PIPA ARTISTS AND THEIR MUSIC IN LATE MING CHINA.

The article presents an analysis of the use of the musical instrument known as the pipa during the Ming Dynasty in China. A lute-like instrument with four strings, the pipa is said to be central to the repertoire of Ming music, and one of the most respected traditional instruments in China. The article discusses musical transmission between the folk and elite cultures of China, the rise of regional schools, and the development of the pipa as an instrument. It examines how pipa artists could be male or female, and how the music traveled across ethnic and geographic boundaries.