Se (instrument) - History

History

The history of the se extends back to early Chinese history. It was one of the most important stringed instruments to be created in China, other than the guqin. The se was a highly popular instrument during the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn Period. Surviving specimens have been excavated from places such as the Hubei and Hunan provinces, and the Jiangnan region of China. Other places include Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Liaoning. In Hubei, the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (in the late 400's BCE) was a treasure trove of ancient Chinese instruments, including a complete set of bianzhong (bronze bells), se, guqin (plucked zither), stone chimes, and a drum. His musical entourage of 21 girls and women were also buried with him. By the Warring States Period, the early types of guzheng emerged, which was developed from the se. Thus, it is sometimes said that the guzheng is essentially a smaller and simplified version of the se (with less strings).

According to legend, Fuxi created the se. It is also believed that by the time of the Xia Dynasty the se had already come into being. It is said that the word for music, yue (樂), is composed of the characters si for silk (絲) and mu for wood (木), and that it is a representation of the instrument.

There are also many mentions in Chinese literature, such as Shijing and Lunyu.

The se has always been a high-brow musical instrument. As early as in the Zhou Dynasty, it was used to play ritualistic music for sacrificial offerings.

A similar instrument called seul, derived from the se, is still used in the Confucian ritual music of South Korea, which is performed twice per year at the Munmyo Shrine in Seoul. In Vietnam, the instrument was called sắt and used in a limited context along with the cầm (equivalent to the Chinese guqin).