Exhibitions: Past
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Group of Musicians (detail)
Glazed Earthenware
Sui dynasty (589-618)
Purchased with funds provided by Faye Langley Cowden
94.17.1.a-h
Music in Medieval China
As with the visual arts, music is a common creative expression that connects humanity over the vast expanse of time and geography. In ancient China, music appears very early in the culture’s development. Instruments dating from the Neolithic period indicate that music was present in China over 6,000 years ago.
The Warring States period (476-221 BC) is an era of critical importance in Chinese history. Luminaries of this time include Kongzi, better known in the West as Confucius. He divided music into two main genres: refined court music (ya yue) and local music lacking moral restraint (sa yue). This division of music reflects Confucius’ view that music can be either a virtue or a vice.
The Confucian conception of court music promotes the genre as an essential tool for self-cultivation. On this subject, Confucius famously said “To be a complete man, one has to rely on music”. Sentimental folk music, by contrast, is characterized as a dangerous indulgence by Confucius and his followers.
Early Chinese music underwent a great transformation during the medieval period, particularly during the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties. During these dynasties China’s borders expanded and there was much greater contact with non-Chinese music.
The short lived Sui dynasty was the period in which court music was challenged by popular music. The Record of Music from the Sui dynasty provides details on a new genre - banquet music (yen yu). This music, often accompanied by dance, was played during feasts at court. Sui historical sources also list the names of popular musicians, perhaps the first pop idols, who were eagerly courted by the elite for performances at parties. A variety of foreign instruments came into China during this era.
A rare and outstanding group of musician figures from the Sui dynasty is included in this exhibition. Eight female musicians hold various instruments including the sheng (mouth organ), pipa (lute), flutes, gongs, and cymbals.
As with all sculptures in this exhibition, these figures are mingqi or tomb ware. In the traditional Chinese conception of the afterlife, the next world is quite similar to the world experienced in this lifetime. It is therefore important to furnish the tomb with everything one might require in the next life. The presence of musician figures as tomb furnishings in the Sui and Tang dynasties indicates the value and importance assigned to music during these periods.
By the Tang dynasty, one of the greatest periods in Chinese history, the court music held in such high regard by Confucius and his followers is largely eclipsed by popular music. In fact, a text from the Tang dynasty indicates that only musicians who could not play the lively popular pieces were given the task of performing slow and stately court music.
Foreign influences evident in Sui dynasty music came to full flower in the Tang dynasty – a golden age of music in China. The Tang dynasty capital, Changan, was the most sophisticated city in the world at this time and had over one million inhabitants. Records from the Tang indicate a number of foreign music genres popular among the elites, including music from Central Asia, India, Persia, Mongolia, and Korea. These foreign influences shaped subsequent developments in Chinese music. Tang dynasty writers referred to the foreign-origin music as “new music”, though today it would be described as “world music”. Tang sources also indicate that very large orchestras would perform elaborate compositions. Some orchestras contained over 700 musicians, all of whom would play simultaneously.
A sculptural group of female performers from the Tang dynasty is included in the exhibition and demonstrates the close relationship between dance and music. Four musicians are seated and play mouth organ, pan pipes, flute, and lute while two dancers are shown in graceful movement. These dancers are performing the famous long sleeve dance which was very fashionable in the Tang dynasty. Women were favored as entertainers and musicians at the Sui and Tang imperial courts.
In contrast to the ensembles and orchestras providing entertainment in medieval China, the sublime music of the qin harkens back to Confucius’ admonition to use music as a means of self-cultivation. In fact, Confucius himself is said to have pelayed the qin. The qin is indigenously Chinese and was already popular 3,000 years ago. It is a long narrow wooden instrument with silk strings fastened over a resonating chamber. Though occasionally played with other instruments, the qin is frequently performed solo. From the 10th century onwards the qin was a symbol of refinement that appears very frequently in visual depictions of the sophisticated elite, particularly in literati painting.
An extremely rare qin from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) on loan from the Qin Xuan Collection is included in this exhibition. This is a special opportunity to see a centuries-old instrument, the very symbol of Chinese refinement, which has been played and lovingly maintained for many generations. Furthermore, two pieces of music can be heard in the exhibition, a Tang dynasty ensemble work for the long sleeve dance and a Ming dynasty composition for solo qin.