The Dragon's Roar

This lavishly illustrated volume focuses attention on the seven important qin zithers in the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The instruments date from the period between the late Middle Ages and modern times. The current assessment of early archaeological finds extends the origins of qin instruments back to the Bronze Age and leads to a new approach. Yang Yuanzheng describes three eras in the development of the qin zither and its cultural environment. He carefully analyses the construction of the instruments and questions previous assumptions with regard to age and origins. These insights, the cultural significance of the qin zithers and the unique nature of the instruments in the two galleries make this volume essential reading for art historians and music archaeologists as well as lovers of this gentle sounding instrument, which can mostly be heard in classical Chinese music.