Ancient music orchestra from Taiwan to attend Beijing festival

Chou Chun-yi, director of the music group,spoke of the significance of presenting Ya Yue (elegant music) in China since the genre was believed to have been lost during the years of the Cultural Revolution and is no longer played by any of China's 5,000 music groups. History books have recorded that Ya Yue was created by the Duke of Zhou of the Zhou dynasty around 1,100 B.C. Incorporated with shamanistic and religious rites, the repertoire was performed in ceremonies in honor of heaven and earth, deities and ancestors, in a stately and solemn form.

Chou said that when Nan Hua University formed the Ya Yue orchestra in August 1996, members of the orchestra had sought references from South Korea, where the genre has been maintained and is still performed today.

The Nan Hua Ya Yue orchestra will introduce this ancient court music with string instruments, bells, and drums and in dances in two performances in Beijing, Chou added.

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