yunluo

▪ musical instrument

Chinese“cloud gongs” Wade-Giles romanization yün-lo 

 Chinese gong chime usually consisting of 10 gongs that are suspended in individual compartments on a wooden frame and beaten with sticks that have hard or soft tips. It may be carried by a handle or set on a table. Pairs of yunluo may be played by one or two performers. The instrument is tuned with seven pitches to the octave, and its traditional range is about a 10th (i.e., an octave plus a third, as C to the E in the next octave). Each gong is approximately 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter; pitch is determined by the thickness of the metal.

      The yunluo was part of Chinese ensembles from the early 14th century, and by the 19th century it was often used in wedding or funeral processions and some Daoist and Buddhist ceremonies. During the mid-20th century the yunluo was integrated into modern Chinese orchestras, for which the size and design of the instrument was modified and the number of gongs increased; modern versions may have as many as 40 gongs and include 12 pitches to the octave, producing a range of more than three octaves.

* * *