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CHINESE

MUSIC.

ON CHINESE

MUSIC.

Music in

China

has

undoubtedly

been

known

since

the

remotest

antiquitj-.

It

is

said

to

have

been

invented

by

the

Emperor

Fu

Hsi

(B.C.

2852);

but

the invention

of

music

can

scarcely

be

attributed

to anybody.

The

revelation

of it

must

have

proceeded

from

man's

admiration

of

Nature. It is, say

the

Chinese,

the

essence

of

the

harmony existing

between

heaven, earth,

and

man

;

and

since

we

believe

that

all human beings

come forth from

AdaiM

and subsequently from Noah,

we

may

reasonably

infer that the chiefs

of each

of

the gi-ear

famihes

carried

with them the

principles

of

the

then

existing

music

;

these

principles, differently

influenced by

the

more

or

less

artistic skill of the

different nations,

have

formed

the various

systems, which

at

first

seem diametrically opjiosed,

but which,

when

compared and

deprived

of their special and

characteristic individuality,

show

such

coincidence,

such

strildng similarities.

as

to render their common

origin

indubitable.

The

first

invaders

of China^ certainly

brought

with

them

certain

notions

of music. The

aborigines

themselves-

had also

some kind of

musical

system, which

their conquerors admired

and

probably

mixed with

their

own.

We

read

in the

jg

M

( T'ung-tien) that the

music of the Emperor

Fu

Hsi was

called

^ ^

(fu-lai)

or

jj;

$

(li-pen)

;

that

of

the Emperor

Sh^n Nung,

^

$f

(fu-t'e)

or

f

^

(hsia-mou):

and

that of

the

Emperor Huang

Ti,

j^ ^

(hsien-chih),

or

the

 

all-pervading

mfluence. ^ What

the

real

meaning

of

these names was is not

known, and

they may

be

compared

to

the

obscure

musical terms

of

the Bible.

At

that time music

was

not regulated

by

any

laws ;

each

Emperor

had

his

own system, and

they

did not

always

agree.*

Beginning with Huang Ti,

 

the

Yellow-

Emperor

 

(B.C.

2697),

Chinese

music assumes

its

characteristic

fonn.

A

certain

note

is

taken

as

the

base

;

sounds are

fixed,

and receive

names

;

comparisons

are

di-awn

between the

notes

and the celestial

bodies

;

music

becomes

a necessity in the

State

—

a

key

to

good

government.

Huang Ti hears it.^ To obey

the desire

of his

human nature,

he renders it manifest

through all

the Empire to

comply with the

wishes

of heaven;

he

practises

it,

to be

in accordance with

the rites of

propriety; and he

establishes it

in the Empire,

to render the people better

and

happier. The

succeeding Emperors

followed

the system

of

Huang Ti,

and composed

hymns

the great

Shun

(B.C.

2255)

composed

the

piece

called

Ta

Slaw,

the very same

which,

1,600

years later,

so

deeply impressed

Confucius

that for

three months

 

he

did

not

know

the taste

of

meat, **

—

that

is,

he

was

so

captured

by

the

beauty

of

the

piece that

for

three

months

he

thought

of

nothing else.

All the

philosophers

are

unanimous

in their praise

of ancient music

'

They

were

a

band

of

immigrants

fighting

their- way amongst

the

aborigines,

and

supposed to

have

come

from

the

south

of

the Caspian Sea.

''

The lA, the Kiuii,

and

the

Fc.ng

tribes,

remnants

of

which are said

to be .still

in existence

in

South

China.

'

The

5g

^

(T-img-tien),

or

 

Complete

Dictionary,

by

jj^

fg

(Tr

Yu),

says

:

{i^

^

|^

^

|fc

^

ij^

^

See

Preface to the

^ M

K

^>.

^^hich says :

J.

^

;j;

^

^ |||

^

^

^-

^.

^ fe

fi

^

-^

*

m,

chapter

^3

^

^

±

}^

X

M

±

i^

% H

:t ^

m

M-

M

:t

i- ).

±

'M-

'

Sec

^

^,

which

says

iF

^

^

Wi

tU

E

M

T^

^]i

^

%