Choreographic and Kinesthetic Elements in Performance on the Chinese Seven-String Zither

A lan Merriam proposes a theoretical research model for the study of music which involves three levels of study: conceptualization about music, behavior in relation to music, and music sound itself (Merriam 1964: 32). He further subdivided the level of behavior into physical behavior, social behavior, and verbal behavior. This paper concerns the physical behavior-the tension, posture, and movement of the body-involved in the production of sound. It demonstrates how physical behavior is closely related to music sound and to conceptualization about music, a point emphasized by Merriam in his model. Live music sound is produced only as a result of human physical behavior. The movements executed by the performer in the production of sound, including the postures of the different parts of the body and the static and dynamic spatial relationships between these different parts, might be analyzed as a form of dance. While they may not consciously regard these movements as dance, the performer and the audience nevertheless share the same kind of cognitive experience as those of a legitimate dance performance. All musical experiences, therefore, might be considered as consisting of one or more of three cognitive components: aural, visual, and kinesthetic.' While by definition the aural component forms the essence of any musical experience, it may also be accompanied by one or both of the other components. Therefore musical experiences may be considered as of three kinds. For those who listen to a recording or for those who listen without watching the performer, their musical experience involves only the aural component. Those who also watch the performer experience both the aural and visual components. Finally the performer himself experiences both the aural and kinesthetic components, and in most cases, also the visual component. Understandably musicologists have concentrated their attention on the aural component of musical experiences. This paper proposes that, for the ku-ch'in (seven-string zither) of China, the visual and kinesthetic components play a significant role in the total musical experience; consequently, the consideration of visual and kinesthetic components becomes important in musicological research.2 Chinese writings about zither music clearly reflect the concern for the visual