Fourth Week

Professor Helen Reese believes "Ancient Naxi Music" is not as "ancient" or "authentic" as it is professed to be because it is performed in a completely different context. She describes "authenticity" as involving a "'complete and immaculate simulation,' one which would convince the 'traditional' musician as well as the 1990s visitor of its reality." If judged solely by this definition, the "Ancient Naxi Music" now heard could not be mistaken as "authentic" since it is produced solely as entertainment for foreign tourists while it was originally used to perform liturgical rituals. The musico-ritual organizations known as Dongjing associations met several times a year in solemn ceremonies to perform scriptures honoring Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist dieties. Thus, how could the music played now, which is clearly catering to foreign tourists as demonstrated by the introduction given in fluent english, be considered an exact replica of the music that was once so important to the Naxi people's lives and religion? While only native instruments and devices are used and the mainly elder musicians are dressed in old-fashioned gowns, the performances that are currently being carried out are ultimately just copies of the original music and are therefore not "authentic" according to Reese's definition of it. Western scholars view this differently however since they greatly enjoy these performances and consider them to be "traditional." Thus, these scholars are greatly repelled by the modern Chinese orchestra since it does not resemble their idea of what traditional Chinese music ought to sound like. They claim that it just sounds like lightweight Western music and consider it to be trite. While Western scholars prefer the old "traditional" Chinese music, many Chinese teachers and students accuse the foreign students of wanting to arrest the development of Chinese music and insist on the need for it to change. In light of these opposing views, I believe that authenticity exists on a continuum because this idea means different things to different people.