儒家乐理论的生态意义

Abstract

In ancient Confucian culture, Yue/music is not exactly the same as modern music, but a kind of rites. It, being not only a sort of human cultural activity, but also, through depending on and being determined by the movement of vital force, functions in conformity with and more importantly is dedicated to the harmonic movement of the vital force, which means that it, with a function of promoting the harmonic living and generation of myriad thing between Heaven and Earth, is a medium of mutual penetration and communication in-between human and nature. In Confucian musical theory, music is divided into 3 parts, namely, voice or sound and tone, music. Sound, also called voice, is that which arises from man’s heart when it is moved by external things. Different sounds being blended together in a way of forming modulations and patterns come out tone, something similar to modern music. Confucian music belongs to rites; it is a performance consisting of singing and playing musical instruments, dancing that sometimes displays shields and axes. By Confucian culture, music, being the mandate of the Heaven and Earth and its 12 bamboo pitch-pipe conforming to the vital force, has an ontological foundation; It, with its principles being connected with those of myriad thing in-between Heaven and Earth and, its function expressing the harmony of Heaven and Earth, is able to communicate with the virtue of those spiritual beings in-between Heaven and Earth and, to welcome and send off them, so as to enhance the living and harvest of myriad things. “The function of music is to promote harmony.” As for those former sage-kings’ music such as the Emperor Huang’s Xianchi, Confucian thinkers gave them ecological explanations. Above shows the ecological significances of Confucian musical culture.