Guan Pinghu 管平湖

This page is an introduction mainly through the commemorative 4 CD set from 龍音 Longyin Records (RS-161008-4C; Hong Kong; 2016) called Favourite Qin Pieces of GUAN Ping-hu (管平湖古琴曲集 Guan Pingu Guqin Quji). An earlier 2 CD set with the same Chinese and English title (Hong Kong; 1995) should also still be available. The recordings all seem to come from the same source as those in Sitong Shenpin and Jue Xiang.

As for the four CD set, it is accompanied by a 182 page book with numerous articles in Chinese, illustrations that include some of Guan's own paintings, and four transcriptions (廣陵散 Guangling San, 欸乃 Ai Nai, 憶苦思甜 Yi Ku Si Tian and 人民樂 Renmin Le), the latter two composed by Guan himself, but neither of them recorded on the CDs.³

The book's Table of Contents⁴ begins with the following brief biography (somewhat modified here from the original translation):

A Short Biography of GUAN Pinghu⁵

GUAN Pinghu was born in Beijing on February 2, 1897 and his ancestral home was in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. He passed away on March 28, 1967 in Beijing. His first name was Ping, alias Ji'an, Zhong-kang and Pinghu. He was the son of the renowned Chinese painter GUAN Nianci in the Qing Dynasty. Influenced by the family, he started to like music and painting as a small boy. He studied in depth the performing art of qin and was influenced significantly by YANG Zongji of the Jiu Yi School. Mr. GUAN spent his whole life in the playing art and the transcription work of qin. His contribution in transcription ancient score was so great that many ancient pieces were brought to life again through his hard work and to let music lovers all over the world share this valuable art heritage. He then won himself fame as a "Chinese Qin Master".

In 1952, Mr. GUAN was appointed to teach qin and reconstruct the music from ancient scores at the Music Research Institute of the Central Conservatory in Tianjin. He then re-studied his old pieces like Ao Ai, Dongtian Chunxiao, Chang Qing, Duan Qing, Wu Ye Wu Qiu Feng, Long Xiang Cao, Wu Ye Ti, Hu Jia, Qiu Hong, Yu Hua Deng Xian, etc. In 1953, WANG Di graduated from the Central Conservatory. She and XU Jian then became the assistants of GUAN Pinghu. In Tianjin Mr. GUAN started to transcribe Guangling San in accordance with the Ming Dynasty qin score in Fengxuan Xuanpin. In 1954, while in Beijing he revised Guangling San according to the version in the Ming dynasty handbook Shen Qi Mi Pu (Handbook of Spiritual and Marvelous Mysteries). In 1955, he continued his melodic reconstruction work on the version of You Lan from the Gu Yi Cong Shu.

GUAN Ping-hu’s more than 50 years of hard work with qin melodies led him be the first person to reconstruct such melodies as Guangling San, You Lan, Li Sao, Ao Ai, Da Hujia, etc. Mr. GUAN’s great attainment will make Chinese qin art shine in the music world.

GUAN Pinghu’s performing style was vigorous, fine and smooth. His performance of the modern Liu Shui gave us treasurable memories. The 1954 recording of Liu Shui played by him was collected into the Gold Disc which was brought out into the universe by the U.S. spaceship "Voyager 2", launched on August 22, 1977. The charm of Chinese qin was then displayed to the universe for the first time. (This is the first of the four Liu Shui listed here; the fourth recording can be heard there.)

GUAN Ping-hu was an outstanding figure among the qin performers of that time. He left over dozens of recordings of qin music to us. Besides, he also edited a book Study of Ancient Fingering Techniques. We are sure that Mr. GUAN’s plain and elegant performance is invaluable to traditional Chinese music heritage and should be well received by all music lovers. Mr. GUAN’s great achievement will be cherished forever.

Footnotes (Numbers refer to entries in Zhongwen Dacidian)

1. Guan Pinghu (管平湖; 1897-1967)
There is more information about him in Wiki and elsewhere. Of particular interest is the entry on him in Stephen Jones: a blog.

For information in Chinese I have only done superficial study. Thus, for example, I found that Google does a pretty good job of translating (other than insisting that 琴 is either piano or violin) the article about Guan here (also interesting is this one, which includes an attempt to find the real name of Guan's first foreign student, 馬宜思 [馬儀思? 方馬丁? Ilse Martin?]).
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2. Image: Front cover of box Back cover Expand for detail
The cover is a sort of box containing two books, one with CDs, the other with text. The back cover lists the melodies as below but adds the information on the source of each piece (q.v.).
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3. Guan Pinghu's own compositions
His composition called 回憶 Hui Yi (Recollections) can be heard here. As for the two mentioned above, 憶苦思甜 Yi Ku Si Tian (Recalling bitterness but thinking of the sweet) and 人民樂 Renmin Le (People's Pleasure), they were apparently first presented at an event in 1966 that also included Guan's 毛主席永遠和我們在一起 Mao Juxi Yongyuan He Women Zai Yiqi (Chairman Mao is Forever Together with Us).
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4. 目錄 Table of contents
The sections to page 50 have English as well as Chinese

管平湖簡介丨1
音響之部丨3
管平湖演奏曲操介紹丨8

管平湖文選
從《幽蘭》《廣陵散》的譜式談到減字譜的時代問題管平湖丨38
談《欸乃》管平湖丨45

其他文選
弦上萬古意清心向流水 -- 古琴家管平湖許健丨50
中國古琴大師管平湖先生的藝術生涯王迪丨56
現代琴壇名宿管平湖李祥霆丨59
多才多藝的管平湖先生王世襄丨63
揮手如聽萬壑松^憶著名古琴家管平湖先生王丹丨65
一生的琴緣 -- 香港龍音製作有限公司"國樂大師專輯"系列製品評述：《管平湖》喬建中，69
管平湖先生與琴曲《流水》鄭偉滔丨74
試記管平湖先生打譜王世襄丨77
管平湖古琴打譜藝術探窺章華英丨80
管平湖年譜張婷丨111

管平湖影集丨122
管平湖自存琴器選丨128
管平湖琴樂著作及畫作選丨132 - 182

The last section has photographs, transcriptions and paintings.
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5.
Original text of the above biography (管平湖簡介):

管平湖〔1897 - 1967 :)江蘇蘇州人。清代名畫家管念慈之子，自幼酷愛藝術，彈琴繪畫，皆得家傳。在琴學藝術上受教於《琴學叢書’》作者，九疑琴派宗師楊宗稷先生，為楊氏得意門生。管平湖先生是中國近代古琴大師，受到國内外音樂家的尊敬和愛戴。他一生勤奮地致力於古琴藝術事業，在古琴音樂的發掘、演奏方面的成就，佔有當代古琴藝術史上光輝的一頁。

新中國成立後的一九五二年，管平湖先生應聘到中央音樂學院民族音樂硏究所從事古琴音樂教學和發掘打譜硏究工作，他開始將以前打的譜《欸乃》、《洞天春曉》、《長清》、《短清》、《梧葉舞秋風》、《龍翔操》、《烏夜啼》及大曲《胡笳》、《秋鴻》、《羽化登仙》等重溫整理；一九五三年，王迪從音樂學院畢業，她聯同許健作為管先生助手，對著名失響琴曲進行發掘打譜，首先是《風宣玄品》的《廣陵散》；一九五四年，又根據《神奇秘譜》將之校訂並定稿。一九五五年，根據《古逸叢書》影印唐人手抄卷子本，對《碣石調，幽蘭》進行打譜。

在半個多世紀的藝術生涯中，他對古琴音樂進行了堅持不懈的研究，潛心於古代琴曲的發掘打譜。通過艱苦努力，許多久已失傳的著名琴曲，如：《廣陵散》、《碣石調，幽蘭》、《離騷》、《欸乃》、《大胡笳》等大曲，均由其率先發掘打譜。他為繼承、發展我國民族傳統音樂事業，做出了重大貢獻。

管平湖先生的演奏風格，剛健、豪放而細腻，形象鮮明，意境深邃，如同唐代大詩人李白的詩句“為我一揮手，如聽萬壑松”，那樣瀟灑自如，變化萬千。他所演奏的《流水》，亦頗為時人所重，曾被美國太空總署錄入一九七七年八月二十日發射的 “航行者”第二號太空船噴金唱片中。他的琴學造詣頗深，著有《古指法考》一書。

管平湖先生為古琴界一代宗師，他遺留下的數十首琴曲，今天能通過整理出版，委實是一大幸事，這將對琴壇和民族音樂事業，都是十分有意義的舉措。

Translated above.
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Appendix
管平湖古琴曲集 Guan Pingu Guqin Quji
Favourite Qin Pieces of GUAN Ping-hu (8 CDS; 2013)
Contents

(The English translations originally used here have been changed to conform to other usage here; likewise the syllablic groupings of the Romanization is also often changed here.)

CD1