Chinese musical instruments of the huqin family: history and current status

This article deals with the history, peculiarities of making and performing on musical instruments of the Huqin family, including erhu, jinghu, shihu, gaohu and banhu. The origin, formation and development process, as well as the current state of the instruments of this group are analysed. According to the relevant documents, the huqin emerged around the 9th century AD. Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it was often combined with other kinds of musical instruments and used in various forms of songs, dances, musical accompaniment and ensembles. By the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the huqin had already taken an important and indispensable place in the orchestra. It is revealed that the instruments of this group were actively demanded in the musical life of China throughout the entire period of Chinese music development. It is noted that nowadays the huqin has not only turned into a series of solo instruments, but also plays an irreplaceable role in national orchestras. The Forbidden City (Beijing) is a vivid example of such an ensemble. A complex of theoretical, empirical and special methods was used, which allowed to reflect the specificity of the process of formation and development of this instrumental group. The author emphasises the study of the erhu as the most famous and popular Chinese instrument. The conducted research proves the viability of the huqin, predicts the ways of its further improvement, as well as its integration into the world cultural space.