In the long river of history, the music and dance of "Dawu" is like a fine silk thread, weaving the glory of the emperor and the soul of the nation.
This is not a simple stage performance, but an echo of the wisdom and strength of ancient China, and a soul dialogue that spans thousands of years.
When the drums are beating in unison, what kind of historical secrets does the narrative hidden in the dance steps reveal to us, and how does it evoke resonance in modern society and reforge cultural identity?
From the "Dawu" contained in the "Music Record", we can see the memorization function of ancient music and dance
"The Book of Rites and Music" says: "The king is successful and happy, and the ruler is happy, and the one who is great is happy, and the one who governs (or "discerns") is his ritual." The so-called "success" and "governance" refer to the achievements of emperors and kings. Moreover, the level of etiquette and music should be determined according to the specific content of merit and governance, that is, those who are "meritorious" are "happy", and those who are "curatorial" are "ritual tools".
Although "music preparation" and "ritual utensils" are mainly embodied in the symbolic meaning of ritual activities, from the perspective of "great merit" and "governance", to determine whether "music preparation" and "ritual utensils" can be determined, in fact, that is to say, the specific status of emperors and kings in ritual and music life is determined by their achievements and contributions in practical political activities.
Of course, the content of the Six Generations of Joy can only be understood in general terms as a difference in the specifications of the expression. However, if we look at the descriptions of the specific content of ancient music in the handed down documents, we will find that the ceremonial meaning of "gongda" and "zhizhi" is not entirely symbolic and ceremonial when it is associated with "music preparation" and "ritual utensils".
In fact, music and dance often have to describe the specific deeds of emperors and kings, and present their "great merits" and "governance" realistically, so that "music preparation" and "ritual utensils" are also very concretely presented. Because music and dance have the characteristics of repeated performances and constant reproduction, these recurring deeds of emperors and kings will continue to consolidate and confirm their status in the life of ritual music. In other words, the preparation of music and dance is not only the preparation of form, but also the preparation of content.
And the so-called content preparation is to constantly retell the great achievements of emperors and kings during their lifetimes through music and dance. The reason why ancient music and dance can confirm and consolidate the status of emperors and kings in ceremonial activities by reproducing their exploits is that before the advent of writing, historical rap has always been the main form of historical recitation. And even for a long period of time after the invention of writing, music, song, and dance have always had an important memorizing function.
The pre-Qin period was a historical stage in which the music culture of the mainland achieved a high degree of development, and the reason why the social function of music culture was able to develop from multiple angles and in an all-round way, and achieved a position that competed with the ritual culture, was that its various functions included an important function that was inseparable from the development of human civilization - memorization.
The progress of human civilization depends on the continuous accumulation of knowledge. However, human beings have limited natural memory ability, and they must use certain memory means to improve their memory ability and expand their memory capacity. Before the invention of writing, human beings relied on their natural memory ability to describe and preserve all kinds of knowledge through oral writing.
Through the blessing of musical means (including melody, rhythm and dance movements, etc.), the ability of human oral memory can be greatly improved. The "music" of the pre-Qin period includes what people today call music, poetry, dance, and other aspects. Poetry in the form of words is an important carrier of historical legends, and many predecessors have commented on this. In addition to poetry, large-scale music and dance also have an important function of chronicling and biography.
In a sense, music and dance can also be seen as a unique form of early historiographical activity in the mainland. The Book of Rites and Music records that Confucius and Bin Mujia discussed Zhou's Dawu, which provides a rare case for us to understand the expression of "the joy of the six generations" and the specific content of "the king's success and happiness". The following test is analyzed in sections to see how ancient music and dance show the so-called "great merit" and "treatment". First of all, Bin Mujia explained the content of the music and dance of "Dawu" for Confucius:
Bin Mujia explained "Dawu" for Confucius, and said five things, one is to be on guard for a long time; the second is aria and lewd fluid; the third is to carry forward the fleas; Fourth, "Wu" sits on the right and left; The fifth is prostitution and business. Jia Gongyan thought that what Bin Mu Jia said, the third is two wrongs. Sun Xidan's "Collection of Rites" believes that what Bin Mujia said is true.
Judging from Confucius's answer, it is clear that what Sun said should be true. According to the "Music Record", Confucius also said to Binmu Jia: "Qiu Zhiwen Zhu Changhong, and if the words of my son are also." It shows that what Confucius heard from Chang Hong, a historian of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, is exactly the same as what Bin Mu Jia said, which is obviously an affirmation of Bin Mu Jia's explanation of the content of the performance of "Dawu".
And when Bin Mujia learned that Confucius had heard the meaning of "Dawu" from Chang Hong, he "excused himself from the table and invited" to ask Confucius a question, not because he thought that what he said above was wrong, but from the literal point of view, he just wanted to seek further knowledge. Moreover, the question Bin Mujia asks is why "Dawu is so late and long", and there is no longer any symbolic meaning of the five manifestations of Dawu that he has explained.
Confucius's answer is, first of all, a supplement to Bin Mu Jia: Zi said: "Dwell! My Woman. Those who are happy are like those who become people. Always dry and the mountain stands, and the things of the martial king are also. Carry forward the ambition of the Grand Duke. "Wu" sits chaotically, and Zhou and Zhao are also governed. On the one hand, this is to supplement the meaning of "carrying forward the vigor" and "sitting in chaos in the martial arts" mentioned above, not to correct Binmujia's mistakes.
On the other hand, Confucius added the historical fact symbolized by the music and dance link of "always dry and standing in the mountains" in Dawu, which Binmujia did not touch. Moreover, in this paragraph, Confucius also summed up a very important principle of expression in the art of music and dance, that is, "those who are happy are like those who become successful". Zheng Xuan's note: "Success, it is said to be something that has been done." ”
It is the five-paragraph expression form of "Dawu" mentioned by Binmu Jia, all of which have the meaning of symbolizing the specific historical facts of the martial king's reign, such as "being on guard for a long time", symbolizing that the martial king "is sick and unpopular"; "Aria" and "Lewd Fluid" symbolize the mood of "I'm afraid of not getting into trouble" before King Wu Keshang; "Carry forward the fleas", showing the "ambition of the Taigong" who wants to "current affairs"; "Wu" sits on the right and the left", which means "the rule of Zhou and Zhao" and so on. As for "prostitution and business", according to Bin Mu Jia, it may be that "there is a division that has lost its legacy", that is, there is a mistake, otherwise it is "the ambition of the martial king", and there is a suspicion of being a poor soldier.
Confucius's answer to Binmu Jia's question about why the Great Wu is "too late and so long" is entirely done by recounting the entire historical events of King Wu and Keshang. Confucius first combined the sixty percent of the music of "Dawu" with the six stages of the development process of the historical event of Wuwang Keshang:
And the husband "Wu", the beginning and the north, and then into the destruction of Shang, three into the south, four into the south of the country is Xinjiang, fifty into the Zhou Gong left, Zhao Gong right, six into the complex, in order to worship the Son of Heaven. Clamping and vibrating, Shengwei in China also. Divide and enter, and things are also good. Standing in the embellishment for a long time, waiting for the princes to come.
"Dawu" is sixty percent of the music, the first one is to describe the king of Wu crossing the Yellow River north and setting off to discuss and discuss; The second is centered on the Battle of Makino to narrate the process of the Battle of Keshang; The third recorded that after King Wu conquered Shang, he then divided his troops to the south to further expand the battle situation; The fourth cheng describes the effective rule after the conquest of the southern Yin Shang dynasty; The fifth Cheng again shows that King Wu divided Zhou Gong and Zhao Gong to govern the east of Shaanxi and the west of Shaanxi, which is to strengthen the effective rule of the newly occupied areas. According to Zheng Xuan's note, the sixth is true: "The six elephant soldiers also revitalize the brigade." Complex, reverse stop also. Chong, Chong also. Therefore, it should be the scene of King Wu returning to Zhou and being welcomed and respected by his subjects.
After explaining the symbolic meaning of Dawu as a whole, Confucius further explained the specific historical content contained in the music of Dawu:
And the woman has not heard of Makino's words? Wuwang Keyin was anti-Shang, and before he got off the car, he was named after the Yellow Emperor Yu Ji, after the Emperor Yao was named Yu Zhu, and after the Emperor Shun was named Yu Chen; Get off the car and seal the Xia Hou clan after Yu Qi, after the Yin in the Song Dynasty, seal the tomb of the prince Bigan, release the prisoner of Jizi, so that he can be a merchant and return to his position. The common people are in power, and the people are in charge. Ji River and west, the sun of Huashan of Ma San and Fu re-ride, the wild of the peach forest of Niu San, the car armor provokes and hides the house library and Fu reuse, reverses the dry ge, wraps it with tiger skin, and makes the handsome man the princes, and the name is called "Jianqiao". Then the world knew that the king of martial arts would no longer use soldiers. Scattered army and suburbs, the left shot "Tanuki Head", the right shot "Su Yu", and the shot of the revolution is also. The crown is a wat, and the tiger man says the sword. Worship in the Ming Hall, and the people know filial piety. Hajj, and then the princes know so the ministers. Ploughing, and then the princes know so respect. Five, the great religion of the world. Eat the three elders, the five watches in the university, the Son of Heaven cuts the animals, the sauce and feeds, the lord and the drunk, the crown and the general dry, so teach the princes' brothers.
Obviously, Zhou Le's "Dawu" is a large-scale epic song and dance drama that describes the whole process of King Wu's journey from sending troops to conquer merchants to finally stabilizing the world. Such an epic song and dance drama condenses so much historical content, it will naturally be "late and long", so Confucius sighed: "Thoughtful and travelive, etiquette and music, then the delay of "Wu" is not appropriate!" ”
In other words, it is late and late, not that the music and dance are making meaningless delays, nor is it that the martial king is determined to be deserted and does not know how to converge, but it is the manifestation of the martial king's "great merit" and "governance". In addition to "Dawu", ancient music should have the function of recording the events of the past. "The Book of Rites and Music" contains Zixia for Wei Wenhou to describe the meaning of ancient music: the ancient music of the present husband, the advance and retreat of the brigade, and the right to wide, strings, strings, sheng, reeds, will guard the drums, the beginning of the text, the resumption of chaos with force, the chaos with the phase, and the news with elegance. The gentleman then spoke, so the ancient, self-cultivation and home, the average world, this ancient music also.
Zixia's so-called "Dao Gu", that is, "the things of the Dao Gu", that is, the narration of ancient historical facts. In addition, "Zuo Chuan: The Twenty-ninth Year of Xianggong" contains Wu Jizha's view of happiness in Lu, and there are comments on every poem and every music and dance. There are still regrets. Seeing the dance "Dawu", he said: "Beautiful! Zhou Zhisheng also, if so. Those who saw the dance "Shao" and "Hui" said: "The sage is also prosperous, and there is still shame, and the saint is difficult." Seeing the dancer of "Da Xia", he said: "Beautiful! Diligent but not virtuous, who can cultivate it. Those who saw the dance "Shaoji" said: "Virtue is great! Big. Like the sky, like the earth. Although it is very virtuous, its contempt is added to this. Look, if there is any happiness, I dare not invite. ”
This is a well-known story of "watching music" that happened in the pre-Qin period. While we lament Ji Za's extremely high musical accomplishment, we can't help but have questions about whether this story is made up for future generations. In fact, judging from the memorizing function of ancient music and dance, the reason why Wu Jiza was able to accurately grasp the theme of each music and dance and judge the belonging of ancient music and dance was that in addition to his extremely high musical accomplishment, the main reason was that every ancient music and dance he watched had a large number of artistic reproductions of relevant historical content, and all contained a large number of real historical contents.
Therefore, by watching the historical facts reproduced in each music and dance, Ji Za can accurately judge the belonging of these ancient music and dances, and make appropriate evaluations. Of course, ancient music and dance record history through music, dance and other art forms, and in many cases, it can only be expressed by borrowing some symbolic artistic techniques, so it is difficult to fully describe the historical process. Nor is the history recorded as accurate as a written record.
Therefore, the function of ancient music and dance to record history was not fully developed in later generations. It mainly plays the role of promoting the virtues of the previous kings. But the facts it presents in some historical details can still corroborate with the real historical record.
For example, Confucius asked "Dawu", "The precautions have been for a long time, why not?" Then he asked, "What is the aria, the lewd fluid?" Bin Mu Jia respectively said that "the people are not sick" and "I am afraid that I will not be able to catch things", which can be confirmed by other documents about the historical records of King Wu before the war. For example, "Yi Zhou Shu and Kou" states that King Wu will set out to cut down, "It is a map merchant, as for Xianyuan." Summoning the public and the high. The king said, 'Woohoo, respectful! There is no competition, people are loyal, only things are respectful, and villains are difficult to protect. ’”
The concern of the martial king about Zhao Gong and Bi Gong's disclosure of "villains are difficult to protect" mentioned in the article is in line with the image of the martial king who is afraid of the public and afraid of not being caught through music and dance in "Dawu". As one of the important cores of ancient Chinese civilization, music culture contains extremely rich historical and cultural connotations, which is worthy of systematic discussion in the academic circles. The memorizing function of music and dance and the unique contribution it made to the development of early Chinese civilization are also worthy of further study.