The Early Development of the Modern Chinese Buddhist Songs in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

• Main Authors: Tse-Hsiung Lin, 林則雄
• Other Authors: Ven. Shih Yung Dong
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/00414655355394918615

碩士 === 佛光大學 === 佛教學系 === 102 === This thesis investigates the development of Buddhist songs, a significant part of the project to reform Chinese Buddhism in the early twentieth century. The study of Chinese Buddhist music did not come to the attention of the academic world until recent decades, and the early development of Buddhist songs in particular was rarely taken seriously as an academic topic before this investigation. Influenced by reform ideals, Buddhist songs were reconceived in the Western form and represented the new and progressive image of the newly reformed Buddhism. This thesis presents a historical investigation and a sociopolitical interpretation of the musical form of these songs. With the former, I describe the early development of the Buddhist genre in question, discussing its musical and lyrical styles and their Western and Japanese influences. With the latter, I engage in a reading of the sociopolitical meanings of the Buddhist musical form developed during a time of dramatic change in China. Topics of the individual chapters include (1) the general development of Chinese Buddhist songs in Shanghai in the beginning of the twentieth century; (2) the Buddhist-themed school songs of Li Shutong (李叔同) as the forerunners of the Buddhist genre; (3) Western and Japanese influences on Buddhist songs; and (4) Buddhist songs and the contemporary sociopolitical movements of the 1930s and 40s.