Suona

A Chinese suǒnà and hǎidí on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Chinese/Japanese: 嗩吶 (suǒnà / sonai)

The suǒnà, sometimes known as a shawm in English, is a Chinese double-reed oboe-like instrument derived from the Middle Eastern zurna. Though not generally used in Japanese traditions, street processions performed by Ryukyuan embassies to Edo included suǒnà alongside a number of gongs and drums.

The suǒnà was first introduced into China in the early 16th century, and comes in a variety of sizes, with smaller ones being called hǎidí (海笛). It is played using circular breathing to maintain a constant tone. The suǒnà was primarily used in military contexts in China, traditionally, but is today played either solo or in ensembles.

References

• Gallery labels, Musical Instruments gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art.