Music of China & Indonesia

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Recommended: Music is a universal language

China and Indonesia are located in the Southeast Asia. They both are big countries, consisting of many cultures with musical traditions. China This is the body of vocal and instrumental music composed and played by the Chinese people. For several thousand years Chinese culture was dominated by the teachings of the philosopher Confucius, who conceived of music in the highest sense as a means of calming the passions and of dispelling unrest and lust, rather than as a form of amusement. The ancient Chinese belief that music is meant not to amuse but to purify one's thoughts finds particular expression in the cult of the qin, a long zither possessing a repertory calling for great subtlety and refinement in performance and still popular among a small circle of scholar-musicians. A famous Qin scholar once said, "Though the qin player's body be in a gallery or in a hall, his mind should dwell with the forests and streams." (Kovskaya Maya, 2000) Also, traditionally the Chinese have believed that sound influences the harmony of the universe. Significantly, one of the most important duties of the first emperor of each new dynasty was to search out and establish that dynasty's true standard of pitch. A result of this philosophical orientation was that until quite recently the Chinese theoretically opposed music performed solely for entertainment; accordingly, musical entertainers were relegated to an extremely low social status. (Kuo Kaiser, 2002) Melody and tone color are prominent expressive features of Chinese music, and great emphasis is given to the proper articulation and inflection of each musical tone. Most Chinese music is based on the five-tone, or pentatonic, scale, but the seven-tone, or heptatonic, scale, is also used, often as... ... middle of paper ... ...lled by the drum layer, and paraphrased through different types of melodic variations by the elaborating layers and the vocal-tone layer. The elaborating layers are two, one suitable for a rigorous and rhythmic loud-playing style and one for a more subtle and refined soft-playing style. Conclusion Both the big countries, China and Indonesia, have rich musical heritage. They play different complex musical instruments. The soft kind of music is common between both the countries. References China Seeks Managers' Advice.; By: KOVSKAYA, MAYA., Billboard, 11/18/2000, Vol. 112 Issue 47, p10, 1/3p Music.; By: I.C.., Mother Jones, Sep/Oct98, Vol. 23 Issue 5, p84, 2p, 1c; When pink turns to blue.; By: Doskoch, Peter., Psychology Today, Mar/Apr97, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p12 Woodstock East' Has Music and Lots of Mud.; By: Kuo, Kaiser., Time, 9/2/2002, Vol. 160 Issue 10, p8

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