The sanxian – literally “three strings” – is a Chinese lute common to Cantonese opera. Its three strings are plucked along a long, fretless fingerboard, which resonate across a box stretched tightly with snake skin. Traditionally, a player would pluck the strings with a thin, hard piece of animal horn, but today most players use a plastic pick or their fingernails.
The sanxian’s sound is percussive and loud, almost like a banjo, and its most similar cousin is the Japanese shamisen, which derived from the sanxian itself. While the sanxian used to be one of the most popular Chinese folk instruments, especially for accompanying voice, today the approximately 2,000-year-old tradition is facing extinction. The sanxian is usually an accompanying instrument that lacks many solo pieces so it is often excluded from Chinese orchestras and seldom taught at conservatories. Those factors along with its high entry cost have cause dwindling interest in the instrument in favor of more popular and user friendly instruments. MOCA’s Chinese Musical Theatrical Association (CMTA) Collection includes a number of rare musical instruments such as this one, among other costumes, photographs, props, and related documents.
三弦，顾名思义就是“三根弦”，是粤剧中常见的一种中国弹拨乐器。沿着一根长长的无定音档子的指板拨弹三根弦，音乐通过用蛇皮拉紧的共鸣箱中流出。传统上，演奏者会用一块薄而坚硬的动物角来拨弦，而现在，大多数演奏者会用塑料片或指甲。
三弦琴的声音是有冲击力的、响亮的，很像班卓琴，与它最相似的乐器是日本三弦，而日本三弦正是由三弦琴本身发展而来。尽管三弦琴曾经是最受欢迎的中国民间乐器之一，特别是作为伴奏乐器，但如今，这一约有2000年历史的古老乐器正在面临失传。因为三弦通常是一种伴奏乐器，缺少许多独奏的桥段，所以它常常被排除在中国的管弦乐队之外，也很少在音乐学院教授。这些因素加上高昂的入门成本，使得人们对这种乐器的兴趣越来越小，转而青睐其他更受欢迎、更方便使用的乐器。MOCA的中国音乐剧社（CMTA）馆藏包括许多罕见的乐器，包括这件三弦，另外还有戏服、照片、舞台道具和其他相关文件等。
Countdown to the TCS NYC Marathon on November 3, 2019: 216 Days.
2019年是美国第一条横贯大陆铁路建成150周年，为了纪念第一批华人来美建设这条铁路所做出的巨大贡献， MOCA将其2019 TCS NYC Marathon的活动命名为 MOCA Spike 150 – Running Forward With Our Stories！ 鼓励大家通过马拉松公益跑，全国线上接力，以及一天一个故事的方式讲述150个华人的历史故事，敬请大家持续关注， 讲出华人自己的故事，回顾过去，立足现在，展望未来，共同书写美国历史，使之更加充实完整。