French Literature Reviews - 2026
V. Alexandre Journeau, Poetics of Chinese Music.
Art and Visual Culture
Véronique Alexandre Journeau, Poétique de la musique chinoise. Paris, L’Harmattan, 2015.
Preface by Rémi Mathieu
ISBN: 978-2-343-05903-7 • 39 € • 443 pages.
"In Chinese thought, music is part of the world, if not the world itself in its sonic manifestations. As a human creation, it constitutes the essence of culture, alongside writing or painting, but above all it is the expression of nature, or even of the 道 dao that generates beings and endows them with the norms of their cyclical operation" (preface by Rémi Mathieu). Thus, the work offers an approach through the musical pathway to a universe that, considering the foundations of Chinese aesthetics, proves to be a true intertwining of the arts. It is also grounded in the observation that Chinese poetry—simultaneously an artistic language and a language about art—reveals essential aspects for a nuanced understanding of musical thought and artistic gesture. Consequently, one-third poetry, one-third illustrations, and one-third theoretical and technical text, woven with direct explanations and embroidered with metaphorical evocations in an inexhaustible disclosure of meaning, appeared to be a blend that is both natural and conducive to popularization.
Véronique Alexandre Journeau holds a Ph.D. in Musicology and a Ph.D. in Sinology, and is an HDR-certified researcher (authorized to supervise doctoral research) affiliated with Creops (Centre de recherche sur l’Extrême-Orient de Paris-Sorbonne). Her research in comparative aesthetics focuses on the correspondences between musical and pictorial arts, as well as poetry. At the core of her artistic practice are the violin, the 琴 qin zither, and brush calligraphy. She currently directs, in an interuniversity partnership, the interdisciplinary and intercultural research team LangArts.
CONTENTS
Preface
Foreword
I – Music in Ancient China: Cosmogony and Philosophy of Nature
Introductory remarks
Sources
Ancient texts
Archaeological artifacts
A guiding thread: the “樂記 Yuèjì (Book of Music)”
The effects of sounds on emotions
The effects of emotions on sounds
Virtuous music
Cosmogonical aspects
Temporal dynamics
Spatial dynamics
Theoretical aspects
Interpretation of diagrams
Interpretation of texts
Philosophy of nature
Perspectives
II – Poetics of the Musical Instrument
Introductory remarks
金 (jin) Metal
Li Qiao’s poem on the 鐘 zhong bell
Other poems on this instrument
石 (shi) Stone
A poem by Li Xun on the sounding stones
絲 (si) Silk
Liang Song's (?-83) 琴賦 Qín fù
Liu Xiang's (77-6 BCE) 雅琴賦 Yǎqín fù
Ma Rong's (79-166) 琴賦 Qín fù
Li Qiao's poem on the 琴 qín zither
Other poems on this instrument
Li Qiao's poem on the 瑟 sè zither
Other poems on this instrument
Hou Jin's (active c. 190) 箏賦 Zheng fù
Ruan Yu's (165-212) 箏賦 Zheng fù
Li Qiao's poem on the 筝 zheng zither
Other poems on this instrument
Li Qiao's poem on the 琵琶 pípá lute
Other poems on this instrument
Poem on the 箜篌 konghóu harp
竹 (zhu) Bamboo
Wang Bao's (1st century BCE) 洞簫賦 Dòngxiao fù
Li Qiao's poem on the 簫 xiao flute
Other poems on this instrument
Ma Rong's (79-166) 長笛賦 Chángdí fù
Li Qiao's poem on the 笛 dí flute
Poems on other wind instruments
匏 (pao) Gourd
Li Qiao's poem on the 笙 sheng mouth organ
Other poems on this instrument
土 (tu) Earth
革 (ge) Skin/Leather
Li Qiao's poem on the 鼓 gǔ drums
Other poems on this instrument
木 (mu) Wood
Perspectives
III – Wandering with the qín Zither
Introductory remarks
Technical landmarks
Main fingerings of the pentatonic mode for the 7-string 琴 qin
Musical notation
Qualities of the 琴 qín zither
Qualities of the instrument
A poem by Bo Juyi
Qualities of the instrumentalist
Cai Yong's 彈琴賦 Tánqín fù
The spirit of playing
Philosophical
Poetic
Poetic-pictorial metaphors: pedagogy through the intuition-intention of gesture
Sixteen metaphors for the right hand
The intercalary metaphor
Sixteen metaphors for the left hand
Envoi of Wang Bao's 洞簫賦 Dòngxiao fù
Perspectives
IV – Sung Poems from the Tang to the Song Dynasties
Introductory remarks
To the tune of "长相思 Mutual Longing"
A poem by Bo Juyi (772–846)
A poem by Feng Yansi (903–960)
A poem by Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072)
To the tune of "清平樂 Music of Pure Peace"
A poem by Feng Yansi (903–960)
A poem by Wei Zhuang (836–910)
A poem by Huang Tingjian (1045–1105)
To the tune of "鷓鴣天 The Partridge Sky"
A poem by Lu You (1125–1210)
A poem by Li Qingzhao (1084–1151)
A poem by Wu Wenying (1200–1260)
To the tune of "水龍吟 Chant of the Water Dragon"
A poem by Xin Qiji (1140–1207)
To the tune of "水調歌頭 Water Tune Melody"
A poem by Su Shi (1037–1101)
Perspectives
V – Foundations of Chinese Aesthetics
Introductory remarks
Prelude to the 洞簫賦 Dòngxiāo fù written during the Han dynasty by Ma Rong
Correspondences between pictorial and musical arts
Ke Jiusi's (1290–1343) poem on a painting by Yuke
Shigu's (Wang Hui, 1632–1717) poem on a painting by Wang Fu
Musical connotations in Song Boren's "梅花喜神譜 (Catalog of Plum Blossom Aspects)"
Duality of breaths and memories
A poem by Ruan Ji (210–263)
The locus of transformation into learned sensation
Perspectives
Postlude
Appendices
Chronological landmarks
Index of poems
Index of illustrations
Index of musical excerpts
Index of proper names
Index of musical terms
General index
Bibliographic references
In traditional Chinese thought, sonic expression is deeply connected to the foundational principles of nature, cosmology, and the Dao. Véronique Alexandre Journeau holds a Ph.D. in Musicology and a Ph.D. in Sinology, and is an HDR-certified researcher affiliated with Creops. Her research in comparative aesthetics focuses on the correspondences between musical and pictorial arts, as well as poetry, engaging with broad traditions that bring together musicological inquiry, classical verse, and theoretical reflections.
The publication is structured around ancient cosmogonies, traditional musical instruments categorized by material, the performance and fingerings of the qin zither, sung poetry from the Tang to the Song dynasties, and the broader foundations of Chinese aesthetics. Readers interested in comparative arts, comparative aesthetics, and Chinese cultural history may find this detailed interdisciplinary exploration particularly relevant to their inquiries.