Abstract | In the summer of 1978, in China's Hubei province, archaeologists discovered a tomb from the Warring States period (475-221 BC) which belonged to a highranking noble, Marquis Yi, of a small kingdom called Zeng. Yi's tomb housed 215 well-preserved instruments, including a fully intact set of 65 bronze bells which are known collectively as bianzhong. In this article, the bells are featured. China born, United States-based composer Tan Dun's large-scale choral and orchestral work entitled Symphony 1997 (Heaven Earth Mankind), which features the bianzhong, is also introduced. |
---|