What do you know about Music in Asia?

Asian music encompasses numerous different musical styles originating from a large number of Asian cultures. The music of Asia is vast and unique as there are many cultures and people who inhabit the region. There are many kinds of music in the world, the three most common types being Folk, Popular  and Art Music.

Folk and popular music have their special original and mixed forms in Asia (as in all the world today), but it is in the literate art traditions of Asia so that historical and musical distinctions can be made most clearly. Like the ancient Greek philosophers, philosophers of the Far East in countries such as China and Japan believed that music was an important part of an individual's journey toward the moral perfection.They also believed that music was closely tied to the universe.

Indian Music

Music has always been an important part of Indian life. The range of musical phenomenon in India extends from simple melodies to most well developed classical music in the world. There are references to various string and wind instruments, as well as several kinds of drums and cymbals, in the Vedas. Some date the advent of the system of classical Indian music to Amir Khusro.

Muslim rulers and noblemen freely extended their support to music. In the courts of the Mughal emperors, music is said to have flourished, and the Tansen was one of the jewels of Akbar's court.

Japanese Music

The history of traditional music in Japan is rich and varied. Many musical forms were imported from China more than a thousand years ago, but over the years, they were converting into distinctively Japanese styles of expression.

Instruments were adapted and newly created to meet local needs, and the most important of these were the shamisen, shakuhachi, and koto. Japanese Music, the art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression, specifically as it is carried out in Japan. Korea served as a bridge to Japan for many Chinese Musical Ideas as well as influencing through its own forms of court music.

Chinese Music

Chinese Music, the art form of organized vocal and instrumental sounds that developed in China. It is one of the oldest and most highly developed of all known musical systems. Chinese music history must be approached with a certain sense of admiration.

In ancient China, music was regarded as central to the harmony and longevity of the state. Chinese traditional music is played on solo instruments or in small ensembles of plucked and bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums.

Thai Music

The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome. Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far afield - including the klong thap and khim (Persian origin), the jakhe (Indian origin), the klong jin (Chinese origin), and the klong kaek (Indonesian origin).

Though Thailand was never colonized by colonial powers, pop music and other forms of modern Asian, European and American music have become extremely influential. The two most popular styles of traditional Thai music are luk thung and mor lam.

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Now that you know a little bit about Music in Asia , would you like to enjoy an Asian performance?