The title Yin De occurs in only four handbooks through 1585, then once again in 1670.³ However, it also appears twice, in 1547 and 1559, under the title Chumu Yin (Intonation on Grazing).⁴ Except for the one dated 1585 these melodies are almost identical.

Then in 1614 Songxianguan Qinpu published a rather different but clearly related melody called Qiujiang Yebo (Autumn River Night Anchorage).⁵ That title then survives in 27 handbooks from 1614 to the present. My commentary on that melody makes some suggestions as to how that transformation occurred.

Songxianguan Qinpu was the first handbook of the famous Yushan Qin School, started by followers of Yan Tianchi. It has no commentary, but a story from the Yushan School connects the melody to a famous Tang dynasty poem by Zhang Ji. This poem is said to have inspired Yan Tianchi to create a new version of the melody.

The introduction in Mei'an Qinpu⁶ (1931) is completely different from any earlier commentary, saying Qiujiang Yebo depicts musically the whole of Su Dongpo's 11th century poem Red Cliff Rhapsody #1,⁷ beginning with casting off the boat, followed by punting and loud singing in section two (second half of Yin De section one); hoisting sails and approaching mid-stream in the next section; and further singing, descriptions of the scenery, lowering the sails and re-anchoring in the last section.

The only attribution of Yin De is the one in Chongxiu Zhenchuan Qinpu (1585) to the famous 13th century qin player Mao Minzhong.⁸

There is no other recording of Yin De other than my own.

 
Original Preface⁹

The Emaciated Immortal says,

as for this piece, in the ancient time (when the Dao was followed), resolute gentlemen and benevolent men had uncommon talents, and were born with pure and lofty goals. Whether in seclusion amongst the cliffs and gullies, or living in the market place, they wore rough clothing and maintined their values, so as to nurture their heroic spirit; they were not known to (common) people. So it is said, the gentleman has great virtue while looking like an ordinary coarse fellow; and so this piece was written in order to communicate with the deities, and speak of their own objectives.

 
Music (Listen 聽)
Three sections, untitled (Section 1 divided according to Qiujiang Yebo) ¹⁰

(00.00) 01. Secluded life in wooded foothills
(00.30) 1A. (see Qiujiang Yebo)
(01.05) 02. (Life with the) wind and moon, poetry and wine
(01.32) 03. Nurturing a magnanimous disposition
(02.13) --- harmonics
(02.23) ---Melody ends

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Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 隱德 Yin De 42825.174 "virtue not known to other people"; it gives only a quote from the biography of someone named 王湛 Wang Zhan. 11/1130 has the same but add some other quotes. None seems connected to this melody. (Return)

2. Standard tuning is also considered as 5 6 1 2 3 5 6. For further information on shang mode see Shenpin Shang Yi and Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature. (Return)

3. See Zha Fuxi's Guide 4/45/65. The five handbooks are:

1. Shen Qi Mi Pu (1425; I/125)
   See commentary above
2. Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539; II/145)
   3 sections; Same as 1425; no commentary
3. Xilutang Qintong (1549; III/85)
   3; Almost the same as #1; no commentary: used as prelude to Chun Jiang
4. Chongxiu Zhenchuan Qinpu (1585; IV/324)
   3T; lyrics; preface says by Mao Minzhong; begins with 大七勾四!
5. Qinyuan Xinchuan Quanbian (1670; XI/479)
   3; same as 1425, including preface
   (Return)

4. 芻牧吟 Chumu Yin
For Chumu Yin see Zha Fuxi's Guide 18/177/--. The two surviving occurrences were published in

1. Qinpu Zhengchuan (1561; II/511) and
2. Taiyin Xupu (1557; III/418).

In both handbooks Chumu Yin is used as a prelude to 牧歌 Mu Ge (Song of the Herdsman). (Return)

5. 秋江夜泊 Qiujiang Yebo. Did Yan Tianchi invent this, or could it have been the original name? The musical connection between Qiujiang Yebo and Yin De was pointed out to me by Mitchell Clark. (Return)

6. 梅庵琴譜 See Fred Lieberman, A Chinese Zither Tutor, p.100. (Return)

7. 前赤壁賦 Qian Chibi Fu The entire poem is set to qin tablature in Huang Shida Taigu Yin (黃士達太古遺音 1515), but there is no apparent musical relationship between the two. (Return)

8. 毛敏仲 Mao Minzhong (Return)

9. For the original text see 隱德. (Return)

10. For the Chinese section titles see 隱德. (Return)

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