Classy Indian sounds

Tarun Bhattacharya is introducing Indian classical music to professors and students at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing through his santoor, a stringed musical instrument that has the same Persian roots as the yangqin, or Chinese dulcimer.

The santoor developed into the hammered dulcimer when it arrived in Europe and finally became the yangqin when the Chinese learned about it from Europeans in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), says conservatory professor Chen Ziming.

"Music that comes from the santoor is spiritual. It leads listeners to communicate with God. The music of the yangqin, on the other hand, is brighter. It usually depicts the beauty of nature," says Liu Yuening, also a professor at the conservatory.