Harmony and Intensity
The Sounds of the Chinese Guzheng
In process philosophy, the aim in every moment of experience is to achieve a sense of harmony and intensity—within oneself and in relation to others, the earth, the cosmos, and the heavens. There are many forms of harmony and intensity: friendships, for example, often combine both gentle accord and vibrant energy. Likewise, in nature, the rhythm of ocean waves or the interplay of sunlight and shadow in a forest glade can be seen as a dance of harmony and intensity.
The music offered below, performed on the guzheng, gives sonic expression to this interplay. It's important to note that Sun Quan the Emperor—a song created for popular consumption—is not about harmony alone, but about the dynamic fusion of harmony and intensity. Historically, Sun Quan was a notable emperor of the Three Kingdoms era, now reimagined in modern music and film, showing how historical figures can bridge the past and present.
In other pieces featured below, it might seem as if the emphasis is more on harmony than intensity, evoking a sense of relaxation and calm. But from a process perspective, there are kinds of intensity to be found in calm that are subtle and equally important. A moment of calm can be immensely intense, though not in a gregarious way. As you listen to the music of the guzheng, listen for different kinds of harmony and different kinds of intensity, each relevant to different circumstances.
Moreover, harmony and intensity have a temporal dimension. It's not simply harmony with things present, but also harmony with things past and with anticipated things in the future. This temporal dimension unfolds musically through rhythmic relationships, where the past, present, and future meet in the flow of sound.
The key is to take the feelings of harmony and intensity, as embodied in the sonics of the guzheng, and discern ways in which such feelings can be embodied in the whole of life across time. When they come together, they form what the process tradition calls beauty, understood not simply as prettiness or a shallow quality, but as subjective forms of lived relationships that stretch across moments and rhythms of time.
|
|
|
|
Dwelling Musically in the World
by Jay McDaniel
Process philosophy is a way of thinking that invites us to dwell musically in the world. This does not mean that we listen to music all the time. It means that we listen to the voices of other people and the natural world with full attention, in the same spirit that we listen to music, and then respond by trying to make music with them, adding beauty of our own. The music we hear will have many different colors: sad, happy, peaceful, angry, wise, foolish, quiet, and loud. Our task is to hear all the sounds with an open and gentle spirit, as best we can, and then add our own voice, relative to the needs at hand. The beauty we add can be a kind word to a friend, a helping hand to a stranger, an act of caring for an animal, or dancing barefoot in the moonlight. Whenever we act in the world in healing ways, we are adding a moment of beauty to the world, a scrap of light, a fresh melody. Even justice is an act of music-making, a kind of harmony.
Musical dwelling includes a sense that the whole world is music-like. This does not mean that the world is always pretty. Witness the violence and greed and despair. Witness the loss of life and the absence of love. There is too much unspeakable suffering, and too much missed potential, to say that the world is an ode to joy. Still, the world is music-like in that it is a fluid and evolving process composed of events that come into existence and then pass away, like musical notes of varying durations in an ongoing concert. Mountains are events, rivers are events, and people are events. Some events last longer than others but all arise and then perish. And each event is a blending of influences from other sources. It is an act of creative inter-becoming. In its creativity each event transcends the strict determinism of the past. It displays what the Chinese call a continuous creativity – a qi – which is always here and now, always spontaneous, and always expressing itself in the sheer as-it-is-ness of whatever is.
Of course, there is more to life than change. Amid the changes there are recurring patterns, the most general of which are the laws of nature. The sun rises and sets; the seasons come and go; protons bond with neutrons. Science does an excellent job of discerning the mathematical dimensions of these patterns, and this is part of its gift. Life occurs in the concreteness of actual events as they interact with one another. Process philosophy invites us to be lovingly attentive to life in its concreteness.
What, then, is the philosophy of musical dwelling? You might call it the Philosophy of Kindness and Beauty. It has two core beliefs.
The first is that the most important thing we can do in our lives is to be kind or compassionate: kind to other people, kind to animals, kind to the earth, and kind to ourselves. From the perspective of this religion, being kind or compassionate is much more important than almost anything else we can do with our lives. Kindness is much more important that, say, making a lot of money, or wielding power over others, or having your name in the spotlight. It touches the Eternal in ways that fame can never understand.
The second belief is that, despite life’s many tragedies, there is a beauty in life that is never fully eclipsed by the sadness: a beauty in friendships, in the natural world, in silence, in music. This beauty does not erase or justify the tragedies: the pain, the abuse, the injustices. The world is not all beautiful. But the very existence of beauty means that, even amid the tragedies, there is a goodness worth living from and for. The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead speaks of the multifariousness of life: “The fairies dance and Christ is nailed to the cross.” The Philosophy of Kindness and Beauty does not hide from the sad side of life, and it does not hide from the joy. It helps people dance with the fairies and be honest to the suffering.
It has a special relationship to music, because it envisions the universe as consisting of momentary events in transition rather than solid objects, not unlike the sounds of music in succession with one another. These events are relational, in that they emerge out of relations with past events which form the context for their own occurrence, again not unlike musical sounds which do the same. In this sense process philosophy is a "sonic" philosophy, in which the universe is imagined on the analogy of sounds, and sounds are themselves instances of the very events that compose the universe.
The details of this "sonic" philosophy are amplified intricately and amazingly by Whitehead's philosophy as articulated in his many books: Science and the Modern World, Process and Reality, and Adventures of Ideas, for example. These details are very difficult to understand, but the attempt to understand them is well worth the effort. One way to access them is to consider music itself, as produced by musical instruments. It is with this in mind that I asked ChatGPT to help me articulate a philosophy of the Guzheng, The Guzheng is a traditional Chinese instrument: a zither-like instrument with its plucked strings and resonant body, whose flowing tones, so Chinese rightly believe, evoke rivers, winds, and the living pulse of nature itself. I focus on the Guzheng because process philosophy today itself finds its home in Chinese culture and sensibilities. All things considered, it is in China that the future of the process movement unfolds. I am glad about that.
- Jay McDaniel
Musical dwelling includes a sense that the whole world is music-like. This does not mean that the world is always pretty. Witness the violence and greed and despair. Witness the loss of life and the absence of love. There is too much unspeakable suffering, and too much missed potential, to say that the world is an ode to joy. Still, the world is music-like in that it is a fluid and evolving process composed of events that come into existence and then pass away, like musical notes of varying durations in an ongoing concert. Mountains are events, rivers are events, and people are events. Some events last longer than others but all arise and then perish. And each event is a blending of influences from other sources. It is an act of creative inter-becoming. In its creativity each event transcends the strict determinism of the past. It displays what the Chinese call a continuous creativity – a qi – which is always here and now, always spontaneous, and always expressing itself in the sheer as-it-is-ness of whatever is.
Of course, there is more to life than change. Amid the changes there are recurring patterns, the most general of which are the laws of nature. The sun rises and sets; the seasons come and go; protons bond with neutrons. Science does an excellent job of discerning the mathematical dimensions of these patterns, and this is part of its gift. Life occurs in the concreteness of actual events as they interact with one another. Process philosophy invites us to be lovingly attentive to life in its concreteness.
What, then, is the philosophy of musical dwelling? You might call it the Philosophy of Kindness and Beauty. It has two core beliefs.
The first is that the most important thing we can do in our lives is to be kind or compassionate: kind to other people, kind to animals, kind to the earth, and kind to ourselves. From the perspective of this religion, being kind or compassionate is much more important than almost anything else we can do with our lives. Kindness is much more important that, say, making a lot of money, or wielding power over others, or having your name in the spotlight. It touches the Eternal in ways that fame can never understand.
The second belief is that, despite life’s many tragedies, there is a beauty in life that is never fully eclipsed by the sadness: a beauty in friendships, in the natural world, in silence, in music. This beauty does not erase or justify the tragedies: the pain, the abuse, the injustices. The world is not all beautiful. But the very existence of beauty means that, even amid the tragedies, there is a goodness worth living from and for. The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead speaks of the multifariousness of life: “The fairies dance and Christ is nailed to the cross.” The Philosophy of Kindness and Beauty does not hide from the sad side of life, and it does not hide from the joy. It helps people dance with the fairies and be honest to the suffering.
It has a special relationship to music, because it envisions the universe as consisting of momentary events in transition rather than solid objects, not unlike the sounds of music in succession with one another. These events are relational, in that they emerge out of relations with past events which form the context for their own occurrence, again not unlike musical sounds which do the same. In this sense process philosophy is a "sonic" philosophy, in which the universe is imagined on the analogy of sounds, and sounds are themselves instances of the very events that compose the universe.
The details of this "sonic" philosophy are amplified intricately and amazingly by Whitehead's philosophy as articulated in his many books: Science and the Modern World, Process and Reality, and Adventures of Ideas, for example. These details are very difficult to understand, but the attempt to understand them is well worth the effort. One way to access them is to consider music itself, as produced by musical instruments. It is with this in mind that I asked ChatGPT to help me articulate a philosophy of the Guzheng, The Guzheng is a traditional Chinese instrument: a zither-like instrument with its plucked strings and resonant body, whose flowing tones, so Chinese rightly believe, evoke rivers, winds, and the living pulse of nature itself. I focus on the Guzheng because process philosophy today itself finds its home in Chinese culture and sensibilities. All things considered, it is in China that the future of the process movement unfolds. I am glad about that.
- Jay McDaniel
Process Philosophy of the Guzheng (古筝)
by ChatGPT
The guzheng, or “ancient zither,” is one of China’s oldest and most culturally significant string instruments, dating back more than 2,500 years [1]. While there is no formal philosophical school devoted solely to the guzheng, the instrument has always been woven into broader streams of Chinese thought. Its music and symbolism embody a worldview centered on harmony, resonance, and relationality—between self, society, and cosmos.
1. Harmony of Self and Cosmos: In classical Chinese philosophy, music (yue, 乐) was regarded as a medium for aligning the human spirit with the rhythms of heaven and earth. The guzheng expresses this ideal of harmony through its pentatonic scale, traditionally linked with the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth [2]. Playing the guzheng was thus understood not merely as entertainment but as a spiritual exercise: a way of participating in the dynamic balance (he, 和) of the universe [3]. The tones of the instrument mirror the Confucian goal of moral cultivation and the Daoist pursuit of natural flow.
2. Expression of Emotion and Nature: Guzheng music is often described as evoking natural phenomena—flowing water, wind through pines, mountain echoes—and the subtle movements of the human heart. Its expressive left-hand techniques (glissandi, portamento) create sounds that seem to “breathe” with the world [4]. This aesthetic sensibility resonates with Daoist ideas of ziran (自然, natural spontaneity) and wu wei (无为, effortless action): beauty arises when music flows with, rather than against, the movements of life.
3. Cultural Continuity and Memory: Over millennia, the guzheng evolved from a court instrument into one beloved by common folk, accompanying poetry, opera, and storytelling [5]. Because it has survived and transformed through so many dynasties, it now symbolizes cultural continuity—bridging the present with the ancient past. Playing the guzheng can thus be experienced as participating in a living lineage, echoing Confucian reverence for tradition and ancestry.
4. Embodiment of Craft and Virtue: The guzheng’s artistry extends beyond performance to the moral character of the player. Precision, patience, and refinement (ya, 雅) are virtues cultivated through practice [6]. In traditional aesthetics, music is a mirror of the heart: to play the guzheng well is to embody sincerity (cheng, 诚) and harmony. The making of the instrument itself—from choice of paulownia wood to the tuning of each string—reflects ideals of balance, attentiveness, and respect for natural materials.
5. A Contemporary Interpretation: In modern times, the guzheng is increasingly interpreted as an instrument of mindfulness and emotional healing [7]. Its gentle resonance and long sustain are thought to calm the mind and restore inner balance—an idea that connects ancient Chinese cosmology with contemporary holistic philosophies. The guzheng becomes a medium through which listeners and performers “breathe together” with the world, uniting body, sound, and spirit.
1. Harmony of Self and Cosmos: In classical Chinese philosophy, music (yue, 乐) was regarded as a medium for aligning the human spirit with the rhythms of heaven and earth. The guzheng expresses this ideal of harmony through its pentatonic scale, traditionally linked with the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth [2]. Playing the guzheng was thus understood not merely as entertainment but as a spiritual exercise: a way of participating in the dynamic balance (he, 和) of the universe [3]. The tones of the instrument mirror the Confucian goal of moral cultivation and the Daoist pursuit of natural flow.
2. Expression of Emotion and Nature: Guzheng music is often described as evoking natural phenomena—flowing water, wind through pines, mountain echoes—and the subtle movements of the human heart. Its expressive left-hand techniques (glissandi, portamento) create sounds that seem to “breathe” with the world [4]. This aesthetic sensibility resonates with Daoist ideas of ziran (自然, natural spontaneity) and wu wei (无为, effortless action): beauty arises when music flows with, rather than against, the movements of life.
3. Cultural Continuity and Memory: Over millennia, the guzheng evolved from a court instrument into one beloved by common folk, accompanying poetry, opera, and storytelling [5]. Because it has survived and transformed through so many dynasties, it now symbolizes cultural continuity—bridging the present with the ancient past. Playing the guzheng can thus be experienced as participating in a living lineage, echoing Confucian reverence for tradition and ancestry.
4. Embodiment of Craft and Virtue: The guzheng’s artistry extends beyond performance to the moral character of the player. Precision, patience, and refinement (ya, 雅) are virtues cultivated through practice [6]. In traditional aesthetics, music is a mirror of the heart: to play the guzheng well is to embody sincerity (cheng, 诚) and harmony. The making of the instrument itself—from choice of paulownia wood to the tuning of each string—reflects ideals of balance, attentiveness, and respect for natural materials.
5. A Contemporary Interpretation: In modern times, the guzheng is increasingly interpreted as an instrument of mindfulness and emotional healing [7]. Its gentle resonance and long sustain are thought to calm the mind and restore inner balance—an idea that connects ancient Chinese cosmology with contemporary holistic philosophies. The guzheng becomes a medium through which listeners and performers “breathe together” with the world, uniting body, sound, and spirit.
6. The Guzheng and Process Philosophy
Viewed through the lens of process philosophy, particularly Alfred North Whitehead’s categories of existence, the guzheng offers a living illustration of reality as dynamic, relational, and rhythmic. Each performance can be understood as an enactment of the universe’s creative advance into novelty.
Actual Entities: Each tone or pluck of the guzheng is an actual entity—a momentary act of experience. It arises from the performer’s intention, the string’s vibration, and the air’s response, perishing even as it contributes to the next sound. The music is not a collection of static things but a stream of evanescent events—each tone both dying and giving birth to the next.
Prehensions: Every note prehends what came before. The lingering resonance of a previous string is felt by the next vibration, just as the performer inherits the emotional and tactile memory of preceding phrases. The guzheng thus manifests Whitehead’s idea that each moment of experience includes and transforms its past.
Nexus: The instrument, performer, listener, and environment form a nexus—a web of interconnected actual entities. Within this nexus, sound is not localized in any single object but distributed across relationships: finger and string, air and ear, intention and resonance.
Subjective Forms: The subjective form of each tone—the way it feels, its timbre, intensity, and mood—depends on how the performer shapes it. A single note can carry serenity, grief, or vitality. These tonal feelings are the inner affective textures through which music becomes meaning.
Eternal Objects: Modes, scales, intervals, and tonal possibilities are eternal objects—forms of potentiality actualized through performance. The guzheng’s pentatonic structure, linked with the five elements, exemplifies how pure potential (form) enters concrete existence through musical action.
Propositions: A melodic motif or thematic idea functions as a proposition: a lure for feeling that invites interpretation. Each performance embodies a new decision about how the possible will become actual—a creative negotiation between discipline and freedom.
Multiplicities: The guzheng’s tones emerge from multiplicities—many potential relations among notes, harmonics, rhythms, and gestures. These multiplicities are not chaos but fields of potential order, akin to the Daoist sense of the “ten thousand things” as manifold expressions of the same flowing Way.
Contrasts: Music lives by contrast: tension and release, softness and strength, silence and sound. Whitehead saw contrasts as the essence of aesthetic intensity—the synthesis of diversity into harmony. Guzheng performance enacts this through tonal counterpoint and rhythmic interplay, producing what he called “the harmony of harmonies.”
In this sense, the guzheng is a process instrument par excellence. Each note is an event; each performance a creative advance into novelty. The instrument does not merely symbolize relational reality—it enacts it. Sound becomes a living demonstration of Whitehead’s vision: a universe made not of substances but of interrelated acts of feeling, always perishing and yet always creating anew.
References
- “Guzheng,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guzheng
- “The Cultural Significance of Guzheng,” AZ Chinese News (2025) https://www.azchinesenews1.com/static/content/YW/2025-06-17/1384466515781390336.html
- “History & Cultural Significance of the Guzheng,” Healing Sounds (2023) https://healing-sounds.com/blogs/guzheng/history-cultural-significance-guzheng
- “Art of Music: The Ancient Guzheng,” Hanting Delivery (2020) https://hanting.delivery/2020/09/art-of-music-ancient-guzheng/
- “The History of Guzheng,” Guzheng Alive (2024) https://guzhengalive.com/guzheng-history
- “Guzheng Lessons and Culture,” Heritage Strings Singapore (2023) https://heritagestrings.sg/classes/guzheng/
- “The Healing Power of Guzheng Music,” Healing Sounds (2023) https://healing-sounds.com/blogs/guzheng/history-cultural-significance-guzheng
|
|
|
Bonus: Masterpieces of Chinese Music
"The rich sonorities and compelling melodies of Chinese music are invoked on string instruments consisting of the erhu and related two-string fiddles, pipa (lute), zheng (long, plucked zither), ruan (moon guitar), and yangqin (hammered dulcimer). The ensemble Music from China performs masterworks from the Chinese classical and folk repertoire with an array of stylistic variations, timbral colors, and musical imagery. The program includes such immortal classical compositions as Ambush on Ten Sides, a powerful re-creation of a third-century battle scene, and the romance with nature of A Moonlit River in Spring. Folk music selections span China's broad landscape, from the urban sophistication of Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton) to the vast expanse of the Mongolian steppes."
"The rich sonorities and compelling melodies of Chinese music are invoked on string instruments consisting of the erhu and related two-string fiddles, pipa (lute), zheng (long, plucked zither), ruan (moon guitar), and yangqin (hammered dulcimer). The ensemble Music from China performs masterworks from the Chinese classical and folk repertoire with an array of stylistic variations, timbral colors, and musical imagery. The program includes such immortal classical compositions as Ambush on Ten Sides, a powerful re-creation of a third-century battle scene, and the romance with nature of A Moonlit River in Spring. Folk music selections span China's broad landscape, from the urban sophistication of Shanghai and Guangzhou (Canton) to the vast expanse of the Mongolian steppes."