May it Please Your Highness:
Music of the Asian Courts
Lesson Hub 4
燕樂 Yanyue: Court Music of China
Authors: Jennifer Walden and Jing Xia
We're on our birthday trip to Asia!
Person with Toy Airplane on World Map, by Andrea Piacquadio. Pexels.
We will visit many of the countries that are part of Asia.
Next stop, China!
Korea
Japan
China
Vietnam
Thailand
Indonesia
India
Iran
Türkiye
Kazakhstan
KAZAKHSTAN
Political Map of the World, via Free SVG.
Set of Six Graduated Bells (Bianzhong), unknown photographer. National Museum of Asian Art.
What is Yanyue music?
What instruments are used and how does it sound?
Who listens to it and where is it played?
Yanyue: Court Music of China
Marquis Yi 's Set of Bells, unknown maker. Hubei Provincial Museum.
Exploring Chinese Court Music
Path 1
Dragons, unknown artist. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
20+ minutes
Several Types of Chinese Court Music
Yayue was one of the first types of Chinese court music. It was used for rituals.
Yanyue developed later. It was also court music, but used for entertainment.
Mural from the Tomb of Xu Xianxiu, unknown artist. {PD-Art|PD-old-100}, via Wikimedia Commons.
Several Types of Chinese Court Music
1046–771 BCE Western Zhou Period
581–618 CE Sui Dynasty
There are many types of Chinese court music. We will focus on Yanyue.
618–907 CE Tang Dynasty
220–280 CE
Three Kingdoms Period
Present
Past
0
300
600
900
1200
CE
300
600
900
1200
BCE
Qingshangyue
Yanyue
Yayue
Yayue: Ritual Music
Yayue music was used by the Chinese court for special events like sports, dances, and ceremonies.
Man with Bow and Arrow, unknown artist. National Museum of Asian Art.
What are some rituals people have in their lives?
Portrait of Yinti, Prince Xun (1688-1755), and Wife, unknown artist. National Museum of Asian Art.
Yanyue 燕乐 means "court entertainment music for big feasts." We will explore more of this type of court music.
Yanyue: Entertainment Music
A Garden Party, unknown artist. National Museum of Asian Art. (Image adjusted by Kamaryn Truong)
What does "entertainment music" mean to you?
Qing Dynasty 1636–1912
Did everyone listen to court music?
Portrait of Qing Courtier in Winter Costume, unknown artist. National Museum of Asian Art.
Elderly Chinese Gentleman, unknown photographer. National Museum of American History.
Do you think they had their own music?
Chinese royalty were ranked high in stature. They listened to court music.
Working-class people were ranked low and were not allowed to listen to court music.
Listening to an Example:
世上難得一見，整套編鐘編磬演奏再加舞蹈 (It's Rare to See in the World the Whole Set of Bianzhong Bells and Dance). Posted by lcwhk. YouTube.
Two Instruments Used in Chinese Court Music
Se (瑟, plucked zither)
Bianzhong (编钟, bronze bells)
Where is Java, Indonesia?
Se Stringed Musical Instrument, unknown maker. Public domain, CC SA 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Bianzhong Bells, unknown photographer. National Museum of Asian Art.
The Se and the Guzheng
Originally court musicians played the se. The 'zheng' or 'guzheng'
(筝/古筝) recently replaced the se.
Can you spot similarities and differences?
Se
Guzheng
Guzheng, photo by Jing Xia.
The Qin
Some historians believe the qin came before the se and the guzheng, but others say they developed at the same time. Here is an example of the sound of the qin.
The Moon over the Mountain Guan, featuring Jiaoyue Lyu, produced by Kate Farrell. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Artwork is often added to each end of the guzheng.
Add your own artwork while listening to guzheng music!
Instruments and Artwork
Guzheng Drawing Worksheet, by Jing Xia.
Shūfǎ
书法
Calligraphy
Three Chinese Art Traditions
"Pingsha Luo Yan," performed by Ding, Boling
Guzheng photos by Jing Xia.
Zìrán Fēngguāng
自然风光
Natural Scenery
Above: Ellie Mao: An Anthology of Chinese Folk Songs. Cover art for Folkways Records.
Chuānghuā
窗花
Window Art
Ceiling Decoration, by Frederick Crace. Cooper Hewitt Museum.
Simple Chinese Characters
Some Chinese characters were derived from pictographs. These suggestions may be used for students wanting to add characters to their artwork.
Pictographs 象形字, by Jing Cao. Digmandaril.com
Shūfǎ
书法
Calligraphy
Optional Activity: Court Music in Asian Countries
China
Korea
Japan
Vietnam
China in Asia, by TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Taiwan
Do you and your friends ever have similar and/or different ideas?
Let's label our maps!
Group of Children Standing on Green Grass Field, by Kampus Production. Pexels.
Learning Checkpoint
-
What is the difference between yanyue and yayue music?
-
Who was allowed to listen to court music in ancient China?
-
What are the names of two instruments used in Chinese court music?
-
What other Asian countries also had 'elegant music' in their courts?
End of Path 1: Where will you go next?
Choose an Intersecting Path:
We Are Golden: Affirmations through Chinese American Music
Hear Us Out! Pathway (K–2), Lesson 4
COMING SOON!
Listening to Yanyue Music
20 minutes
Path 2
Concert Group Pano, photo by Leonard G., CC SA 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Yanyue 燕乐 means "court entertainment music for big feasts." We will explore more of this type of court music.
Yanyue: Entertainment Music
A Garden Party, unknown artist. National Museum of Asian Art. (Image adjusted by Kamaryn Truong).
What does, "entertainment music," mean to you?
Beat and Tempo in Court Music
fast?
slow?
medium?
no
beat?
steady
beat?
世上難得一見，整套編鐘編磬演奏再加舞蹈 (It's Rare to See in the World the Whole Set of Bianzhong Bells and Dance). Posted by lcwhk. YouTube.
Two Instruments Used in Chinese Court Music
Guzheng (筝/古筝, plucked zither)
Bianzhong (编钟, bronze bells)
Where is Java, Indonesia?
Bianzhong Bells, unknown photographer. Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art.
Guzheng, photo by Jing Xia.
Which sound stands out to you?
Court music includes many instruments. Is there a sound that catches your attention?
Exploring Bronze Bells
Wow! That's a lot of bells!
Bianzhong Bells From the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, photo by Zzjgbc. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Let's explore the
size
weight
and
of these bells.
CONSTRUCTION
COLOR
shape
artwork
Bronze Bells: Material and Design
Bianzhong, unknown photographer. ChinaCulture.org.
Bronze Bells: Listening for Pitch
Introducing Chinese Music and Chinese Musical Instruments: Bronze Bells, by MTSU Center for Chinese Music and Culture.
Pitch
high
middle
LOW
Listening challenges
Playing Techniques
Guzheng and Melody
Guzheng sweeps, bends, and vibrato, videos by Jennifer Walden and Jing Xia.
Click the slide below
for answers.
Listening challenges
upward
sweep
vibrato
downward sweep
bending notes
Guzheng Melodic Direction
Playing Techniques
Let's listen to a whole song!
Bending
and vibrato
Use your cards for each! Your teacher will help you identify each sound.
Example 1: watch and listen
Example 2: listen
"Pingsha Luo Yan," performed by Ding, Boling
Top: Guzheng: "Spring River Flower Moon Night," featuring Carol Chang. SoundofChina Guzheng.
Right: Guzheng, photo by Jing Xia.
Music and Language
Mā, 妈, mother
(vibrato-first tone)
Má, ,麻, numb
(upward bend-second tone)
Mǎ, ,马, horse
(up then down-third tone)
Mà, 骂, scold
(downward bend-fourth tone)
Comparing Mandarin language tones with guzheng embellishments, videos by Jing Xia.
Learning Checkpoint
-
Which size of bronze bells sounds higher? Lower?
-
What are the bells made of?
-
What is the name of the instrument we studied that has lots of strings?
-
How do players change the pitch on one guzheng string?
End of Path 2: Where will you go next?
COMING SOON!
Choose an Intersecting Pathway:
We Are Golden: Affirmations through Chinese American Music
Hear Us Out! Pathway (K–2), Lesson 4
Path 3
Playing Yanyue Music
40 minutes
Chinese Lanterns with Garlands Hanging Between Buildings in Street, by John Lee, via Pexels.
Yanyue 燕乐 means "court entertainment music for big feasts." We will explore more of this type of court music.
Yanyue: Entertainment Music
A Garden Party, unknown artist. National Museum of Asian Art. (Image adjusted by Kamaryn Truong).
What does, "entertainment music," mean to you?
Now some musicians use 'cipher' or 'numbered' notation, which looks like this:
Long ago, musicians in China read music that looks like this:
Court Music Notation
Three Refrains on the Yang Pass Theme, by 張鶴 (Cheung Hok). {PD-Art|PD-old-100}, via Wikimedia Commons.
花德珍, by Jennifer Walden.
Two Instruments Used in Chinese Court Music
Guzheng (筝/古筝, plucked zither)
Bianzhong (编钟, bronze bells)
Where is Java, Indonesia?
Bianzhong Bells, unknown photographer. Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art.
Guzheng, photo by Jing Xia.
Pentatonic Scale: Five notes
This example shows a common 5 note scale with bronze bells. Sing along!
The guzheng uses a 5 note scale, called, "Pentatonic." This means, "Five tones." We will use cipher (number) notation for our pentatonic scale:
1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Let's sing along with the guzheng!
Pentatonic scales: guzheng and bronze bells, videos by Jennifer Walden.
Chinese Pentatonic Song
Let's sing a Chinese song that uses a pentatonic scale!
Ba luo bo (Chinese Kid Song Lyric- Pulling Radish), posted by Easy Chinese Learning. YouTube.
Bronze Bells in Action
Let's listen to the bronze bells!
Introducing Chinese Music and Chinese Musical Instruments: Bronze Bells, by MTSU Center for Chinese Music and Culture.
Play high middle, and low sounds. Try upward and downward.
And now on instruments!
What instruments in your classroom are a little like bronze bells?
high
middle
LOW
upward
downward
Let's start with note 1, which is middle C on your instruments. We'll find 2, 3, 5, 6, and maybe even high 1.
'Staff' or 'Western' notation.
Cipher notation
Notes on your instruments
Three Ways to Write a Pentatonic Scale
Western and cipher notation (example 1), by Jennifer Walden. 2022.
.
Play the notes in higher and lower octaves. These are marked with dots.
Big Jump Challenges
cipher
Western
Hand drawn xylophone, j4p4n, FREE*SVG.
"Ba Luo Bo" with Instruments
Composing with Chinese Court Instruments
Bianzhong Bells, unknown designer. National Museum of Asian Art.
1
2
3
4
5
government officials
Your Own Court Event! (optional)
musicians
royal family
royal visitors
Choose your role!
Detail of The Emperor's Approach, unknown Ming Court artist. {PD-Art|PD-old-100}, via Wikimedia Commons.
Learning Checkpoint
- How many tones does a pentatonic scale have?
- With which two instruments did we sing a pentatonic scale?
- Sing a phrase of Ba Luo Bo.
- List two types of guests at a Chinese court event.
- Play one line of the group's Chinese piece.
End of Path 3 and Lesson 4: Where will you go next?
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Lesson 4 Media Credits
Audio courtesy of
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Jing Xia (pronunciation recordings)
Video courtesy of
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
MTSU Center for Chinese Music and Culture
SoundofChina Guzheng
Jennifer Walden
Jing Xia
Images courtesy of
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Digmandarin.com
Hubei Province Museum
National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Jennifer Walden
Jing Xia
© 2025 Smithsonian Institution. Personal, educational, and non-commercial uses allowed; commercial rights reserved. See Smithsonian terms of use for more information.
This project received support from the Together We Thrive Youth Access and Youth Implementation Grants.
For full bibliography and media credits, see Lesson 4 landing page.