Twelve sounds drummed out for a city in distress

Percussion instruments from Wuhan have been in the spotlight recently, with the celebrated composer Tan Dun premiering his latest work, 12 Sounds of Wuhan, during a concert in Belgium by the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra on Feb 15.

Tan wrote the piece especially for the concert in Antwerp's Queen Elisabeth Hall, held in support of those suffering from the novel coronavirus. The performance paired 12 gongs made in Wuhan with the orchestra, which Tan conducted.

"In the music world we all knew of the city of Wuhan long before COVID-19," Tan wrote on his official website about the new piece.

"It's where Wuhan gongs are from. Together with the orchestra and the public in Antwerp I want to reflect on our physical vulnerability, express my condolences to the victims of the coronavirus and thank the scientists, doctors and governments for their efforts."

Percussion musical instruments made in Wuhan date back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). One of the best-known gong makers is Gaohongtai, founded in the city in 1914. In 2007 Hubei province listed the company's artisanship as an intangible cultural heritage.

"Gongs made by Gaohongtai connect Wuhan with the world's top symphony orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker and Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra because they use gongs made in Wuhan, a newspaper in the city, Chutian Metro Daily, said.

There are seven main techniques in making a gong, including melting copper, shaping, trimming and pitch fixing.

In an interview with the newspaper, Lu Guonian, a veteran craftsman and head of the company's technological team, who started working with the company when he was 16, said Wuhan is known for its rich varieties of ancient style copper musical instruments, and the traditional craftsmanship of Gaohongtai has been passed down for generations, drawing worldwide acclaim.

One of those who loves Wuhan gongs is Michael Ranta, 77, an American percussionist who first came across gongs made in China 63 years ago when he was in a high school orchestra. The orchestra's gongs were made in Europe and the United States, and there was an old one from China.

Ranta migrated to West Germany in 1967, before working in Japan from 1970 to 1971, then spending seven years in Taiwan from 1972. His main reason for going there was to study tai chi and Chinese, he says. He also taught percussion and music history at four colleges in Taipei and collaborated with local musicians, especially the renowned Li Tai-Hsiang.

In 1977, during a trip to Hong Kong, Ranta came across Chinese gongs on sale and spotted the inscription on the back "Made in Wuhan". Over the next few years he bought a few of these gongs and had them shipped back to West Germany, and in 1980 he founded Asian Sound, selling Wuhan gongs and cymbals as well as local musical instruments made in Asia.

"For me, gongs from Wuhan have a very warm sound that the European and American gongs are lacking," Ranta says. "They have more interesting frequencies."

He paid his first visit to Wuhan in 1984 and started to do business with local companies instead of via Hong Kong. Gaohongtai was one of the companies he dealt with.

In 2015 Ranta staged Yuan Shan (round mountain), a piece he composed that employs percussions made in Wuhan and natural sounds. The idea for the piece came to Ranta in 1972 when he practiced tai chi every day on a small mountain north of Taipei. In addition to yuan being a Chinese word for round, the Japanese variant of the character for yuan can mean peace or harmony, he says.

Yuan Shan, based on life circles, and in four parts, took more than 30 years to write, being completed in 2008.

Ranta had planned to travel to Wuhan this year, but those plans have been put on hold.