On Mon, 30 Jan 2006, Bill Blank wrote:

>Driving to work in the morning, I listen to NPR's Performance Today
>and usually start in the middle of a work and get to the office before
>it ends.   ...
>
>I was wondering how someone could make a violin sound like that!.  Finally
>at work I got the answer on the NPR web site:
>
> Concerto For the Chinese Erhu
> The "Butterfly Lover's Concerto" is such an evocative title, ...
>
>I am amazed that a 2 stringed instrument has such a range and
>variation in tone/timbre quality.

What I found even more amazing was how it's bowed.  The bow goes UNDER
the strings.

I was in Montreal a few years ago, walking through a busy Prince Arthur
street alive with all kinds of street musicians, open air restaurants,
and lots of people.  I stopped in my tracks as I heard what I thought
was a cello playing in high position.  As we got closer to the sound, I
was totally transfixed.  There was a wonderful street musician playing
the erhu, and that was my first encounter with the instrument.

I also found amazing that the sound can carry so far.  The instrument
itself was quite small.

A year later I found the same talented man on St.  Catherine street,
playing to a boombox backup. I begged him to shut off that horrid
accompaniment and play some traditional stuff for me, which he did. 
It was gorgeous!

Mimi Ezust