A comprehensive study of inscriptions on bronze musical instruments of the Zhou dynasty = 兩周青銅樂器銘文綜論

Abstract

Bronze musical instruments played an important role in the construction of the rite and music culture during the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 B.C.) because of their cultural functions such as for victual vessels, sacrificial vessels, musical instruments, and seals of state. The inscriptions cast on bronze musical instruments can be regarded as original sources of historical record, as well as important documents describing the development situation of pre-Qin music. Therefore, a comprehensive study of bronze musical instruments – especially identifying and analyzing the inscriptions cast on them – can not only provide insight into the rite and music culture of the Zhou period, but also play an important role in our understanding of the language and characters of this period. This study uses the inscriptions cast on bronze instruments of the Zhou dynasty as research data. About 800 pieces of documented cast bronze instruments were included, such as chimes鐘, bo鎛, bells鈴, duo鐸, and so on. In analyzing the inscribed text, the thesis takes handed-down documents and excavated documents as reference, combining the Chinese traditional literary method (Chinese paleography, ancient philology, exegetics) and musicology (organology, music theory, music archaeology) with western text analysis theory (formula theory, text linguistic analysis, narratology, etc.). Using an interdisciplinary research method, this thesis makes a comprehensive study of the inscriptions’ unique nomenclature, exclusive terminology (formulaic phrases), rhythm, format structure, and narrative elements. It is hoped that the insights gained through this study can enhance our understanding of the inscriptions on bronze musical instruments, contributing to the study of bronze musical instruments as well as related disciplines.