Assignment #2...

This assignment is about music during the Medieval Period. It lasted from about 235 AD and ended in 550 AD.  I am going to discuss music in China. In the Medieval Period, Europe was going through harder times, but China was flourishing. New arts and literary work were being established. Below is everything I could find about music in China during the Medieval period. I spent awhile researching it, and I think it was very challenging to find even a paragraph of good information.

This is some kind of guitar or banjo.

The Warring States period (476-221 BC) was an era of importance in Chinese history. Confucius divided this music into two main genres: refined court music (ya yue) and local music. (sa yue). Early Chinese music went through a great transformation during the medieval period, during the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties. During these dynasties China’s borders expanded, and music from other countries blended with Chinese music. In the Sui Dynasty, banquet music was popular. This music was played at feasts and dances. During this era, many foreign instruments were beginning to be used. A group of musician figures from the Sui dynasty emerged.They were a group of 8 female musicians who used various instruments including the sheng (mouth organ), pipa (lute), flutes, gongs, and cymbals.

Flutes.

A Chinese drum.

There isn't much known about music during Medieval times in China, or other countries. I think that there wasn't much written record of things that happened musically in that time. I found planty on their system of governing and political changes, also their religion. I have a few questions about music in China, a few of them being: Was there even time to write music in China during this time, or were people too concerned with surviving? Will people today ever know what music was like in China? Will the future know about music today?

Who knows?

Here are some links to web-sites that helped find information. Click here, or here. For the second one you have to scroll down kind of far. The first link was much more useful. I hope you enjoy this blog post. :) Here is also a good website with pictures of instruments from China.