The Research Of The Musical Images Of Mogao Grottoes In The Tang Dynasty

This thesis includes two parts,the Mogao Grottoes in the Tang Dynasty and the musical images in the murals,the two parts were expansion and crossover during the research.The dissertation were divided the former and the latter sections to advancing the topics,combined with the general characteristics of the murals and their own laws of musical images,and from the whole to the specific and then back to the whole as the basic framework of this study.The former part first to elaborated and explained the basic problems of the musical images of Mogao Grottoes in the Tang Dynasty and the research of the musical images,such as the location of the grottoes,the definition of the musical images,the classification of musical practitioners and the musical instruments images,especially focused on the classifications,the expression forms and the functions of the musical images in sutra illustrations.Second,organized and collected the musical contents in the Dunhuang drawings and documents,completed the research of the sources and the authenticity of the musical images in Mogao Grottoes and then textual research and speculation of the musical culture in Dunhuang area,such as the working of the musical department,practicing of the musical practitioners and the musical activities,and also the spread of the Dunhuang music,dance notations and music teaching materials.The latter section chose the representative mural musical images in the grottoes which built in different periods in Tang dynasty,such as Cave 220 in early Tang,Cave 172 in prosperous Tang,Cave 112 in Mid-Tang and Cave 156 in late Tang.Investigated and statistics the musical images which appeared on the above mentioned caves,based on the whole structure of the caves,and to classification the musical images which painted on the shrines,walls and the top of the grottoes.Described and textual researched the materials,positions and playing styles of the instruments that can sound without stoke and all kinds of musical practitioner played instruments,then compared with the instruments of Tang dynasty that recorded in the documents,and provided a new material and point for the research of the instruments history in Tang dynasty from the Mogao grottoes.And in the longitudinal way to compared the compilation and musical instrument combination of the Buddhist musical practitioners orchestra in four different periods in Tang dynasty,then combed the basic features of the orchestra in murals,the features are the same with the actuality orchestra in Tang dynasty,it?s proved that the music murals in Mogao grottoes is the true reflection of the history of Tang dynasty again.In addition,putted the sutra illustrations as the main part,and analyzed the Buddhist functions in different musical sutra illustrations and completed the reality and religion research of the musical images in murals.The facts proved that as an integral part of the grottoes,the intrinsic nature and external laws of musical images in murals were coordinate with the functions of grottoes.Only according to the whole grottoes and systematic to discover and master the characteristics of the musical images,then can more scientific and reasonable to integrate the record of musical images and documents,and to really exert the academic value and practical significance of the musical images of the murals.