China covers a vast geographic area and encompasses many languages and cultures. The majority ethnicity, the Han, speak languages in the Sinic group of the Sino-Tibetan family. These are all written using the same character system, which allows for written intelligibility across languages, and allows for a common identity as Chinese.
According to Wikipedia,
Archaeological evidence indicates that music culture developed in China from a very early period. Excavations in Jiahu Village in Wuyang County, Henan found bone flutes dated to 8,000 years ago, and clay music instruments called Xun thought to be 6,000 years old have been found in the Hemudu sites in Zhejiang and Banpo in Xi'an.
During the Zhou Dynasty, a formal system of court and ceremonial music later termed yayue (meaning "elegant music") was established. Note that the word music (樂, yue) in ancient China can also refer to dance as music and dance were considered integral part of the whole, and its meaning can also be further extended to poetry as well as other art forms and rituals. The word "dance" (舞) similarly also refers to music, and every dance would have had a piece of music associated with it. The most important set of music of the period was the Six-dynasty Music Dance (六代樂舞) performed in rituals in the royal court.[5] Music in the Zhou Dynasty was conceived as a cosmological manifestation of the sound of nature integrated into the binary universal order of yin and yang, and this concept has enduring influence later Chinese thinking on music.[6] "Correct" music according to Zhou concept would involve instruments correlating to the five elements of nature and would bring harmony to nature. Around or before the 7th century BC, a system of pitch generation and pentatonic scale was derived from a cycle-of-fifths theory.
Chinese philosophers took varying approaches to music. To Confucius, a correct form of music is important for the cultivation and refinement of the individual, and the Confucian system considers the formal music yayue to be morally uplifting and the symbol of a good ruler and stable government. Some popular forms of music, however, were considered corrupting in the Confucian view. Mozi on the other hand condemned music, and argued in Against Music (非樂) that music is an extravagance and indulgence that serves no useful purpose and may be harmful.[9] According to Mencius, a powerful ruler once asked him whether it was moral if he preferred popular music to the classics. The answer was that it only mattered that the ruler loved his subjects.
In ancient China the social status 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 record the popular culture. One of the Confucianist Classics, Shi Jing 詩經 (The Classic of Poetry), contained many folk songs dating from 800 BC to about 400 BC.
The Imperial Music Bureau, first established in the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BC), was greatly expanded under the emperor Han Wu Di 汉武帝 (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 influenced by the musical traditions of Central Asia which also introduced elements of Indian music. Instruments of Central Asian origin such as pipa were adopted in China, the Indian Heptatonic scale was introduced in the 6th century by a musician from Kucha named Sujiva, although the heptatonic scale was later abandoned.
The oldest extant written Chinese music is "Youlan" (幽蘭) or the Solitary Orchid, composed during the 6th or 7th century, but has also been attributed to Confucius. This is written, as far as can be guessed for the ancient 7-string zither known as the gu qin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZhMeRUNpIU
The first major well-documented flowering of Chinese music was for the qin during the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), though the qin is known to have been played since before the Han Dynasty. This is based on the conjecture that because the recorded examples of Chinese music are ceremonial, and the ceremonies in which they were employed are thought to have existed "perhaps more than one thousand years before Christ", the musical compositions themselves were performed, even in 1000 BC, in precisely the manner prescribed by the sources that were written down in the seventh century AD. (It is based on this conjecture that Van Aalst dates the "Entrance Hymn for the Emperor" to c. 1000 BC.)
There is a broad range of musical instruments in China, classifying them according to the materials out of which they were traditionally constructed or what substance produced the sounds. The eight traditional categories are silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd, and hide. The majority of melodic instruments are chordophones and aerophones. Chordophones belong the Silk category, since strings used to be made of braided silk. Aerophones, traditionally made of bamboo tubes, are in the Bamboo category. This section presents some of the most well-known instruments of the Han majority.
Guqin One of the early pieces in its literature are a pair pieces called Gao Shan 《高山》("high mountains") and Liu Shui 《流水》 ("flowing water"), associated with the legendary qin player Boya. According to Wikipedia:
Bo Ya (伯牙) was a qin player from the Spring and Autumn period or the Warring States period. He was known by his first name of "Boya", although his surname may have been Yu (俞), thus his complete name is sometimes given as Yu Boya (俞伯牙).
According to Qin Shi, Liezi said:
Bo Ya's story exemplifies the Chinese ideal of friendship. The term Zhiyin (知音，literally "to know the tone") has come to describe a close and sympathetic friend.
The following is a performance of "Flowing Water." It evokes the different flows of a stream: calm, rushing, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nuvbtl0jP4&t=0s&index=27&list=PLJk9VXX7_rclM5w6KzLx7lR3VDAtW1YDO
Pipa is an import from the Uyghurs, a Turkic people living in Xinjiang Province (formerly Turkestan). It is said to have originally come from India and is similar in certain design features to the sitar or the vina. It is used for solo melodies, as well as for vocal accompaniment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dkw94947S8&list=PLJk9VXX7_rcnUUZz4MFr7m2UgFDnqGn-b&index=2&t=220s
Erhu is an import from the Mongolians, related to the horse-headed fiddle, or morin khuur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8Q8aZ1paUw&t=53s
Yueqin (Moon guitar) is another import from the Uyghurs or Mongolians, similar in design to the pipa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqQhHqtN2RU&t=35s
Guzheng originates in Persia and is related to Middle Eastern instruments like the santoor (hammer dulcimer) or kanun (picked table dulcimer), but with inspiration from lutes. It has moveable bridges to allow the player to press down and alter the tone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT6cRjraOtw
Yangqin also originates from Persia, and is related to various hammer dulcimers in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbgx5MyLhm8&list=RDbbgx5MyLhm8&t=5
Dizi is a transverse bamboo flute, but it differs from instruments like the Indian bansuri in that it has holes drilled at the end away from the hole into which one blows. These holes are covered with rice paper, which results in a rich buzzing sound added to the clear flute tones. the following performance is a set of variations on a Chinese opera melody, Journey to Gusu (姑苏行, Gu Su Xing, Dizi, 笛子) was composed by Jiang xianwei(江先渭) in 1962. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeXE_VhwoH4&index=3&list=PLJk9VXX7_rcnUUZz4MFr7m2UgFDnqGn-b&t=0s
Suona is the well-known heraldic double reed that originally comes from West Asian, and even has a name derived from it: ef,
Zurna/Zurla (Turkish/Greek), Surna (Himalayan). Surnai (Himalayan, Central Asian), Shehnai (Indian).
It is used for outdoor processions, as well as theatrical music--all venues that require loud volume. This video shows its use for a funeral procession, combined with Western trumpets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnYKDyg9JP4
Sheng, according to Wikipedia is
a Chinese mouth-blown free reed instrument (like the bagpipes) consisting of vertical pipes. It is a polyphonic instrument and enjoys an increasing popularity as a solo instrument.
It is one of the oldest Chinese instruments, with images depicting its kind dating back to 1100 BCE,[1] and there are actual instruments from the Han era that have been preserved today.[1] Traditionally, the sheng has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo suona or dizi performances. It is one of the main instruments in kunqu and some other forms of Chinese opera. Traditional small ensembles also make use of the sheng, such as the wind and percussion ensembles in northern China. In the modern large Chinese orchestra, it is used for both melody and accompaniment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn45L7Sebjw
Silk and Bamboo Ensembles
Combinations of winds and strings are known as silk and bamboo ensembles. There is a repertoire of set pieces for any combination of instruments, primarily monophonic, sometimes polyphonic with two melody lines complementing each other. As each instrument has a different technique, they cannot all play a melody in exactly the same way. Plucked strings cannot sustain long notes in the same way that winds or bowed strings can. Wind instruments have a harder time rapidly repeating notes. Each instrument in a silk and bamboo ensemble will play a given melody slightly differently, giving rise to what is called heterophony. The following example illustrates this phenomenon. It is a sectional piece with variation called "hua san liu" (Ornamented three-six).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cXIvBSRmzI&t=2s&list=PLJk9VXX7_rcnUUZz4MFr7m2UgFDnqGn-b&index=4
This repertoire is consists of a limited number of classic pieces, as well as some newer compositions--in total a couple of dozen. People are known to gather in tea houses and play socially, similarly to an Irish pub session. The following video shows such a session in a teahouse in Shanghai.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udp66IPKXbE&t=0s&list=PLJk9VXX7_rcnUUZz4MFr7m2UgFDnqGn-b&index=8
Wikipedia gives a good overview of the repertoire:
At the centre of the repertory are the Eight Great Pieces (Ba Da Qu, 八大曲) or Eight Great Famous Pieces (Ba Da Mingqu, 八大名曲):
The repertoire is based on old melodies such as "Lao Liu Ban" (Old Six Beats), also called "Lao Ba Ban" (Old Eight Beats), which are elaborated to create new pieces such as "Zhong Hua Liu Ban" (Moderately Ornamented Six Beats), the latter of which is the most important piece of all the pieces derived from "Lao Liu Ban" (Old Six Beats) (Jones 276).
Wikipedia notes that:
Peking opera, or Beijing opera (Chinese: 京剧; pinyin: Jīngjù), is a form of Chinese opera which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the Qing dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China....
Peking opera features four main types of performers. Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Peking opera's characteristically sparse stage. They use the skills of speech, song, dance and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic. Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements. Performers also adhere to a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production. The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in time with music. The music of Peking opera can be divided into the Xipi (西皮) and Erhuang (二黄) styles. Melodies include arias, fixed-tune melodies and percussion patterns. The repertoire of Peking opera includes over 1,400 works, which are based on Chinese history, folklore and, increasingly, contemporary life.
four main character types
The Sheng (生) is the main male role in Peking opera. This role has numerous subtypes. The laosheng is a dignified older role. hongsheng, a red-faced older male. The only two hongsheng roles are Guan Gong, the Chinese god of sworn brotherhood, loyalty and righteousness, and Zhao Kuang-yin, the first Song Dynasty emperor. Young male characters are known as xiaosheng. The wusheng is a martial character for roles involving combat. They are highly trained in acrobatics, and have a natural voice when singing
The Dan (旦) refers to any female role in Peking opera. Dan roles were originally divided into five subtypes. Old women were played by laodan, martial women were wudan, young female warriors were daomadan, virtuous and elite women were qingyi, and vivacious and unmarried women were huadan. These are traditionally played by female impersonators.
The Jing (净) is a painted face male role. Depending on the repertoire of the particular troupe, he will play either primary or secondary roles.[49] This type of role will entail a forceful character, so a Jingmust have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures.[56] Peking opera boasts 15 basic facial patterns, but there are over 1000 specific variations. Each design is unique to a specific character.
The Chou (丑) is a male clown role. The Chou usually plays secondary roles in a troupe. Indeed, most studies of Peking opera classify the Chou as a minor role. Chou roles can be divided into Wen Chou, civilian roles such as merchants and jailers, and Wu Chou, minor military roles. The Wu Chou is one of the most demanding in Peking opera, because of its combination of comic acting, acrobatics, and a strong voice.
Here is an example of one scene with subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UropN9mfERc&t=0s&list=PLJk9VXX7_rcnUUZz4MFr7m2UgFDnqGn-b&index=17
Music and politics have been intertwined in China since ancient times. Popular music in the modern Western style became part of the urban landscape since the Chinese Revolution of 1911 that overthrew the Manchu emperor. In particular, Shanghai as the cosmopolitan center of business and international banking was a center for modern media production such as movies, radio, and popular music. The following video is a 1930s short film portraying the difficulties of life in the big city. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adZTK8tCL3s
夜上海 (Nightlife in Shanghai) 作曲:陳歌辛 (Composer: Chen Gexin) 夜上海 夜上海
Shanghai Nights Shanghai Nights 你是個不夜城 You're a city that never sleeps 華燈起 樂聲響 The pretty lights come on The music sounds 歌舞昇平 Singing and dancing in peace and harmony 只見她笑臉迎 One only sees her, smiling in welcome 誰知她內心苦悶 Who could have known she was feeling dejected on the inside 夜生活 都為了 Shanghai Nights It's all about 衣食住行 The clothes, the food, the board and the travel 酒不醉人人自醉 The wine and women are intoxicating and mesmerizing making it hard to leave and easy to indulge 胡天胡帝蹉跎了青春 Recklessly squandering their youth 曉色朦朧醉眼惺忪 Daybreak blurs the drowsy drunken eyes 大家歸去心靈兒隨著轉動的車輪 Everyone starts to regain their wits, following the turning of the tyres 換一換 新天地 Everything changes up, it's a new world 別有一個新環境 There's a new environment 回味著 夜生活 Thinking back on Night life 如夢初醒 Waking up from the dream
Following the Communist party victory in 1947, Western-style popular music was banned as bourgeois and corrupt. Similar to the control of the arts in the Soviet Union under Stalin, music, dance and fines arts were forced to serve the goal of the Communist party. Traditional styles were combined with Western classical styles and instruments. One example is the operatic-style "We Workers Have Strength."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZCOkxdlV4Q
Western ballet was similarly adapted to revolutionary needs, as, for example in "Red Detachment of Women."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlSvCglASRA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daGWCB-LjuY
In British-controlled Hong Kong and in Nationalist Taiwan, Western-style popular music continued to flourish. A smooth, crooning style became popular. An example was the singing of Theresa Deng from Taiwan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B5gAczFJps
Western-style popular music was banned in the People's Republic as counter-revolutionary, but a black market in records, tapes, and cassettes circulated, especially in the cities. In the 1980s, after the economic reforms of Deng Xiao Ping, restrictions on the arts were somewhat eased. In this more liberal climate the rock and roll songwriter Cui Jain emerged as the "Father of Chinese Rock."