| "Lianshi" is a book compiled by Qing scholar Wang Chutong,covering many aspects of the life of ancient Chinese women.The book consists of one hundred volumes and a supplementary volume,divided into thirty-six subjects such as couples,marriages,and ancestry.From volume 53 to volume 55 is "Lianshi · Music",which includes respectively rhythm,instrument and song and dance.The three parts contain alI kinds of historical data on the ancient women’s music activities,and summarize many classic books,which are of great reference value for studying the diverse performance of ancient women in music art.This thesis will organize the documents of"Lianshi·Music" at first,and then do in-depth research of "Lianshi·Music" based on other documents and related historical materials such as cultural relics and paintings.Deeply affected by Confucianism,the daily behavior of ancient women was standardized,and their living space was also limited.But in fact,they have participated in various forms of music activities and formed some unique music cultures.Based on "Lianshi · Music",this thesis analyzes the ancient female musicians,instruments as well as sing and dance to dig out the considerable contributions of ancient women on musical culture.The ancient female musicians shown in "Lianshi·Music" are mainly divided into four categories:royal family,aristocracy,civilians,and Female musician.There are also some female characters in myths and legends.Through the analysis of various music activities of women with different identities,we can see that they use music for different purposes.In addition to recreational time and accompanying the monarch to serve the host,it even contains ritual education.And some women have participated in political life to some extent with the help of music.Based on "Female musician",this thesis divides the instruments used by ancient women into plucked instruments,wind instruments,and percussion instruments in the way of performance methods.Among these,the related records of plucked instruments are the most abundant.Different instrument used by ancient women plays different functions.Playing musical instruments can not only express their talents,feelings,and "voiced" for themselves,but also leave some handed down works.Musical instruments enriched women’s lives,in return,women are enriching the meaning of instruments."Female musician" shows a variety of ancient women singing and dancing,this paper explores the content and form of these sings and dances.Ancient women’s songs and dances are rich in content,mainly related to ritual music,history,military,religion,emotion and life.In the process of spreading and performing sings and dances,they also integrate different themes,and even entered the "exclusive" realm of men in ancient society.In addition,the ancient women’s singing and dancing has various forms,which has enriched the content of the history of ancient vocal music and dance.It is of great value to study the ancient women’s history by exploring the various musical activities that ancient women participated in,and seeking their "expression" in the annals of history.As important participants in music activities,they have made an indelible contribution to the development of music history.This thesis explores the unique ancient female music culture from three aspects:ancient female musicians,ancient women’s instruments,and singing and dancing.In the end,the ancient book finishing part of "History and Music Gate" will be presented in the form of an appendix to contribute to the relevant research. |
