During the reign of Kangxi (r. 1662-1722), the second Manchu emperor of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Western music began to take root in the Manchu court. There is abundant evidence that the missionaries performed Western music before Kangxi and the emperor looked upon the Jesuits Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688) and Tomas Pereira (1645-1708) as his music tutors. In 1713, Kangxi commissioned a treatise on music, Yuzhi Lülü Zhengyi (A True Doctrine of Music, by Imperial Authority), which was completed in 1714. Begun by Pereira but completed by the Italian Lazarist Paolo Felipe Teodorico Pedrini (c. 1670-1746), the third part of this musical treatise Xieyun duqu, is devoted exclusively to Western music theory. This treatise is the earliest official Chinese source concerning Western music theory.

Evidence that Western theoretical writings were included in Lülü Zhengyi raises an important question: why did Kangxi demand that Western music theory be incorporated within his imperial treatise? There are only a limited number of studies on Western music in the early Qing court, and this research fills in a serious lacuna. This study will argue that it is not simply due to Kangxi's open mind and fondness for European knowledge that leads to the incorporation of Western music theory in Lülü Zhengyi. Kangxi's goal was to use Western music as a tool to restore the lost Chinese ancient music.

The reign of Kangxi witnessed the elevation of Western music in the Qing court. After the reign of Kangxi, Western music continued to be performed at the court, however, its prestige diminished, and it served solely as entertainment for the emperors. Indeed, in Yongzheng's preface to Lülü yuanyuan (1723), Western music theory was regarded as that of the Western barbarian. Later, when Qianlong ordered the compilation of the sequel to Lülü Zhengyi in 1741, no Western music was included.

Local access dig.pdf. [Chiu-Music.pdf]

“The scope of this study is to illustrate the music and musical instruments sent as a gift in 1719 by Pope Clement XI to the Emperor of China: they included harpsichords, organs, automata, flutes, bowed and plucked string instruments, as well as their stringing. Various music scores were also brought to Beijing, but the only ones named together with their composer are the sonatas and concerti grossi by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), whose published collections are all present, from Op. I to Op. VI. This will be viewed against the background of conspicuous musical activities at Court carried out by the missionaries sent from Rome during the last years of the reign of Kangxi (1710-1722). An excursus on the positive organs sent to other oriental missions in the same period is also provided.”

Local access dig.pdf. [Barbieri-Musical instruments.pdf]

"... On the level of Western theory of music, the most important introduction was Lülü zuanyao 律呂纂要 (Compilation of Musical theory) written by Tomé Pereira on behalf of the Kangxi emperor, and completed after Pereira’s death by Pedrini.* The work was revised and partly integrated as the last part of the Lülü zhengyi xubian 律呂正義續編, the supplement to the imperial encyclopedia on music Lülü zhengyi 律呂正義 (part of Lülü yuanyuan 律呂淵源, 1723).** It features a presentation of the tonal system, rhythmic and staff notation and is a good example of the difficulties involved in translating musical terminology from a European into a Chinese tradition."

*mss discovered by Wu Xiangxiang 吳相湘, who first published his discovery in Guangzhou daguang bao 廣州大光報 (7 November 1936)…”
**"Also included in Siku quanshu 四庫全書...."

Collection: Siku quanshu huiyao 四庫全書薈要.
Editions online Internet Archive.
Edition with text, image, and dictionary tools at ctext.org
Local access dig.pdf. [Pereira-Lulu zhengyi xubian.pdf]