Curt Sachs on the qin
From: Curt Sachs, The History of Musical Instruments, New York: Norton & Co., 1940
"Occidental listeners have great difficulty in perceiving the delicate shades of ch'in playing and in appreciating its spirituality. But the average
Oriental cannot appreciate it either. The ch'in does not court popularity,
nor does it suit dilettantism. It is the instrument of philosophers and sages.
In the privacy of a closed room, alone or before a few selected friends who
listen respectfully and silently, the immaterial notes of the ch'in reveal to
the listeners the ultimate truths of life and religion."
Return to the Qin ToC
or to miscellanea.