Assign4--Yunong Zhang
The instrument I would like to introduce is the Bolie, a double reed air instrument from the Zhuang folklore of Guangxi. The name of the instrument is derived from the Zhuang language, "Bo" meaning "blow" and "Lie" meaning "pipe", meaning blowing pipe. It sounds sweet and expresses rich emotion, and its style integrates expression and performance together.
In the world of traditional music, the making of musical instruments in China has always revered natural materials and maintained the habit of taking materials from the local area, and this is no exception for the instrument Bolie. The Bolie consists of four parts: the mouthpiece, the head, the body and the horn, and is a complex piece to make.
The sound-producing component of the Bolie is the mouthpiece, which determines the sound quality of the instrument. Traditionally, the mouthpiece is made from insect cocoons. The cocoons are selected from soft, immature larvae. Guangxi is located in the southern part of China and the warm spring weather makes the cocoons the best choice. Because the material is natural and prone to wear and tear, Bolie's mouthpiece has to be replaced once or twice a years. The size of the cocoons varies, and slight differences in thickness or softness can affect the tone and intonation of the instrument. Once the pipe-maker have found a suitable cocoon, use a tool to cut across the ends of the cocoon, using the smaller end as a mouthpiece and the larger end to fit over the tube head.
The head and body of the tube as well as the horn are made of wood. The wood is selected from locally produced mulberry, Crateva or lychee wood. From my search I found that these trees need to grow in a warm, humid environment. Guangxi, which is located in a subtropical region, has a warm climate with plenty of rain and light, which provides a favourable environment for these trees to grow. After the pipe-maker has selected the right timber and hollowed out the inner cavity, it is peeled, finished, sanded and finally lacquered to give an attractive and moisture-resistant appearance. It is also important to select a suitable raw wood for the body of the pipe. The body's role is to amplify the volume, to form the tonal row and to determine the tonal qualities, which vary from wood to wood. When selecting different species of wood, the pipe-maker will choose the position of the opening to be perforated according to the length of the inner tube. The wood needs to be smooth on the inside and avoid any worm holes or other breakages. The final step is to assemble the four parts, paint them and the process is complete.
On the one hand, the unique geography of the region creates conditions for the growth of raw materials and allows the pipe-maker to make instruments from local materials without spending a lot of money. On the other hand, according to the information available, the traditional Bolie has a long history handed down from generation to generation, it used in a wide range of local contexts, both for funerals and for festivals and weddings. It is a cultural ensemble that combines music, fete and entertainment. Not only does it enrich the daily lives of local residents, but it also brings some economic benefits.
However, due to changes in the local ecology, it is difficult to find high-quality natural cocoons and collecting fresh cocoons can be harmful to the larvae. The traditional Bolie was also more rudimentary and difficult to play, so the pipe-makers improved upon it. The insect cocoon mouthpiece was replaced with a reed mouthpiece, and rosewood was substituted for lychee wood, widening the original range restrictions and spreading to primary and secondary schools everywhere. But with this comes a new environmental problem, as rosewood, a rare tree species, is used in large quantities in the manufacture of furniture in China. One research showed that a rosewood armoire can command $20,000 in China, there is a significant different to $0.49 of the Malagasy laborer earns for each rosewood log extracted. (Barrett, 2010) Rosewood was also the raw material for the manufacture of many musical instruments, such as the marimba, erhu and yangqin, to name but a few. These has led to a great deal of felling of rosewood.
This paper only focuses on Bolie, and I have not searched for the effects of making this instrument on trees. Bolie is an extremely minority musical instrument and has not yet formed an industry chain such as the piano or violin. The improved Bolie is almost only popularized in Guangxi Province. In addition, the wood used in traditional Bolie is a common local tree species, and the remaining wood used in Bolie production is usually used as firewood. So I guess that making this instrument does not have a large environmental impact.
Little research has been done on Bolie, and even less on Bolie and ecology. The inferences in this paper are based on an analysis and search of the former literature and are therefore somewhat limited.
References:
Niu, Jingjing牛晶晶. Huang, Siqi黄司祺. “Guangxi zhuangzu Bolie zhizuo liucheng” 广西壮族啵咧制作流程[Guangxi Zhuang Bolie Production Process]. Gehai歌海5(2019):27-28.
Lei, Rilang雷日朗. Guangxi Longzhou xian Jinlong zhen zhuangzu Bolie yishu yanjiu-yi Banchitun weili广西龙州县金龙镇壮族啵咧艺术研究——以板池屯为例[A Study on Bolie Art of Zhuang People in Jinlong Township, Longzhou County, Guangxi - An Example from Banchi Tun].Guangxi: Guangxi minzu daxuechubanshe, 2011.
Barrett, M. A., Brown, J. L., Morikawa, M. K., Labat, J.-N., & Yoder, A. D. (2010). CITES Designation for Endangered Rosewood in Madagascar. Science, 328(5982), 1109–1110. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1187740
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