Chinese music has a long history dating back to ancient dynasties like the Chou Dynasty where music was one of the primary subjects studied. Various dynasties like the Tang Dynasty saw Chinese secular music reach its peak with large imperial orchestras and bands. Key genres of Chinese music developed, including ritual music, opera, and regional forms like Peking Opera. The pentatonic scale is commonly used in Chinese folk and classical music.

1. Chinese Music
East Asian Music
2nd Quarter
Lesson 1

2. Historical overview:
 Chou Dynasty
c.1027-256 BC
Music is one of the four subjects that
the sons of the noblemen and princes
studied.
Chinese ritual music (yanye)

3. Qin Dynasty
221-206 BC
Music was denounced as a wasteful
pastime – musical nooks, instruments
and manuscripts were ordered
destroyed.

4. Han Dynasty
206 BC- AD 220
The Renaissance period of Chinese music
In Liu Zhang reign (AD 58-75), the
Han palace had three orchestras
compricing 829 performers – one
used for religious
ceremonies,another for royal
archery contests, and the third for
royal banquets and harem.

5. Tang Dynasty (618-906)
 The Chinese secular music (suyue)
reached its peak.Emperor Tai Zong
(597-649) had ten different
orchestras. The imperial court also
had a huge outdoor band of nearly
14,000. Portion of Tang music are
preserved in Japanese court music, or
gagaku.

6. The Chinese Opera
Based on old tales of heroes
and the supernatural.

7. Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
The development of the Chinese opera
called northern drama (beigu)

8.  Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
 Qin Dynasty (1644 – 1912)
The flourishment and stylistic
development of the southern drama
(xiwen)

9. 19th Century
Peking Opera, jingxi developed as a
synthesis of earlier provincial forms.
Peking Opera is the most popular in the
West.

10. Pentatonic Scale
 Is a scale configuration which consists
of only five tones plus the repeated
octave – tone.
Do – Re-Mi-Sol-La-Do

11. Feng Yang Song
Sing the Feng Yang Song
Sing it loud and long
Clash cymbals, beat the drum
Strike the metal gong!
We are the vendors who travel all day
long,
Calling our wares to the Feng Yang
Song

12. Feng yang, fong yong, beat the gong
Strike the clappers well.
Clash cymbals, byah yah yang
Clash cymbals byah yah yang!
Brr dong! Brr dong!
Brr dong yah feng yang,fang yong
Brr, beat the drum