A Study On Vocal Music Works In Ancient China

The theory of ancient Chinese vocal music was shaped approximately in the period of Spring & Autumn and Warring States, which was recorded earliest in the Narration of Music-Learning From YI written by Liu De in Han Dynasty. Before the Yuan Dynasty, there was no record of professional vocal music except a few articles that appeared in some musical works and related the essence of ancient Chinese vocal music. It was the Theory of Singing by Yan Nanzhi'an in Yuan Dynasty that represented the development of singing and systemization of relating vocal music performance. In these ancient works, besides the vocalism, the aesthetics, teaching singing, relationship of vocalization and emotion, that of articulation and tune, singing morals, types of songs and gift of singers was dealt with.This thesis explores the aesthetics of ancient Chinese vocal music from the aspects of articulation, breathing, vocalization and emotion based on the introduction in ancient works, and aims at providing the guidance for vocal music and the teaching of modern vocal music by sorting out and studying the materials systematically.The thesis consists of 5 chapters, of which the 1st is an introduction of...