Hang Around the World: Music #70 - Chinese Classical (1)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Music #70 - Chinese Classical (1)

Illustration of Chinese Music
This and the following 9 pages attempt to give an overview of Chinese classical music, as listed (and numbered) in the book to the left.

Chinese-reading readers could more fully explore the topics by referring to the Chinese book.

A few pieces, (for example, No. 5 below) that could not be located on YouTube, have only their numbers and titles in the caption. Appreciate that you could let me know, if you find them. ^_^

01.《韶》

* art music / 雅樂

Art music [gagaku in Japanese] was originally a form of Chinese classical music that was performed at imperial courts. Its basic conventions were established 3000 years ago.

It might be performed for ceremonies in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods or the ancestors. It was also used in diplomatic meetings, and in outdoor activities, such as aristocratic archery contests, during hunting expeditions, and after the conclusion of a successful military campaign.

When performed, it was stately and formal. It sometimes had lyrics.

Some form of yayue still survived for imperial ceremonies and rituals until the fall of the Qing Dynasty when the imperial period of China comes to an end.

1900年八國聯軍攻入北京，日軍第一時間攻佔太常寺及搶走所有的公尺譜，造成了中國雅樂失傳。1932年日軍轟炸商務印書館，珍藏的45萬冊圖書和古迹化為灰燼。1938年1月日軍攻佔曲阜，搶走了所有的祭孔樂譜。

* 北京孔廟【大成禮樂】 - an unsteady camera at the Beijing Confucian Temple

* 釋奠禮樂【昭平之章】

* 雅樂

(L)《大夏》唐代民樂