1. Traditional Music

The historical sources on music in ancient China largely emphasize the following two topics: 1. the question of the musical ethos, i.e. the role of music (yue ) in association with the rites (li ) for education and the satisfaction of the people, 2. the fundamentals of musical theory, i.e. the definition and systematization of musically applicable notes and scales. A third area of living musical practice was reserved for direct oral tradition.…