琵琶的故事: 纽约说

作者：Shenzhan Liao /申展

感谢周懿女士对该文的贡献。

封面照片：明代琵琶（1368-1644）， 纽约大都会博物馆

该文有英文版 The Origin of Pipa: Told in New York

茶话中国音乐：琵琶，Zhou Yi 周懿/Shenzhan 申展，2019年9月13日，纽约华美协进社

2019年9月13日晚，是中国传统的中秋之夜，团聚的日子：一家人就着月饼、点心，或许还有音乐的陪伴，仰望明月，闲坐聊天。在曼哈顿的华美协进社，一位纽约的中国音乐家周懿，捧着一个梨形的四弦乐器，问一屋子的观众：“你们知道这个乐器叫什么吗？”

大家都笑了。周懿身后的屏幕赫然写着：

“Pipa 琵琶”

每个人当然都答对了。

琵琶，英文作为Chinese lute的一种，号称有两千多年的历史，一直让世人惊艳。根据纽约大都会博物馆的Heilbrunn艺术编年史，琵琶在北魏时期（386-534）从西方和中亚传至中国，到了唐朝（618-906）——中国古代最据国际性的时代，兼容并包多种多样的世界文化——得以流行起来。

琵琶的音色优美而且极富表现力，且深深植根于中国文化。关于琵琶流传最广的故事正好也跟中国最强盛的两个朝代——汉朝和唐朝——相关。汉元帝（公元前48-33）著名的妃子，中国四大美人之一的王昭君，被汉元帝以和亲为由嫁给匈奴单于，以保证汉王朝与匈奴帝国相安无事。王昭君常常手捧琵琶出现在中国绘画中，因为人们普遍认为琵琶可以抚慰她的思乡之情（同时也体现“昭君和亲”在文化传递上的意义吧！）

唐朝是琵琶空前流行的时代。唐朝著名诗人白居易（772-846）的《琵琶行》对琵琶做了详细而生动地描述：

大弦嘈嘈如急雨，

小弦切切如私语。

嘈嘈切切错杂弹， 

大珠小珠落玉盘。

间关莺语花底滑，

幽咽泉流冰下难。 

冰泉冷涩弦凝绝，

凝绝不通声暂歇。 

别有幽愁暗恨生，

此时无声胜有声。

银瓶乍破水浆迸，

铁骑突出刀枪鸣。

曲终收拨当心画，

四弦一声如裂帛。

(《琵琶行》节选）

但是，对琵琶的起源稍作深入探究，就会发现它的历史并非那么简单直白。

早在东汉（25-220）末年，琵琶的名字就已经出现在应劭著的《风俗通义》中：

“批把，谨按近世乐家所作，不知谁也，以手批把，因以为名。”

这也许是琵琶早在东汉末年就已经从中亚传至中国的证据。不过，中国的典籍中还记载着一种更早的乐器，被称作“秦琵琶”或者“秦汉子”，源自秦朝（公元前221-203）时期就已经存在的打击乐器“鼗”。

鼗（音tao）

来源: 百度/百科 https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%BC%97

(作者注: “鼗”字很少见，虽然看起来很艰涩，不过并不可怕，类似的乐器就是今天的“拨浪鼓”! ) 

把鼗倒置，并鼓上弦，就是秦琵琶——一种圆身直颈的弦乐。东晋时期（266-420）“竹林七贤”之一的阮咸对其进行改造，并且推动它风行一时，后来秦琵琶就干脆以他的名字命名为“阮”。

南朝时期(420 - 589 ）画像砖拓印阮咸（左, 234 - 305) 弹奏阮

现代阮（图）

阮和琵琶是两种截然不同的乐器，也说明琵琶或有它自己的发展史。当代学者通常把琵琶的起源追溯到约公元前一世纪出现的一种叫“Barbat”的波斯乐器，通过丝绸之路传到了中国。许多学者以东汉末年刘熙（约公元200年）的著作为据：

“批把，本出于胡中，马上所鼓也。推手前曰批，引手却曰把。象其鼓时，因以为名也。”（《释名 释乐器》）

现代Barbat（图）

唐朝琵琶梨形曲颈，与Barbat有某种明显地形似。而且，与Barbat一样，早期的琵琶是横着弹的，而且用一个拔子弹拨。直到15世纪的明代，琵琶才改为直立，并用手指戴了假指甲弹奏。这些技术上的改进让音乐家们可以更得心应手地用琵琶弹奏更复杂的曲子。

女乐伶坐像，唐代 (618 - 906), 纽约大都会博物馆

对于琵琶来历和称谓，我自己形成了两个理论。一种理论是在Barbat传到中国之前，秦琵琶已经出现，但后来被改名为阮，所以，中国本土发明的名字”琵琶“，就被借用来称呼舶来的波斯乐器。久而久之，该乐器不仅在中国生根，而且成为最有代表性的传统乐器之一。

另一种理论是，琵琶本来就是发明给起源于Barbat并传至中国的乐器，——中国东汉末年的记录表明其传入年代大大早于大都会博物馆资料提到的年代。中国土生土长的乐器“阮”, 被称作“秦琵琶”，因为其与琵琶相似，但名称上又需要与舶来的琵琶有所区别。

不论来源如何，琵琶现在在中国仍然很流行。琵琶，以及中东的乐器Oud和日本的Biwa，在起源上都与Barbat关联。文化的传递和相互影响，穿越时空和地理的界限，在它们的故事中都得以体现。琵琶尽管起源于“异邦”，现在却是实实在在的中国文化的一部分了。

当周懿弹着一支曲颈琵琶，演奏一首根据唐朝敦煌乐谱谱曲的《西江月》时，所有的观众都深浸其中，关于琵琶扑朔迷离的起源似乎变得无足轻重了。说到底，超越语言和时空的音乐，对于纽约的琵琶之夜，再合适不过了。

纽约Astoria

2019年12月21日，冬至

“茶话中国音乐：琵琶”，周懿/廖申展现场录像

附：

西江月. 敦煌曲子词

女伴同寻烟水，今宵江月分明。柁头无力别，一舡横。波面微风暗起。

懒棹乘舡无定止。拜词处处闻声。连天红浪侵秋星，误入蓼花丛里。

The Origin of Pipa, Told in New York

By Shenzhan Liao /申展

Thanks to Ms. Zhou Yi 周懿 for helping with the creation of this essay.

Cover photo credit: Pipa, Ming Dynasty ( 1368-1644), collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Chat on Chinese Music: Pipa/茶话中国音乐：琵琶，Zhou Yi 周懿/Shenzhan 申展，September 13, 2019, China Institute

On the evening of September 13, 2019, the night of the Moon Festival in Chinese tradition, families are united under the full autumn moon, with snacks, moon cakes, often accompanied by music. At China Institute in downtown Manhattan, Zhou Yi (周懿), a Chinese musician based in New York City, holding a pear-shaped four-string lute-like instrument, asked a roomful audience, “do you know the name of this instrument?” 

People laughed. The name of the instrument was on the screen behind Zhou Yi. 

“Pipa 琵琶”

Of course everyone answered the question correctly. 

Pipa, as a Chinese lute, is a fascinating musical instrument. With an over 2,000-year acclaimed history, Pipa is believed to be introduced to China from the West and Central Asia and appeared in China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534), according to the MET Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. It later became popular during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 906), one of the most cosmopolitan periods in ancient China when cultures of worldly origins were thriving and integrated into the Tang culture. 

Besides its extremely beautiful and expressive sound, Pipa is deeply embedded in Chinese culture. Some best known stories of Pipa have to do with the two greatest dynasties in China. Wang Zhaojun（王昭君), a court lady of the Emperor Yuan of Han (汉元帝，48 - 33 BC) often appears in Chinese paintings holding a Pipa, as the musical instrument is commonly believed to soothe her longing for homeland when she was married off by the Han emperor to the Chanyu Huhanye of the Xiongnu Empire, for keeping the peace with the northern nomadic neighbor. 

During the Tang Dynasty, Pipa became undoubtedly popular, which is captured vividly in the Song of the Lute (琵琶行), by the famous Tang poet Bai Juyi (白居易，772–846) :

“大弦嘈嘈如急雨，The big strings plang-planged like swift-falling rain;

小弦切切如私语。 the little string went buzz-buzz like secret conversations;

嘈嘈切切错杂弹， plang-plang buzz-buzz mixed and mingled in her playing,

大珠小珠落玉盘。 like big pearls and little pearls falling on a plate of jade,

间关莺语花底滑， or the soft call of warbler voices resonant under the blossoms,

幽咽泉流冰下难。 the hidden sobbing of springs and rills barely moving beneath the ice.

冰泉冷涩弦凝绝， Then the ice springs congealed with cold, the strings seemed to freeze,

凝绝不通声暂歇。 freeze till the notes no longer could pass, the sound for a while cut off.

别有幽愁暗恨生，now something different, hidden anguish, dark reproaches taking form——

此时无声胜有声。at such times the silence was finer than any sound.

银瓶乍破水浆迸，Then a silver vase would abruptly break, water came splashing forth,

铁骑突出刀枪鸣。iron-clad horsemen would suddenly charge, swords and halberds clanging.

曲终收拨当心画，As the piece ended, she swept the plectrum in an arc before her breast,

四弦一声如裂帛。and all four strings made a single sound, like the sound of rending silk.”

(《琵琶行》节选，parts of “the Song of the Lute”, English translation by Burton Watson, from “Classical Chinese Literature: Volume I, from Antiquity to the Tang Dynasty, Minford & Lau Editors, 2000 )

However, a little deeper dig into its origin would make the story of Pipa more complex, if not a complete mystery. 

As early as late Eastern Han Dynasty (25 - 220), at least two hundred years before the Northern Wei Dynasty, the name of Pipa was already mentioned in A General Account of Customs (《风俗通义》）by Ying Shao (应劭，149-202）：

“批把，谨按近世乐家所作，不知谁也，以手批把，因以为名。”

“Pipa, according to musicians nowadays, names unknown, is named as “pi” and “ba” after its hand plucking technique.” (translation by Shenzhan Liao)

This might be the evidence that Pipa from Central Asia was introduced to China around late Eastern Han Dynasty. However, I also discovered that there was an instrument called Qin Pipa (秦琵琶， or 秦汉子) , evolved from 鼗 （tao）, a kind of raddled drum that existed since the Qin Dynasty (221 - 203 B.C.).

An image of Tao (鼗）

Source: 百度/百科 https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%BC%97

(BTW: Don’t be scared by the rare character “鼗”。 A similar instrument today is known as “拨浪鼓”! ) 

Placed upside down and stringed, 鼗 evolved into Qin Pipa （秦琵琶）, and gradually renamed as 阮（ruan), a round shaped string instrument with a straight neck, owing to 阮咸(Ruan Xian), one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove (竹林七贤）during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (266–420). Ruan Xian improved Qin Pipa and made it popular to such an extent that the instrument was named after his name ever since. 

Ruan Xian (阮咸, left, 234 - 305) playing Ruan (阮) in a rubbing of a brick carving from Southern Dynasties (420 - 589 ）

An image of a modern Ruan (阮）

Today Ruan and Pipa are two distinctively different instruments, which suggests Pipa does have its own path. Modern scholars often trace its origin to a Persian instrument “Barbat”, invented around 1st Century BC and introduced to China through the Silk Road. Most scholars draw the conclusion according to a literary record by Liu Xi (刘熙 ) in late Eastern Han Dynasty (about 200 AD), who wrote,

“批把，本出于胡中，马上所鼓也。推手前曰批，引手却曰把。象其鼓时，因以为名也。”（《释名 释乐器》）

“Pipa, originally from among the barbarians, is played on horse back. Plucking forward is “pi”, backward is “pa”. To sound like when it’s played, thus named as such.” (Explaining Names: Names of Musical Instruments)

a modern recreation of a Barbat

Pear-shaped with a bent neck, Pipa in Tang Dynasty clearly showed similarities to the Barbat. It’s also worth noting that Pipa was first played horizontally, like Barbat, and with a plectrum. Only until the 15th century during the Ming Dynasty, Pipa was held up straight and played by fingers with artificial nails, technical improvements that allowed musicians to play Pipa with more flexibility and complexity.

Seated Female Musicians, Tang Dynasty (618 - 906), China, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

To wrap my mind around the origin of Pipa, I have two theories. One theory is by the time the Barbat-like instrument introduced to China, Qin Pipa was already on its way to be renamed as Ruan. Then, Pipa, as a name originated from China, was used for a Persian instrument that eventually took its root in China and became one of the most quintessential instruments throughout its history since.

The other theory is the name Pipa was invented for the Barbat-like instrument, though the Chinese record in late Eastern Han Dynasty indicates an earlier introduction than the MET. The Chinese indigenous instrument, which later became Ruan, was referred as Qin Pipa due to its similarity to Pipa, and for the purpose of differentiating from the Pipa with a foreign origin.

Regardless of its origin, Pipa is still popular in China. Like Middle Eastern Oud and Japanese Biwa, sharing ancestral connections to Barbat, Pipa continues to tell a story of how cultures travel, evolve and influence each other, over time and geographic borders. The instrument itself may have a “foreign” origin, but Pipa is completely Chinese now. 

While the intellectual quest for Pipa’s origin might not have an absolute answer, it’s absolutely enchanting when Zhou Yi started playing a twist-necked Pipa while singing 西江月 (West River Moon, See Appendix)，a Tang Dynasty song with music reconstructed from scores discovered in the Dunhuang caves. In the end, music transcends language, time and space, perfect for a night of Pipa in New York City. 

Astoria, New York

9/22/2019

The full video of the program by Zhou Yi, moderated by Shenzhan Liao:

Appendix:

西江月. 敦煌曲子词

女伴同寻烟水，今宵江月分明。柁头无力别，一舡横。波面微风暗起。

懒棹乘舡无定止。拜词处处闻声。连天红浪侵秋星，误入蓼花丛里。

Girl friends go out together, among misty water;

Tonight the river and the moon, so bright and clear.

No strength to turn the boat head; let it be sideways.

Above the gentle ripples, arisen the silent breeze.

***

So lazy with the paddle, let the oar float nonstop.

Singing followed by singing, all around to be heard.

Why endless pink waves mix with the autumn stars?

Bushes of flowers, entered by mistakes.

Translation by Shenzhan Liao

An Encounter of Qin

申展/Shenzhan

Thanks to Helan Ze, Lecturer, Sichuan Normal University and Independent Researcher of the Song of Qin.

（Search for “Studio Mandarin” on “喜马拉雅主播平台”or Podbean and listen to this article with my voice.）

该文有中文版: 与琴相遇

Prince Lu, 1634, China. Displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET), New York.

photo: from the MET

December 17, 2018, I was in a quiet and elegant tea house in the city center of Chengdu, China, waiting to meet for the first time Helan Ze (贺兰泽) , a qin（琴, zither) teacher who enjoys some reputation among the inner qin circle in Chengdu. A slender young man with thin-rimmed glasses, Helan showed up and asked for his usual tea from the receptionist, who apparently was an acquaintance. We settled in a small room on the side of the courtyard and started chatting about qin, an ancient seven-stringed Chinese music instrument currently having quite a revival in China, especially Chengdu. Trained as a western opera singer in college, Helan was trying to explain to me his unique approach to play qin, by singing along with it. “It involves completely different techniques to sing with qin, which is meant to be accompanied by singing, called “弦歌” （xián gē , song on the string).” To demonstrate, He took a qin conveniently available in the tea house, and started to sing. I sat across from him, with tea cups between us, listening.

qin, late 17th to mid-18th Century, China. Displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

“绿丝低拂鸳鸯浦，想桃叶、当时唤渡。又将愁眼与春风。待去，倚兰桡，更少驻。

金陵路、莺吟燕舞。算潮水、知人最苦。满汀芳草不成归。日暮，更移舟，向甚处？”

Willow droops like green silk along Mandarin Duck Pier,

A reminder of Peach Leaf, at one time calling to cross the river.

Once again my sad eyes greet the spring breeze,

-- don’t leave yet,

Lean against the orchid-like oar, lingering a bit longer.
***

Path to Jinlin, warbler sings and swallow dances;

Supposedly, river tide knows the best of one’s sufferings.

The riverbank full of fragrant grass,

-- but cannot return,

The sun is setting down,

The boat is turning, again and again, but to where?

[translation by Shenzhan Liao, Carole Symer]

The poem, Apricot Blossom in the Sky Shadow, (杏花天影）was famously written by Jiang Kui（姜夔 , ca. 1155 – 1221) , a poet and musician from Song Dynasty. Jiang was passing Jinlin (金陵, current day Nanjing, an ancient capital and cultural center in southern China) at the time on his way to the north. As he was sailing further into unknown places and unsure of the returning date, the poem, about the sweet and sorrow memory of the past, expresses the melancholy of the sentimental moment of departure, and the helplessness when facing uncertainty.

Just as brush paintings and calligraphy, qin the instrument itself could be a priceless work of art. Typically about 48 inches long, 7 inches wide and 3 inches in depth, a qin is essentially a sounding-box, with an upper concave board made of paulownia (桐木) and a bottom flat board made of elm (梓木). Over the body, seven strings are placed over a bridge （called 岳山）made of a special kind of hardwood (typically red sandalwood, 紫檀). Each string ends with a peculiar knot called 琴軫（qinzhen）. The bottom of qin often has inscriptions indicating the creator or owner’s taste. One of the most famous qin is “冰磬” （bīng qìng , meaning “Icicle Sonorous Stone” ).  Made in 1187, it has its name and an inscription carved in the base by Zhu Xi (朱熹),  a famous Confucian philosopher in Song Dynasty. The inscription says:

宮應商鳴 (gōng yìng shāng míng )

擊玉敲金 (jī yù qiāo jīn)

怡情養性 (yí qíng yǎng xìng)

中和且平(zhōng hé qiě píng)

The tone Gong corresponds with the tone Shang.

The sonorous stones are tapped, bells are struck.

With calmed emotions nurturing one’s nature,

The music is harmonious and even.

(translation by Robert van Gulik)

Of course, the qin Helan played was only commercially made as those displayed in Chinese tea houses and restaurants to add a scholarly civil ambiance. Nevertheless, his singing accompanied by the subdued voice of qin quietly penetrated every corner of the room. Even after he stopped, it felt as if the music was still vibrating subtly in the wooden tables, pillars, window frames and the roof. The residual effect was so powerful that for quite a few seconds after it was all over, I wasn’t dare to utter any sound.

* * *

Riding in the New York subways these days, I now carry a book from 1930s,  “The Lore of the Chinese Lute” by Robert van Gulik, a Dutch sinologist known by his Chinese name 高罗佩. First published in 1940 in Tokyo, this book is perhaps still the best in English about qin. van Gulik preferred to call qin  “the Chinese lute” , as he thought the philosophical role qin plays in Chinese culture is similar to what the lute does in Europe.

Archlute, 1725, by David Tecchier (Austrian, Salzburg 1666-1747 Rome), Rome, Italy.

Allegory of Music, oil painting, 1649, by Laurent de La Hyre (Paris, 1606-1656）

the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

photo credit: Shenzhan Liao

van Gulik, a diplomat in Japan with a Chinese wife from Chongqing, got himself deeply attracted to qin. He followed Yeh Shih-Meng, a great scholar, qin master,  and a nephew of Dowager Cixi, to study the instrument. While his study with Yeh was very brief, van Gulik respected Yeh so much that he attributed the entire book to the great master. On the first page, the book reads:

“This essay is respectfully dedicated to the memory of my first teacher of the lute, Yeh Shih-Meng, a gifted musician and a great gentleman.”

The attribution summarizes the main point about qin, a gentleman’s companion that captures the imagination of Chinese intellectuals for over two thousand years. As one of the four essential skills an educated man shall possess -- qin the zither, 棋/Chinese chess, 书/calligraphy and 画/brush painting -- qin was idealized to symbolize the sophisticate, philosophical and intellectual life only a very few could enjoy in ancient China. A musical and meditative tool to cultivate one’s heart and soul, qin hardly changed since the latter Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 B.C.)  once it’s matured from 5 strings to 7. While it had ups and downs during waves of foreign influences from central Asia and the West, it never fades out in the long history of China. In fact, van Gulik argues that qin survives without much change precisely because it is viewed as so pure and authentic to the “Chineseness” cherished by the cultural elites, whose role, one dynasty after another, is to ensure the lineage of “Chinese culture”, or at least the idea of a culture with the highest prestige, compared to almost everything else.

When a dear friend a year ago told me that she was studying qin and studios have been flourishing like mushrooms in Chengdu, I didn’t have the slightest clue that in the spring of 2019, I would sit across from 6 boxes of qin in my office at China Institute in New York, considering to join an introductory qin class opened just in March! Yes, as the small group class started, my office was temporarily turned into a storage.

* * *

As a good student of books, I dive into the history of qin before my fingers ever touch a string, and quickly find out its origin is quite mysterious. In “the Book of History” （《淮南子》, huái nán zǐ ) , compiled around 139 B.C., covering a variety of topics including philosophy, history, cosmology, geography, politics, you name it. It mentions that the pre-dynastic Emperor Shun (舜 , 2294 to 2184 B.C.), might have invented qin:

“舜彈五弦之琴而歌《南風》之詩, 以治天下。”《淮南子.诠言训》

“When Shun was Emperor, he played the five-stringed qin, and sung the song Nan-Feng (南风, air in the south), and the Realm was regulated.” (translation by Robert van Gulik)

The Classic of Mountains and Seas (《山海经》，shān hǎi jīng) attributes the invention of qin to Fu Xi (伏羲，fú xī ), a mythological hero who predates Shun and invented measurements, while other stories may claim the legendary Shen Nong (神农, shén nóng), a mythical emperor often associated with ancient Chinese medicine, was the creator of qin. While the earliest archeological evidence of qin was unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (曾乙父, zēng yǐ fù ), dated 433 B.C., it is generally believed that by the latter Shang dynasty (around 1,400 B.C.) qin already was one of the music instruments played in court orchestra. In the Book of Odes (诗经）, the oldest poetry collection from 11th - 7th Century B.C., qin is mentioned, in the very first poem The Osprey （关雎）:

“窈窕淑女，琴瑟友之。”

“Grace is the gentle beauty, with qin and se to sort after.”

By the way, Se (瑟） is a similar instrument often played together with qin. It’s bigger and has 25 strings.

Se, 19th Century, displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

photo credit: Shenzhan Liao

While qin may first appear in  the court orchestra, usually played along with se, flute, or other instruments, it quickly became a solo instrument as a unique symbol of literary, wisdom, and elegance.

Lu’s Commentaries of History (《吕氏春秋》) , a classical text compiled in 241 B.C., offers an account of the story between Bo Ya, a qin player, and his friend, Zhong Ziqi, who understands the essence of Bo Ya’s qin music. After Ziqi passes away, Bo Ya never touches qin again as he claims no one else in the world would be able to understand his qin music (and truly himself as a person) . Until today, a true friend in China is still called 知音. 知, is “to know”； 音, is “music, voice, or tone”. A true friend is indeed a 知音, someone who gets one’s inner music or voice.

Ji Kang (嵇康, ca. 223 - 262 ), one of the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” (竹林七贤）who are renaissance intellectuals, poets and artists representing China’s elite literati tradition (and they love wine!), famously wrote “The Poetical Essay on the Lute” (《琴赋》). In conclusion, it says:

“愔愔琴德，不可测兮。体清心远，邈难极兮。良质美手，遇今世兮。纷纶翕响，冠众艺兮。识音者希，孰能珍兮。能尽雅琴，唯至人兮。”

“Solemn indeed is the virtue of the lute, it cannot be fathomed.

Purity of body and aloofness of heart, difficult indeed

   it is to attain to these heights.

Good instruments and excellent players, where are those to be

   found in the present age?

The silk strings resounding in harmony, this music surpasses

   all the arts.

As those who understand music are few, who can truly

   treasure this instrument?

Only to the Superior Man is it given completely to understand

   the elegant lute.”

（translation by Robert van Gulik)

A little more than one hundred years later, Eastern Jin Dynasty poet Tao Yuanming (陶渊明，ca. 365 - 427) further coined the philosophical significance of qin, to the extent that the technique of playing qin itself becomes completely irrelevant. The History of Jin Dynasty (《晋书. 陶潜传》）records Tao’s widely quoted saying, “但识琴中趣，何劳弦上声。” （I have acquired the deeper significance of the lute; Why should I strive after the sound of the strings? -- translation by Robert van Gulik).

Not surprisingly, Tao Yuanming’s minimalist approach to qin is highly admired in Japan. Since its introduction to Japan around 6th Century, qin had its waves in Japanese literati culture. After Xinyue (兴越, ca. 1639 - 1696) , a Chinese immigrant to Japan also known by his Japanese name Shin’ etsu, brought the revival of qin to Japan in the 17th Century, references to Tao Yuanming’s life, poetry, and his “no-string qin“ are numerous. The reference also  appears in haiku poetry, a Japanese poetic form. Yosa Buson (与谢芜村，1716 - 1784) writes：

Paulownia-wood hibachi----

Just like stroking

The no-string qin

Tao Yuanming (part), Minagawa Kien ( 1734 - 1807). Japan, Edo period, (1615- 1868). Hanging scroll, ink on paper. Private collection.

Surly the qin revival now has made its way to New York. In 1999, China Institute Gallery in New York had an exhibition, The Resonance of the Qin in East Asian Art, displaying the rare Icicle Sonorous Stone (how I wish I was able to see it with my own eyes!), among many other art objects from China, Japan and Korea. In March 2018, about two hours by train to the north of New York City along the Hudson River, a conference called “Harmony and Power” gathered (elegantly!) a group of musicians and ethnomusicologists to explore “the role of music in the cultivation of the literati in ancient China” at the Bard College Conservatory of Music. As conference participants (elegantly!) engaged in intellectual discussions, two concerts were prominently featuring qin with contemporary masters including Zhao Jiazhen (赵家珍) , professor of qin from Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Her qin performance with an unusual virtuosity provides a sharp contrast to the traditional calm and quiet voice of qin represented by previous masters such as Guan Pinghu (管平湖). A year later, a similar conference was held at the Bard College, this time called “Tradition and Discovery: Teaching Chinese Music in the West”. While some mentioned new qin pieces were created to demonstrate that Qin could perform with virtuosity, according to the western conservatory standards, others vehemently argued that there was no need to abide qin to western standards whatsoever. “It is the highest form of music by itself, period. Why do you want to play qin with virtuosity? It shall just play with virtue!” declared Randy Raine-Reusch.

Before I made up my mind to actually start learning to play qin, the first group class at China Institute was already full with 6 enthusiastic students. At least for now I could find peace after learning about the “no-string qin”. After all, as I am completely fascinated and charmed by the newly discovered rich yet complex cultural meanings of qin, I perhaps shall just settle with a “no-string qin”, or no qin at all!

qin, late 17th to mid-18th Century, in display with a Chinese vase and other contemporary western instruments. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Prince Lu, 1634, Hangzhou, China, in display with other Chinese and western music and art objects at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“Sizhu: The Sound of Silk and Bamboo”, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (qin, 19th Century, Hebei, China)

Astoria, New York

3/19/2019

Other Resource

Stephen Addiss, The Resonance of the Qin in East Asian Art, New York: China Institute, 1999

Robert van Gulik, The Lore of the Chinese Lute, Tokyo: Sophia University, 1940

Robert van Gulik, Hsi K’ang and His Poetic Essay on the Lute, Tokyo: Sophia University, 1941

Kenneth Moore, the Qin, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

沈冬，”琴道”何在？——高罗佩与文人想象。人文中國學報(第二十期)

Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, Asian Art Education

与琴相遇

申展/Shenzhan

感谢中国琴歌研究者四川师范大学贺兰泽老师的指导。

（上“喜马拉雅主播平台”or Podbean 搜索“Studio Mandarin”可收听此文）

This essay has an English version: An Encounter of Qin

潞王琴，中国明代，纽约大都会艺术博物馆藏

2018年12月17日下午， 我在成都宽巷子一个优雅的茶社等贺兰泽。听说他在成都的古琴圈子里已小有名气了，不过我与他尚未谋面。贺兰泽年纪并不大，身材清瞿，戴了一副斯文的细边眼镜。他来到茶社，叫柜台上他常喝的茶，看来已经很熟了。我们在后院一间清净的小茶室坐定，开始聊古琴——这种古老的七弦乐器正在中国悄然复兴，成都更是如此。贺兰泽大学的专业是西方歌剧，现在我们谈的却是他对古琴的独特演绎——和琴而歌。“琴最初就是有歌相伴的，称为’弦歌’, 对歌者的技术要求完全不一样（跟歌剧比，笔者注）。” 他就近把茶室装饰用的琴拿过来，开始演示弦歌。我隔着一壶茶，坐在他对面聆听。

“绿丝低拂鸳鸯浦，想桃叶、当时唤渡。又将愁眼与春风。待去，倚兰桡，更少驻。

金陵路、莺吟燕舞。算潮水、知人最苦。满汀芳草不成归。日暮，更移舟，向甚处？”

图为纽约大都会博物馆展出明代古琴，与音乐无关。

这首《杏花天影》，作者是南宋以音韵著名的词人姜夔（1155 - 1221）。当时姜夔乘舟北去途中经过金陵（现在的南京，六朝古都和文化中心）， 旅途茫茫，归期难料。词人面对再次离别，飘渺无助，美好的回忆只增加当下的心酸，让人黯然神伤。

琴作为乐器，跟中国书画一样可以是无上的艺术。现在的琴一般长约1米2，宽20厘米左右，厚8-10厘米，正面略带弧形，由桐木制成，与平整的梓木背面合成一个共鸣音盒。琴身张有7根弦，每一根弦通过“岳山”（通常由紫檀制成），固定在一个特定的琴轸上。琴的主人常常会在琴身背面刻上铭文，以表心志。比如宋代著名的“冰磬”琴，刻有南宋著名理学家朱熹的铭文：

宮應商鳴

擊玉敲金

怡情養性

中和且平

贺兰泽弹奏的是茶社的琴，原本用来增添文艺氛围的。不过他的“弦歌”与琴声相伴，在房间各个角落回想。琴声落定，又似乎还在木质的茶桌，窗棂和屋顶缠绕。余音绕梁，好一会儿我都不敢发出一点声音。

* * *

最近在纽约坐地铁的时候，我的包里常常放了一本二十世纪30年代的书，《琴道》（The Lore of the Chinese Lute）。该书的作者是一位荷兰的中国学者，Robert van Gulik，中文名为高罗佩。《琴道》1940年在东京出版，至今或许仍是有关中国古琴最权威的英文著作。在《琴道》中，高氏把琴称作中国的“lute”，因为他认为琴在中国的哲学意义与lute在欧洲的文化地位更接近。

Archlute, 1725, by David Tecchier (Austrian, Salzburg 1666-1747 Rome), 意大利，罗马

音乐的寓意（Allegory of Music）, 油画，1649, by Laurent de La Hyre (法国，巴黎1606-1656）

纽约大都会艺术博物馆藏

高氏是驻日本的大使，娶了一位来自重庆的中国太太，对琴痴迷得很。他拜叶师梦为师（叶氏为当时著名的学者，古琴大家，也是慈禧太后的侄子）学琴。虽然时间很短，他却对叶氏尊敬有加，把《琴道》一书特别献给叶氏。书的扉页 上写道：

“谨以此书献给我的第一位古琴老师，叶师梦，一位天才的音乐家和君子。”

一语点睛：两千多年来，在中国文人的想象中，琴为“君子伴侣”。依中国的传统，一个受过良好的教育的人必得琴、棋、书、画皆通—— 琴象征着精致、哲理和智慧，在古代只有极少数人才能通晓。琴是乐器，更可助冥思，养性情，周代（公元前1046-256年）后期从5弦发展到7弦，之后就没有再改变过。在中国漫长的历史中，琴虽然不断受到中东和西方“外来”音乐的冲击，起起伏伏，却从未消失。事实上，高氏认为琴能基本保持不变，正因为它是纯粹的“中国性”的真正代表，受到中国文化精英的推崇，历代而不息。文化精英们的职责，不正是保证“中国文化”——或者精英们所认可的具有至高无上地位的文化精髓——的传承吗？

去年一位成都的好朋友告诉我她在学琴，而且琴馆如雨后春笋般涌现。我万万没有想到2019年的春天，坐在纽约的办公室里，我会面对6把摞在一起的古琴，考虑要不要报名参加三月在华美开设的古琴入门课。没错，开课之前，我的办公室暂时成了古琴储藏室。

* * *

虽然还没有碰过琴弦，作为一个书呆子，我首先一头扎进了古琴的历史当中，很快饶有兴趣地发现它的起源有些不明不白。公元前139年编撰的《淮南子》综合了古代哲学、历史、天文、地理、政治等等五花八门的内容，其中提到舜或许是琴的“始作俑者”：

“舜彈五弦之琴而歌《南風》之詩, 以治天下。” （《淮南子.诠言训》）

中国先秦古籍《三海经》认为伏羲——舜之前创造度量衡的神话英雄——发明了琴；其他一些传说则归功于遍尝百草的中医始祖神农。关于琴最早的考古学证据来自于公元前433年的曾乙父墓葬。不过，一般认为大约公元前1400年，也就是商代后期，琴就已经出现在宫廷乐队的演奏中了。中国最早的诗歌总集《诗经》，收集了公元前11-7世纪的诗歌，其开篇《关雎》写道：

“窈窕淑女，琴瑟友之。”

（补充一句：瑟是跟琴类似的乐器，略大些，有25根弦。）

瑟，19世纪，纽约大都会艺术博物馆藏

虽然琴一开始是宫廷乐队的演奏乐器之一，只用于合奏，它很快便用于独奏，而且被赋予了独特的人文意义，代表着涵养、学识和优雅。

编撰于公元前241年的另一部先秦经典《吕氏春秋》，记载了伯牙和钟子期的故事。

伯牙善鼓琴，钟子期善听。伯牙鼓琴，志在高山，钟子期曰：“善哉，峨峨兮若泰山！”志在流水，钟子期曰：“善哉，洋洋兮若江河！”伯牙所念，钟子期必得之。伯牙游于泰山之阴，卒逢暴雨，止于岩下，心悲，乃援琴而鼓之。初为霖雨之操，更造崩山之音。曲每奏，钟子期辄穷其趣。伯牙乃舍琴而叹曰：“善哉，善哉！子之听夫志，想象犹吾心也。吾于何逃声哉？子期死，伯牙谓世再无知音，乃破琴绝弦，终身不复鼓。

直到今天，真正的朋友在中文当中仍称作“知音”，可以聆听到一个人内心深处的声音。

南北朝时期“竹林七贤”之一嵇康 （223-262），在其著名的《琴赋》中总结道：

“愔愔琴德，不可测兮。体清心远，邈难极兮。良质美手，遇今世兮。纷纶翕响，冠众艺兮。识音者希，孰能珍兮。能尽雅琴，唯至人兮。”

一百多年之后，东晋诗人陶渊明（365-427）更将琴的哲学意义推向了极致，以至于弹琴的技巧本身几乎不足称道了。《晋书.陶潜传》记载了他的名言“但识琴中趣，何劳弦上声。”

这种”极简主义“的主张，在日本备受推崇，就不足为怪了。自公元6世纪传到日本，琴在日本文化中也几经起伏。公元17世纪，东皋兴越从中国至日本，掀起了琴的再次复兴，此时日本文人对于陶渊明的生平、诗歌以及“无弦琴”的引述更是比比皆是，甚至出现在日本的俳句中。著名的日本诗人与谢芜村（1716 - 1784）写道：

桐木碳炉

弹那

无弦琴

（转译自英文，可能与原诗有出入——笔者）

陶渊明，Minagawa Kien (1734 - 1807), 日本

无可置疑的是，琴也在纽约复兴。早在1999年，华美“中国美术馆”举办了”琴在东亚艺术中的回响“，展出了传世名琴”冰磬“（我多么希望自己能亲眼看到这把琴啊！），以及来自中国、日本和韩国的其他与琴相关的艺术品。2018年3月，在沿着纽约哈德逊河往北两个小时左右车程的巴德音乐学院，举办了一场名为“和谐与力量”（Harmony and Power）的雅集：一小群音乐家和研究者聚在一起探讨“音乐在古代中国人文精神中的作用”。与会者一边讨论学问，一边举办音乐会。中央音乐学院赵家珍教授极富表现力的古琴与传统古琴——例如管平湖——平和优雅的风格恰成强烈的对比，给与会者留下了深刻的印象。一年以后，巴德音乐学院再次召开类似的研讨会，题名为“传统与发现：在西方教授中国音乐”。有学者提到一些新创作的琴曲证明古琴可以跟西方音乐一样富有表现力，另一些学者则激烈地主张完全没有必要用西方音乐的标准来衡量中国的琴。美国学者Randy Raine-Reusch说：它（琴）自身就是音乐的最高形式，它表达的是“琴操”， 为什么要求它有“表现力”呢？！

在我对加入古琴课还迟迟不决时，就已经有6个学生报名，第一个班满额了。不过，既然我已得“琴中趣”， 就应该可以满足于“无弦琴”，或者比陶渊明更进一步，干脆“无琴”算了！看，一个不会弹琴的书呆子就可以这样发挥知识的力量！

与明代瓷器和同时代西方乐器共同陈列的琴（17世纪末18世纪初，中国），纽约大都会艺术博物馆藏

与同时代中西乐器共同陈列的“潞王琴”，1634，中国杭州，纽约大都会艺术博物馆。

“丝竹”，纽约大都会艺术博物馆中国乐器陈列 （琴来自19世纪中中国河北）

2019年3月19日于纽约Astoria

资料来源

Stephen Addiss, The Resonance of the Qin in East Asian Art, New York: China Institute, 1999

Robert van Gulik, The Lore of the Chinese Lute, Tokyo: Sophia University, 1940

Robert van Gulik, Hsi K’ang and His Poetic Essay on the Lute, Tokyo: Sophia University, 1941

Kenneth Moore, the Qin, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

沈冬，”琴道”何在？——高罗佩与文人想象。人文中國學報(第二十期)

Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, Asian Art Education