Zhu Zaiyu
Encyclopedia
Zhu Zaiyu (1536 - 19 May 1611), a prince of the Ming dynasty
of China
. In 1584 Prince Zhu innovatively described the equal temperament
via accurate mathematical calculation. However the application of the 12 equal temperament theory - the piano, appeared only until the late 17th century, when one critical mathematic data - " the 12th root of 2 " which calculated by Zhu were brought to Europe via the Italian merchants and government officials across over the Silk Road
.
According to Zhu, the twelve equal temperament are
應鍾 1.059463094359295264561825
無射 1.122462048309372981433533
南呂 1.189207115002721066717500
夷則 1.259921049894873164767211
林鍾 1.334839854170034364830832
蕤賓 1.414213562373095048801689
仲呂 1.498307076876681498799281
姑洗 1.587401051968199474751706
夾鍾 1.681792830507429086062251
太蔟 1.781797436280678609480452
大呂 1.887748625363386993283826
黃鐘 2
Zhu was born in Qinyang
, Henan
Province to an aristocratic family, the sixth-generation descendant of the Hongxi Emperor
, the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty
. He inherited the title the Prince of Zheng in 1593, but quickly resigned it to his cousin. On the emperor's order, he was granted a new princely title in 1606, the year he delivered a set of ten musicological treatises to the court, establishing his scholarly merit. His posthumous name was 鄭端靖世子 ("His Excellency The Dauphin of Zheng")
Zhu wrote on music theory and temperament (five treatises survive), music history (two treatises survive), dance and dance music (five treatises survive), and several other works. Three music theory works in particular are associated with the ideas of equal temperament, the「律學新說」 (" on the equal temperament ", 1584), 「律呂精義」("A clear explanation of that which concerns the equal temperament", 1595/96), and 「算學新說」(" Reflection on mathematics", 1603). His work has been described as "the crowning achievement of two millenia of acoustical experiment and research (Robinson 1962:224)" though it may be considered more justified to describe him as "one of the most important historians of his nation's music."
Zhu also wrote treatises (three survive) on astronomy, physics, mathematics and calendrics, calculated the magnetic declination
of Peking, the mass density of mercury
and accurately described the duration of one tropical year
to correct the Ming
calendar
.
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
of 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 1584 Prince Zhu innovatively described the equal temperament
Equal temperament
An equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of tuning, in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. As pitch is perceived roughly as the logarithm of frequency, this means that the perceived "distance" from every note to its nearest neighbor is the same for...
via accurate mathematical calculation. However the application of the 12 equal temperament theory - the piano, appeared only until the late 17th century, when one critical mathematic data - " the 12th root of 2 " which calculated by Zhu were brought to Europe via the Italian merchants and government officials across over the Silk Road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
.
According to Zhu, the twelve equal temperament are
應鍾 1.059463094359295264561825
無射 1.122462048309372981433533
南呂 1.189207115002721066717500
夷則 1.259921049894873164767211
林鍾 1.334839854170034364830832
蕤賓 1.414213562373095048801689
仲呂 1.498307076876681498799281
姑洗 1.587401051968199474751706
夾鍾 1.681792830507429086062251
太蔟 1.781797436280678609480452
大呂 1.887748625363386993283826
黃鐘 2
Zhu was born in Qinyang
Qinyang
Qinyang is a county-level city in Henan province, People's Republic of China. It is administered by the prefecture-level city Jiaozuo. The current population of Qinyang is estimated at 470,000...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
Province to an aristocratic family, the sixth-generation descendant of the Hongxi Emperor
Hongxi Emperor
The Hongxi Emperor was the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China. He succeeded his father, the Yongle Emperor, in 1424. His era name means "Vastly bright".-Biography:...
, the fourth emperor of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
. He inherited the title the Prince of Zheng in 1593, but quickly resigned it to his cousin. On the emperor's order, he was granted a new princely title in 1606, the year he delivered a set of ten musicological treatises to the court, establishing his scholarly merit. His posthumous name was 鄭端靖世子 ("His Excellency The Dauphin of Zheng")
Zhu wrote on music theory and temperament (five treatises survive), music history (two treatises survive), dance and dance music (five treatises survive), and several other works. Three music theory works in particular are associated with the ideas of equal temperament, the「律學新說」 (" on the equal temperament ", 1584), 「律呂精義」("A clear explanation of that which concerns the equal temperament", 1595/96), and 「算學新說」(" Reflection on mathematics", 1603). His work has been described as "the crowning achievement of two millenia of acoustical experiment and research (Robinson 1962:224)" though it may be considered more justified to describe him as "one of the most important historians of his nation's music."
Zhu also wrote treatises (three survive) on astronomy, physics, mathematics and calendrics, calculated the magnetic declination
Magnetic declination
Magnetic declination is the angle between magnetic north and true north. The declination is positive when the magnetic north is east of true north. The term magnetic variation is a synonym, and is more often used in navigation...
of Peking, the mass density of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
and accurately described the duration of one tropical year
Tropical year
A tropical year , for general purposes, is the length of time that the Sun takes to return to the same position in the cycle of seasons, as seen from Earth; for example, the time from vernal equinox to vernal equinox, or from summer solstice to summer solstice...
to correct the Ming
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
calendar
Chinese calendar
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well...
.
See also
- 張衡(Zhang Heng)Zhang HengZhang Heng was a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer, cartographer, artist, poet, statesman, and literary scholar from Nanyang, Henan. He lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He was educated in the capital cities of Luoyang and Chang'an, and began his career as a...
- 詩經(The Odes)
- 李房(Ching Fang)
- 沈括(Shen Kuo)Shen KuoShen Kuo or Shen Gua , style name Cunzhong and pseudonym Mengqi Weng , was a polymathic Chinese scientist and statesman of the Song Dynasty...
- Das Wohltemperierte Clavier
- Equal temperamentEqual temperamentAn equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of tuning, in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. As pitch is perceived roughly as the logarithm of frequency, this means that the perceived "distance" from every note to its nearest neighbor is the same for...