Archaeological Discovery And Research On Musical Instruments Of Qi State In East-Zhou Period

Research on Musical Instruments of Qi state in East-Zhou period is based on abundance of musical archaeological findings, with the combined research methods of archaeology, musicology, philology and other related studies. Musical instruments are the substance by which music exists and by which human beings express their emotions, so musical instruments have the common characters such as era and shape like other instruments, as well as the special utility of making sounds and playing musical works. Usually, the transformations of the musical instruments were caused by the ancients'pursuing of different sound effects, and the variations of the ancients'desires towards sound effects were consequences of their varied aesthetical standard. So this thesis will compare the shapes, era and excavating sites of the musical instruments, so as to reveal their changing regularity and time sequence, the instruments'pitch datum and their external characters as well as the making methods concerning producing sound will be studied simultaneously, so as to reveal their musical functions and original appearances. To study the social phenomena under all the superficies with the assistance of documental records is also needed, for the purpose of elevating the understanding of the objects to an aesthetic level. Therefore the thesis is divided into four parts:The first, areal distribution and era of the musical instruments of Qi state in East-Zhou period. Zone all the objects to two regions, Middle and North of Shandong and Jiaodong Peninsula. Thereinto, Middle and North of Shandong can be divided into two parts, the capital city Linzi and the areas all round it. Variety and amount of the musical instruments differ distinctly between different regions. All of the musical instruments near Linzi were bells and stone qings, came to 163 pieces, accounted for 59.7 percent of the total. Most of the musical instruments in the surrounding areas of Linzi were also bells and stone qings, and some goudiaos and xun in addition, came to 89 pieces, accounted for 32.6 percent of the total. Musical instruments of Jiaodong Peninsula were bells, zheng, qing and earthenware drums, came to 20 pieces, accounted for 7.3 percent of the total. Variety and amount of the musical instruments showed the size and level of the musical activities. Range the era of each kind of musical instruments in Qi state by the observation of their shape, research their changing regularity, we see that their manufacturing era from Spring and Autumn Period till Warring States Period. Compare the musical instruments with those found in tombs of other cultures, we see that musical instruments of Qi state in East-Zhou period especially those of Middle and North of Shandong had no distinct regional characters in shape and patterning. Only the bells showed their thin texture and simple decorative patterns, as well as their essence of substitutions or semi-manufactured goods. Products of Jiaodong Peninsula were similar in shape to those of Middle and North of Shandong, but the Jiaodong bells were thicker than the latter, their designs and patterns were also different, for their carrying of the traditions of the Yi culture.The second, classification of the musical instruments of Qi state in East-Zhou period . Analyse the shapes of all the musical instruments and the pitch datum of some instruments which have true musical utility. And then, to combine the result with the records of document Kaogongji, to discuss the making methods concerning the shapes and the pitch datum. We can see that bells of Qi state in East-Zhou period all had their own changing principle and the appearance seemed to pronounce-pronunciation, but most of them were substitutions. The only bells that had distinct characters and practical values were the Shangwang M2 bells, they could be divided into two groups each could be used in different tonalities to form musical scales with seven tones. Most stone qings of Qi state in East-Zhou period were made to the regular shape and often assembled together. Their sizes did not conform to the records of Kaogongji, maybe for the burnishing on the different parts of the semi-manufactured stones. Some of their pitch datum show that stone qings of Qi state in East-Zhou period had the function of playing music in different tonalities, in some tonalities they could even form musical scales with six tones, and could be used in company with the bells. Few goudiaos and zheng were found, but their regional characters, their signs of the era, their function as well as the way they were performed at were all obviously. Musical instruments such as qin, drum, yu, were made by materials that easy to rot, now their shapes and functions can be speculated only from some models and images, which validate the documental records and make sure that the Qi state had the conditions to make and use those kind of musical instruments at that time.The third, reasons which caused to the characters of the musical archaeological findings of Qi state in East-Zhou period. The characters of the musical archaeological findings of Qi state in East-Zhou period displayed as such aspects: 1. The categories were bells and stone qings, and most of the unearthing locations were Middle and North of Shandong especially near Linzi city. 2. Most bells were substitutions. Those from Middle and North of Shandong were of thin texture and simple decorative patterns, particularly Bo and Yong bells. 3. The stones qings were burnished at different parts, showing their practical values. 4. Bells and stone qings were used as whole sets, every set had different amount, showed no regular patterns and a random state. Otherwise, skeletons killed to accompany the nobles were often found in the big or middle tombs. We can reduce the reasons for the characters of the musical archaeological findings of Qi state in East-Zhou period to four points by connecting the above phenomena with the documental records: 1.Nobles'extravagance in daily life, on music and in their funerals; 2.More emphasizing on the fun of the music than on their ceremonial meaning; 3.Disrespect to the social institutions for the reason of reformation and recombinant of classes; 4.Female players who verified the amusing function and secular character of the musical instruments of Qi state and its disobedience of the ceremony.The fourth, influence on the musical instruments in Qin and Han dynasties by those of Qi state in East-Zhou period. By now we know no musical archaeological findings that made in Qin dynasty, and few made in Han dynasty. But by comparing the musical instruments of Qi state in East-Zhou period with those in Han Dynasty of the same area, we can find many similarities among the Shangwang M2 bells, the Luozhuang and the Jishan Han Dynasty Tomb bells. Also there are some similarities between the Dawu and the Luozhuang Han Dynasty Tomb Chunyu. Both Shangwang M2 and Luozhuang Han Dynasty Tomb bells could be used together with the stone qings in their same tombs, all the musical instruments were of the similar tonalities. Shangwang M2 bells fitted the musical modes of Xiazhi or Suyue when Do=bB and the musical modes of Zhengsheng or Xiazhi when Do=bE. Shangwang M2 qings gave the main tones of bB,bE,bA tonalities, Luozhuang Han Dynasty Tomb bells fitted the musical modes of Suyue when Do=bB, Xiazhi when Do=bE and Zhengsheng when Do=bA. The fourth-left set of the Luozhuang Han Dynasty Tomb stone qings could perform melodies when Do=bA or bE, while the fourth-right set bB or bE. What is more, the words engraved on the qings' surface in Luozhuang Han Dynasty Tomb showed that they were made by workers that in the Qi area. All the facts show the close relation between the musical instruments of Qi state in East-Zhou period and of Qi area in Han Dynasty, music of Qi state in PreQin Period had great influence on those of the aftertime.