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Fabregas, Elaicy B.
BCAED III-7

WEEK 5 – ACTIVITY: MUSIC OF CHINA

Watch the video:

Chinese Traditional Music Group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87UpHqkGc0

Explain the instruments that were utilized in the video.

The instruments used in the video were mostly chordophone and

aerophone. I really enjoyed the performance of this music group. It started

very calm and then it became faster. Some of the Chinese instruments

used in the video are suona, erhu, guzheng, ruan, and pipa.
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Classify and describe the characteristics of the Chinese Traditional Instruments using
the Hornbostel-Sachs Classification of Instruments.

IDIOPHONE AEROPHONE CHORDOPHONE MEMBRANOPHONE

Sheng- it is a multi- Erhu- two-stringed Big drum- played with

reed mouth organ that bowed musical two wooden sticks.
consist of numerous instrument.
bamboo pipes, varying
in length.

Suona- a double-reed Guzheng- a multi-

woodwind instrument. string instrument that
has movable bridges
under each string.

Dizi- bamboo Ruan- It is a lute with

instrument. a fretted neck, a
circular body, and four
strings. It is played by
plucking with a
plectrum or pick just
like a guitar.

Pipa- is a four-stringed
Chinese musical
instrument.

LINK: https://sonofchina.com/what-is-a-guzheng-instrument-and-how-to-play-it/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhu
https://www.easonmusicschool.com/chinese-orchestra-instruments/chinese-woodwind-
instruments/dizi/
http://instrumentsoftheworld.com/instrument/166-Suona.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng_(instrument)
https://www.soundofmountain.com/pipa/
https://www.bccma.net/instruments/ruan/
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DIRECTION: Analyze the indicated music composition according to the elements of music (rhythm, melody,
and form), and be specific in identifying the supporting ideas and evidences in each element. Each element
should contain at least two evidences and at most of four sentences only.

Title of the Song: Fengyang Flower Drum Song

A. Musical Elements

RHYTHM (key concepts: beat, tempo, time signature, rhythmic notation)

The time signature of the song is 2/4. There are 2 beats per measure and the quarter note is the one that
receives one beat. The song is consisting a half note, quarter note, and eight note. It also has a whole
rest and eighth rest.

MELODY (key concepts: key signature (minor/major), pentatonic scale, diatonic scale,
chromatic, mood)
The key signature of the song is F major. There is one flat and the last note is F. The song has a
pentatonic scale because it has 5 notes (C, A, G, D, F).

HARMONY (key concepts: texture, monophony, homophony, polyphony)

It has a monophonic texture. Based on the music sheet, there is only a single melody line.

FORM (key concepts: unitary, binary, ternary, rondo)

The song is in binary form. It is composed of two dissimilar/contrasting sections. It has an “AB” pattern.
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B. Cultural Background of the Song

What influence does tradition and history have in the song?

The Fengyang Flower Drum song was associated with beggars in Fengyang, which

suffered catastrophic flooding and drought during the late Ming Dynasty. It is classed as

one of the speech-song (说唱; Shuōchàng) folk arts of Quyi

What message and values were the music trying to convey?

Chinese people originally sang this song to beg in the streets after floods and
song
droughts plagued their region. Therefore, I can conclude that the message of this song is

to always have faith and never give up, no matter what happens.
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DIRECTION: Analyze the indicated music composition according to the elements of music (rhythm, melody,
and form), and be specific in identifying the supporting ideas and evidences in each element. Each element
should contain at least two evidences and at most of four sentences only.

Title of the Song : Mo Li Hua

A. Musical Elements

RHYTHM (key concepts: beat, tempo, time signature, rhythmic notation)

The time signature of the song is 4/4. There are 4 beats per measure and the quarter note is the one that
receives one beat. The song is consisting a whole note, half note, quarter note, dotted quarter note and
eighth note.

MELODY (key concepts: key signature (minor/major), pentatonic scale, diatonic scale,
chromatic, mood)

The key signature of the song is E flat major because there are three flats. The song has a pentatonic
scale because it has five notes (G, Bb, C, Eb, F)
HARMONY (key concepts: texture, monophony, homophony, polyphony)

Mo Li Hua also has the same texture throughout most of the piece. It starts out monophonic with only
one person playing. Then it stays this way as it switches to a different instrument playing by itself. The
texture changes to homophonic, when the ehru has the main part and the other instrument is the
accompaniment.

FORM (key concepts: unitary, binary, ternary, rondo)

The song is in ternary form because it is consisting of three distinct sections.
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B. Cultural Background of the Song

What influence does tradition and history have in the song?

It was created during the Qianlong era (1735–1796) of the Qing dynasty. The

song has several regional versions, each with its own melody and lyrics. One version of

the song describes a custom of giving jasmine flowers, popular in the southern Yangtze

delta region of China. A longer version of the song describes the fear of plucking the

flower.

What message and values were the music trying to convey?

The meaning of Mo Li Hua is Jasmine Flower. Their culture associates this flower
song
with fame. There is a message in the song that fame should not be overvalued.
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1. Watch “Peking Opera.”

Enjoy watching “Peking Opera” on https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=73_9UvNX920

In the video, how would you describe Peking Opera?

I can say that Peking Opera is a very beautiful and unique performance.

The first thing that caught my attention was the elaborate costume and

makeup. The voice of the performer is also very unique because it was very high

pitch. I can't even imagine how many years it took to master this, to hit all the

notes. I also love the graceful hand movements of the performer.

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According to your reading of “Ancient Music in China” at

http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat7/sub41/entry-5266.html/ Describe China's
music, art, and archeology.

The article mentions evidence to support the fact that the music of China has

existed for thousands of years ago, such as the flutes known as gudi found in Jiahu,

Henan Province. Other instruments and music ensembles are also mentioned in the

article. With that, I can say that China's music, art, and archeology are rich and played

an extremely significant role in the history of music.