Thursday, 4 March 2010

The Musical World of Confucius

Confucius grew up in a world in which the Ancient Chinese believed that sound had a profound influence on the harmony of the universe. This importance is reflected in his own teachings in which music is featured very prominently.

Confucius considered music to be one of the two defining social and cultural structures that is attributed to a proper ordered society, along with correct observance of ritual. For him music encompassed learning, thinking, behaving, and governing.

Confucius felt that an individual education could not be completed without a musical education. As Confucius so eloquently put it "To educate someone, you should start with poems, emphasise of ceremonies, and finish with music".

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