Alan BERKOWITZ tells the poignant stories of emperors, real and legendary, scholar-officials, literati, poets, high-minded recluses, Confucians and Daoists, demonstrating how their tales helped to make the qin an aesthetic emblem of self-cultivation. Lore about these qin aficionados of early and medieval China highlights the literary and artistic landscape of traditional Chinese culture.

柏士隱先生告訴我們真實及傳說中 一些尖銳深刻的故事 包括皇帝 士大夫 文人 詩人 高人隱士及儒者道人 他們如何運用琴道的言行表現 來象徵自我的修養 這些古代和中古時期的琴癡們 在文學及藝術中表現的智慧 永遠閃耀在中國傳統文化之中

John THOMPSON
A Male Phoenix Searches for His Mate (Feng Qiu Huang; 1539) 鳳求凰

John THOMPSON performed 4 pieces. The famous poet Sima Xiangru (179-117 BCE) is said to have sung Feng Qiu Huang in his seduction of Wen Jun. The lyrics attributed to him occur in sections 3 and 8 (of 10). As with many qin melodies published in the Ming dynasty it is preceded by a model preface and a prelude.
唐世璋先生演奏四首曲目 第一首鳳求凰 漢朝辭賦家司馬相如 唱著此曲引起卓文君的愛慕 在本曲第三及第八段是他所寫的詞 明代刊印的幾本琴譜中 前面的序言如是說

Hiding from the World (Dunshi Cao; 1425) 遯世操
This melody is rather fancifully attributed to the pre-historic recluse Xu You. Xu You was so righteous that Emperor Yao tried to hand him the reigns of power. Xu You was so offended by this that he washed his ears and went even deeper into reclusion.
此曲是根據傳說中 堯要讓天下給許由洗耳表示拒絕後 隱遁於箕山的故事而作

Apricot Tree Pavilion (Xing Tan ; 1549) 杏壇
Xing Tan is said to be the place where Confucius taught his students. Now it is a pavilion within the Confucian temple in Qu Fu. This melody has 11 sections. Section 6 is said to be "the sound of reading books"; Section 10 has lyrics about the impermanence of worldly matters.
杏壇是指孔子教學生的地方 現在曲阜孔廟中有一亭臺名此 全曲共十一段 第六段表示讀書聲 第十段歌辭是指當時天下的狀態

Wine Crazed (Jiu Kuang ; 1425 and 1609) 酒狂
Various versions of this melody have been attributed to the legendary drinker Ruan Ji (210-263 CE). The one dated 1425 has no lyrics; the one dated 1609 has lyrics throughout. The present version combines the two. The lyrics include many references to the famous poet (and drinker) Li Bai (701-762 CE).
竹林七賢中的阮籍藉酒以遁 關於此曲有不同的版本 1425年刊行的此曲無詞 到了1609年時歌詞出現在琴譜中 目前的版本合二者為一 歌曲中也包含了另一位唐代好酒的詩人 李白所寫的詞

Matthew FLANNERY
“Poetry: The Varieties of Literati Taste” 詩:多樣的文人風貌 (lecture)

Matthew FLANNERY read from his translations of Chinese verse in a selection from the Han to Song dynasties that illustrates the range of poetic taste and subject matter written by the elite. References to the qin may be casual or passing, a sign that this instrument had become so integrated into literati culture as to have become a conventional component of literati discourse.
方爾義先生將用英文朗誦的方式 由他翻譯的中國詩中 精選出自漢代到宋朝間 各種不同之詩體 並介紹這些不同的風格內容與主題的描寫 同時由詩中可以看出 有關琴在文人文化中 一貫被視為必備 或部分論及的現象

Jung-Ping YUAN
Mountain Stream Bubbling over Rocks (Shi Shang Liu Quan) 石上流泉

Mountain Stream Bubbling over Rocks (Shi Shang Liu Quan) 石上流泉 performanced by Jung-Ping YUAN. This rather short piece evokes the life of fresh spring water. The opening note begins on the lowest string outside the farthest node (hui) , suggesting the bubbling forth from its source deep within the earth. Gradually as the music picks up in tempo, we imagine its flow increasing to suggest swirling water, or its power as it passes over great stones, or it rippling patterns created as it passes over different sized pebbles. The stream forms into an ever larger river, finally coursing into a great lake. The final section contains a circular movement of the right hand that expresses this. At the end the harmonics signal the final image of water, sky and cliffs, a unity achieved by the true hermit amid mountains and forests. This melody is based on the version recorded by Zhang He published in 1864 in the handbook A Primer to Qin Studies [Qin Xue Ru Men]. There are a number of famous Qin pieces describing water, but this one was preferred by Wu Men master Wu Zhaoji for its evocation of the simplicity of the hermit’s life. It is different from the more virtuoso piece “Flowing Water” [Liu Shui] that contains the famous seventy-two circular motions of the right hand [gun fu]. Although relatively short, “Mountain Spring bubbling over rocks” rewards repeated listening and playing.
袁中平先生演奏的石上流泉 是根據清朝同治三年張鶴所編著的[琴學入門]內所錄打譜而成 此曲是描寫泉水出於地底而汩汩於溪水 清流於石上 演奏此曲時開始第一音注於一絃徽外 就已表達泉水從深處開始而不斷的生出 二段開始形容水流迂迴而往 時有漣漪之意 三段形容水勢漱流於大石之上 泛起水紋或偶有水花濺起於石間 是全曲最為流暢之處 四段雖歸於迂迴確更有深廣於大湖雄川之意 五段打圓手法形容跌宕之聲 以作收尾之勢 尾段泛音除了形容水天一碧 也表達隱者於山林之中的意境

Sunny Spring (Yang Chun; 1425) 陽春
Performance by Jung-ping YUAN. One of the major pieces for solo guqin, “Sunny Spring “(Yang Chun, also known as “Bright Spring” or “Spring Sounds”) consists of fifteen sections constituting a suite. Its name in Chinese refers to “all of Nature knowing the approach of Spring and responding to its gentle breezes.” This meaning was noted in the early Ming dynasty qin handbook Shen qi mi pu [Handbook of Miraculous Mysteries, 1425]. The version performed here is according to his teacher, Wu Zhaoji, who played it according to the qin handbook Da Huan Ge of 1673. In his copy , Wu recorded the fact that he was not able to use the family’s original edition from their library, “Qin Yuan, “ because in 1966 it was destroyed during the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution forcing him to depend on a later reprint. “Sunny Spring” was among his father’s, Wu Lansun, favorite performance pieces . In September of this year, Mr. YUAN had the privilege of being invited to play this piece in Suzhou to commemorate the 120th Anniversary of the Birth Year of Wu Lansun.
Originally “Sunny Spring” was paired with “White Snow” to represent two seasons of the year. As a melody, it dates back to the 5th century BC to the renown Master Guang of the Jin Kingdom or Master Liu Sun of the Qi Kingdom. The lofty spirit of “Sunny Spring” is associated with a passage found in the early anthology of Chinese literature, the Wen Xuan, titled “Song Yu’s reply to the King of Chu.” Song Yu says: “Thousands know a popular song , Xiali Baren, but only a few can sing Bright spring and White snow.” This story is the source of the saying, “The more profound the tune, the fewer who know it.” The history of “Sunny Spring” as a solo piece dates back to the official ninth century record, Tang Hui Yao, in which a certain Lu Cai wrote lyrics to Sunny Spring and White Snow as separate tunes, proving that two melodies were extant then. This is one example of a sung melody that came to be appropriated by a solo instrument.
本曲是根據吳兆基先師所傳【大環閣琴譜】而演奏 全曲共十五段 屬於大型古琴獨奏曲 在先師吳兆基所贈的影印本後 記載著他家【琴園】所藏的【大環閣琴譜】於一九六六年九月 文革查四舊時被抄 從此毫無下落 此曲更是先師尊翁吳蘭蓀一生所最喜愛演出之曲目 袁先生於今年九月中於蘇州吳門琴社為紀念吳蘭蓀誕辰120週年所舉辦的音樂會上曾演奏此曲
【陽春】與【白雪】傳為春秋時晉國師曠或齊國劉涓子所作 據【文選】記載: {宋玉達楚王問} 宋玉說:當歌手唱(下里巴人)時 國中有數萬人唱和 以後又改唱【陽春白雪】 因為曲高而和寡 (大概不是流行歌曲) 只有幾個人能跟著唱 根據這故事後人凡事認為高雅的東西 不是一般人能品味的 都稱之為`曲高和寡` 所以我們可以知道此曲是有著很高的藝術價值 到了唐代呂才 他根據琴曲曲調譜寫了【陽春】 【白雪】的歌詞演唱【唐會要】 說明此時【 陽春白雪】已由一曲變為兩曲 現存的琴譜【陽春】 【白雪】是兩首古琴器樂曲 在琴曲中由歌曲轉 變為器樂曲的例子很多 明代【神奇秘譜】在此曲題解說: 【陽春】取萬物知春 和風淡蕩之意

Program concludes

Members: Alan J. BERKOWITZ, Peiyou CHANG, Stephen DYDO, Matthew FLANNERY, Holly GRINNEL, Willow HAI, Shida KUO, Bo LAWERGREN, John THOMPSON, Marilyn Wong GLEYSTEEN, Mingmei YIP, Jung-ping YUAN

to page 1. GUQIN MUSIC: PEOPLE, POETRY AND PLACE
to page 3. Speakers and Performers