Sheng (instrument)

Sheng

A late 19th-century sheng, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Woodwind instrument
Classification	Aerophone Interruptive free aerophone Free reed aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	412.132 (Sets of free reeds)
Related instruments
shō khene bawu hulusi harmonica

Sheng
Illustration from the Complete Classics Collection of Ancient China (c. 1700–25)
Chinese	笙
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin shēng Hakka Romanization sen1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization saang1, sang1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ seng Middle Chinese Middle Chinese /ʃˠæŋ/ Old Chinese Zhengzhang /*sreŋ/

The sheng (Chinese: 笙) is a Chinese mouth-blown polyphonic free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes.

It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments, with images depicting its kind dating back to 1100 BCE,^[1] and there are original instruments from the Han dynasty that are preserved in museums today.^[1] Traditionally, the sheng has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo suona or dizi performances. It is one of the main instruments in kunqu and some other forms of Chinese opera. Traditional small ensembles also make use of the sheng, such as the wind and percussion ensembles in northern China. In the modern large Chinese orchestra, it is used for both melody and accompaniment.

The sheng has been used in the works of a few non-Chinese composers, including Unsuk Chin, Jukka Tiensuu, Lou Harrison, Tim Risher, Daníel Bjarnason, Guus Janssen and Christopher Adler. Some believe that Johann Wilde and Pere Amiot traveled to China and brought the first sheng to Europe in 1740 and 1777 respectively,^[2] although there is evidence that free reed musical instruments similar to the sheng were known in Europe a century earlier.^[3]