Ritual and music system: Difference between revisions
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In short, all these regulations on ritual and music are to strengthen people's concept of hierarchy, and finally achieve the political purpose of consolidating their rule. It is self-evident that in order to successfully implement the ritual and music system, education on ritual and music must be strengthened. Therefore, the Zhou Dynasty set up the first ritual music institution in the history of our country - the Spring Palace.<ref name=":0" /> |
In short, all these regulations on ritual and music are to strengthen people's concept of hierarchy, and finally achieve the political purpose of consolidating their rule. It is self-evident that in order to successfully implement the ritual and music system, education on ritual and music must be strengthened. Therefore, the Zhou Dynasty set up the first ritual music institution in the history of our country - the Spring Palace.<ref name=":0" /> |
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== History == |
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{{more information|History of Chinese dance}} |
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According to tradition, ''yayue'' was created by the [[Duke of Zhou]] under commission from [[King Wu of Zhou]], shortly after the latter's conquest of [[Shang dynasty|Shang]]. Incorporated within ''yayue'' were elements of [[Shaman|shamanistic]] or religious traditions, as well as early Chinese [[folk music]]. [[Dance in China|Dance]] was also closely associated with ''yayue'' music, each ''yayue'' pieces may have a ceremonial or ritual dance associated with it. The most important ''yayue'' piece of the Zhou dynasty were the Six Great Dances, each associated with a legendary or historical figure – ''Yunmen Dajuan'' (雲門大卷), ''Daxian'' ([[:zh:大咸|大咸]]), ''Daqing'' (大磬, or ''Dashao'' [[:zh:大韶|大韶]]), ''Daxia'' ([[:zh:大夏 (舞蹈)|大夏]]), and ''Dahu'' (大濩), ''Dawu'' ([[:zh:大武 (樂舞)|大武]]).<ref>{{cite book |author=許之衡 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3PehWwi6UAC&pg=PA5 |title=中國音樂小史 |year=1968 |isbn=9789570512731}} Note some of alternate names given for these dances, such as Xianchi (咸池), Dashao (大韶), and Dazhang (大章)</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Wang Kefen |title=The History of Chinese Dance |publisher=China Books & Periodicals |year=1985 |isbn=978-0835111867 |pages=12–13}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Zehou Li |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1eZuB2xwYwC&pg=PA5 |title=The Chinese Aesthetic Tradition |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |others=translated by Maija Bell Samei |year=2009 |isbn=978-0824833077 |page=5}}</ref> |
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The ''[[Book of Rites]]'' records a number of situations where ''yayue'' might be performed. These included [[Ceremony|ceremonies]] in honour of Heaven and Earth, the gods or the ancestors. There were also detailed rules on the way they were to be performed at [[Diplomacy|diplomatic]] meetings. ''Yayue'' was also used in outdoor activities, such as aristocratic [[archery]] contests, during [[hunting]] expeditions, and after the conclusion of a successful military campaign. ''Yayue'' was characterised by its rigidity of form. When performed, it was stately and formal, serving to distinguish the aristocratic classes. It was sometimes also accompanied by [[lyrics]]. Some of these are preserved in the ''[[Shi Jing|Book of Songs]]''. |
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With the decline of the importance ceremony in the interstate relations of the [[Spring and Autumn period]], so did ''yayue''. [[Confucius]] famously lamented the decline of classical music and the rites. [[Marquess Wen of Wei]] was said to prefer the popular music of [[Wey (state)|Wey]] and [[Zheng (state)|Zheng]] to the ancient court music, listening to which he may fall asleep.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CiQegTh99-wC&pg=PA7 |title=Chinese Theories of Theater and Performance from Confucius to the Present |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0472089239 |editor=Faye Chunfang Fei |pages=7–9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=許之衡 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3PehWwi6UAC&pg=PA15 |title=中國音樂小史 |year=1968 |isbn=9789570512731 |page=15}}</ref> |
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==Early history== |
==Early history== |
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Revision as of 21:54, 21 July 2022
The ritual and music system 礼乐制度 originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Together with the patriarchal system, it constituted the social system of the entire ancient China and had a great influence on the politics, culture, art and thought of later generations.[1]
The ritual and music system is divided into two parts: ritual and music. The part of ritual mainly divides people's identity and social norms, and finally forms a hierarchy. The music part is mainly based on the hierarchical system of etiquette, using music to alleviate social conflicts.[1]
The ritual and music system was established by Duke Zhou in the early days of the Zhou Dynasty. One of its purposes was to consolidate the hierarchical society, and secondly, it was to learn from the demise of the Shang Dynasty, to oppose "promiscuous music", and to adopt measures of "festive music". The implementation of the ritual music system consolidated the social status of the slave-owner class and promoted the development of music. But it makes music a vassal of ritual, and makes music a mode music centered on ritual, which gradually becomes rigid. In order to implement "rule", the ruling class formulated a set of very cumbersome etiquette and music to match it.[1]
Different occasions and people of different identities have different etiquette and different music. For example, to worship the gods, "play the yellow bell, sing Dalu, dance "Cloud Gate"; sacrifice to the ground, "play Taizu, sing the bell, dance "Xianchi"". ("Zhou Li. Spring Palace") When two monarchs meet, for example, they use Daya's "King Wen"; when princes hold banquets to entertain envoys of other countries, they use Xiaoya's "Luming", "Sidu", "Huanghuangzhehua", ("Left") Biography. Four years of Duke Xiang"). Another example is that the emperor used "Yong Song" to worship his ancestors, but scholars and officials could not use it. There are also strict regulations regarding the establishment of bands and singing and dancing teams.[1]
In short, all these regulations on ritual and music are to strengthen people's concept of hierarchy, and finally achieve the political purpose of consolidating their rule. It is self-evident that in order to successfully implement the ritual and music system, education on ritual and music must be strengthened. Therefore, the Zhou Dynasty set up the first ritual music institution in the history of our country - the Spring Palace.[1]
History
According to tradition, yayue was created by the Duke of Zhou under commission from King Wu of Zhou, shortly after the latter's conquest of Shang. Incorporated within yayue were elements of shamanistic or religious traditions, as well as early Chinese folk music. Dance was also closely associated with yayue music, each yayue pieces may have a ceremonial or ritual dance associated with it. The most important yayue piece of the Zhou dynasty were the Six Great Dances, each associated with a legendary or historical figure – Yunmen Dajuan (雲門大卷), Daxian (大咸), Daqing (大磬, or Dashao 大韶), Daxia (大夏), and Dahu (大濩), Dawu (大武).[2][3][4]
The Book of Rites records a number of situations where yayue might be performed. These included ceremonies in honour of Heaven and Earth, the gods or the ancestors. There were also detailed rules on the way they were to be performed at diplomatic meetings. Yayue was also used in outdoor activities, such as aristocratic archery contests, during hunting expeditions, and after the conclusion of a successful military campaign. Yayue was characterised by its rigidity of form. When performed, it was stately and formal, serving to distinguish the aristocratic classes. It was sometimes also accompanied by lyrics. Some of these are preserved in the Book of Songs.
With the decline of the importance ceremony in the interstate relations of the Spring and Autumn period, so did yayue. Confucius famously lamented the decline of classical music and the rites. Marquess Wen of Wei was said to prefer the popular music of Wey and Zheng to the ancient court music, listening to which he may fall asleep.[5][6]
Early history
Archaeological evidence indicates that music culture developed in China from a very early period. Excavations in Jiahu Village in Wuyang County, Henan found bone flutes dated to 9,000 years ago, and clay music instruments called Xun thought to be 7,000 years old have been found in the Hemudu sites in Zhejiang and Banpo in Xi'an.[7]
During the Zhou dynasty, a formal system of court and ceremonial music later termed yayue (meaning "elegant music") was established. Note that the word music (樂, yue) in ancient China can also refer to dance as music and dance were considered integral part of the whole, and its meaning can also be further extended to poetry as well as other art forms and rituals.[8] The word "dance" (舞) similarly also referred to music, and every dance would have had a piece of music associated with it. The most important set of music of the period was the Six-dynasty Music Dance (六代樂舞) performed in rituals in the royal court.[9] Music in the Zhou Dynasty was conceived as a cosmological manifestation of the sound of nature integrated into the binary universal order of yin and yang, and this concept has enduring influence later Chinese thinking on music.[10] "Correct" music according to Zhou concept would involve instruments correlating to the five elements of nature and would bring harmony to nature. Around or before the 7th century BC, a system of pitch generation and pentatonic scale was derived from a cycle-of-fifths theory.[10]
Chinese philosophers took varying approaches to music. To Confucius, a correct form of music is important for the cultivation and refinement of the individual, and the Confucian system considers the formal music yayue to be morally uplifting and the symbol of a good ruler and stable government.[11] Some popular forms of music, however, were considered corrupting in the Confucian view.[12] Mozi on the other hand condemned making music, and argued in Against Music (非樂) that music is an extravagance and indulgence that serves no useful purpose and may be harmful.[13] According to Mencius, a powerful ruler once asked him whether it was moral if he preferred popular music to the classics. The answer was that it only mattered that the ruler loved his subjects.
In ancient China the social status of musicians was much lower than that of painters, though music was seen as central to the harmony and longevity of the state. Almost every emperor took folk songs seriously, sending officers to collect songs to record the popular culture. One of the Confucianist Classics, The Classic of Poetry, contained many folk songs dating from 800 BC to about 400 BC.
Restoring rites to oneself
With the collapse of the Western Zhou social system and the breakdown of rites and music, Chinese history entered the Spring and Autumn and Warring States of the Eastern Zhou. The founder of Confucianism in the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius, faced with the social chaos of the Spring and Autumn period, strongly advocated the restoration of the ritual and music system of the Western Zhou, and advocated "restoring rituals to oneself". social problems and realize a harmonious society in which the world is "righteous".[14]
Confucius explained rites as follows: "The ruler, the minister, the father, the son, and the son," and "The sentiment is to develop and the rites are to stop."
Confucius not only advocated and advocated the restoration of the ritual and music system, but also practiced it physically. Legend has it that he asked Laozi about rituals and became so obsessed with music that he "did not know the taste of meat for three months".
See Also
External Links
Category:Ancient institutions in East Asia Category:Ancient Chinese institutions
- ^ a b c d e "常识必背 | 什么是礼乐制度？_音乐_身份_阶级". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- ^ 許之衡 (1968). 中國音樂小史. ISBN 9789570512731. Note some of alternate names given for these dances, such as Xianchi (咸池), Dashao (大韶), and Dazhang (大章)
- ^ Wang Kefen (1985). The History of Chinese Dance. China Books & Periodicals. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-0835111867.
- ^ Zehou Li (2009). The Chinese Aesthetic Tradition. translated by Maija Bell Samei. University of Hawaii Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0824833077.
- ^ Faye Chunfang Fei, ed. (2002). Chinese Theories of Theater and Performance from Confucius to the Present. University of Michigan Press. pp. 7–9. ISBN 978-0472089239.
- ^ 許之衡 (1968). 中國音樂小史. p. 15. ISBN 9789570512731.
- ^ Jin Jie (3 March 2011). Chinese Music. Cambridge University Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0521186919.
- ^ Faye Chunfang Fei, ed. (2002). Chinese Theories of Theater and Performance from Confucius to the Present. University of Michigan Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0472089239.
- ^ Jin Jie (3 March 2011). Chinese Music. Cambridge University Press. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-0521186919.
- ^ a b Don Michael Randel, ed. (2003). The Harvard Dictionary of Music (4th ed.). Harvard University Press. pp. 260–262. ISBN 978-0674011632.
- ^ Bresler, Liora (2007). International Handbook of Research in Arts Education. Springer. p. 85. ISBN 978-1402029981.
- ^ Dorothy Ko; JaHyun Kim Haboush; Joan R. Piggott, eds. (2003). Women and Confucian Cultures in Premodern China, Korea, and Japan. University of California Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0520231382.
- ^ Faye Chunfang Fei, ed. (2002). Chinese Theories of Theater and Performance from Confucius to the Present. University of Michigan Press. pp. 10–13. ISBN 978-0472089239.
- ^ "杨富荣：孔子的礼乐教化思想". www.chinakongzi.org. Retrieved 2022-07-12.