What is a bell?

The chime is an ancient musical instrument in China. In the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, 1954, three groups of chimes were unearthed from the white tomb in Pudu Village, Chang 'an County, Shaanxi Province. This is the earliest chime ever discovered. It is already a melodic instrument with a certain scale. In recent years, the number of chimes unearthed in various places has gradually increased. It consists of 9 pieces, 1 1 piece, 13 pieces, 14 pieces. Some pitches are quite accurate and can form a complete scale of 5, 6 or 7 tones.

The chime is the largest and most complete bronze ancient musical instrument in the world. It was unearthed in the tomb of Zeng Houyi of the Warring States Period in Leigudun, Suixian County, Hubei Province in 1978. It ***64 pieces, including new bell 19 pieces and permanent bell 45 pieces. When unearthed, eight groups of three floors were hung on the clock rack, which were arranged in order of size. The scene is spectacular, just like an ancient concert hall. On the upper floor of the clock stand, three groups of new bells are hung, which are mainly called at regular intervals, or one or two notes are played when playing. There are three groups of perpetual bells hanging in the middle layer, with three and a half octaves, which are the main parts of this set of chimes and can play all kinds of music together. There are two groups of rain bells hanging on the lower floor, which are thick and heavy, with deep and loud voices, and play a role in setting off the atmosphere and harmony in the performance. Their shape and weight are the smallest in the upper layer, followed by the middle layer and the largest in the lower layer. The smallest piece weighs 2? Four pounds, 20? 2cm； The biggest weight is 203? 6 kg, height 153? 4 cm, longer than any unearthed chime. The playing tools are six mallets painted with the shape of "D" to ring the bell, and two slender wooden sticks to ring the bell.

Ceng Houyi rings the bell.

Each bell body of the chime has an inscription on the wrong gold seal script, totaling more than 2,800 words, all of which are records about music. According to the inscription, the sound measurement shows that the scale of the bell is in the same column as the seven tones in modern C major, with a range of five octaves, a loud voice, perfect timbre, the ability to turn the official tune, 12 semitone, and the ability to play complex music. Musicians carried out experiments with reference to the playing methods at that time, and both ancient and modern music could be played. People who have enjoyed it are all amazed. The clock frame is made of copper and wood. The wooden frame beam is decorated with painted patterns, and the two ends are covered with bronze images of dragons, birds and petals in relief or by carving, which plays a role in decoration and reinforcement. The middle beam and the lower beam are supported by the heads and hands of three bronze sabre warriors respectively, and the bronze figure below stands on a large carved round copper seat. The overall length of the clock stand is 1 1? 83 meters, up to 2? 73 meters. Magnificent spirit, spectacular scenes, rigorous structure, very solid. Although it bears a weight of more than 2,500 kilograms, it has not collapsed after more than 2,400 years.

This kind of chime is large in scale and beautifully cast, creating a miracle in the history of world music and smelting.