小琵琶【英】

Small Pipa

定义

小琵琶是与大琵琶相对而言，大琵琶大多为曲颈样式，小琵琶多为直颈形状。第220窟(初唐)经变乐队中配置有小琵琶，并安排在乐队醒目的地方。显然有意在突出小琵琶的音色。第199窟(盛唐)大、小琵琶同时出现在一个经变乐队中，并排列在一起，说明两件琵琶的音色不同、效果不一。大琵琶为低音，小琵琶为高音，常规琵琶为中音，使琵琶类本身构成高、中、低音色系列化，这就大大拓宽了琵琶的表现功能，极大地丰富了琵琶音色。从中也可显示出敦煌壁画乐器不但品种在增多，而且品种的系列化以及乐器的配套组合也多有新颖之处，这是壁画音乐艺术的出新与发展

Big Pipa and Small Pipa are so called for their sizes. Generally, Big Pipa has curved neck ang Small Pipa has straight neck. There is Small Pipa in the sutra illustration band in Cave No.220 (Early Tang Dynasty). The position of Small Pipa is visible to show its different voice pitches. In the sutra illustration band of Cave No.199 (Tang Dynasty), there are both Big Pipa and Small Pipa. The two different Pipas are arranged together, which reflects that the two Pipas have different voice pitches. The voice of Big Pipa is the lowest, that of Small Pipa highest and that of regular Pipa is in the middle. The three kinds of Pipa have enriched the voice with high, middle and low pitches and enabled the performance of Pipa, from which we can figure out that the musical instruments appeared in Dunhuang frescoes are increasing in variety, series and set. All these reflect the innovation and development of the musical art in frescoes.