As for Hujia Shibapai, the two most significant melodies using this title are:

1. The extended qin song Hujia Shibapai, discussed under its first surviving version, Luqi Xinsheng (1597); it was reprinted in 1611, but apparently then disappeared until there was a modern reconstruction.⁶
2. The instrumental Hujia Shibapai commonly played in the Qing dynasty; its earliest publication seems to have been in 1689.⁷ It is not clear whether it actually survived into the modern repertoire or whether the modern version should be considered a reconstruction.⁸

To look at this another way, in surviving Ming dynasty qin handbooks the most common titles of melodies on this theme are Xiao Hujia (four occurrences to 1585) and the present Da Hujia (six occurrences to 1634). In contrast, after an interlude that included publication of the extended qin song, during the Qing dynasty Da Hujia and Xiao Hujia disappeared and, from at least 1689 to 1910, the new Hujia Shibapai flourished, with at least 26 surviving versions of Hujia Shibapai.⁹

The pages just mentioned and the analyses in QSCB, Chapters 5b1 and 6b1-2, also discuss the titles and content of various other relevant artistic works in addition to the qin melodies.

As for the Song dynasty or earlier, all that actually survives are Hujia lyrics. These include at least three Hu Jia poems in 18 sections that relate this story. Two of these, one attributed to Cai Wenji herself,¹⁰ the other by Liu Shang (late 8th c.),¹¹ are included in the Yuefu Shiji. The third is by Wang Anshi (1021-86).¹²

The story of Cai Wenji has also been the subject of several modern operas. For example, at least one Western-style modern opera (with Chinese melodic connections) uses in part the lyrics attributed to Cai Wenji herself as well as portions of the melody from 1722.¹³

Of course, the story was also related in various traditional Chinese operas.¹⁴

As for Hujia Shibapai in the Qing dynasty (and modern?) repertoire, mention has already been made that its tablature can be traced back only to 1689, the Chenjiantang Qinpu. This version introduced a Hujia Shibapai that seems still to be related to Da Hujia but was so different that perhaps it should be considered a new melody.¹⁵ The most two identifiable musical characteristics of Da Hujia in Shen Qi Mi Pu are the opening phrase, also found in later versions, and the theme which begins Section 3 and then begins nine later sections.¹⁶ This later version keeps the opening phrase but not the repeated theme. Versions related to this one occur in over 25 further handbooks to the 20th century.

It should perhaps be noted that whatever the melody or the title or the lyrics, the music is often still credited to the great Tang dynasty qin player Dong Tinglan. Qinshi Chubian, Chapter 5b1, seems generally to agree in its argument that Da Hujia and Xiao Hujia can be considered Tang dynasty melodies. However, Chapter 6b1-2 argues that the Qing dynasty Hujia Shibapai dates from the Song dynasty. One of its points is that during the Song dynasty the nationalistc sentiments of this story were particularly popular. However, this should also have been true at the beginning of the Qing dynasty, when China again had foreign rulers.¹⁷

Cai Wenji's abduction took place around the time of the death of her father Cai Yong (133-192). As for her ransom 12 years later by Cao Cao, it took place while he was still a Grand General supposedly loyal to the Han dynasty. The title given him in the preface below, Wei emperor Wu Di, is one postumously bestowed on him by his son, Cao Pi, who proclaimed himself Wei emperor Wen Di when his father died in 220.

The story of Cai Wenji's abduction, in addition to its presence in all performing art genres, is also of note in fine art. The best introduction to this is in the book Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute, by Robert A Rorex and Wen Fong. It was published by Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, following their acquisition of a 14th century scroll illustrating the cycle of 18 poems by Liu Shang. The fascinating illustrations bring the story very much to life. Each of the 18 section titles below is quoted from one of these 18 poems, in sequence, and so one can perform a fully-illustrated Da Hujia by combining the music with the scroll.¹⁸ In the last verse Wenji expresses her joy at being able to play the qin again.

Although most Chinese music has programmatic titles, in qin music the connection between the images and the melodies is rarely obvious. Da Hujia, however, has several very evocative passages, in particular one in Section 13 where Wenji must leave her children and return home.

Besides my own, there are recordings of the SQMP version by Guan Pinghu, Yao Bingyan, Chen Changlin and Gong Yi. There are also several recordings of Hujia Shibapai; these seem generally to be related to the 1722 version, which has a melody quite different from that of Da Hujia.

 
Original Preface¹⁹

The Emaciated Immortal, in accord with Qin History,²⁰ says

the Official History of Han records:

During the Tang dynasty Dong Tinglan, who was very good at the sounds of the Shen and Zhu schools, wrote down these sounds of the nomad reed pipe for the qin. This was his Long and Short versions of Nomad Reed Pipe.

 
Music
18 sections, titled;²¹ timings from my CD set

(00.00) 01. The pretty woman (must) follow the nomads (into captivity)
(00.54) 02. Darkened skies extend for 10,000 li
(01.18) 03. (At a desert encampment) helplessly resenting her weakness
(01.51) 04. Dreams of returning home come and go
(02.39) 05. Sitting on the grass and sleeping by the water
(03.35) 06. (So far north) it is to the south one looks to see the Big Dipper
(04.25) 07. (Nomad music on) a cloudless night
(05.02) 08. (As dawn approaches) the stars of the Milky Way thin out
(05.39) 09. Pricking blood (from her finger) to write a letter (home)
(07.03) 10. Resenting the nomad skies (but finding love in the birth of a child)
(07.26) 11. Waters freeze over and the grass withers (marking the 12th year in captivity)
(08.10) 12. A (Han) envoy from afar is asking after her name
(08.47) 13. (As she prepares to leave) her (two) children pull at her clothing
(09.39) 14. Drifting around separated (from her family, not knowing if they are) alive or dead
(10.01) 15. (On the homeward journey) her heart and mind argue (at having to leave her husband)
(10.40) 16. The flat desert is everywhere one looks
(11.04) 17. White clouds rise (as they approach first Chinese garrison town)
(11.37) 18. The fields and gardens (of home) were half-neglected,
            (but now she can play her qin again, expressing in music her sad story)..
(12.16) --- play harmonics of the wuyi mode
(12.04) --- Piece ends

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Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Translating 胡笳 Hu Jia

胡笳 Hujia

"Hu Jia" (hujia) has been given a variety of translations, including "nomad flute", "nomad reed pipe", "barbarian reed pipe", and so forth. The following may explain some of the variety.

1. "胡 Hu" (30073.000/12 "夷狄名 name of yidi", considered as northern tribal groups)
   This is a term that the Chinese applied to non-Han people or peoples originating north of the Han, ranging from the northeast to Central Asia. As discussed in the Wikipedia article "Wu Hu" (五胡), many peoples called hu were not nomadic, nor were they uncivilized. However, early Chinese literature generally seems to depict them in this way, hence the translations. Specifically (and perhaps in this case) the term often seems to apply to the 匈奴 Xiongnu (Wikipedia).
2. "笳 Jia" (26511.0 "胡笳也，笛之一種 same as hujia, a type of flute"; image at right is from 30073.357)
   Although said to be a type of flute, the hujia is generally considered to be a reed type instrument, hence "reed pipe".

For issues in translating pai ("blasts", "songs", etc.), see another footnote.
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2. Da Hujia references (see also QSCB analysis)
5960.738 大胡笳 da hujia says only 樂器名。參見十八拍、沈家聲條 name of a music instrument (sic), see 18 Sections (2741.174 十八拍 Shiba Pai) and Shen Family Sounds (17529.270 沈家聲):

The poems on this theme attributed to Liu Shang and Cai Wenji, which are included in Yuefu Shiji, Folio 59, #3, are discussed further below. Qinshu Daquan (see QQJC, V, pp.261-268) also has these, plus one by Wang Anshi (1021-86; see below) and some additional material.
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3. 黃鐘調；即無射 Wuyi (or Huangzhong) mode
For this tuning, slacken 1st, tighten 5th strings each a half step. For more details on this mode see Shenpin Wuyi Yi. For more on modes in general see Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature.
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4. 胡笳十八拍 Hujia Shibapai
For comment on the difficulty of translating this title, see above and under 1598. Note also that Hujia Shibapai is included in Zha Fuxi's index under Da Hujia (see the Appendix below).
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5. History of Hujia titles
In the earliest known melody list, dated to the 7th century or earlier, Hujia seems to be only a mode name. Song dynasty lists include both Da Hujia and Xiao Hujia; there is also a Da Hujia Shibapai.

Thus, although surviving melodies with the title Hujia Shibapai are more recent than those with the titles Xiao Hujia and Da Hujia, the title Hujia Shibapai itself is not necessarily more recent.
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6. Hujia Shibapai as a Qin Song
The earliest Hujia Shipapai set to lyrics, dated 1597, is introduced separately. The modern reconstruction must have achieved some popularity as when I presented my own reconstruction to some friends they recognized the melody from having heard it earlier.

(The Da Hujia set to lyrics in <1491 uses the same melody as in 1425; the lyrics seem to be new and properly paired, but are not naturally adaptable for singing.)
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7. Qing dynasty Hujia Shibapai: created ca. 1689 or dating from Song dynasty?
The Hujia Shibapai commonly played in the Qing dynasty (see comment on its survival) was first published in Chengjiantang Qinpu (1689), but is best known from the very similar version in Wuzhizhai Qinpu (1722). In Guqin Quji, Vol. I (pp. 135-151) there is a transcription of the 1722 version according to Wu Jinglue, for whom there is also a published recording. (It is also transcribed, but with somewhat different note values, in The Qin Music Repertoire of the Wu Family). In QSCB, Chapter 6b1-2, Xu Jian (who in a previous chapter had discussed Da Hujia and Xiao Hujia as Tang dynasty melodies but does not seem to mention anywhere the 1597 Hujia Shibapai) analyzes the 1689 version according to the 1722 version, concluding that this version dated from the Song dynasty. He gives little musical argument to support his opinion. The Wu Jinglue recording and transcription show that this version has a few melodic similarities with Da Hujia. The fact that Da Hujia survives first from Shen Qi Mi Pu (1425), a handbook noted for collecting earlier tablature, then later survives in only a few handbooks and with little variation, supports arguments for its antiquity: if it was highly respected but not part of the active repertoire, people would simply re-copy existing tablature. The five versions of Hujia Shibapai published between 1689 and 1722 might similarly suggest this was transmission of an earlier version except that, unlike Shen Qi Mi Pu, the 1689 handbook is not noted for having copied very early tablature; this then might more likely suggest it was a newly created piece.
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8. Survival of Hujia Shibapai into the modern repertoire
Although the version recorded by Wu Jinglue (see above) has its earliest publication later than other Hujia, it is not clear whether one can say it actually survived into the modern repertoire or whether Wu or someone else revived it. There are also recordings of Hujia Shibapai by Guan Pinghu and Cai Deyun, but both mention only 1722 as their source, not a living tradition. In this regard it should be noted that there have been several reconstructions published of the 1425 Da Hujia (in addition to my own and those of Guan Pinghu and Yao Pingyan), and it may well be that one is more likely to hear this version today than the Qing dynasty one.
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9. Tracing Da Hujia (see Appendix and compare Xiao Hujai)
For Da Hujia see Zha Guide, 8/77/119. The early versions related to the 1425 Da Hujia, where they have sub-titles, are all connected to the story as told in Liu Shang's poem. They occur in five handbooks from 1425 to 1596, then once again in 1634. The 1549 version is called simply Hujia; the 1634 one is called Hujia Shibapai. The later versions of Hujia Shibapai are also included in the chart.
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10. Hujia poem attributed to Cai Wenji (see original text)
There is an early poem on this theme attributed to Cai Wenji (蔡琰 Cai Yan) herself, called Song of Grief and Resentment (Bei Fen Shi; see its original text; it is translated in Paul Rouzer, Articulated Ladies, 2001). It is also briefly quoted in the SQMP preface, as follows,

As for the earliest known publication of the Hujia Shibapai poem attributed to her today, it cannot be found earlier than the Song dynasty, two early sources being the 12th century Yuefu Shiji, Folio 59, #3 (pp. 860-865), or in the Afterword to the Songs of Chu by Zhu Xi of the Southern Song dynasty (see QSCB, Chapter 6b1-2). YFSJ says its poem is the original one, later imitated by Liu Shang. However, the Liu Shang poem, also a first person narrative, is known to have had some popularity during the late Tang, so it could well be that the poem attributed to Cai Wenji herself was the imitation. See Idema and Grant, p. 121ff. It is translated there as well as in Chang and Saussy, pp.22-30.
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11. Hujia poem by Liu Shang (see original text)
This poem by 劉商 Liu Shang is in Yuefu Shiji, Folio 59, #3. There is a translation in Robert A. Rorex and Wen Fong, Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute, A Fourteenth-Centry Handscroll in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1974. The scroll is discussed above. There is a copy of the scroll linked from another page, which also has the complete original text.
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12. Hujia poem by Wang Anshi (see original text)
王安石 Wang Anshi (1021-86) is discussed under Qinshi Chubian, Chapter 6. His Hujia poem apparently has not been translated.
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13. Modern musical settings of the Hujia story
There have been several orchestral arrangements based on or inspired by one of the early Hujia melodies; some of them have included lyrics. Usually the original melodies are simply arranged for another instrument or for orchestra. Two such examples are:

1. "蔡文姬 Cai Wenji", an orchestration by 史志有 Shi Zhiyou of the music in sections 1, 12 and 18 of Wang Di's transcription of the 1597 Hujia Shibapai; as of October 2009 it could be heard on a webpage of 唯美天空.
2. Sections from the same melody played solo on a 葫蘆絲 hulusi (Wiki); available on YouTube.

In contrast to these is an opera by Bun-Ching Lam, which uses material (generally quite altered) from the Qing dynasty Hujia Shibapai.

18 Songs of a Nomad Flute: a new creation
This opera by Bun-Ching Lam (Wenji: Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute, 2002) has a libretto by Xu Wenying that uses selections of the poem attributed to Cai Wenji herself. However, instead of drawing on qin music from 1597, Lam's opera adapts its from sections 1, 6-7, 13-14 and 16-18 of a transcription of a performance of the 1722 version of Hujia Shibapai played by 吳景略 Wu Jinglue as published in 古琴曲集 Guqin Quji, Vol.1 [Beijing, 1962], pp.135-151 (the original 1722 tablature is followed by the Cai Wenji lyrics, but they do not match the music by the traditional pairing method). Her rhythms are somewhat different from those in the performance by Wu on The Qin Repertoire of Wu Jing-lue, ROI RB-981014-2C, Hong Kong, 1998, so the transcription was presumably made from a different recording. The transcription, by 許健 Xu Jian, uses polyrhythmic meter to try to capture the nuances of Wu's free rhythms. Lam interprets these changing rhythms quite strictly. In her version some of these excerpts are played in a recognizable manner; others are quite altered, e.g., by playing them at about 1/4th the speed.

Lam's work is definitely new, drawing inspiration from qin materials.
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14. Traditional Chinese operas on the Hujia theme
These include Wenji Goes to the Desert (文姬入塞 Wenji Ru Sai) and Wenji Returns to Han (文姬歸漢 Wenji Gui Han); both are discussed in LXS.
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15. Origin of the Qing dynasty version
Xu Jian argues (see above) that this 1689 version actually originated in the Song dynasty; to the extent that it is sufficiently different from Da Hujia it is still a "new" melody, even if it dates from the Song dynasty.
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16. Described as 從卷至盧 "From Roll to Reed"; see sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15.
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17. Dating the Hujia melodies
For Xu Jian's commentary on Hujia in Qinshi Chubian, see Chapter 6a2 as well as Chapters 5b1 and 6b1-2. The biography of 董庭蘭 Dong Tinglan (not yet translated) also has relevant information.
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18. Hujia Scroll
I have shown this scroll at small gatherings, where someone can unroll the scroll as I play, and also as part of a stage performance where the images are projected using PowerPoint as I played the melody. I have not yet been had the opportunity to do this while someone recites Liu Shang's poem.

Some societies have a tradition of illustrated narrative storytelling. For example, in Rajasthan itinerant storytellers might as they go along point at a backdrop illustrating their story. Although a narrative series such as that in the Hujia scroll might seem ideally adapted for this sort of event, I am not aware of such a tradition in China.
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19. For the original Chinese text see 大胡笳.
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20. 琴史 Qin Shi
It is not clear if this is a book name or just the history of qin. Zhu Quan's sources are problematic. It is similar to but not directly from the version in Zhu Changwen's Qin History.
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21. Section titles
Each section title is taken from the respective poem in the set of 18 poems by Liu Shang. The words added in brackets here are meant to help connect the section titles to the themes of Liu Shang's poems.
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Appendix: Chart Tracing Da Hujia (compare Xiao Hujia)
Based mainly on Zha Fuxi's Guide, 8/77/119.

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/149)	18T; Da Hujia (also has XHJ); "Dong Tinglan" Related versions below are #2,3,4,5,& 9
2.  浙音釋字琴譜       (<1491; I/239)	18TL; Da Hujia; = 1425 but adds lyrics (also has XHJ)  "Dong Tinglan"
3. 風宣玄品       (1539; II/358)	18T; Da Hujia; same as 1425 (also has XHJ) No preface
4. 西麓堂琴統       (1549; III/210)	18T; Hujia; differences, but basically follows 1425 "Dong Tinglan"
. 琴書大全       (1590; V/--)	No music, but see pp.261-7 and 267-8 for extensive commentary and three poems, 18 sections each, by Wenji herself, Liu Shang, and Wang Anshi
5. 文會堂琴譜       (1596; VI/264)	18T; HJ18P, but basically same as above No commentary
6. 綠綺新聲       (1597; VII/31)	HJ18P; lyrics; fugu mode (same) Music completely different (attribution?); see comments above and elsewhere.
7. 琴適       (1611; VIII/44)	HJ18P (1st page missing); music and lyrics same as 1597; Lyrics also placed at front of each section
8. 理性元雅       (1618; VIII/325)	HJ18P; lyrics; 9 string qin; no attribution lyrics same as 1597, but melody again different
9. 古音正宗       (1634; IX/372)	Da Hujia; same as 1425 no commentary
10. 澄鑒堂琴譜       (1689; XIV/336)	Hujia; hints at 1425 on 1st line, then seems almost completely different; no commentary; This version became the standard one for the next two centuries
11. 琴譜析微       (1692; XIII/128)	HJ18P; almost same as 1689 No attribution
12. 嚮山堂琴譜       (<1700?; XIV/118)	Hujia; 18 sections related to 1689 No commentary
13. 蓼懷堂琴譜       (1702; XIII/289)	18 Pai; almost same as 1689 No attribution
14. 五知齋琴譜       (1722; XIV/550)	HJ18P; the version most commonly played today, but almost same as 1689; attributed to Cai Yan The complete Cai Yan lyrics (see source) are copied after the tablature
15. 臥雲樓琴譜       (1722; XV?)	HJ18P;
16. 存古堂琴譜       (1726; XV?)	HJ18P;
17. 琴書千古       (1738; ?)	HJ18P;
18. 春草堂琴譜       (1744; ?)	Hujia
19. 蘭田館琴譜       (1760; XVI/282)	HJ18P; compare 1689 (Sections sometimes divided differently
20. 琴香堂琴譜       (1760; XVII/175)	HJ18P; like 1689
21. 自遠堂琴譜       (1802; XVII/476)	Hujia; like 1689
22. 裛露軒琴譜       (>1802; ?)	HJ18P;
23. 琴譜諧聲       (1820; ?)	HJ18P;
24. 琴學軔端       (1828; ?)	HJ18P;
25. 二香琴譜       (1833)	HJ18P;
26. 悟雪山房琴譜       (1836)	Hujia
27. 稚雲琴譜       (1849)	18 Pai
28. 琴學尊聞       (1864)	HJ18P; "same as 1738"
29. 蕉庵琴譜       (1868)	HJ18P; same commentary as 1722
30. 天聞閣琴譜       (1876)	HJ18P; 16 Sections? "Same as 1738">
31. 天籟閣琴譜       (1876)	Hujia
32. 響雪齋琴譜       (1876)	Hujia
33. 希韶閣琴譜       (1878)	HJ18P;
34. 枯木禪琴譜       (1893)	Hujia
35. 琴學初津       (1894)	HJ18P+1
36. 琴學叢書       (1910; 琴府11)	HJ18P;
37. 虞山吳氏琴譜       (2001/216)	Da Hujia; from 1425

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