Abstract:
Notes of Music in the period of Warring Kingdoms became China’s first work of a systematic study of music theory through recompilation by the scholars in the Han Dynasty, which systematically elaborated the music’s function of aesthetic education. According to Notes of Music, music came into being through men’s mental impression, moved them emotionally and gave them pleasure and instructions. Pleasure of music involved both physical rhythm and rhyming resonance, whose instructions were partly active and partly inactive. Therefore, aesthetic education of music should follow the principle of “controlling desire by Taoism”. This meant that music moved people mainly internally, so aesthetic education of music influenced people unconsciously, which happened to supplement each other with education of moral and propriety. Considering the profound influence of Notes of Music on China’s theory of music throughout two millennia, its great contributions deserve to be treasured despite its limitations to ancient feudal society.
