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CHINESE MUSICAL COMPOSIT1ONS. 167
between the Chinese music and the former. Some Chinese airs (given by Irwin and Barrow*) show this resemblance startlin^lv. Although the Chinese understand the division of the chromatic scale perfectly well, yet they never use it; five tones are all they ordinarily employ; these are
FA, SOL, LA, DO, RE,
omitting even the semitone of our diatonic scale. Some of their most eminent theorists have mainÂtained that the notes pienkoung (si) and pienche (mi) are as useless to music as a sixth finger would be to the hand.
It will be observed that the semitone progression is not used in China, and though known, is universally proscribed and avoided; it is this which occasions the peculiarities of Chinese music. On this subject we cannot refrain from re-quoting an article on Chinese music, which appealed in the " China Mail," a Hong-Kong newspaper, in 1845.t
" One possessed of a musical ear, and at all conversant with the musical art, cannot fail, on his arrival in this country, to be struck with the peculiarities of what is esteemed music here-He notices at once, that the characteristics o* western melody, are almost wholly wanting. Nearly every note seems out of place, and there is neither beginning, middle nor end, to the airs he listens to. Instead of a theme which is developed and embellished by the whole perforÂmance, he hears a hurry-skurry of no*;es, appar-
* Copied by Ambros, in Gesch d mu». t. 1, p. 84-6 t Quoted by Fetis, Uist. Gen. de la Mus. t. 1, p. 62 |
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