European literature about the qin
Most of the western literature on the qin is in English. However, there a few books written in other languages.
L'Art du qin
G. Goormaghtigh, L'Art du qin. Deux textes d'esthétique musicale chinoise. Bruxelles : Institut belge des Hautes études chinoises, 1990, 209 pp.
The two Chinese texts translated into French are:
- Xi Kang's Poetical Essay on the Lute, and
- The Twenty-Four Touches by Xu Hong (style name Qingshan)
Purchase from Peeters Publishers
La musique chinoise
François Picard, La musique chinoise. Paris, Minerve, 1991. (Revised edition: Paris, You-Feng, 2003).
This book is a study on Chinese music, including pitch theory and analisys of many Chinese instruments.
Qin - die klassische chinesische Griffbrettzither
Manfred Dahmer, Qin - die klassische chinesische Griffbrettzither. Uelzen: ML-Verlag, Neuauflage, 2003. With Audio-CD.
An introduction to the Qin and its music, containing many qin poems translated into German.
Qin
Cecilia Lindqvist, Qin. Albert Bonnier, Stockholm, 2006. With Audio-CD.
As Ms.Lindqvist writes on the book's cover: The story of the Chinese instrument called qin, and its significance within the lives of the educated classes, the music, poets, individuals and perceptions associated with the qin – not least how to live your life – and something of what I experienced when I became deeply involved in this. In Swedish.
More information about this book:
