CHINESE MUSIC.

ON CHINESE MUSIC.
Music
to

China has undoubtedly been known since the remotest

in

Fu Hsi

have been invented by the Emperor

The

scarcely be attributed to anybody.

admiration of Nature.

It

man

heaven, earth, and

is,

(B.C. 2852); but the invention of

revelation of

and subsequently from Noah, we may reasonably

all

human

beings

influenced by the

more
first

and

of their special

as to render their

The

first

common

(fu-lai) or

origin indubitable.

had

also

some kind

them

The

certain notions of music.

of musical system, which their conquerors admired

their own.

jg M

$ (li-pen)

jj;

when compared and deprived

show such coincidence, such strildng similarities.

invaders of China^ certainly brought with

in the

gi-ear

these principles, differently

opjiosed, but which,

characteristic individuality,

and probably mixed with

We read

forth from AdaiM

each of the

or less artistic skill of the different nations, have formed the various

seem diametrically

aborigines themselves-

come

infer that the chiefs of

famihes carried with them the principles of the then existing music

systems, which at

music can

must have proceeded from man's

it

say the Chinese, the essence of the harmony existing between

and since we believe that

It is said

antiquitj-.

Emperor Sh^n Nung,

that of the

and that of the Emperor Huang

the real meaning of these

^^
^ $f (fu-t'e) or f ^ (hsia-mou):

T'ung-tien) that the music of the Emperor

Ti,

j^

names was

is

Fu Hsi was

called

(hsien-chih), or the " all-pervading mfluence."^

not known, and they

may

What

be compared to the obscure

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 YellowEmperor " (B.C. 2697), Chinese music assumes its characteristic fonn. A certain note is taken
musical terms of the Bible.

and receive names comparisons are di-awn between the notes

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
as the base

and the

sounds are

celestial bodies

fixed,

the rites of propriety; and he establishes

in the Empire, to render the people better

it

and

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
happier.

thought of nothing
'

else.

They were a band

All the philosophers are unanimous in their praise of ancient music

way amongst the

of immigrants fighting their-

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

The 5g

(T-img-tien), or " Complete Dictionary," by jj^

See Preface to the

fe fi
Sec

in existence in
:

{i^

South China.

^ |^ ^

^ ^ ^ ^ ^- ^.
^ M K ^>.
J. ^
chapter
*
m,
^
^ ^ }^ X M i^ % H :t ^ m M- M
^ ^, which
iF ^ ^ Wi tU E M T^
^ %

'

.still

fg (Tr Yu), says

^^hich says

-^

;j;

^3

says

^]i

|fc

|||

:t

i-!).

ij^

'M-