(Redirected from Chinese music)
The '
music of
China' dates back to the dawn of
Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the
Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC). Today, the music continues a rich traditional heritage in one aspect, while emerging into a more contemporary form at the same time. In summary the commercialized segment is in
Hong Kong and
Taiwan. The more diverse and sophisticated genres and aspects are in
mainland China.
History
Chinese music in the dynasty era
The legendary founder of music in
Chinese mythology was
Ling Lun, who made bamboo pipes tuned to the sounds of birds.
Dynasty era (1122 BC - 1911)
According to ''
Mencius'', a ruler had asked him whether it was moral if he preferred
popular music to the classics. The answer was that the only thing matters being whether or not he loved his subjects. The Imperial Music Bureau, first established in the
Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), was greatly expanded under the
Emperor Han Wu Di (140-87 BC) and charged with supervising court music and military music and determining what folk music would be officially recognized. In subsequent dynasties, the development of Chinese music was strongly influenced by foreign music, especially that of
Central Asia.
The oldest written music is ''Youlan'' or the ''
Solitary Orchid'', attributed to
Confucius (see
guqin article for a sample of tablature). The first major well-documented flowering of Chinese music was for the qin during the
Tang Dynasty, though the qin is known to have been played since before the
Han Dynasty.
In ancient China the position of musicians was much lower than that of painters, though music was seen as central to the harmony and longevity of the state. Almost every emperor took folk songs seriously, sending officers to collect songs to inspect the popular will. One of the Confucianist Classics,
Shi Jing (poets), contained many folk songs dating from
800 BC to about
300 BC.
The first European to reach China with a musical instrument was
Jesuit priest
Matteo Ricci who presented a
Harpsichord to the
Ming imperial court and trained four
eunuchs how to use it in 1601
[1].
The earliest form of the 1935
Volunteers Marching On anthem still in the pre-Communist traditional Chinese character in the Denton Gazette newspaper
Republic of China era (1912 - 1949)
The
New Culture Movement of the 1910s and 1920s evoked a great deal of lasting interest in
Western music. A number of Chinese musicians returned from studying abroad to perform Western classical music, composing work based on Western musical notation system. The
Kuomintang tried to sponsor modern music adoptions via the
Shanghai Conservatory of Music despite the ongoing political crisis. 20th-century cultural philosophers like
Xiao Youmei,
Cai Yuanpei,
Feng Zikai and
Wang Guangqi wanted to see Chinese music adopt to the best standard possible. There were a lot of different opinions thrown around as to what the best standard was
1.
Symphony orchestras were formed in most major cities and performed to a wide audience in the concert halls and on
radio. Many of the performers added
jazz influences to traditional music, adding
xylophones,
saxophones and
violins, among other instruments.
Lu Wencheng,
Li Jinhui,
Zhou Xuan,
Qui Hechou,
Yin Zizhong and
He Dasha were among the most popular performers and composers during this period.
After the 1942
Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art, a large-scale campaign was launched in the
Communist controlled areas to adapt folk music to create revolutionary songs to educate the largely illiterate rural population on party goals. Musical forms considered superstitious or anti-revolutionary were repressed, and
harmonies and bass lines were added to traditional songs. One example is
The East Is Red, a folksong from northern
Shaanxi which was adapted into a nationalist hymn. Of particular note is the composer,
Xian Xinghai, who was active during this period, and composed the
Yellow River Cantata which is the most well-known of all of his works.
People's Republic of China era (1949 - 1990s)
The golden age of
shidaiqu and the
Seven great singing stars would come to an end when the
Communist party denounce
Chinese popular music as
yellow music (
pornography)
[2].
Maoists considered pop music as a decline to the art form in the mainland. In 1949 the
Kuomintang relocated to Taiwan, and the
People's Republic of China was established.
Revolutionary songs would become heavily promoted by the state. The
Cultural Revolution and other
Maoist made revolutionary songs an acceptable genre to the point where it overshadowed other genre and almost define what mainland music is.
After the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, a new fast tempo
Northwest Wind (xibeifeng, 西北風) style was launched by the people to counter the government. The music would progress into
Chinese rock, which remained popular in the 1990s. However, music in China is very much state-owned as the TV, media, and major concert halls are all controlled by the Communist party. The government mainly chose not to support Chinese rock by limiting its exposure and airtime. As a result, the genre never reached the mainstream in its entirety.
Current
China has a high
piracy rate along with issues of
intellectual properties[3]. As a result, most albums are released in
Taiwan or
Hong Kong first. It is often one of the business decisions made by record companies. Normally there is some delay before the products are released into the mainland, with occasional exceptions, such as the work of
Cui Jian who was released in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the mainland simultaneously
[4]. Consequently, a delay in release time is also the biggest driver of piracy, since individuals would rather pirate from the outside. Modern market is not only hindered by
rights issues, as there are many other factors such as
profit margin,
income and other economical questions.
Annual events such as the
Midi Modern Music Festival in
Beijing do keep music culture alive. There was also the "Snow Mountain Music Festival" in
Yunnan province 2002. The term "Chinese Woodstock" has been thrown around by Western media for these two events. Both draw sizable crowds outdoor, but the term is not quite official. The
Chinese rock movement differed from its Western counterpart in that it never fully made it into mainstream culture due to restrictions by the state.
Today, rock music is centered on almost exclusively in Beijing and Shanghai, and has very limited influence over Chinese society.
Wuhan and
Sichuan are sometimes considered pockets of rock music culture as well. It points to a significant cultural, political and social difference that exist between China, the West, or even different parts within China. While rock has existed in China for decades, the milestone that put the genre on the international map is when
Cui Jian played with
The Rolling Stones in 2003, at the age of 42.
Modern Music
These are genres that started after 1912 to coincide with the
New China.
Pop music
Main articles: c-pop,
mandopop
C-pop originally began with
Li Jinhui in the mainland, with Western music influences from the likes of
Buck Clayton. After the Communist Party establishment, the
Baak Doi record company ended up leaving Shanghai in 1952
[5]. The
1970s saw the rise of
cantopop in Hong Kong, and later
mandopop in Taiwan. The mainland remained on the sideline for decades with minimal degree of participation. Only in recent years did the youth in mainland resume as a consumer for the Taiwan mandopop market. Still, China is not yet considered a major production hub despite having the largest population
[6]. The mainland censorship is strict on popular music even today. When Hong Kong's icon
Anita Mui performed the song "Bad Girl" during the 1990s in China. She was banned from returning to the concert for showing a rebellious attitude
[7]. By Western standard, the performance is no more rebellious than say,
Britney Spears for example. Many mainland artists often try to start their commercial success in Hong Kong or Taiwan first, and then re-import into the mainland as part of the
gangtai culture.
Rock and heavy metal
Main articles: Chinese rock
The widely-acknowledged forefather of Chinese rock is
Cui Jian4. In the late 1980s he played the first Chinese rock song called: "I Have Nothing" ("Yi wu suo you"). It was the first time an
electric guitar was used in China. He became the most famous performer of the time, and by 1988 he performed at a concert broadcasted worldwide in conjunction with the
Seoul Summer Olympic Games4. His socially critical lyrics earned him the anger of the government and many of his concerts were banned or cancelled. After the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, he played with a red blindfold around his head as an action against the government.
Following, two bands became famous
Hei Bao (Black Panther) and
Tang Dynasty. Both started during the late
1980s and early
1990s. Hei Bao is an old-school rock band whose first CD, ''Hei Bao'' used the popular English song ("Don't Break My Heart").
Tang Dynasty was the first Chinese
heavy metal band. Its first CD "A Dream Return to Tang Dynasty" combines elements of traditional
Chinese opera and old school heavy metal. The album was a major breakthrough releasing around 1991/1992. Unfortunately, one member of Tang Dynasty died shortly after the release.
Around 1994-96: the first
thrash metal band, Chao Zai (
Overload), was formed. They released three CDs, the last one in cooperation with pop singer
Gao Chi of the split-up band
The Breathing.
Punk Rock
Punk rock became famous in China around 1994 - 1996. The first Chinese artist of the genre was
He Yong of
nu-metal style, influenced by
Limp Bizkit,
Linkin Park and others.
Around
1995 the first wave of Chinese punk bands appeared in
Beijing, and the second generation followed around 1997. Many were inspired by Western bands such as
Korn,
Limp Bizkit or
Linkin Park. China would have their own with
Yaksa,
Twisted Machine,
AK-47,
Overheal Tank.
National Music
Patriotic / Revolutionary
Main articles: Guoyue
Guoyue are basically music performed on some grand presentation to encourage national pride. Since 1949, it has been by far the most government-promoted genre. Compared to other forms of music, symphonic national music flourished throughout the country. In 1969 the
cantata was adapted to a
piano concerto. The
Yellow River Piano Concerto was performed by the pianist
Yin Chengzong, and is still performed today on global stages. During the height of the
Cultural Revolution, musical composition and performance were greatly restricted. A form of soft, harmonic, generic, pan-Chinese music called
guoyue was artificially created to be performed at conservatories. After the Cultural Revolution, musical institutions were reinstated and musical composition and performance revived. At the height of the
Mao Zedong era, the music accelerated at the political level into "Revolutionary Music" leaning toward cult status and becoming mainstream under pro-Communist ideology.
Traditional Music
These are genre that started from the dynastic periods up to 1911AD.
Chinese musicians at a restaurant in Shanghai
Instrumental
Main articles: Traditional Chinese musical instruments
Traditional music in China is played on
solo instruments or in small ensembles of plucked and bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums. The
scale has five notes.
Bamboo pipes and
qin are among the oldest known
musical instruments from
China; instruments are traditionally divided into categories based on their material of composition: skin, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal and stone. Chinese
orchestras traditionally consist of
bowed strings,
woodwinds,
plucked strings and
percussion.
:'Instruments'
::
★ Woodwind and percussion
:::
dizi,
sheng,
paigu,
gong,
paixiao,
guan,
bells,
cymbals
::
★ Bowed strings
:::
erhu,
zhonghu,
dahu,
banhu,
jinghu,
gaohu,
gehu,
yehu,
cizhonghu,
diyingehu,
leiqin
::
★ Plucked and struck strings
:::
guqin,
sanxian,
yangqin,
guzheng,
ruan,
konghou,
liuqin,
pipa,
zhu
Re-enactment of a traditional music performance
Chinese vocal music has traditionally been sung in a thin, non-resonant voice or in
falsetto and is usually
solo rather than
choral. All traditional Chinese music is
melodic rather than harmonic. Chinese vocal music probably developed from sung poems and verses with music. Instrumental pieces played on an
erhu or
dizi are popular, and are often available outside of China, but the
pipa and
zheng music, which are more traditional, are more popular in China itself. The
qin is perhaps the most revered instrument in China, even though very few people know what it is or seen and heard one being played. The zheng, a form of
zither, is most popular in
Henan,
Chaozhou,
Hakka and
Shandong. The pipa, a kind of
lute, believed to have been introduced from the
Arabian Peninsula area during the
6th century and improved, is most popular in
Shanghai and surrounding areas.
Ethnic Han music
Han Chinese make up some 92% of the population of China. Ethnic Han music consists of
heterophonic music, in which the musicians play versions of a single melodic line.
Percussion accompanies most music, dance, and opera.
Chinese Opera
Main articles: Chinese opera
Chinese opera has been hugely popular for centuries, especially
Beijing opera. The music is often guttural with high-pitched vocals, usually accompanied by
suona,
jinghu, other kinds of
string instruments, and percussion. Other types of
opera include
clapper opera,
Pingju,
Cantonese opera,
puppet opera,
Kunqu,
Sichuan opera,
Qinqiang,
ritual masked opera and
Huangmei xi.
Folk music
Han
folk music thrives at weddings and funerals and usually includes a form of
oboe called a
suona and percussive ensembles called
chuigushou. The music is diverse, sometimes jolly, sometimes sad and often based on Western pop music and TV theme songs. Ensembles consisting of
mouth organs (
sheng), shawms (
suona),
flutes (
dizi) and percussion instruments (especially
yunluo gongs) are popular in northern villages; their music is descended from the imperial temple music of
Beijing,
Xi'an,
Wutai shan and
Tianjin.
Xi'an drum music consisting of wind and percussive instruments is popular around Xi'an, and has received some popularity outside China in a highly-commercialized form. Another important instrument is the
sheng,
pipes, which is an ancient instrument that is an ancestor of all Western
free reed instruments, such as the
accordion. Parades led by Western-type
brass bands are common, often competing in volume with a shawm/chuigushou band.
In southern
Fujian and
Taiwan,
Nanyin or
Nanguan is a genre of traditional ballads. They are sung by a woman accompanied by a
xiao and a
pipa and other traditional instruments. The music is generally sorrowful and mourning and typically deals with love-stricken women. Further south, in
Shantou,
Hakka and
Chaozhou,
erxian and
zheng ensembles are popular.
Sizhu ensembles use
flutes and bowed or plucked string instruments to make harmonious and melodious music that has become popular in the West among some listeners. These are popular in
Nanjing and
Hangzhou, as well as elsewhere along the southern
Yangtze area. Sizhu has been secularized in cities but remains spiritual in rural areas.
Jiangnan Sizhu (silk and bamboo music from
Jiangnan) is a style of instrumental music, often played by amateur musicians in teahouses in
Shanghai, that has become widely known outside of its place of origin.
Guangdong Music or
Cantonese Music is instrumental music from
Guangzhou and surrounding areas. It is based on Yueju (Cantonese Opera) music, together with new compositions from the 1920s onwards. Many pieces have influences from jazz and Western music, using syncopation and triple time.
Regional Music
China has many ethnic groups besides the
Han, concentrated in the southeast and northwest. These include
Tibetans,
Russians,
Uyghurs,
Manchus,
Zhuang,
Dai,
Naxi,
Miao,
Wa,
Yi,
Lisu and
Mongolians.
Tibet
Main articles: Music of Tibet
Tibet is a culturally and ethnically distinct area in southwestern China. Its political status is controversial, with many within Tibet, as well as internationally, supporting independence. One of the major reasons for this sovereignty movement is that the Chinese Cultural Revolution decimated Tibetan culture, although it must be noted that Tibetans were not specifically targeted and was part of the general attack on Chinese culture during the period. There are significant minorities of Tibetans in
Kham,
Bhutan,
Nepal and
India, as well as in immigrant communities throughout the world.
Music forms an integral part of
Tibetan Buddhism. While
chanting remains perhaps the best known form of Tibetan Buddhist music, complex and lively forms are also widespread. Monks use music to recite various
sacred texts and to celebrate a variety of festivals during the year. The most specialized form of chanting is called
yang, which is without metrical timing and is dominated by resonant drums and sustained, low syllables. Other forms of chanting are unique to
Tantra as well as the four main monastic schools:
Gelugpa,
Kagyupa,
Nyingmapa and
Sakyapa. Of these schools, Gelugpa is considered a more a restrained, classical form, while Nyingmapa is widely described as romantic and dramatic. Gelugpa is perhaps the most popular.
Secular Tibetan music survived the Cultural Revolution more intact than spiritual music, especially due to the
Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, which was founded by the
Dalai Lama shortly after his self-imposed exile. TIPA originally specialized in the
operatic
lhamo form, which has since been modernized with the addition of Western and other influences. Other secular genres include
nangma and
toshe, which are often linked and are accompanied by a variety of instruments designed for highly-rhythmic
dance music. Nangma
karaoke is popular in modern
Lhasa. A classical form called
gar is very popular, and is distinguished by ornate, elegant and ceremonial music honoring dignitaries or other respected persons.
Tibetan
folk music includes
a cappella lu songs, which are distinctively high in pitch with glottal vibrations, as well as now rare epic bards who sing the tales of
Gesar, Tibet's most popular hero.
Tibetan music has influenced the pioneering compositions of
Philip Glass and, most influentially,
Henry Eichheim, most influentially. Later artists made
New Age fusions by pioneers
Henry Wolff and
Nancy Hennings. These two collaborated on ''
Tibetan Bells'', perhaps the first fusion of New Age and Tibetan influences, in
1971. Glass' ''
Kundun''
soundtrack proved influential in the
1990s, while the popularity of Western-adapted Buddhism (exemplified by
Richard Gere,
Yungchen Lhamo,
Steve Tibbetts,
Choying Drolma,
Lama Karta and
Kitaro and
Nawang Khechong) helped further popularize Tibetan music.
With the arrival of Tibetan refugees in the
Himalayas, Western music, often in unique Tibetan forms, started to become popular among Tibetans everywhere.
Rangzen Shonu quickly became the most popular ethnically Tibetan performers of Western rock and pop. Other forms of imported pop music include Indian
ghazal and
filmi, popular across the Himalayas and in Tibetan communities worldwide. Tibetan-Western fusions have been long suppressed in China itself, but have been widespread and innovative outside of the country. In the mid- to late
1980s, a relaxation of governmental rules allowed a form of Tibetan pop music to emerge in Tibet proper. Direct references to native religion is still forbidden, but commonly-understood metaphors are widespread. Pure
Tibetan pop is heavily influenced by light Chinese rock, and includes best-sellers like
Jampa Tsering and
Yatong. Politically and socially aware songs are rare in this form of pop, but commonplace in a second type of Tibetan pop. Nangma karaoke bars appeared in
1998 and are common in Lhasa, in spite of threats from the Chinese government.
Guangxi
Main articles: Music of Guangxi
Guangxi is a region of
China, the
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Its most famous modern
musician is
Sister Liu, who was the subject of a
1960s film that introduced Guangxi's cultures to the rest of the world.
The
Gin people are known for their instrument called ''
duxianqin'' (独弦琴, pinyin: dúxiánqín; lit. "single string zither"), a
string instrument with only one string, said to date back to the
8th century.
Yunnan
Main articles: Music of Yunnan
Yunnan is an ethnically diverse area in southeast China. Perhaps best-known from the province is the
lusheng, a type of
mouth organ, used by the
Miao people of
Guizhou for pentatonic
antiphonal courting songs.
The
Hani of
Honghe Prefecture are known for a unique kind of choral, micro-tonal rice-transplanting songs.
The
Nakhi of
Lijiang play a type of song and dance suite called
baisha xiyue, which was supposedly brought by
Kublai Khan in
1253. Nakhi ''
Dongjing'' is a type of music related to southern Chinese forms, and is popular today.
Sichuan
Main articles: Music of Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in southwest China. Its capital city,
Chengdu, is home to the only musical higher education institution in the region, the
Sichuan Conservatory of Music. The province has a long history of
Sichuan opera.
Manchuria
Main articles: Music of Manchuria
Manchuria is a region in
northeast China, inhabited by ethnic groups like the
Manchu. The most prominent folk instrument is the octagonal drum, while the
youyouzha lullaby is also well-known.
Xinjiang
Main articles: Music of Xinjiang
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is dominated by
Uyghurs, a
Turkic people related to others from
Central Asia. The Uyghurs' best-known musical form is the
On Ikki Muqam, a complex suite of twelve sections related to
Uzbek and
Tajik forms. These complex symphonies vary wildly between suites in the same muqam, and are built on a seven-note scale. Instruments typically include
dap (a drum),
dulcimers,
fiddles and
lutes; performers have some space for personal embellishments, especially in the
percussion. The most important performer is
Turdi Akhun, who recorded most of the muqams in the 1950s.
Hua'er
Hua'er is a type of song prevalent throughout northwest China. The informal music is often competitive in nature, with singers interacting and improvising topical and love lyrics, usually unaccompanied.
Kuaiban
Kuaiban is a type of rhythmic talking and singing which is often performed with percussive instruments such as hand clackers. The center of kuaiban tradition is Shandong province. Kuaiban bears some resemblance to rap and other forms of rhythmic music found in other cultures.
See also
★
Music of Hong Kong
★
Music of Taiwan
★
Culture of China
★
World music
External links
★
Listen to traditional Chinese music
★
The Internet Chinese Music Archive
★
Chinese Popular Songs
★
Detailed Archive about Chinese Rock Music in English
★
Chinesemusictv.com Chinese Music TV has free music videos found on the web.
★
Detailed History of Rock in China
★
Heavy Metal Magazine from China: Painkiller Mag
★
All Chinese Hits Chinese pop music Internet radio station
★
Melody of Dragon- a Modern-Day Chinese Traditional Music Ensemble
Notes
1. Jones. Andrew F. [2001] (2001). Yellow Music - CL: Media Culture and Colonial Modernity in the Chinese Jazz Age. Duke University Press. ISBN 0822326949
2. Broughton, Simon. Ellingham, Mark. Trillo, Richard. [2000] (2000) World Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides Publishing Company. ISBN 1858286360
3. BuildingIPvalue. "BuildingIPvalue." ''Recent developments in intellectual property.'' Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
4. Gunde, Richard. [2002] (2002) Culture and Customs of China. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313308764
5. Shoesmith, Brian. Rossiter, Ned. [2004] (2004). Refashioning Pop Music in Asia: Cosmopolitan flows, political tempos and aesthetic Industries. Routeledge Publishing. ISBN 0700714014
6. Keane, Michael. Donald, Stephanie. Hong, Yin. [2002] (2002). Media in China: Consumption, Content and Crisis. Routledge Publishing. ISBN 0700716149
7. Baranovitch, Nimrod. China's New Voices. University of California press. ISBN 0520234502
References
★ Jones, Steven. "The East Is Red... And White"". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific'', pp 34-43. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360.
★ Lee, Joanna. "Cantopop and Protest Singers". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific'', pp 49-59. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360.
★ Lee Yuan-Yuan and Shen, Sinyan. ''Chinese Musical Instruments (Chinese Music Monograph Series)''. 1999. Chinese Music Society of North America Press. ISBN 1-880464039
★ Rees, Helen with Zingrong, Zhang and Wei, Li. "Sounds of the Frontiers". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific'', pp 44-48. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360.
★ Shen, Sinyan. ''Chinese Music in the 20th Century (Chinese Music Monograph Series)''. 2001. Chinese Music Society of North America Press. ISBN 1880464047.
★ Trewin, Mark. "Raising the Roof". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific'', pp 254-261. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360.
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