China's traditional music and culture show an artistic conception of harmony between man and nature, which is subtle and distant. Why do western music show so many struggles and contradictions?

Due to various reasons, there are some differences between Chinese and western music, resulting in their own musical characteristics. Its main performance is that China music pays attention to emotion, while western music pays attention to the essence of music; China's musical language is slightly formal, while the western musical form is rigorous; The development of China's music comes down in one continuous line, while the development of western music is staged. China's music pursues artistic conception, and western music pays attention to the unity of emotion and reason ... All kinds of differences make people feel that Chinese and western music is vast, and it is precisely because this field is so vast that endless understanding and exploration are needed to truly understand the specific reasons why Chinese and western music has its own characteristics.

First of all, look at the characteristics of western music from a geographical perspective.

China people live in a semi-closed continental geographical environment with a mild climate, and their own self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy can meet people's needs. Therefore, people think that a bumper harvest can not be separated from the gift of nature, and pay attention to the unity of the relationship between nature and human beings. China's philosophy began with the "Yin and Yang" speculation in the first Book of Changes and reached the highest stage of Wang Fuzhi (16 19- 1692). They all regard man, nature and society as a whole. Laozi and Zhuangzi also connect people with nature and the universe. The closer we get to nature, the more we can feel the harmonious beauty of nature. This idea permeates China's music all the time, just like the ancient song "Mountain Flowing Water", which embodies the artistic conception of scene blending everywhere, whether it is the beauty and quietness of "Zhejiang School" or the surging of "Shu School". "Our universe is not only a yin and yang, but also a life rhythm in which reality and reality coexist, so it is basically a combination of empty spirit and time, a vivid charm."

Greece, the birthplace of western culture, is an open marine geographical environment, and people need to fight against harsh nature for a long time. Therefore, the open geographical environment has cultivated the scientific tradition of westerners to explore and conquer nature. In Beethoven's Destiny, "the thrilling struggle scene is like a huge mural, and the hero's battlefield extends to the boundary of the universe (romain rolland)." Berlioz described the tragic Trojan War, and the loud battle horn played unique tragic music, which became the oath that the hero remembered when he died in battle. Music sets off the complex here, renders the scene of struggle and reveals the theme contradiction.

Second, look at the characteristics of western music from a philosophical point of view.

China's philosophy originated from Taoism, and it takes nature as the principle of things. Laozi said: "People practice the earth, practice the sky slowly, practice the Tao in the sky, and practice the Tao naturally." (in Lu Chunqiu). All these reflect the characteristics of China's philosophical thinking. Yi Zhuan put forward "one yin and one yang praise", and Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties put forward "one thing and two bodies" and "one divides into two and becomes one". They regard the evolution of the universe as a series of processes of production and transformation, and regard heaven and earth, everything, movement, stillness, shape and God as contradictory unity that is different and interrelated. The idea of harmony between man and nature naturally influenced the expression meaning and way of China's traditional music. Here we can't hear the opposition of the theme of fate's influence on nature that western symphonies want to express, but music and human spirit have been integrated into nature. The noble character in the ancient song "Three Lane of Plum Blossoms" and the vibrant scene in "Chun Xue". Everything is as the Book of Changes says, "Heaven is strong, and gentlemen are constantly striving for self-improvement." Just like a painter in China paints landscapes, he should not only paint his shape, but also his spirit and strength.

Pythagoras, a Greek contemporary of Laozi, proposed that the philosophical thought of western music lies in mathematical concepts. "The success of a work of art depends on many numbers, and any detail is meaningful." All these have had an impact on the later western art field. Westerners have gained mathematical wisdom and logical understanding. They always take an aggressive and rebellious attitude towards nature, demanding an opposition above the whole nature and a theme of fate.

As the embodiment of philosophy in music, "the highest artistic conception of western music is often religious or mythical, and its theme is often the conflict between man and God." "The highest state of China's music is often the tacit understanding between man and nature, and more commonly the theme of the world." If symphony, the highest form of western music, contains enterprising spirit and rational thinking; Then China's music contains a great philosophical thought and spiritual wisdom about human beauty.

Third, look at the characteristics of western music from the perspective of religious thought.

China's religion is an integral part of China's traditional culture, and China's traditional music values are based on the two major cultural value systems of Confucianism and Taoism. The philosophical aesthetics of Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi and Kong Zi established the aesthetic category of China traditional music. Literary and artistic works, such as Yue Ji and No Sorrow, embody the aesthetic ideas and standards of Confucianism and Taoism about music, and guide the creative practice of traditional music in China for thousands of years. Tao is the highest category of Laozi's philosophical aesthetics, which was later developed by Zhuangzi. The subject must consider the gain and loss before he can realize the care of Tao and get the free realm of beauty and joy. Apart from Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi, Confucius, as a pioneer of Confucian school, has a far-reaching influence on China traditional music. Under the influence of his theory, China's cultural tradition is closely combined with art and political education.

If the religious concept of China's music is based on the culture of Confucianism and Taoism, then the religious thought of western music inherits the Christian concept in the inheritance of space value and theme orientation and continues to this day. Early western music regarded God as the representative of the supreme image. Religious music represented by Gregorian chant can be said to be the main body of medieval western music, which plays a special social function with its unique artistic and humanistic characteristics. Secondly, in the theme orientation, the music creation with the Bible as its content runs through the whole history of western music development. From hymns, oratorios, operas to symphonies, from Bach and Handel to Stravinsky and Britten, religion has always maintained a close relationship with music, and its theme has become an inexhaustible source of artistic creation for western musicians. They draw inspiration and creative passion from religion and turn religious belief into artistic behavior.

Fourth, look at the characteristics of western music from a historical perspective.

Before the reform and opening up, China was closed, but we did have a proud heyday, the Tang Dynasty. At that time, China's politics, economy, law, culture and art were all exported. However, China seems to have been addicted to it ever since. Later, the Qing Dynasty closed its doors to the outside world, and in the civil war, China's music industry was almost at a standstill. We know that music belongs to the world, and it is precisely because of constant input and output that art has infinite charm and freshness. Until around the May 4th New Culture Movement, a group of intellectuals who had studied in Europe and America returned to China one after another, and applied western music theories and techniques to China's music practice, thus developing China's new music culture.

When China was immersed in the dream of going to China, we saw how frequent the historical exchanges of European art were. Beethoven has the dual temperament of German-Austrian nationality and French nationality, which does not include his unique gypsy flavor. Chopin left Poland at the age of 20 and spent the rest of his life in Paris until his death in 19. Many excellent artists have the comprehensive temperament of different nationalities, which makes them constantly create and interpret works of art with different ideas and styles, endow the previous artistic experience with new life, and make western music at the top of the world music.