A Study Of Yuefu Theory In The Han, Wei And Six Dynasties

The Han,Wei and Six Dynasties were an important period in the history of Yuefu Literature.The measure of "Li Yuefu" from Emperor Wu of Han expanded the functions of the Yuefu Government Office and also ushered in the Golden Age of Yuefu Poetry Creation.The poems and Yuefu folk songs in the Han Dynasties,the literary poems in the Wei and Jin Dynasties,the Yuefu poems created by the royal family and noble patriarchs of the Southern Dynasties,and the widely popular Wuge Xiqu fully reflected the flourishing vitality of the Yuefu literature.In addition to creating a large number of works of the Yuefu poetry,the talents of the Han,Wei,and Six Dynasties also conveyed their ideas of Yuefu and the concept of music in their historical classics,collections of poetry,or specialized theoretical articles.The Yuefu theory of the Han,Wei and Six Dynasties was not only a summation of Yuefu’s creative experience during this period but also a concentrated reflection of the Yuefu concept.It also had an important influence on the later development of the Yuefu literature and theoretical criticism.The Han Dynasty was the initial era of the Yuefu literature.Emperor Wu of Han’s "Li Yuefu" measures not only improved the status of Yuefu,expanded the functions of Yuefu,but also made the folk songs enter the court and become more advanced forms of music,and even participated in the National ritual and music building.The Han Dynasty’s Yuefu poems are related to the ceremonies of the imperial court.It was recorded by the historian in the historical classics,but the folk songs were often described briefly.Although the Han Dynasty emperors were not the direct creators of Yuefu poetry,they set up Yuefu institutions and organized large-scale ritual activities.This is an important factor in the development of Han Yuefu poetry.However,compared to rituals and educational effects,it is the entertaining psychology that really encourages them to develop Yuefu poetry.Unlike the Han Dynasty’s imperial pursuit of Yuefu’s entertainment functions,the Confucian intellectuals ’of the Han Dynasty affirmed the orthodox status of the Zhou Dynasty’s music,and regard Yuefu as the vulgar music.For example,Sima Qian’s "Historical Records",Ban Gu’s "Han Shu",and Ying Shao’s "Feng Su Tong Yi" all criticized the Yuefu practice with Confucian music thoughts.the controversy of music has become the theme of the Han Dynasty Yuefu theory.Yuefu poetry is still a comprehensive art of poetry,music and dance in the Wei Dynasty.In terms of music,it follows the Han Dynasty music for the worship of the ancestral temples,and seeks music talents to create popular rhythms.In terms of songs,it fully reflects the characteristics of the times and Personal emotions.The group of poets represented by Cao Zhi created some Yuefu poems without music.Wei Yuefu began to change from poetry and music to poetry without music since Cao Zhi.During the period of Wei Dynasty,the Yuefu theory acknowledged the orthodox status of Han Yuefu,inherited the music of the Han Dynasty in the construction of the music,and added the popularity of popular music factors,which contributed to the popularization of Han Yuefu again.Ji Kang’s "Sheng Wu Ai Le Lun" questions the Confucian traditional music theory from many aspects such as the origin of music,the relationship between the sound and heart and the function of music,reflecting the decline and collapse of the Confucian cultural system in the Wei Dynasty.The change of literary concept also promoted the development of Yuefu poetry to some extent.In the Western Jin Dynasty,the prevalence of ancient Yuefu was different from that of Cao Wei’s ancient title.The Yuefu in the Western Jin Dynasty rarely involved in current affairs,and the style changed to be elegant and exquisite.The poets represented by Bao Zhao during the period of the Song Dynasties of Southern Dynasties were planning to inherit the realistic spirit of "feelings of sadness and happiness,and create the poems" of Han Yuefu,showing a tendency of returning to Han Yuefu.During the development of Yuefu poetry into the Jin and Song dynasties,the trend of separation between music and lyrics became clearer.The poems gradually became more and more prosperous,and the Yuefu lyrics gradually broke away from the constraint of the Yuefu tune and became a form of expression for the poet to show his talent and express his emotions.In the Western Jin Dynasty,Cui Bao also created a book entitled "Ancient and Modern Note" that specifically explores the origins of the Yuefu ancient title.In addition,Shen Yue’s "Song Shu" not only tells about the development and evolution of the music of each dynasty since the Han Dynasty,but also records the melody songs created by various dynasties.For the first time,he records the Xianghe and Wuge poems in the official history.The development of the Yuefu and the contents of the songs reflect the changes in the concept of music that are brought about by the changing times.The southern Dynasties Qi,Liang and Chen periods were the most flourishing era of Yuefu poetry.Various types of Yuefu poems were designed by a large number of poets.However,the scope of the subject matter gradually narrowed.After entering the Chen Dynasty,no matter whether it was Guchui,Hengchui,or Xianghe rhyme,all of them were transformed into Yuefu poems based on erotic themes.The Yuefu theory in the middle and late Southern Dynasties was divided into three parts:historical records,selected poems,and Yuefu literary theory:historical records not only recorded the construction of the palace music,but also discussed the sentence patterns,rhymes and artistic skills of the poetry.The literary significance of Yuefu poetry has received more attention;The collection of poems,such as "Wen Xuan",has "Yuefu"subcategories under the category of "Poems",indicating that Yuefu poetry has become a type of poetry created by poets in the middle and late Southern Dynasties.The concept of "Yuefu" added the meaning of "poetry name"besides the name of "music organization".The Yuefu chapter of "Wen Xin Diao Long" created by Liu Xie is the earliest existing Yuefu monograph.It not only systematically describes the history of the development and evolution of the Yuefu poetry,but also embodies Liu Xie’s concept of Yuefu and his theoretical claims.It plays an important role in the history of Yuefu Studies.