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26. Jade Pendants in a Heavenly Breeze
- Shang mode:2 standard tuning played as 1 2 4 5 6 1 2 |
天風環珮
1
Tianfeng Huanpei Huan, pei: worn by Yingying? 3 |
Huan are described as round ornaments, sometimes worn around the wrist, while pei are pendants worn at the sides. The images at the right show one huan and three types of pei. There seem to be no similar images for huanpei, suggesting that it is a non-specific or generic name for ornaments worn at the waist.4 Although these were worn both by men (literati) and by women, and Zhu Quan's preface (which after the title does not specifically mention "huan", "pei", or "huanpei") has nothing to suggest women's ornaments, the term huanpei does seem most commonly to refer in particular to jade pendants worn by women.
One interesting mention of huanpei comes in the play Xi Xiang Ji, where the female lead, Cui Yingying (lower image at right), hearing Scholar Zhang tuning his qin, wonders if he hears the sound of her huanpei as she walks. This is just before the part of the scene where Scholar Zhang expresses his feelings about her while playing the qin.5 This context makes one wonder: if a man hears a woman's jade pendants tinkling, what will be the effect if he describes to her the sound as Zhu Quan describes it below, rather than describing its beauty as a piece of jewelry.
The melody of Tianfeng Huan Pei can be found only in Ming dynasty handbooks: it survives in seven handbooks from 1425 until the end of the Ming.6 In addition, but still in the Ming dynasty, the melody seems to have been borrowed for use with at least two other titles. Thus, a virtually identical melody to here was published in two handbooks around 1560 with the title Goudeng Yin7; also published around that time was a melody called Ziyi Yin8 that seems loosely based on the Tianfeng Huanpei melody here.
On the other hand, the melody Bitian Qiusi9 in Lantianguan Qinpu (1760) has an afterword connecting the melody to Tianfeng Huan Pei, but it has no apparent musical relationship to its predecessors. None of these has lyrics.
Zangchunwu Qinpu (1602) attributes this melody to Xie Juanzi.10
My own musical interpretation was originally based on a transcription of Guan Pinghu's 1950s reconstruction of the very similar version in Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539).11 I then made the modifications necessary to align it with the 1425 tablature.
Guan's version is still not available on CD, but in addition to my own there is one from SQMP on a CD by Zhang Ziqian.
Original Preface12
The Emaciated Immortal says,
the predisposition of this piece can be compared to a white moon on a pleasantly cool evening. The clouds are light and few stars (can be seen because the moon is so bright), the cornelian jade tinkles in the wind, and there is a lot of jade-like dew. Floating like a spirit wandering in the heavens (the Great Net), the immortal wanders in the darkened universe (the Somber Palace). Some jade clinks and other jade tinkles. Nobody can be seen, one just hears the sounds of jingling jade and that's all, causing those who hear it to be able to bring up thoughts of immortals, and ideas of becoming an immortal (changing ones bones). If one is not among spirits and immortals, how can one have knowledge of this?
Music
Three sections, untitled13
(00.00) 1.
(01.16) 2.
(01.56) 3.
(03.18) -- harmonics
(03.40) -- Melody ends
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Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a
separate page)
1.
Tianfeng Huanpei references (see also
huan and pei)
5961.674 天風 tianfeng has nothing that seems relevant.
21771.54 環珮 huanpei suggests it is the same as .42 環佩 (same pronunciation); the references given are somewhat different:
4/638 adds to the above a second definition, that "huanpei" was borrowed to mean "beautiful woman"; references are to 阮籍 Ruan Ji and 杜甫 Du Fu. The Du Fu poem, 詠懷古跡, as translated in David Hawkes, A Little Primer of Tu Fu, p. 174, means "girdle-jade"; the poem, which concerns Wang Zhaojun, says the sound of the girdle-gems announces the return of her soul. 4/639 環珮 says only that it is the same as 環佩. The first entry under 4/638 環佩 says this was a pendant worn by 故人 people of old; later it became primarily a woman's ornament; it then adds a few refences.)
There are many online references to a Tang Dynasty qin called Jade Pendant of Highest Heaven (九霄環珮 Jiuxiao Huanpei; 1/752 only 九霄 jiuxiao). It apparently once belonged to Ye Shimeng.
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2.
Shang mode 商調
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.
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3.
Images: One huan, three pei, and Yingying wearing a waist pendant
The upper four images above, originally from 古玉圖譜 Guyu Tupu (3308.79 a Song dynasty compilation) accompany the definitions in ZWDCD of huan and pei, which are as follows:
The lower image above, of Cui Yingying, is from the 何壁 He Bi edition of Xi Xiang Ji, dated 1616. It was cropped here from the Idema translation. Since there seems to be only one round disc, it seems unlikely one could get a tinkling sound from it.
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4.
The ornament worn at her waist by Yingying above (see comment) looks more like a huan than a pei.
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5.
Scholar Zhang seduces Yingying by singing a song supposedly used by Sima Xiangru to seduce Zhu Wenjun; see Wen Jun Cao.
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6.
Zha Guide 4/45/-- has seven called Tianfeng Huan Pei. See further details, including the related melodies mentioned here, in the Appendix below.
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7.
Goudeng Yin 篝燈吟
Zha Guide 18/179/-- lists Goudeng Yin (Cage-Lantern Intonation) in two handbooks, dated 1559 and 1561. The commentary says only, "篝燈器，以竹為之 A cage lantern is an object made of bamboo." In both cases it is a prelude to
Xuechuang Yehua, perhaps suggesting that this was the sort of light under which the conversation took place. See the Appendix below.
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8.
Ziyi Yin 資益吟
Zha Guide 23/199/-- lists Ziyi Yin (Intonation of Increasing Abundance) in only one handbook, dated 1557, but it is also in 1552. In both cases it is a prelude to Feng Lei Yin, which also has a story of increasing abundance. See the Appendix below.
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9.
碧天秋思, Bitian Qiusi
See 蘭田館琴譜 Lantianguan Qinpu, Vol. XVI.2, p.206. 7 sections (see Zha, Guide)
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10.
臧春塢琴譜; 謝涓子 , Vol. VI. p.343
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11.
Published in Guqin Quji, Vol. 1, p.80.
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12.
For the original text see 天風環珮.
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13.
Timing follows my CD.
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Appendix: Chart Tracing Tianfeng Huanpei
Also: Goudeng Yin and Ziyi Yin; compare Bitian Qiusi
based mainly on Zha Fuxi's Guide,
4/45/--, 18/179/-- and 23/199/-- .
|
琴譜
(year; QQJC Vol/page) |
Further information
(QQJC = 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng; QF = 琴府 Qin Fu) |
|
1. 神奇秘譜
(1425; I/126) |
3; see SQMP ToC: comes before
Shen You Liuhe
|
|
2. 風宣玄品
(1539; II/180) |
3; no commentary; almost same as SQMP
|
|
3. 西麓堂琴統
(1549; III/80) |
3; no commentary; similar to 1425
Prelude to Qi Qi, i.e., Shen You Liuhe? |
|
4. 太音傳習
(1553-62; IV/39) |
Called Ziyi Yin; gong mode? Seems loosely based on TFHP
Prelude to Feng Lei Yin |
|
5. 太音補遺
(1557; III/325) |
3; called Ziyi Yin; shang mode; seems loosely based on TFHP
Prelude to Feng Lei Yin |
|
6. 太音續譜
(1559; III/428) |
3; called Goudeng Yin but almost same as TFHP
Prelude to Xuechuang Yehua |
|
7. 琴譜正傳
(1561; II/527) |
3; called Goudeng Yin, but almost same as TFHP
Prelude to Xuechuang Yehua |
|
8. 五音琴譜
(1579; IV/211) |
3; no commentary; related, but more differences
|
|
9. 琴書大全
(1590; V/481) |
3; no commentary; related, but many differences
|
|
10. 藏春塢琴譜
(1602; VI/343) |
3; brief commentary; attributed to 謝涓子; related
|
|
11. 羲軒琴經
(late Ming; IX/411) |
3; no commentary; still related, but many more slides and other differences
|
|
12. 蘭田館琴譜
(1760; XVI/206) |
7; Bitian Qiusi;
"same as Tianfeng Huanpei", but seems completely different |
Return to the top, to the Shen Qi Mi Pu ToC,or to the Guqin ToC.