Selections from 'Divertissements Chinois' (1779) by Jean Joseph Marie Amiot

DIVERTISSMENTS CHINOIS:
William Summers: baroque flute
Diane Moore: baroque violin
Ibrahim Aziz: viola da gamba
Agnes Chin: guzheng
Yeo Yat-Soon: harpsichord

Prélude - Harmonie du midi - Accord ou harmonie des vents qui soufflent devant - Descente de l'hirondelle - Les feuilles des fèves jaunissant

Jean Joseph Marie Amiot (1718 - 1793) was a French Jesuit missionary who arrived in Beijing in 1751 and lived the remainder of his life there. He became a vastly learned Chinese scholar and wrote on many aspects of Chinese learning, including Confucius and Sun Tzu. He was the main translator of European languages for the Qianlong Emperor. He also wrote widely on Chinese music. His 'Divertissements Chinois ou Concerts de Musique Chinoise' survive in a manuscipt copy in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. They contain extensive transcriptions of Chinese melodies in both Chinese and European notation. Amiot is seen as one of the most reliable early sources for the serious encounter between European and Chinese cultures.

Video by Benji Page