Ling Lun
Encyclopedia
Ling Lun is the legendary founder of music
in ancient China
. In Chinese mythology
, as described in the Lüshi Chunqiu
(in ), he was said to have created bamboo flutes which made the sounds of many birds, including the mythical phoenix
. "In this way, he invented the five notes of the ancient Chinese five-tone scale (gong, shang, jiao, zhi, and yu, equivalent to 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 in numbered musical notation or do, re, mi, so, and la in western solfeggio) and the eight sounds made by eight musical instruments...." The "Yellow Emperor
" (Huangdi) is said to have ordered the casting of bells in tune with those flutes.
An alternative text, the Lushi Chunqiu (Annals of Master Lu, third century BCE) credits another culture hero, Kui
(who is somewhat confused with a one-legged mythical monster bearing the same name, Kui) with the invention of music. In one version of the story, Kui makes a drum by stretching an animal skin over an earthen jar that defeats another monster.
In the computer games Civilization IV
and Civilization V
, Ling Lun appears as a great artist.
Music of China
Chinese Music has been made since the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty...
in ancient China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. In Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
, as described in the Lüshi Chunqiu
Lüshi Chunqiu
The Lüshi Chunqiu is an encyclopedic Chinese classic text compiled around 239 BCE under the patronage of the Qin Dynasty Chancellor Lü Buwei...
(in ), he was said to have created bamboo flutes which made the sounds of many birds, including the mythical phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
. "In this way, he invented the five notes of the ancient Chinese five-tone scale (gong, shang, jiao, zhi, and yu, equivalent to 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 in numbered musical notation or do, re, mi, so, and la in western solfeggio) and the eight sounds made by eight musical instruments...." The "Yellow Emperor
Yellow Emperor
The Yellow Emperor or Huangdi1 is a legendary Chinese sovereign and culture hero, included among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he reigned from 2697–2597 or 2696–2598 BC...
" (Huangdi) is said to have ordered the casting of bells in tune with those flutes.
An alternative text, the Lushi Chunqiu (Annals of Master Lu, third century BCE) credits another culture hero, Kui
Kui
Kui can refer to:* Kui , comes from Kazakh language*Kui 夔, a one-legged mountain demon, also legendary inventor of music and dance*Kui , a manga character*Kui, Hiroshima, a Japanese town...
(who is somewhat confused with a one-legged mythical monster bearing the same name, Kui) with the invention of music. In one version of the story, Kui makes a drum by stretching an animal skin over an earthen jar that defeats another monster.
In the computer games Civilization IV
Civilization IV
Sid Meier's Civilization IV is a turn-based strategy, 4X computer game released in 2005 and developed by lead designer Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and Meier's studio Firaxis Games. It is the fourth installment of the Civilization series...
and Civilization V
Civilization V
Sid Meier's Civilization V is a turn-based strategy, 4X computer game developed by Firaxis, released on Microsoft Windows in September 2010 and on Mac OS X on November 23, 2010...
, Ling Lun appears as a great artist.