3.23
When talking to the Grand Master of Lu about music, Confucius said, “Their music in so far as one can find out about it began with a strict unison. Soon the musicians were given more liberty; but the tone remained harmonious, brilliant, consistent, right on till the close.”
子語魯大師樂。曰：「樂其可知也：始作，翕如也；從之，純如也，皦如也，繹如也，以成。」
Notes
Confucius said to the Grand Music Master of Lu:
“The essence of music lies in this:
At its commencement — harmonious unison;
As it unfolds — pure clarity;
At its crescendo — distinct brilliance;
In its conclusion — continuous flow.
Thus is music perfected.”
Confucius delineates music into three dynamic phases:
Initiation >> Development >> Culmination — each embodying distinct qualities yet adhering to an ordered progression.
This discourse from the Analects reveals Confucius’ profound grasp of musical artistry while implicitly conveying the Confucian view of “music as the vehicle of Dao, inseparable from ritual”.
In Confucianism, music transcends mere artistry; it serves as a pedagogical instrument complementing ritual to cultivate virtue.
Leave a Reply