Suyue (Secular Music)
Secular music as opposed to court ritual, covering folk song, narrative song and opera
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Suyue is the category of secular music opposed to yayue: music for banquets, entertainment and everyday life, including folk song, dance, narrative song, opera and instrumental music. It does not mean "vulgar"; it means worldly, belonging to a different set of occasions from ritual and court audience.
Its contents changed greatly over time: Han-Wei xianghe songs, Sui-Tang yanyue, Song-Yuan quzi and zaju, Ming-Qing shidiao and opera were all called suyue in their day. Yayue and suyue are not two styles but two systems of use and institution; the same instrument or mode can cross from one to the other when the occasion changes.
Read deeper → Yayue (Court Ritual Music)
Sources
- 俗乐与雅乐的对举、历代俗乐的范围与用途，参《中国音乐词典》与 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "China" 相关条目；本文为原创表述
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