Chinese musicology is the academic study of traditional Chinese music. This discipline has a very long history. Traditional Chinese music can be traced back to around 8,000 years ago during the Neolithic age. The concept of music, called 乐 (), stands among the oldest categories of Chinese thought; however, in the known sources, it does not receive a fairly clear definition until the writing of the Classic of Music (lost during the Han dynasty). Chinese music has always been interacting with different cultures throughout its long history, dating all the way back to the Xia and Shang dynasties.
Music scales
The first musical scales were derived from the harmonic series. On the Guqin (a traditional instrument) all of the dotted positions are equal string length divisions related to the open string like 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, etc. and are quite easy to recognize on this instrument. The Guqin has a scale of 13 positions all representing a natural harmonic position related to the open string.
The ancient Chinese defined, by mathematical means, a gamut or series of 十二律 (Shí-èr-lǜ), meaning twelve lǜ, from which various sets of five or seven frequencies were selected to make the sort of "do re mi" major scale familiar to those who have been formed with the Western Standard notation. The 12 lü approximate the frequencies known in the West as the chromatic scale, from A, then B-flat, through to G and A-flat.
Scale and tonality
Most Chinese music uses a pentatonic scale, with the intervals (in terms of lǜ) almost the same as those of the major pentatonic scale. The notes of this scale are called gōng 宫, shāng 商, jué 角, zhǐ 徵 and yǔ 羽. By starting from a different point of this sequence, a scale (named after its starting note) with a different interval sequence is created, similar to the construction of modes in modern Western music.
Since the Chinese system is not an equal tempered tuning, playing a melody starting from the lǜ nearest to A will not necessarily sound the same as playing the same melody starting from some other lǜ, since the wolf interval will occupy a different point in the scale. The effect of changing the starting point of a song can be rather like the effect of shifting from a major to a minor key in Western music. The scalar tunings of Pythagoras, based on 2:3 ratios (8:9, 16:27, 64:81, etc.), are a western near-parallel to the earlier calculations used to derive Chinese scales.
Interactions with the World before the 20th Century
After being invented in the pre-Qin era, Chinese music was closely influenced by and influenced other cultures. In the ancient period, music was often associated with various factors, such as singing and dancing. It was a comprehensive art form, conveying themes including production, sacrifice, and anticipation for a better life. After China entered a slave society from a primitive society, the class division produced an occupational division of labor, and the initial stage of professional musicians appeared. Music was also used as a technique for the ruling class to show their power and social status.
Due to the restriction of China's geographical location, social development, and other conditions, music communication with the outside world first occurred in the East, South, and West of China. Early exchanges occurred among the Japanese, Korean, southwestern, and northern minorities. After the Han Dynasty, China had a vast territory and prosperous economy, which laid the foundation for music communication between China and India, the Middle East, and other countries.
Xia and Shang Dynasty
During the Xia Dynasty, frontier nationalities came to the court to perform music and dance. In the Shang Dynasty, there were local noble children coming from neighboring regions to study, and the content includes martial arts and music.
Zhou Dynasty
As the Zhou Dynasty replaced the Shang Dynasty and China began to enter feudal society, music culture was improved unprecedentedly. The court collected and organized the existing music, established a musical hierarchy based on application, built music institutions, and conducted musical education. For the first time in China, a system of "Yayue" (雅乐) was established for rituals and ceremonies. At the same time, the Zhou emperors and the noble class incorporated foreign music into sacrificial ceremonies and feast performances. This promoted the inflow of music from surrounding areas.