The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-03
CHINESE MUSIC.
1t Is in Close Affinity with Their
Religion.
From CasselI's History OF Music.

From Ca7seus History OF Music.
In turning our attention first Of all to
the Chinese, we find that the origin Of
music with them, as with all other ma
tions, is in close affinity with that of their
religion. The Chinese builds his world
upon the harmonious action Of the heavens
and earth; regards the animation Of all
natute, the movement is Of the stars and
the change Of seasons as a grand
''world-muslc, in which everything keeps
steadfastly IN its appointed course. teach
ing mankind thereby wholesome lesson.
One of the founders of their religion,
Fo-Hi, is believed TO have been the in
Ventor OF the kin, a stringed instrument
still in use in China. The close relation
ship that originally existed between the
constitution Of the state and music is also
clearly shown in Chinese history. All
their music has from time immemorial
been under state supervision n order TO
guard against the stealthy introduction
OF any tone contrary to ordinance. Here
we already meet with the peruiCious in
huence of bureaucratic pedantic state,
as well as that Of the prosaic character Of
the Chinese, upon their music. Both
features are eXemplified in the names Of
the notes Of their oldest musical scale
which consisted only of i've tones from +
TO d. emitting the 3.
We will now endeavor 20 describe
Chinese music by noticing some of its
prominent features. Among the Chinese
the art of music has ever remained an OBJ
lect either of diversion or Of speculation
III has never revealed to them the lang
llage of the heart and intellect Never
theless they draw distinction between
sound and noise. The period at which
their fve-toned scale was enlarged to
seven tones has been described by Chinese
theorists as the commencement of the de-
cadence Of their musical system. They
ascribe to their mythical bird Flung
Hoaug, " and his mate. the invention Of
tones and half tones TIE six whole tones
TO the male, and the half-tones TO the
female. Such creed comedies with
lhelr notions of man and woman. The
whole tones represented to them things
perfect and independent-as heaven, sun
and man; the half tones, things imper
feet and dependent-as earth, moon, and
woman. The enlargement of the scale to
seven tones was owing to the insertion Of
the two halt-topes +, and b, which were
called leaders to f and c, and they
possess also for the modern cultivated
ear, the quality of resolving themselves
into the halftone above, acting at the
time as mediators and filling up the void
between d and F-A and c.
The Chinese wind instruments are
fewer in number than those of percus-
sion
The oldest of these, the hiuen, is in the
shape of an egg. 1t is made Of earthen-
ware, open on one side. with five vent
ages. which give the five tones of the old
est Chinese scale. Speaking relatively,
the most ella bOrate of Chinese wind in
struments is the Cheug II is the most
pleasing of their instruments, and serves
as a standard to tune other Instruments
II has for its basis .hOllOWed-out pump
kin, which serves the purpose of a wind
receptacle, in which are twelve to TWEEN
tY-fOur bamboo reeds. placed closely to-
gether in circle. The performer blows
into the curved cylinder, opening and
closing the ventages with his fingers
Among their Instruments of the flute
type mention should be made of the
yo, which Is played from the top
like the clarinet; and the tsche, played
like the modern flute. They also possess
the pan-pipes called siao Their martial
instruments include various trumpets with
funnel or knpb-shaped bells Their or
chestra is but sparsely recruited with
stringed instruments of their own inven-
tion, for the mandolins and guitars which
they use are more probably Of Persian or
HtudOo than of Chinese origin The only
Chinese stringed instruments are the kin
and che, the former a very primitive
guitar, of a pearshape, usually strung
with four strings, and having inside it
some metallic bells which make a clang-
ing accompaniment to the sound of its
strings, while the che, literally trans
lated the wonderful, " is a table-psaltery.
nine feet in length, containing twenty
five strings. Both are evidently of great
antiquity, and are said to have been in
vented by k'o-Hi, but unsteady the che is
the most important.