Roles Of Timbre In Erhu’s Shaping Of Musical Imageries

Widely held as a representative bowed string instrument in the vast reserve of Chinese musical instruments,Erhu is endowed with profound national sentiments,uniquely-Chinese aesthetic characteristics and extraordinary cultural essence.Bearing notable similarities to human voice,Erhu’s extremely expressive and lyrical timbre allows for versatile textures,styles and colors in depicting wide-ranging emotions and multi-layered timbre changes.This forms the foundation of Erhu’s ability to exquisitely shape musical imageries and personae.This essay analyzes the important role played by timbre in creating musical imagery through chromatic change,emotional expression,regional style and imatability.With reference to relevant examples of sheet music,it explains in detail the said interrelationship,interpreting the effect of timbre on forming musical images both theoretically and in practice.Ultimately,it attempts to explore the impact and artistic value that timbre has on depicting musical images.