Nan Feng Ge

This is the first song in Taigu Yiyin (1511). As with the second song, Siqin Cao, it uses only five strings for the melody, thereby honoring the tradition of "Emperor Shun playing a five string qin and singing the lyrics of Southern Winds" (see below). A nearly identical version was published in Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539), and later melodies with this title generally do this as well.⁴ However, as with other melodies in this book, there is at present no way to know the actual age of the music.

There is further information on this with the musically unconnected but thematically related melody in Zheyin Shizi Qinpu (before 1491), there called Song of Southern Breezes (Nan Xun Ge).⁵

The lyrics for the version in Taigu Yiyin can be found in the Yuefu Shiji, which quotes two sources on the origins of the melody:

Music Records Old and New says,
Shun played a five-string qin, and sang the lyrics of Southern Winds.
The Book of Music, in the Records of the Grand Historian,⁶ says,
Shun sang Southern Winds and the world was well-regulated....

The lyrics in Taigu Yiyin are identical to those in YFSJ, those the latter includes the lyrics as two separate poems (arranged in the translation below as A and B). The lyrics of B can also be found in Kongzi Jiayu and elsewhere.⁷

The preface in Taigu Yiyin specifies that the instrument emperor Yu Shun played it on was a five string qin. The Shao or Xiaoshao music to which it refers is often attributed to Shun. A related ritual dance was performed throughout the Zhou dynasty. Sima Qian's biography of Confucius reports that after he heard this music performed in the state of Qi he was so overwhelmed that for three months he did not know the taste of meat.⁸

Original preface⁹ (translation not completed)

According to history, when Shun ascended to the throne he broad open look and listen. He asked worthy men to assist him, he acted respectfully without taking action, and used sounds to please the world. His music was called Shao. The Master said, "Shao is very beautiful and also very perfect." The book says, "(After Yao) played Xiaoshao nine times, the phoenixes arrived." It refers to this. This is the melody (Yao) played on the five string (qin); and later someone through imitation made this interpretation. And look at the words: "There is a yellow dragon coming alone out of the river; carrying books and documents easily in the sifted sand." This is ancient writing, and so judging from this I have written it down.

Music and Lyrics: Two sections¹⁰
- Setting follows the syllabic structure (see numbers in brackets) of the two poems (A and B)

1. (All harmonics)

A1. ([5+4] x 2)
Returning to those Three Mountains, the Shang peaks reveal rocky outlines.
Heaven descends to the Five Ancient Peaks, welcoming me to come and sing.

A2. ([4+4] x 2)
There is a yellow dragon coming alone from the river,
Carrying books and documents easily in the sifted sand.

A3. ([5+4]) x 4)
According to the pattern seek the portent, mourn heaven's sighs.
beat on stone to sustain the Shao music, lost hidden cave small.
Birds and wild animals hurry along; male and female phoenix come for the ceremonies.
Balmy breezes from the south, heavily breathe increased sighs.

B. ([5+8] x 2)
Southern breezes' vapor can be used to resolve my people's irritations.
Southern breezes' timeliness can be used to make abundant my people's wealth.

2. (As Section 1, but stopped sounds except for final phrase)
- the melody is very similar but ornaments suggest some different rhythms

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Nan Feng Ge 南風歌
2798.340 Nan Feng gives numerous references to this story. Zha Fuxi's index 12/125/235 lists the melody in handbooks dated 1511, 1539, 1709 (Japan), 1745 and 1840. 1539 (see II p.161) is identical; the others seem unrelated.
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2. Taigu Yiyin does not indicate mode. The melodically related Nan Feng Ge Fengxuan Xuanpin seems to include it under shang mode, but its modal characteristics are not like other Ming melodies in shang mode (its tuning is usually considered to be 1 2 4 5 6 1 2). The Nan Xun Ge of 1585 is in zhi mode, which seems more appropriate (though still 1 2 4 5 6 1 2). For information about modes in general see Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature.
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3. Shun plays the qin
This is a photograph of a statue at the 舜帝陵景區 Emperor Shun Memorial Scenic Area in 永州 Yongzhou, 九嶷山 Jiuyi Mountains, Hunan Province (near the Guangdong border; see Emperor Shun and photo source).
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4. Shun playing about Southern Breezes on the five string qin
This theme, related earlier in 南熏歌 Nan Xun Ge, occurs again here with the name 南風歌 Nan Feng Ge, and will be found later in 南風暢 Nan Feng Chang. Zha Fuxi's Guide has separate entries tracing each of these three titles. Melodically the division is more complex, as can be seen from this listing.

南熏歌 Nan Xun Ge: 11/113/189
Six handbooks: <1491, 1571, 1573, 1585, 1618 and 1802.
1571 is related to <1491; 1573 and 1585 are like 1511 Nan Feng Ge; 1618 (VIII/311) and 1802 (XVII/517) are new melodies

南風歌 Nan Feng Ge: Guide 12/125/235
Five handbooks: 1511 (I/256), 1539 (II/161), 1745 (XVI/370), 1772 (XII/248; Japan) and 1840.
1539 is same as 1511, later ones are different

南風暢 Nan Feng Chang: 18/176/--
Nine handbooks: 1546, 1549, 1552, 1557, 1561, 1589, 1590, 1596 and 1602
All but 1549 (standard tuning, new melody) are musically related, using tuning 1 3 5 6 1
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5. See previous footnote for a list of later melodies on this theme. Except for 1511, all melodies using these lyrics begin with 反彼 Fan bi..., not 陟彼 Zhi bi....; Yuefu Shiji also has Fan bi. 1511 perhaps confused its lyrics with #2, Siqin Cao.
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6. The original passage in Yuefu Shiji is as follows.

Records of the Grand Historian, Music Annal, says, "Shun...sang the lyrics of Southern Breezes...and so the world was orderly.... (Translation not completed).
史記，樂書，曰﹕舜...歌南風...而天下治....南風...者，生長之音也，舜樂好之，樂與天地同，意得萬國之歡心，故天下治

Note that one character was changed (驩 to 歡) and one punctuation is changed from Shi Ji, Chapter 24. Zhonghua Shuju, p.1235, as copied with Nan Xun Ge.
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7. Quotes of Nan Feng Ge lyrics
Besides Kongzi Jiayu, the 琴史 Qin Shi biography of Emperor Shun, after telling the story of his composing this melody, quotes the second poem.
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8. Shi Ji biography of Confucius
Shi Ji, Chapter 47. Translated in chapter 1 of Yang, Records of the Historian (Hong Kong, Commercial Press, 1974).
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9. Original Chinese preface
Not yet online.
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10. Original lyrics
The original lyrics of 南風歌 Nan Feng Ge in Taigu Yiyin begin 陟彼 Zhi bi... instead of 反彼 Fan bi...; this is changed here to conform with those in Yuefu Shiji. With this one change, the complete lyrics here are as follows:

反彼三山兮，商嶽嵯峨。
天降五老兮，迎我來歌。
有黃龍兮，自出于河；
負書圖兮，委蛇羅沙。
按圖觀讖兮，閔天嗟嗟；
擊石負韶兮，淪幽洞微。
鳥獸蹌蹌兮，鳳凰來儀。
凱風自南兮，喟其增嘆。
南風之薰兮，可以解吾民之慍兮。
南風之時兮，可以阜吾民之財兮。

The last two lines are used as lyrics for section 4 of the 南風暢 Nan Feng Chang of 1549.
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