Lux Prima's Chinese Traditional Music Lecture

[20:00:50] Lux Prima ♮: Welcome everyone to a lecture about chinese traditional music, hosted funnily enough by a spanish guy
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[20:01:24] %Prankin: Good Luck!
[20:01:27] Lux Prima ♮: I hope you enjoy as we explore through the context, details and expression that this form of music has within itself
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[20:02:16] Lux Prima ♮: Today we'll divide this lecture into five sections, all of them consisting of a separate point: an introduction, historical background, the two musicl
[20:02:43] Lux Prima ♮: Musical cultures* in China, specific details and a bunch of examples of the tradition
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[20:03:21] Lux Prima ♮: Let's start with a small introduction to the topic so that we understand a bit about how necessary music has been in China
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[20:04:44] Lux Prima ♮: As you all might know, the chinese music industry is inmense, one of the biggest in Asia. It has amassed 650 million dollars only in recorded music during the last year, and has brought to the spotlight many different bands and artists
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[20:05:40] Lux Prima ♮: Of course, music now is quite different from what it used to be, due to the access to technology we have in the contemporary era
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[20:06:24] Lux Prima ♮: But to understand how music works nowadays, we first have to look back at the past of it
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[20:07:10] Lux Prima ♮: It is thanks to looking back at music's past that we have been able to evolve said music into many different forms and genres
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[20:08:13] Lux Prima ♮: Today, we'll look at chinese traditional music, one of the most essential musical traditions in history that is to this day studied all over the world, even in countries with no connection to China whatsoever
[20:08:50] Lux Prima ♮: We will look at two types of this tradition: the first one, Jiangnan, and the second one, Guangdong.
[20:09:20] Lux Prima ♮: But first, let's start with a bit of historical background
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[20:10:42] Lux Prima ♮: China became unified as an empire in 221 BCE (before the current era), being controlled by the Qing dynasty
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[20:11:45] Lux Prima ♮: Despite the power and strength of the Qing dynasty in China, having taken over many territories during its reign, it wasn't long until the dynasty was overthrown
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[20:12:49] Lux Prima ♮: They had two emperors and it only lived 15 years. However, in that short timespan, they were still able to conquer the seven warring states, the leading states in the Chinese empire.
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[20:13:36] Lux Prima ♮: The Qing dynasty was overthrown by the Han dynasty, which surprisingly lasted much longer: over 1900 years.
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[20:14:57] Lux Prima ♮: It is considered to be the golden age of China, the dynasty being founded by Liu Bang. Because of its longevity, most chinese citizens today are Han chinese (descend from this dynasty)
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[20:15:48] Lux Prima ♮: In 1912, China's imperial era ends after an impressive amount of reigning time from the Han dynasty, getting us to our current China
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[20:16:44] Lux Prima ♮: But despite the reigning of the Han dynasty for so much time, there are still many different cultures, regions and dialects in today's China, showing how diverse the country's been for centuries
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[20:17:46] Lux Prima ♮: Why does this link to music? Well, this diversity of cultures has led to a diversity in musical traditions, giving us two of the most important in history: Jiangnan and Guangdong
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[20:19:15] Lux Prima ♮: Which leads us to our third chapter: the different musical cultures in China. I will give some geographical and social background for each, starting with Jiangnan, before getting into the musical stuff, which I'm guessing is what you all came for (?)
[20:19:30] +xernn ♡: :^)
[20:19:41] Lux Prima ♮: Part 1: Jiangnan/Jiangnan Sizhu
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[20:20:39] Lux Prima ♮: Jiangnan means "south of the river", referring to the Yangtze river, one of the longest in the world and the one that covers the most amount of area in a single country worldwide
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[20:21:24] +Gimm1ck: oo
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[20:21:38] Lux Prima ♮: The river has its source at Jari Hill, which is an elevation in the Tanggula mountains
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[20:22:24] Lux Prima ♮: Its mouth is at the East China Sea, which is close to where Japan is
[20:22:42] thatIvyGuy: Or Sea of Japan depending on who you ask hehe
[20:22:59] #Sunny: .whitelist Lux Primas
(Kid A notes: luxprimas was whitelisted for links by Sunny.)
[20:22:59] *Kid A: User successfully whitelisted.
[20:23:09] #Sunny: So you can display images
[20:23:14] Lux Prima ♮: This river plays a big role in history, economy and culture, as it was the home of many cultures and an incredible help to trading
[20:23:16] #Sunny: anyways you can continue, and gl
[20:23:41] Nessa's: Its Prima not Primas
[20:23:55] #Sunny: oops
[20:23:59] #Sunny: .whitelist Lux Prima
(Kid A notes: luxprima was whitelisted for links by Sunny.)
[20:24:00] *Kid A: User successfully whitelisted.
[20:24:05] #Sunny: .removewhitelist luxprimas
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(Kid A notes: luxprimas was unwhitelisted for links list by Sunny.)
[20:25:12] Lux Prima ♮: In terms of social background, Jiangnan music is quite famous in parts of China such as Shanghai. It was played in teahouses by amateur musicians as a form of background music, and it would in theory help people to socialise better in said teahouses
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[20:26:14] Lux Prima ♮: It is usually memorised or improvised when played in an unprofessional way, but when played by trained groups, players will usually have a sheet of music
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[20:27:24] Lux Prima ♮: In Jiangnan, the different musicians play in turns, and there's always only one player of each instrument. This means that, if in an orchestra there are two players of the same instrument, they'll have to take turns
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[20:28:39] Lux Prima ♮: Now onto the musical info: in Jiangnan, the instruments are made of the essential materials in chinese crafting: stone, earth, bamboo, metal, skin, silk, wood or gourd
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[20:29:40] Lux Prima ♮: There isn't a fixed number of players, but the percussion is always played by a single musician. Said percussion acts as the pace-changer of sorts in a performance, deciding the tempo and usually increasing it as time passes
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[20:30:04] Lux Prima ♮: And now, the most entertaining part: the instruments.
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[20:30:43] Lux Prima ♮: There are 7 main instruments in a Jiangnan Sizhu group/ensemble, some of them more important than others.
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[20:31:25] Lux Prima ♮: The first one is the Dizi
[20:31:58] Lux Prima ♮: .showimage https://i.imgur.com/PwNW7wz.jpg
[20:32:16] #Sunny: It's .link [image url]
[20:32:21] Lux Prima ♮: Oh, thx
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[20:32:57] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://i.imgur.com/PwNW7wz.jpg

[20:33:05] +xernn ♡: ooo, that’s cool
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[20:33:14] +heroictobias: isn't that an erhu
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[20:33:21] Lux Prima ♮: Yeah, my bad
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[20:34:11] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://i.vgy.me/WJA225.jpg

[20:34:16] Lux Prima ♮: There we go
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[20:34:27] +heroictobias: both are good
[20:34:31] %Prankin: Nice
[20:34:32] Lux Prima ♮: A Dizi is a transverse flute made of bamboo
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[20:34:52] Lux Prima ♮: It is the leading instrument in an orchestra
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[20:35:39] Lux Prima ♮: It usually is improvised, even in an orchestra, but it can also be read from a music sheet
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[20:36:40] Lux Prima ♮: Next up is the Sheng
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[20:37:47] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://i.imgur.com/Uje1P8G.jpg

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[20:38:15] Lux Prima ♮: Sorry if I'm a bit slow with images, usually happens to me
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[20:38:21] +xernn ♡: whoa, that’s really cool
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[20:38:39] Lux Prima ♮: But anyways, the sheng is a mouth organ, and it's one of the oldest instruments of the bunch
[20:38:46] +xernn ♡: how do you differentiate notes on that?
[20:39:01] +xernn ♡: oh, do you take the little ring off of it?
[20:39:19] Lux Prima ♮: <it is made out of many bamboo pipes, working in a similar way to an actual organ, and can produce more than one tone at the same time
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[20:39:38] +xernn ♡: nice
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[20:40:04] Lux Prima ♮: Jamie, it's like if you were playing a flute, but one with many sub-flutes within it
[20:40:17] +xernn ♡: ahh i see
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[20:40:28] Lux Prima ♮: And of course, without the actual shape of a flute, as you can see in the image
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[20:40:46] Lux Prima ♮: Next up we have the erhu, which was showed earlier
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[20:41:00] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://i.imgur.com/PwNW7wz.jpg

[20:41:02] Bionicles海: is that a tobacco pipe
[20:41:08] #Sunny: no
[20:41:13] +xernn ♡: that’s the coolest organ i’ve ever seen
[20:41:14] +heroictobias: ce n'est pas un pipe
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[20:41:30] Bionicles海: why cant iplay these instruments in band
[20:41:42] @deetah: These are beautiful instruments, let's be honest
[20:41:47] +heroictobias: i love the erhu
[20:41:47] +xernn ♡: they are
[20:41:57] Lux Prima ♮: The erhu actually comes from a persian origin, just like some other instruments that we'll present later
[20:41:59] @deetah: I've never seen anything like some of them
[20:42:25] %Prankin: I agree. Very cool
[20:42:34] Lux Prima ♮: It is a two-stringed violin, with the strings and bow made of horse hair
[20:43:04] Lux Prima ♮: Despite it not being the lead instrument, it is still essential in the Jiangnan Sizhu ensemble
[20:43:20] Lux Prima ♮: Next up is my personal favourite, the pipa
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[20:43:56] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://i.imgur.com/grFBqvv.jpg

[20:44:09] Lux Prima ♮: What does this remind you guys of?
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[20:45:42] Lux Prima ♮: In my case, it rings a bell to a mandolin. I usually describe it as a wooden mandolin/guitar. It slides between notes (which in music is expressed as glissando)
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[20:45:52] Bionicles海: same
[20:45:56] @Birdy~!: Oh, it reminds me of a banjo somehow
[20:46:03] +xernn ♡: i see that
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[20:46:31] Lux Prima ♮: It was first played horizontally, but now it is played vertically due to this method being easier for sliding between notes
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[20:47:23] Lux Prima ♮: Next up is the Yangqin
[20:47:46] Lux Prima ♮: https://i.imgur.com/8pZkln1.jpg
[20:48:02] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://i.imgur.com/8pZkln1.jpg

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[20:48:45] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://i.imgur.com/8pZkIn1.jpg

[20:48:50] Lux Prima ♮: There we go
[20:48:51] %Prankin: There we go
[20:48:57] %Prankin: Nice!
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[20:49:08] Lux Prima ♮: The yangqin is a sort of hammered dulcimer
[20:49:23] +heroictobias: reminds me of a koto
[20:49:31] Lux Prima ♮: It originates from Persia too, specifically from the iranian area
[20:49:47] *Kid A: !rfaq dailysuggestions
If you’d like to suggest something for one our "dailies", feel free to do so! The format to suggest them is /setdaily [Category], [direct image link], [short description]; the valid categories are Destination, Fact, and Wildlife. Please host your image on vgy.me or imgur and try to keep the text relevant & relatively short. As soon as you’ve got your perfect suggestion, PM any room staff and we’ll be glad to use it!
[20:49:55] Bionicles海: 90% of these i have never heard or seen
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[20:49:59] Bionicles海: of
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[20:50:09] Lux Prima ♮: The strings are struck with bamboo beaters, but surprisingly, it is quite sophisticated
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[20:50:34] Lux Prima ♮: Next up are the percussion instruments, which you might have seen before
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[20:50:44] Lux Prima ♮: One of them is the Ban
[20:51:28] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://i.imgur.com/X1JXHZW.jpg

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[20:51:53] Lux Prima ♮: It is a wooden clapper attached by a single, strong string
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[20:52:46] Lux Prima ♮: As a curiosity, it is held with the left hand, almost never with the right one
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[20:53:21] Lux Prima ♮: The other percussion instrument, and the last one for the Jiangnan Sizhu ensemble, is the Bangzi
[20:53:48] Lux Prima ♮: .link https://imgur.com/UTxXxsn.jpg

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[20:54:24] Lux Prima ♮: It is a rectangular woodblock, played always on a table and can be stroked or hammered
[20:54:37] %Prankin: Wow sounds awesome
[20:54:57] Lux Prima ♮: Next up is the Guangdong tradition, which I'll make a bit shorter
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[20:56:00] Lux Prima ♮: Guangdong is a place in the coast of the South China Sea. It has been always marginalised, as some parts of it used to belong to a different area (Jiangxi)
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[20:56:48] Lux Prima ♮: However, now it's curiously the most populous area of the south, with 108,500,000 citizens
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[20:58:01] Lux Prima ♮: Guangdong used to be played in teahouses too, but then it became a popular form of music, appearing in movies and other entertainment forms
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[20:59:14] Lux Prima ♮: Even though nowadays it's not seen all that much, it was quite popular back in the early 1900s
[21:00:08] Lux Prima ♮: It adapted western instruments, but was also heavily impacted by Hong Kong
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[21:00:51] Lux Prima ♮: Now onto the music, a Guangdong ensemble usually consists of string and wind instruments
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[21:01:32] Lux Prima ♮: It uses Jiangnan instruments too, which is funny, as this doesn't happen in Jiangnan (as in Jiangnan doesn't use elements of Guangdong)
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[21:02:11] Lux Prima ♮: It's usually without percussion because it is said that percussion in this tradition distracts the listener from the true melodic atmosphere
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[21:02:47] Lux Prima ♮: There are three main instruments: the gaohu, the guzheng and the yehu
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[21:03:45] Lux Prima ♮: I'll speed through this so that we can get to the specific details part, as the instruments in Guangdong are quite similar to the ones in Jiangnan
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[21:04:20] Lux Prima ♮: The gaohu is a development of the erhu, but much taller. It acts as the leading instrument, differentiating it from the erhu
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[21:05:51] Lux Prima ♮: Then there's the guzheng, a 2500-year old string instrument placed on a stand and played with plastic finger picks. It contains 16 to 21 strings, considered to be one of the instruments with the most amount of strings in musical culture
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[21:06:20] Lux Prima ♮: And finally the Yehu, which is jokingly described as a "coconut-shelled bowed lute"
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[21:07:50] Lux Prima ♮: It is a sort of lute with a seashell placed in the middle of the resonator (the box in the middle of most string instruments like guitars)
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[21:08:10] Lux Prima ♮: Now, onto the specific details
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[21:09:13] Lux Prima ♮: Chinese traditional music uses a pentatonic scale, meaning that it uses scales with 5 notes per octave
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[21:10:07] Lux Prima ♮: The metrical structure is called "Banyan", which means "Beat and time". It is how the metric in music is referred to
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[21:11:34] Lux Prima ♮: In Chinese traditional music, the melody is considered to be the most important thing. The melody's texture is heterophonic, meaning that there are two melody lines that are really similar, one only being slightly more decorated/detailed than the other
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[21:12:10] Lux Prima ♮: Now, to end this lecture, I shall give some recomendations for you to check out all this music
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[21:13:26] Lux Prima ♮: The main piece everyone likes to recommend is High Mountains and Flowing Waters, which is so popular, it has even appeared in videogames like Civilization.
[21:13:48] Grillo: oo
[21:14:15] Lux Prima ♮: Guzheng - High Mountain Flowing Water
[21:15:14] Lux Prima ♮: Next is the Plum Blossom Melody, also a really common pcik between musicians. It contains many common instruments, like the Pipa or the Erhu
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[21:15:36] Lux Prima ♮: Music: Plum Blossom Melody in Three Variations
[21:17:10] Lux Prima ♮: And finally, my personal fave, Autumn Moon over the Han Palace. A beautiful and sophisticated piece, which was an inspiration to many movies based in China, such as Mulan
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[21:17:32] Lux Prima ♮: [[Autumn Moon Over Han Palace (Guzheng)]
[21:17:54] Lux Prima ♮: Autumn Moon Over Han Palace (Guzheng)
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[21:19:05] Lux Prima ♮: Here we come to an end in this lecture. I hope you all have been able to discover a bit about the wonderful chinese musical culture, and I hope to have entertained you for the past hour and twenty minutes.