Clan and slave societies (c.2700-475 BCE) (Continued)
Knowledge of six classical yuewu compositions, including one named 'Da wu', has come down from the Zhou dynasties. 'Da wu' opens with drumming followed by a lengthy vocal section that enacts a martial story with roles given to a king, a general, and several soldiers. On the other hand, 'Da huo' (Example 1: Performed by The Yayue Orchestra of Nanhua University. Directed by Chou Chun-Yi, instrumentation by Tong Zhongliang (special professor at Nanhua University), choreography by Feng Chin-Ping. Courtesy of Chou Chun-Yi.[1]Names cited in this chapter follow the way Chinese habitually write their names, i.e., with family name first and then personal name. For instance, the author's name is Qian (family name) Lijuan (personal name). I follow the pinyin system of romanization, except where an author or musician has already published under a personal romanization.) dates from the Shang dynasty and narrates the glorification of the Shang emperor. Court music reflected hierarchical society, with different-sized yuewu performance teams matching the status of officials of different levels.
Example 1: Yuewu "Da Huo"
Meanwhile, many folk songs circulated among the commoners. Some of these were incorporated in The Book of Songs-the first songbook in Chinese history-comprised of 305 songs, which included folk songs (feng) from fifteen different regions, songs written by the members of the nobility (ya), and songs used in ritual activities (song) (Liao 1964: 11-12).
The musical instruments developed during this period were classified according to a system based on eight groups or bayin. Each group corresponded to the material from which an instrument was made: metal, stone, clay, leather, silk, wood, gourd, and bamboo. Among them were the bianzhong (bell set; used in Example 1, 'Da huo'), representative of the metal group, and widely used in the court and the homes of the nobility. Music theorists from this period identified a five-note (pentatonic) scale with tones named gong, shang, jiao, zhi, and yu respectively. They also divided the octave into twelve semitones, each one of which could be used as the first step in a scale or melody. These developments, which were essential for casting well-tuned bell sets, led to a refined understanding of musical pitch and acoustics not matched in Europe until two-thousand years later. All these inventions laid the foundation for Chinese music instruments, scales, and music theory.
Linguistic tone is crucial to understanding spoken Chinese: the sound 'da' could mean either 'big' or 'to beat' (among other meanings) depending on its pitch and contour.
