A Special Study On Zhou Dynasty Ritual And Music From The Perspective Of Unearthed Materials

Zhouyue周乐(Music of the Zhou Dynasty)is a comprehensive cultural form in the Zhou Dynasty.Playing instruments,singing,and dancing are all part of it.This paper conducts numerous research cases,including musical instruments,musical poetry,dances,and musical conceptions,from the standpoint of using the unearthed materials and employing the dual evidence methodology.This paper narrates the diachronic evolution track and evolution mode by combining both unearthed and handed-down documents from the horizontal dimension,using new historical materials to interpret the core issues of the concepts above;and from the longitudinal dimension,it narrates the diachronic evolution track and evolution mode by combining both unearthed and handed-down documents.The content is organized into four chapters:Jinshi zhi Yue金石之乐(the name of the music produced by instruments that were generally made of bronze or stones),music poetry,dance,and music concept,in addition to the Introduction and Conclusion.The four chapters have three hierarchical logical relationships:the first chapter,Jinshi zhi Yue金石之乐,has an overarching background significance for the latter three chapters,with instruments and instrumental music as the core.The three forms of Zhouyue周乐are respectively discussed in the first,second,and third chapters.The fourth chapter focuses on a music concept that runs through the first three chapters.The first chapter discusses how the Zhou Dynasty’s Jinshi zhi Yue金石之乐grew and progressed.The first section describes how the people of the Zhou Dynasty progressively built the system with their own features after inheriting the musical system of the late Shang Dynasty,and how the system became localized during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.The second and third sections,respectively,discuss the acoustic properties of the Jinshi zhi Yue金石之乐of the Zhou Dynasty’s Zhouyue Que Shang周乐缺商and Zhengfeng郑风.Due to the incomplete of Wuyin五音(five tones:Gong,Shang,Jue,Zhi,Yu)in the music generated by bronze bells or bell sets during the Western Zhou Dynasty,some music tones were restricted.Large-scale combined instruments made of bronze or stone with improved musical performance became increasingly popular in the vassal states during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty,and Bianfeng变风with various musical styles represented by Zhengfeng郑风became increasingly popular.From the perspective of music poetry,the second chapter examines how ritual and music affected the text form of music poetry in the Zhou Dynasty.The first portion uses the drinking ceremony and poem writing written in Qiye耆夜(a chapter from Tsinghua University Bamboo Slips)to show how the Zhou Dynasty’s ritual traditions influenced the formation of the recurring chapters of music poetry.The second section uses the classification technique of music poetry in the Caifeng Qumu采风曲目(a chapter from Shangbo Bamboo Slips)to explore the influence of music aspects on the categorization of music poems in the Zhou Dynasty.Depending on the relevant unearthed documents,the third portion explores how the Yuejiashi乐家《诗》(songs that were taught by the musicians)was formed,its text characteristics,and how the book of songs partially retained Yuejiashi乐家《诗》,the under the influence of ritual and music.The Zhou Dynasty’s dance system and its political civilization connotation are discussed in the third chapter.The first portion uses unearthed material to verify the Zhou Dynasty’s dance system,pointing out that much of the dances in the Zhou Dynasty had"warrior"qualities.The second segment,based on inscriptions on the Zongren Gui宗人簋,demonstrated the universality of Wuwu武舞in the Zhou Dynasty in terms of degrees of use,as well as the hierarchical features of the officials in charge of rites and music.The third portion delves into the origins of the relationship between Wuwu武舞and Xizhan习战,and also the development of the special military ceremonial called Gewu Shishi歌舞誓师(using the songs and dances to cheer up the troops)from the Speech at Mu and the military ceremonies written in Wuji五纪.The fourth chapter focuses on how the concept of Harmony music evolved in the Zhou Dynasty,as demonstrated by musical instruments,music poems,and dances.From the standpoint of early music practice and etymology,the first section examines the emergence of the concept of Harmony music.The second segment explores how the concept of Harmony music has evolved religiously and politically.In summary,this paper conducts new research on the three forms of Zhouyue周乐and the concepts that underpin them by using unearthed materials.Due to the incomplete nature of recently revealed documents,this paper takes the form of a special cases study,which is conducted in both vertical and horizontal dimensions and attempts to combine points and aspects in order to explain and sort out the thematic concerns of Zhouyue周乐and its evolution.