This seminar looks at the (symbiotic) relationship among law, music, politics, and society in Tang dynasty China (618-907 AD). I will attempt to show that the Tang state music bureaucracy reflected Confucian and Tang philosophies and beliefs on the importance of music in society, politics & law generally, and then, through discussion of actual specific judicial cases from the Tang dynasty, show that these beliefs were reinforced by codified Tang law and Tang legal institutions. I will also (very) briefly situate this seminar in the law and music field more generally and make some comparative points with medieval European legal history.