MUS200H1 Lecture Notes - Music Bureau, Gagaku, Westernization
Document Summary
Japanese culture: has always combined native creativity with imaginative adaptations of foreign elements. 20th century: chinese and korean culture (as early as the 5th century) to western culture (in the, periods of isolationism (esp. during the edo period (1615 1868) helped cultivate unique forms of cultural expression. Period 1 antiquity: prior to 6th century ce, chinese documents refer to music and dance in connection with shamanistic ritual in the 3rd century ce, some instruments: flutes, zithers. Japan was slowly evolving into an imperialist state by 6th century. Japanese religion formed 2500 years ago around ideas of animism and ancestral worship: no scriptures, kami: sacred spirits representing things and ideas (wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility) 553 794: establishment of imperial state, development of gagaku court music in 7th century from chinese masked dance. Importation of music from central asia, china, and korea and music: by 701, the court music bureau employed hundreds of musicians and dancers of various nationalities.
