Publication details
Evolution of Ancient Kuchean Music, its Local Indo-European Linguistic Connections and Transmission to Other Inner Asian Musical Traditions
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Ancient Kucha was as an important Buddhist cultural center inhabited by speakers of Tocharian B, by various diplomats, Indian and Iranian traders and monks. Since its location on northern caravan trade route, Kucha oasis was supporting travels of religious persons, cultural diffusion and also spread of musical instruments. Distinct terminology in Tocharian and Khotan Saka attest more local traditions of music in Xinjiang, but oasis states were in complex diplomatic interactions with related exchanges in culture, trade and migrations. During the first millennium AD and in later centuries, the Indo-European populations were gradually mixed with and replaced by Turkic-speaking people. In this process the famous Kuchean music and other local traditions were integrated into local varieties of Uighur ethnic culture further influencing for example Chinese and Korean music and also Mongolian musical terminology. The purpose of this paper is to analyze interdisciplinary data focused on the spread of music styles, attest musical instruments in archaeological sources, on wall paintings and in musical terminology in Indo-European and other related languages and East Asian cultures like Uighur, Mongolian, Chinese, and Korean. The paper will also study the influence of Buddhist and other religions on the formation of Central Asian music and innovations in neighboring cultures. The paper intends to provide attestations even from manuscripts, travelogues and from later analogies in modern material culture. The paper builds on previous projects, and regular visits of Xinjiang with focus on languages and archaeology on one side (Schwarz) and on arts and traditional ethnic music on the other side (Hong). |
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