There was a need in the early 19th century to invent a new musical instrument that imitated the human voice. The weakening of the nobility in Europe and the emergence of a powerful bourgeoisie in the middle of the Romantic period influenced both the arts and music.<\/p>\n
Instrument makers and scientists all over Europe started trying to make this new and revolutionary musical instrument, firstly using strings and reeds made simply from reeds, before doubling them and eventually trying pipes like those used in organs, but nothing seemed close enough to the voice.<\/p>\n
Chinese instruments that produced music using a \u201cfree metal reed\u201d then sprang to mind.<\/p>\n
These had been discovered by two Jesuits, the first in his Trait\u00e9 d\u2019harmonie Universelle<\/em> [Treaty of Universal Harmony] (1636), and in particular by P\u00e8re Amiot, who had set out to evangelise \u201csavages\u201d in China and fallen under the spell of the ancient culture of the Middle Empire. He published a book, M\u00e9moires sur la musique des chinois tant anciens que modernes<\/em> [Memoirs of Chinese Music Ancient and Modern] (1779) and sent two exquisitely made shengs<\/em>, mouth organs, to his French patron.<\/p>\n Sheng<\/strong><\/p>\n