells play only five notes, or that they were merely ritual objects. The inscriptions and measurements show twelve-lü tuning and modal rotation, and the set was used in sacrifice and banquets. Surviving tunes favour pentatonic writing; that does not limit the instrument.

Sources

• 《中国音乐词典》编辑部编，中国音乐词典（人民音乐出版社）— 条目与年代核对，未引用
• The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., entry "China" — framework and dates checked, not quoted

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.