Chinese music has a long history dating back to the Shang Dynasty. During the Han Dynasty, the imperial court established a music department to collect and edit ancient melodies. Most Chinese folk songs use a repetitive formal structure. Confucius believed that music could be used to calm human passions. The development of Chinese music occurred in four periods: the Formative Period where music honored ancestors, the International Period with influences from trade, the National Period where music was enjoyed by all classes, and the World Music Period combining Western and traditional forms. Instruments include flutes, zithers, lutes, fiddles, gongs and wood blocks. Chinese music uses pentatonic and heptatonic scales as well as the lu and

1. CHINESE MUSIC

2. Chinese music is as
old as Chinese
civilization. Its
development
started way back
during the
SHANG Dynasty

3. During the HAN Dynasty- the imperial
court set up the music department to
initiate the collecting and editing of
the ancient melodies
Most Chinese folk songs were
constructed in repetitive formal
approach.

4. CONFUCIUS- famous
Chinese philosopher
who believed that music
in its highest form can
be used to calm the
human passion and lust.
- Means to purify ones
thought.

5. FOUR STAGES OF THE
DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE
PERIOD
FORMATIVE PERIOD-
music was used in
folk festival that are
meant to give honor
to the ancestors.

6. Clay ocarinas and
stone chimes were
some of the
instruments used
to accompany
these celebrations

9. INTERNATIONAL
PERIOD- there was an overflow
of musical ideas brought about by the
Western contacts and Asian trade.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Trumpets, oboes, lutes and drums

12. NATIONAL
PERIOD- musical
activities were no
longer confined to
the enjoyment of
the aristocrats.

13. WORLD MUSIC
PERIOD- a new kind
of music was born
from the tradition
of Western
instruments and
forms.

14. PENTATONIC SCALE- five tone scale (
Chinese traditional music)
• gong (宫, gōng) // The first note in
the Chinese pentatonic scale.
• shang (商, shāng) // The second
note...
• jue (角, jué​) // The third note...
• zhi (徵, zhǐ​) // The fourth note...
• yu (羽, yǔ​) // The fifth note...

15. HEPTATONIC
SCALE- seven
tone scale used
in Northern
Chinese folk
music.

16. LU- twelve pitch scale in
which Chinese
composition are written
TIAO- a 60 pentatonic
and 84 heptatonic
modes
IDEOGRAMS- or symbols
were used to notate the
Chinese notation

17. Chinese
Musical
Instruments

18. AEROPHONES

19. HSIAO- an
endblown
flute made
from a
Smooth
bamboo.

20. TI- a transverse
bamboo flute
tipped with ivory or
bone at the end

21. SHENG- a
mouth
organ
with 17
pipes

22. CHORDOPHONES

23. CH’IN - a seven
stringed
zither

24. P’IPA - a four
stringed
loquat
shaped
lute

25. ZHENG- a long
zither with 13-23
strings

26. YUEH-CH’IN – a four
stringed moon
shaped lute
used to accom
pany in Peking
Operas

27. ERH- HU – a two
stringed
fiddle played with
a bow
string

28. SAN-HSIEN - a
three stringed
banjo

29. IDIOPHONES

30. YUN-LO - hanging
flat gongs

31. Mu Yu - is a
hammered wood
block instrument

32. PA- cymbals