Ancient Se Zither Research

Se zither is one of the important stringed musical instruments in Ancient China, it has been popular since western Zhou Dynasty,largely recorded in Chinese ancient literature. Currently the entity was mainly found in the realm of Ancient Chu, generally ranging from Hubei, Hunan, to the southern part of Henan, etc. As per writer's four times field investigations in undergraduate and graduate stages, relating materials on literature and archaeology have been largely collected and compiled thereafter. This thesis targets at the researches of Se zither culture, it further discusses Se zither culture itself and as well the interaction and function in the culture of music on the basis of the reorganization of Se zither culture. Specifically speaking, the key points of the thesis are as follows:Chapter 1: Introduction, mainly aiming at the reorganization of research findings in three aspects: ancient works and literature, archaeological documents and modern research findings: Based on these, a comprehensive depiction is provided in detail.Chapter 2: Analysis on the materials of literature and archaeology in Se zither culture. The purpose is to well combine the literature recording with the archaeological documents to further conclude and analyze the birth, popular terrain and its history of ancient Se zither culture. According to the characteristics of the shape modification of Se in the pre- Qin zither period, a historical archaeology analysis is summarized.Chapter 3: Detailed application situation of Se zither in the ancient according to the record of literature, mainly from two aspects: form of musical performance and the mix of instruments. The study of the forms of musical performance aims at the sitting of the performer, performer's posture, and the layout of musicians and the application of Se zither. As to the mix of instruments, it's classified to two sorts according to Chu-series instruments in the statement of its function and relating historical background factor.Chapter 4: Statement of the position of Se zither in ancient Chu, its origin with Qin zither, and Zheng zither the two stringed instruments. In accordance with the record in "YiLi", the specification of Se zither plays an important role in ancient ritual and musical culture, meanwhile, the role of Se zither in Chu culture is concluded from its tombs.Chapter 5: Discussion on the function and impact of Se zither in ancient music culture on the basis of Chapter 4.