This is one of the most famous Chinese traditional music works since 1875, and has become one of the masterpieces of Chinese music.
The intro has a background of musical harmony, and then a Pipa is plunked faster and faster, giving out drumbeat-like notes. At the same time, deft fingering on a vertical bamboo flute produces the melody. The contrast between the two instruments - one producing pellet-like short notes by twanging, and the other producing long-drawn-out notes - conjures up a picture of a river in springtime.
The technique, often used in folk music, of phrases repeated over and over, and seemingly chasing one another, gives a vivid impression of ripples on water. The understated melody, the fluid rhythm, the ingenious subtlety, together with random orchestration, are combined together to paint a tranquil scene of a river on a moonlit night in spring.
The whole work is divided into ten sections, each having a different title.
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