Two-tone bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng
Campanas bitonales del marqués Yi de Zeng
- Date
- 433 BCE · confidence high
- Place
- Leigudun, Suizhou, Hubei, China
- Credited to
- Founders of the State of Zeng
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What it is
A set of 65 bronze bells with an almond-shaped cross-section that produce two different notes depending on where they are struck, tuned to a twelve-semitone scale and inscribed with the names of the notes. It shows remarkable empirical mastery of acoustics and alloying.
Found in 1978 in the tomb of Marquis Yi, precisely dated by inscriptions to 433 BCE.
What it led to
- music theory of the twelve lü
- control of alloy composition and thickness to tune bronze