The State of Chu, also known as Jing and Jing Chu, was a vassal state in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, located in the Yangtze River valley, probably including Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui and other provinces. According to Records of the Historian Chu Family, during the period of Zhou Chengwang, Xiong Yi, the tribal leader of the Chu people, was made a viscount and the State of Chu was established.

Chu has a vast territory, rich products and strong national strength, where Chinese civilization and barbarian culture blend and converge, thus giving birth to a brilliant Chu culture. Among them, the most remarkable is the music of Chu State, which is a model and foundation of traditional folk music in China.

in the 197s and 198s, archaeological excavations in the old place of Chu emerged one after another, especially the discovery of the ancient tombs of Jiuliandun Warring States and the ancient tomb of Leigudun in Suixian County. The unearthed Chu musical instruments and documents showed that the music of Chu had stood at the peak of the world at that time.

Chu's music is independent and unique in the world, with a unique development and prosperity.

The witchcraft culture of Chu plays a vital role in the emergence and development of music art. Chu Ci Zhang Sentence: "Between Yuan and Xiang of Chu State, there is a folk belief in ghosts and good shrines (they believe in ghosts and gods and like to hold sacrifices), and their shrines must sing and inspire (there must be drums, songs and dances to entertain the gods)."

Chu is a wizard. In the eyes of Chu people, wizards not only rule the divine world and master the divine right, but also master the human world. Witch culture has created Chu people's devout worship of natural gods and strong romantic feelings.

Chu people believe that both God and people exist in this world. Among the people, those who are "pure and cool" and "can be both upright and sorrowful" are the symbols of the arrival of the gods. Such people are called "witches". They can not only communicate with God's will, pray and divination, but also benefit ordinary people and cure diseases and disasters.

Witchcraft and myth are bound to create the seeds of artistic thinking, and music is the initial artistic form, which has a far-reaching impact on the spiritual life of Chu people.

Chu music is unique in the world because of its early germination, rapid development and complete categories. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, music sprouted in Chu State, and musical instruments such as Chu Gong's family clock and Chu Gong's counter clock can be used as evidence. According to the literature, when Wu Jugui, a doctor of the State of Chu, advised King Ling of Chu not to indulge in debauchery, he referred to the eight tones as "stone and bamboo".

This shows that Chu music at that time had been "earth (music), wood (music), gold (music), stone (music), leather (drum), silk (music), music (music) and bamboo (music). In the Eight Tones, people in the State of Chu have a special liking for "Zhong", and all the princes, nobles and powerful people are buried with Zhong Le to announce their elegant taste and noble family background to later generations.

during the spring and autumn period, the government of the state of Chu has specially set up music officials to take charge of state affairs related to the sacrifice of drums and music. For example, some people have been attacking the position of "Ling Ren", that is, Yue Guan. In ancient books and documents, Ling Ren, Le Yin, and Hu Zi, a musician, all refer to music officials who take music as their duty. Under the management of professional musicians, the music level of Chu State has been continuously and steadily developed.

The tomb of Zeng Houyi, which caused a sensation in the world, unlocked the glorious history of Chu music for thousands of years.

The tomb of Zeng Houyi, discovered in p>1978, comprehensively reflected the level of Chu music. In ancient times, there were six kinds of tombs unearthed by Zeng Houyi, namely, gold, stone, leather, silk, bamboo and so on, with a total of 124 pieces. These unearthed relics show the huge lineup of Ceng Houyi bands, which proves that Chu music is developed and strong.

The chime of Zeng Houyi is the largest, the most complete and the most important one ever unearthed in China. Among them, the Huang Zhong not only has elegant sound quality, but also retains valuable inscriptions. It is recorded that this variant was made by King Hui of Chu in 56 years, and it is a special ritual vessel for the ancestral temple to pay homage to Ceng Houyi.

In addition to Zhong Qing, other musical instruments, such as banjo, ten-stringed piano, paixiao, saxophone and Chi, were unearthed in the tomb of Zeng Houyi. These are very old Chu musical instruments, some of which can only be found in ancient books, such as the flute, which is called "uneven" in Chu.

In "Nine Songs of Xiang Jun", it is mentioned that "if you look forward to the future, you will think about it." The objects unearthed in the tomb are composed of more than a dozen small bamboo tubes with different lengths, which provide valuable information for future music research. However, it is a pity that some musical instruments have been lost for a long time, and even their names are nowhere to be verified.

for example, the musical instrument chi. Regarding its appearance and structure, Guo Pu's annotation "Er Ya Shi Le" records: "Take bamboo as its object, with a length of four inches and a circumference of three inches, and blow it out from a hole ... horizontally." ? What is more worth mentioning is the decoration of the beam frame. Supporting the beam are six exquisite bronze figures, who are also the first bronze figures discovered in archaeology in China.

The bronze man is dressed in a robe, with a belt and a sword, and his figure is solemn and solemn. It reflects each other with the beam decorated with a pan, which makes the whole chime beam more magnificent and highlights its extremely grand and precious position.

Chu music is the origin of traditional folk music in China, which laid the foundation for the development of folk music in later generations. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, various ethnic groups and tribes continued to merge and meet. As the most important ethnic integration center in the south, Chu began to subtly absorb the nutrients of other ethnic music cultures.

In Wen Xuan Song Yu's Question to the King of Chu, it is mentioned that "the people who have songs in the middle of the song dynasty started from Xiali and Ba people (popular songs), and there are thousands of people who belong to the middle school (with a wide audience). They are yang a and Qiu Lu (more elegant music), and there are hundreds of people who belong to the middle school (the number is gradually decreasing).

It is Yangchun and Baixue (the most elegant music), and there are only dozens of people (few audiences) who belong to the middle school. "It's that its music is high, but its harmony is low." This shows the characteristics of the national integration of Chu music, which is the origin of China traditional national music.

"Xialiba people" is a well-known popular song in areas where various ethnic groups live together. It sings and dances, and the scene is lively. Songs such as "Spring Snow" are difficult and elegant, and only a few people can sing them. This situation very truly reflects that Chu, as a country of music and music, coexists with foreigners and summers, and a hundred flowers blossom, appreciating elegance and customs, and being harmonious but different. It is the blending spirit of Chu people's open mind and Chinese integration that laid a solid foundation for the development of folk music in later generations.

In terms of professional music theory, Chu music is the best. Four sets of bronze chimes unearthed from Chu tombs in the Spring and Autumn Period in the 198s have creatively added two tones of "Zheng" and "Shang", so that all musical tones can play seven tones.

There are 54 musical terms * * * in Ceng Houyi Ji, 36 of which have never appeared in the traditional musical theory, and belong to the new musical theory discovery. That is to say, as early as 24 years ago, Chu had its own expression method of national music. "Songs of the South Evocation" recorded the magnificent scene of the eight tones of Chu: "Chen Zhong pressed the drum, and the court was shocked ...".

Chu people even consciously built an underground concert hall-underground room to welcome distinguished guests, with huge clocks and drums. When the guests step into the hall, music is played and bells and drums are ringing, which gives people a sense of shock.

Chu music is a master of China's traditional folk music. The story of high mountains and flowing water is a model for generations.

The story of high mountains and flowing water is well known to women and children in China, and it has been known for generations. The dust is clear and clear, and it is a model for generations. High mountains and flowing water were first seen in Liezi Tang Wen. Boya, a native of Yingdu, Chu, was a doctor in the state of Jin. When he was young, he used to learn the piano art from a master and was proficient in melody.

One day, he returned to Chu to visit relatives, came to the place where the Yangtze River meets the Hanshui River, and moored at night under the Dabie Mountain. Facing the great rivers and mountains, the bright moon and the cool breeze, Boya couldn't help thinking a lot, so he burned incense and played the drums to talk about it. At this moment, it happened that Zhong Ziqi, a Chu man, passed by. He was just a woodcutter, but it was said that he was a descendant of Le Yin Zhongjian.

he couldn't help falling down when he heard the piano. Boya is good at playing the piano, and she is good at listening in the early stage. Boya played with the image of a high mountain in mind, and responded in the early stage: "I am as tall as Mount Tai!" " Playing with the shape of flowing water in mind, the sub-phase responded: "Yang Yang Xi is like a river!" What Boya read, he will get it in his childhood.

the so-called bosom friend is like this. Boya's spirit suddenly took on a new look, and he became close friends with Zizi, and agreed to meet again next year to play music with him. Unexpectedly, Zizi died of illness soon after. In the coming year, Boya didn't wait until the middle of the year, feeling dejected and feeling that there would be no bosom friend in this life, so he broke the piano and never played again.

Boya's friendship with his children has become a much-told story from generation to generation, and the ancient song "Running Water in the Mountains" has also become an immortal classic of China's traditional music aesthetics. The friendship between gentlemen is as light as water, and both music and personality should pursue the highest state of elegance and purity.

In addition, "poetry" and "song" belong to the same clan, and Chu music also gave birth to Qu Sao literature, a gorgeous and brilliant cultural wonder. Songs of the South are full of literary grace, magnificence and wonder, full of enthusiastic praise and yearning for the original mysterious power and natural vitality, and have a strong witchcraft reverence mark.

In the long history of thousands of years, this poetic pan-witch ideology has always existed in the development of China's traditional artistic thinking, and has deeply influenced the development of music art in later generations.

in the 8 years of Chu state, Chu people walked out of the wild thorns all the way, strode forward and developed, and created a brilliant and unique Chu culture. In the heyday of Chu culture, it almost spread across half of China, such as the popular Caoyan, which affected the whole Chinese civilization.

The most prominent one is the music of Chu State. The dust is clear and the mountains are flowing. Nowadays, those little-known precious heritages in Chu music culture have been rediscovered by archaeology, which represent the foundation and model of China traditional folk music and inspire our future generations to create a brand-new future.