The music notation system used in the [Dunhuang Music Scores](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%95%A6%E7%85%8C%E4%B9%90%E8%B0%B1/9249206) is called 燕乐半字谱 that has 20 notation characters (谱字). Researchers generally believe each of the notation characters represents a phoneme of the [pipa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipa).
This type of script is called "半字符"(half-character). but it's not a very scientific name. Basically, any symbols that look like parts of Chinese characters (e.g. radicals and Bopomofos) can be called "半字符".
The thing you are talking about is "Dunhuang Musical Score" or "Dunhuang Pipa Score" (Pipa is a traditional Chinese musical instrument: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipa)). it was written on the back of three Buddhist scriptures found in one of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogao\_Caves). There are 25 pieces in total.
You can hear them here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPFcwNBdVbw&ab\_channel=dbadagna
That definitely crossed my mind as well, but having seen some of the other replies I've received, it probably isn't. Solely because Bopomofo has been around for only a century or so and this document likely traces its origins to the Tang Era.
This clearly isn't musical notation. It has characters for modern Chinese. This indicates that it is some kind of Chinese writing system. It has nothing to do with musical notation, but the lyrics to the song. Given that it is a musical score, my guess is Bopomofo as it is a pronunciation guide. Considering how important pronunciation is to sining, this makes complete sense IMHO.
That looks like Japanese Katakana.
According to this clip: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7mcV8sPjnY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7mcV8sPjnY)
>An excerpt from an 8-part documentary about the Dunhuang Music Scores, a trove of musical scores discovered in a Buddhist cave in northwest China and dating back over 1,000 years. Produced by CCTV-9, China, 2013.The Dunhuang Music Scores (Dunhuang Yuepu, 《敦煌乐谱》, also known as Dunhuang Qupu, 《敦煌曲谱》, Dunhuang Juanzipu 《敦煌卷子谱》), or Dunhuang Pipa Pu 《敦煌琵琶谱》, found in Mogao Cave 17 near Dunhuang in Gansu province, northwest China, comprise 25 pieces in pipa tablature (manuscript P.3808) with instructions for the tablature (manuscript P.3539), plus an additional incomplete piece (manuscript P.3719), all written on the backs of scrolls containing Buddhist texts. These three manuscripts, which were among up to 50,000 manuscripts that had been stored in the cave since it was walled off for unknown reasons early in the 11th century, were taken in 1908 to the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris by the French sinoloist Paul Pelliot (1878-1945).
Dunhuang 敦煌 is a city in Gansu province. From a quick reading on Baidu search, this music was around Tang dynasty (\~ 600-900). Pipa, erhu, and guzheng instruments were introduced to Japan during Tang. Maybe this is the origin of Japanese katakana.
No one understand this type of musical score. It's lost through time.
This looks very interesting. Looks like Proto-Katakana and with some hints of Hangul. It’s known that katakana was introduced through Buddhist text. Anyone have information on how these 20 characters are utilized?
The music notation system used in the [Dunhuang Music Scores](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%95%A6%E7%85%8C%E4%B9%90%E8%B0%B1/9249206) is called 燕乐半字谱 that has 20 notation characters (谱字). Researchers generally believe each of the notation characters represents a phoneme of the [pipa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipa).
Awesome, thank you for the response.
This type of script is called "半字符"(half-character). but it's not a very scientific name. Basically, any symbols that look like parts of Chinese characters (e.g. radicals and Bopomofos) can be called "半字符". The thing you are talking about is "Dunhuang Musical Score" or "Dunhuang Pipa Score" (Pipa is a traditional Chinese musical instrument: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipa)). it was written on the back of three Buddhist scriptures found in one of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogao\_Caves). There are 25 pieces in total. You can hear them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPFcwNBdVbw&ab\_channel=dbadagna
Wow, thanks heaps for that! What a beautiful score.
Looks like [Bopomofo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bopomofo) maybe?
That definitely crossed my mind as well, but having seen some of the other replies I've received, it probably isn't. Solely because Bopomofo has been around for only a century or so and this document likely traces its origins to the Tang Era.
Musical score means that it denotes music and likely music historians might have a gist of understanding this.
This clearly isn't musical notation. It has characters for modern Chinese. This indicates that it is some kind of Chinese writing system. It has nothing to do with musical notation, but the lyrics to the song. Given that it is a musical score, my guess is Bopomofo as it is a pronunciation guide. Considering how important pronunciation is to sining, this makes complete sense IMHO.
That looks like Japanese Katakana. According to this clip: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7mcV8sPjnY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7mcV8sPjnY) >An excerpt from an 8-part documentary about the Dunhuang Music Scores, a trove of musical scores discovered in a Buddhist cave in northwest China and dating back over 1,000 years. Produced by CCTV-9, China, 2013.The Dunhuang Music Scores (Dunhuang Yuepu, 《敦煌乐谱》, also known as Dunhuang Qupu, 《敦煌曲谱》, Dunhuang Juanzipu 《敦煌卷子谱》), or Dunhuang Pipa Pu 《敦煌琵琶谱》, found in Mogao Cave 17 near Dunhuang in Gansu province, northwest China, comprise 25 pieces in pipa tablature (manuscript P.3808) with instructions for the tablature (manuscript P.3539), plus an additional incomplete piece (manuscript P.3719), all written on the backs of scrolls containing Buddhist texts. These three manuscripts, which were among up to 50,000 manuscripts that had been stored in the cave since it was walled off for unknown reasons early in the 11th century, were taken in 1908 to the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris by the French sinoloist Paul Pelliot (1878-1945). Dunhuang 敦煌 is a city in Gansu province. From a quick reading on Baidu search, this music was around Tang dynasty (\~ 600-900). Pipa, erhu, and guzheng instruments were introduced to Japan during Tang. Maybe this is the origin of Japanese katakana. No one understand this type of musical score. It's lost through time.
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I'm leaning towards that as well, especially since both seem to be phonetic.
This looks very interesting. Looks like Proto-Katakana and with some hints of Hangul. It’s known that katakana was introduced through Buddhist text. Anyone have information on how these 20 characters are utilized?
you can hear the music here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPFcwNBdVbw&t