Chinese music exchange

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Chinese Art

Oct 30 • 340 read

The music exchange between China and neighboring countries has a history of 2,000 years, and that between China and western countries also has a history of hundreds of years.

Chinese music exchange - Cchatty — Music exchange between China and West

In its long history, Chinese music has made many contributions to the world's music culture. It has integrated a great deal of foreign music. From the Chinese nation to foreign nations, from neighboring countries and regions in Southeast Asia and Central Asia to faraway Europe, America, and the entire world, the China and West exchange of music has lasted more than 2,000 years. Their changes mainly lie in two aspects: On the one hand, international music improves Chinese music; on the other, Chinese music has enhanced the culture of other countries.

Starting with the Pitch Pipe

The music cultural exchange between Chinese people and foreign nations in ancient times was recorded in Lu,s Spring and Autumn Annuals: Ancient Music. In it, the Yellow Emperor gives Ling Lun, a musician a task to create the 12-tone equal temperaments, that is, the 12 tones that are sounded from 12 pitch pipes made of bamboos and constitute music. Therefore, Ling Lun walked westwards from a place called Daxia to the north slope of the Kunlun Mountain where he found bamboos in streams.

Today, academic circles both at home and abroad have different opinions on where Ling Lun arrived. Some of them suppose that Ling Lun reached an old country west of Congling Mountain, today's northern part of Afghanistan; while others deduce he arrived in the southeastern part of Gansu Province, China. Regardless, the book records that the economically and culturally advanced central plains became a center of Chinese music culture as early as 4,000 years ago. There is no doubt that the tribes in the central plains had frequent exchanges on music with peripheral tribes.

In 200 BC in the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian was sent on two diplomatic missions to the Western Regions. In his first mission, China established direct connections with civilizations cradled in the regions west of China. After that, countries in central and west Asia introduced their musical instruments, songs, and dances to the central plains through the Silk Road, adding a new color to Chinese music there.

In mid AD 400 of the Southern Dynasty, Buddhist music was introduced from Tianzhu (present-day India) into China. Monks sang songs to attract audiences and spread Buddhist doctrines. Meanwhile, Chinese monks translated these Sanskrit songs into Chinese and sang them in Chinese melodies.

Since the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the Guizi music originated from the Western Regions, as the masterpieces from the minorities, prevailed in the central plains, together with other foreign music. They laid a firm foundation for the development of the imperial court music of the Sui and Tang dynasties. During the three centuries of the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Chinese and Western exchange of music reached an all-time high.

The overland Silk Road spanned over countries in the Western Regions and led up to continental Europe. Through it, Christianity was introduced to China from Europe, and so were Christian hymns. At the same time, the maritime "Silk Road" links China with its neighbors Japan and Korea. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, Anguo music, Tianzhu music, Korean music (from present Korea), and Funan music (from present Cambodia) were widely incorporated into imperial court music such as Seven Kinds of Music, Nine Kinds of Music, and Ten Kinds of Music. They became the favorite song and dance works of society at the time.

Melody of White Feathers Garment composed by the Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty embodies the introduction and influence of Indian music. It was recorded that Emperor Xuanzong had a fancy imagination when he was climbing the Sanxiang Chamber and looking far into the Nuer Mountain in Kaiyuan Period. He was inspired and began to compose the Melody of White Feathers Garment. By chance, Yang Jingshu, general of Xiliang Prefecture, presented the Indian Bralvnan Melody to him. The Emperor discovered the Indian melody had some tones that coincided with his composition and then incorporated them into the Melody of White Feathers Garment.

The Nestorian stele, formally the Memorial of the Propagation in China of the Luminous Religion from Daqin, is proof that attests Christianity was introduced to China in the early Tang Dynasty. Daqin refers to the Roman Empire; the Luminous Religion is a branch of Christianity, namely the Nestorianism. In AD 800, Christian hymns spread to Nestorian churches and, through these churches, were introduced into China. These hymns become a milestone in the history of the Chinese and Western exchange of music.

After the founding of the Qing Dynasty, an increasing number of missionaries came to China from all over the world, introducing hymns and western musical instruments. But they merely spread to limit the scope and had little influence on the entire society. The first record of the western keyboard stringed instrument in China can trace back to 1601. In that year, Matteo Ricci came to Beijing for the second time and presented a western harpsichord to the emperor. The European-style harpsichord was called Atlantic Qin (Yaqin, Fanqin, wired Qin, or Tianqin).

The School Songs originated in the early 1920s, played a crucial role in the rejuvenation of modern Chinese music. In 1902, Shen Xin'gong held a music seminar in Tokyo. He even called for composing new lyrics for some famous Japanese, European and American songs. In 1904, the Imperial Court of the Qing Dynasty approved the Authorized School Regulation and put it into effect. From then on, many new schools opened music and song classes in succession.

Along with the progress of school songs, western music was introduced and prevailed in various forms such as song, organ, piano, and violin. Meanwhile, music notations like numbered musical notation and staff as well as basic music theory became popular among the people. For instance, the team was introduced into China in the period under the reign of Emperor Kangxi but became popular in the 19th century. Also, books on essential western music like Yue Dian Da Zhang (chapters on music), Outline of Music Theory, and Harmonics were published in large numbers.

After the Republic of China was founded in 1912, the government enlisted music and song class into required classes for primary and secondary schools. Since most school songs advocated the patriotic essences of "study, progress, and civilization," "making China rich and building up its military power" and "saving the nation from extinction," they quickly became fashionable in the social and cultural lives of the time. School songs helped to lay the foundation for the mass chorus of China and foster a large number of native music education workers.

The early school's songs were rewritten from Japanese, European, and American songs and composed with new lyrics in original melodies. In 1906, Li Shutong published The Music Tabloid, the first music periodical of China. At the same time, he took the lead in composing the first multi-part and three-part chorus named Spring Outing. After him, other Chinese composers began to write lyrics.

However, Chinese and western music was authentically integrated after the "May 4th” Movement. During the "May 4th" Movement, China's cultural and ideological circles raised a long-lasting discussion concerning Chinese and western cultures. The debate allowed Chinese people to have a thorough grasp of the value of western music culture.

From 1920, China gradually established several professional music educational institutions, which specialized in teaching knowledge and skills of western music. These institutions urged China to absorb more essences of western music culture.

Those who made the first contributions in rejuvenating modern Chinese music included Xiao Youmei and Wang Guangqi.

Xiao Youmei went to Japan in 1901 for advanced studies on education and music. He went to Germany to study music theory and composition, piano performance, and music conducting in 1912. He returned to China after finishing his studies. In November 1928, he together with Cai Yuanpei founded the Public Conservatory of Music, the first independent professional music college for higher education. He composed more than 90 songs including two large-scale choruses, a string quartet Serenade, a solo piano piece called condolence, a work for cello Thinking in Autumn, and an orchestral dance Work Called Dance of Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Dress. He improved music composition from an era of lyric writing to the stage of professional music composition.

Wang Guangqi was the founder of the ethnomusicology of China. His works, such as The History of Music in China, A Study on the Eastern and Western Music Systems, National Music of the East, Chinese Classical Verses, Lyrics, and Poetic Dramas: Ascending or Rising Meters, and A Study on the Translation of Musical Notations, briefed readers on the theory and practice of western music in an all-round and systematic manner and had a great influence on China's musicology.

Also, foreign musicians in China also made contributions to music education, especially in spreading western music culture. Of them, Aaron Avshalomov, a Russian Jew, went deeper into the practice of art than others. He came to China in 1914 and began to compose music works in the Chinese national style in the 1920s. Some of his works like the opera Guanyin and the dance drama Inverted Reflection of Qin in Beam Wave were created based on famous Chinese legends, stories, or traditional operas.

In 1934, Alexander Tcherepnin, a Russian composer, sponsored a competition of Chinese music works. He Luting created a piano piece with distinctive Chinese characteristics and won first prize. The work, named Corydon Piccolo, is a perfect combination of Chinese and western thoughts on music.

Many artists made unremitting efforts in absorbing foreign music culture and developing Chinese music. Among them, Zhao Yuanren held tests for Chinese-style melodies and harmonies with Chinese characteristics; Liu Tianhua broke a new path with the integration of Chinese and western music; Huang Zi advocated following a road of national music, Ma Sicong strove to create more fresh characteristic national music, and Nie Er and Xian Xinghai opened up a new music style.

After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Chinese music culture stepped onto a new stage. At the very beginning, the Chinese and Western exchange of music was merely limited to the former Soviet Union and a few socialist countries in Eastern Europe. However, exchange-restricted the growth of Chinese music.

From 1966 to 1976, China isolated itself from the outside world. The Chinese-western exchange of music was at a standstill during that decade. World music, meanwhile, entered an era of pluralism in which diversified schools of music emerged one after another, including serial music, electronic music, real music, aleatory music, and pop music.

In 1979, China began to carry out the reform and opening-up policy and returned to the international stage. In the same year, Sino-foreign exchanges of music wrote a new page. On the one hand, a high number of world-famous musicians and bands came to China to show the music styles of different countries. On the other, great efforts were made by China to translate a lot of foreign music theory related books, introduce music scores, records, and tapes from abroad, send many Chinese students to other countries, invite foreign music experts in China to give lectures, hold international music academic conferences, and increase music information exchanges with other countries.

The Spread of Chinese Music

The Imperial Court Music of the Sui and Tang dynasties spread to other Asian countries and made wide and far-reaching influences. In the early Tang Dynasty, Corea (present-day Korea) began to send students to China and continued the tradition for years. Until the first years of the 12th century, Korean music was divided into Tang music and Korean music. The former was introduced from China and played on the same musical instruments as Chinese music, while Korean musicians created the latter and performed with distinct musical instruments.

China and Japan, separated by a narrow channel, have a long history of cultural exchange. In the Sui and Tang dynasties during AD 700, Sino-Japanese cultural exchange hit a historic high. In particular, in the Tang Dynasty, Japan frequently dispatched envoys to China to learn Chinese culture and bring back precious musical notations and instruments. In AD 716, Kibi Makibi, a Japanese student, came to China and stayed for 18 years. He brought back a bronze pitch pipe and 10 volumes of Selections from Music Books to Japan, to help spread Chinese music theories in Japan. In AD 702, Japan established Gagaku-Ryo, a music school that is modeled after the Chinese music institute of the Tang Dynasty.

Japanese music was incorporated with many elements of Chinese music culture in the process of its development. After the Imperial Court Music of the Tang Dynasty was introduced to Japan, it attracted attention and gradually grew into gagaku, a type of formal Japanese music. Today gagaku is deemed to be an important symbol of Japanese national music. A group of Chinese musical instruments of the Tang Dynasty that are recognized as national treasures of Japan is still kept in the Shoso-in Repository of Todaiji Temple, Nara, Japan. These treasures include the gold and silver foil inlay Qin, the rosewood five- string lute inlaid with carved mother-of-pearl, a crooked neck lute, a moon guitar, and a Kugo.

In the 20th century, Mei Lanfang, a great Chinese artist of Peking Opera, held several performances abroad and raised strong appreciation. He was invited to perform in Japan in 1919 and 1924 and had a chance to play with well-known Chinese actors such as Onoe Baiko and Nakamura Jakuemon. At the same time, he spread the art of traditional Chinese opera in Japan.

In 1930, Mei Lanfang was invited to visit the United States for half a year. During that period, he performed such Chinese operas as Revolt of the Fishing Folks, Fenhe River Bay, Drunken Beauty, Farewell My Concubine, Chang-Er Flies to the Moon and the Fairy Scattering Flowers in Seattle, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. On some occasions, he communicated with dramatists Bella Scott and Stark Young, artist Charlie Chaplin and dancer Rose Denis.

Since the reform and opening up, the Sino-foreign exchange of music became more and more frequent. A great number of world-renowned musicians and bands have held performances in China, while an increasing number of international students have come to China to learn how to play Chinese musical instruments.

Meanwhile, Chinese artists left China to demonstrate Chinese music to the world. The Chinese national music orchestra has held a New Year's concert in the Golden Concert Hall of Vienna, Austria, for several years in a row. They not only performed Chinese national music but also played waltzes composed by Johann Strauss and other Austrian-style works, thus becoming popular among Austrian people. At the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, China Jiangsu Kunqu Opera Troupe performed King Lear in northern European countries like the U.K. and Belgium. Among others, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the first batch of representative works of the Human Oral and Non-material Cultural Heritage on May 18, 2001, of which Chinese Kunqu topped the list. In 2003, UNESCO also enlisted the Chinese guqin into the Human Oral and Non-material Cultural Heritage. In 2005, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) joined Muqam of Uygur and Long Tone of Mongolia into the third batch of masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

In such an era that society has become highly developed, and countries world¬wide are more closely related to each other, Chinese mu¬sic culture has also grown to be more global and diversified. Classical music circles in the western world that stood for civilization and elegance in the old days has risen to an unprec¬edented level in Chinese fashion. Among the Chinese who have studied or lived abroad, a large number of famed composers and performers have come to the fore.

Yo-Yo Ma is an American-Chinese cellist living in the U.S. and has more than 50 albums. He has won 13 times of Grammy prizes and created the music plan themed as "The Silk Road," which provides a good stage for excellent musicians and good music works. Besides, he also devoted himself to music education, encouraging young people to like music, and making music.

Lv Siqing is the first Chinese to win the gold prize of Paganini Pemio di Violino Competition, which is recognized as the highest prize for violin players. The Strad, an international authoritative music magazine, said like this, "Lii Siqing is an outstanding Chinese violin player that we have never seen before. He won the favor of the audience by excellent playing skills and spiritual feelings

Tan Dun, one of the "Ten Most Important Musicians in the World of Music" recognized by the New York Times, won the Best Original Score by his music in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and won the Grammy's Composition Prize by making the opera Marco Polo in 1999.”

Lang Lang was the best player of classical music and an idol of numerous young people. Other musicians that enjoy a high reputation in the world also include Xue Wei, Li Yundi, and Li Chuanyun. These Chinese musicians in international music circles bring a new voice and a fresh power to the world while demonstrating the self-confidence of the Chinese nation.