Current Status and Prospects of the Research on Pyeonjong and Pyeongyeong in South Korea and China

Confucian ritual music culture in East Asia can be traced back to Xia Dynasty and developed into a standardized ritual music system in the Zhou Dynasty. The 'JIn Shi Zhi Yue (Music of metal and stone)' in the Confucian ritual music tradition is mainly composed of pyeonjong (a set of bells; bianzhong in Chinese) and pyeon'gyeong (a set of L-shaped stone chimes; bianqing in Chinese). The earliest research on pyeonjong in China was the article 'Golden Chime Bells' published by Cui Yutang in 1958. After that, a series of researches examining rhythmic systems, acoustic characteristics, inscriptions, materials and rehabilitation of pyeonjong were published. However, the study of pyeongyeong was relatively late compared to that of pyeonjong. The earliest study about pyeongyeong was published in 1972; it was the article 'The Painted Stone Chimes of Chu State Discovered in Jiangling, Hubei Province and Related Issues' by the Hubei Provincial Museum. The subsequent researches of pyeongyeong mainly focused on inscriptions, rhythmic systems, materials, reproduction and acoustic characteristics. In South Korea, Jang Sahun was the first scholar who conducted the research specialized in this field. The subsequent researches in South Korea mainly focused on the production, materials, rhythmic systems, acoustic characteristics, inscriptions, and restoration of pyeongyeong and pyeonjong. Although the academic histories of pyeongyeong and pyeonjong in both countries have some similarities in research objects and problem awareness, they also have their own characteristics in terms of the focus, emphasis, scope, and interest of the research. As the representative musical instruments of Confucian ritual music culture, pyeongyeong and pyeonjong need to explore their multiple possibilities not only in the field of academic research, but also in current musical practice.