Chinese Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Chinese Music - Essay Example In the historical context, Chinese music is one of the primal streams that have been present in the society for the longest time (Van 4). From the historical context, music has been one of the cultural aspects that have presented a serious and pleasurable opportunity for self-expression. The available information relates that the Chinese culture has existed solidly for over five years, a period through which music has remained a core pillar of the culture. Archeological evidence highlights that the Neolithic man living in china had a form of music because of the presence of musical instruments among other archeological artifacts. There are four distinct musical activities in the Chinese society. These included music for accompaniment, entertainment, ritualistic music, and music classes. Music for accompaniment accompanied dances such as lion, yingge, dragon, and chaozhou. In ancient china dynasties, people viewed music as the natural law and a moral force. Most of the time, those with musical talent strived to match their singing with the tunes produced in nature by birds and other objects. The Zhou dynasty also regarded music highly and Confucianism existing during that period had a set of songs that it taught. (5). However, the living principles of the Zhou dynasty did not support some of the music that was seemingly subversive to the moral principles that Confucianism taught. In Chinese tradition, music was one of the four foundational aspects of the society. Such regard for music compelled each feudal state to establish a set of music styles that defined its people. For the Zhou dynasty, it established a musical model for the succeeding dynasties because it had established court music. The model encompassed ritual and ceremonial music, musical education system, varying musical styles and music offices within the court. The prevailing political con ditions divided the dynasty into different competing dynasties that emphasized the role of music in the society. The Qin and Han dynasty had both court music and ritual music performed in courts. During the reign of these kingdoms, music expanded immensely. The different dynasties sought to incorporate certain musical aspects into the traditional Chinese music. This factor served to enrich the Chinese music through the integration of new musical aspects. Moreover, the prevailing Chinese music in the Han dynasty spread to the southern region of China (12). A new range of musical instruments emerged during the reign of the different kingdoms. The emerging music after integration with new musical aspects from non-indigenous sources exhibited new tonal variations. After the reunion of the Chinese society forming the Sui Dynasty, other changes emerged to define the court music system. This dynasty appreciated diversity and foreign musicians had the permission to perform and offer musical instruction. The music industry was becoming highly influential and exerting impact on the young people through the new employment openings. The most critical benchmark of music was the successful launching of the first music academy during the Sui dynasty. The role of this academy was to open up a training forum for the young to enhance