"I have said before that playing the qin for others to hear is hardly worth speaking about. Playing it at small gatherings of the like-minded only provides for discussion and conferral, and is likewise not worth speaking about. Playing while I alone listen is almost worth speaking about, but it is not equal to playing without listening."


- Zhang Ziqian 張子謙 (1899-1991)

The Dao of Qin

The Qin exists in a realm beyond time. Its limpid tones echo through the centuries. Even its origins shrouded in a mythical past, claiming both Fuxi, (the progenitor of all living things) and Huang Di, the “Yellow Emperor” as its creators. In truth, the actual origins remain a matter of controversy, though archeologists have found similar instruments in Central Asia what is present- day Mongolia. 

Descriptions of the Qin and its performance in China date back as more than 3000 years and examples more than 1500 years old have been found in playable condition. One such instrument, a Tang Dynasty Qin, can be heard on this recording. The oldest musical notation written for a specific musical instrument ever found was the piece "Solitary Orchid" (幽蘭), dating from before 903 AD was composed for the Qin.

The Qin is a type of zither, constructed from two pieces of wood; the bottom piece is flat and the top piece is convex. While modern Qin have considerable variety in shape and form, traditional Qin construction was deeply influenced by mystical and symbolic correspondences. For instance, the instrument’s length (in Chinese measurements) was said to represent the number of days in the year. The original Qin had only five strings (two strings were added at later dates by various Qin masters), representing the Five Chinese Elements: Wood (木) – mu, Fire (火)- huo, Earth (土) – tu, Metal (金)- jin, and Water (水) – shui.

The Qin’s simple construction and intimate tonal qualities were not only a canvas for musical expression but became a medium for spiritual growth, or as Robert van Gulik wrote in his essential study of the cult and culture of the Qin, The Lore of the Chinese Lute “…it is the only instrument the playing of which has been considered from ancient times as a means of reaching enlightenment.”

As early as the Tang Dynasty, playing the Qin had established itself as one of the “Four Gentlemanly Skills” (四藝) – or siyi, and was included along with chess, (or Go), calligraphy, and painting as suitable leisure pursuits for a scholar. The great sage himself, Confucius (551-479 BC) was reputed to be an exceptionally gifted Qin player. From accounts that have come down to us, it appears that Confucius not only saw the Qin as a musical instrument but as a mirror to the soul, a means of attaining spiritual enlightenment and a model of good governance and a harmonious society.

The Qin reached the zenith of its popularity during the Ming Dynasty, as is evidenced by the large number of surviving Qinpu (琴譜) (Qin Handbooks) published. In addition to containing performance instructions and the music tablature, these “handbooks” contained voluminous essays on a wide range of subjects, including speculative philosophy, metaphysics and aesthetics as well as the biographies of the attributed composers and transcriptions of the song’s original lyrics. Interest in the Qin declined as social and political issues increasingly engaged the attention of Chinese intellectuals. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, practice of the Qin was limited to a few masters in southern China. As with many of China’s traditional arts, the 20^th century was a turbulent time for the Qin, but beginning in the 1950s, thanks to the efforts of scholars such as Guan Pinghu, the Qin has regained its status as China’s musical “Philosopher-King.”

The Qin provides a key for understanding the aesthetics that lay behind all Chinese art. The poetic and fanciful titles attached to these musical compositions should never be mistaken for mere “program music.” These titles, often inspired by classical poems, song lyrics and paintings, become meaningful guideposts to provide insight to the interior emotional, intellectual and spiritual state to be sought by the performer, as he discovers the “essence” of the music he is performing. For instance, the curiously titled piece Regarding Seagulls Without Ulterior Motives was inspired by a story from the Han dynasty, telling of a young man who went to the seaside every morning where he was greeted by hundreds of birds. When his father heard of this he asked his son to bring catch some and bring them home. However, the next time the boy went to the seashore the birds hovered about but would not come down to him. The object of the music (and the parable…) was to focus the player’s attention on the calm detachment of the young man and his interior emotional state, rather than to become a tone poem with naturalistic passages imitating the cries of the gulls or the lapping of the waves upon the shore.

If the sound of the Qin seems “otherworldly”, its music may one day even claim extraterrestrial devotees – for in 1977, a recording of "Flowing Water" - 流水 - (as performed by Guan Pinghu) was included as one of the musical selections on the Voyager Golden Record, which was sent into outer space by NASA on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts.

Presently, the Qin enjoys a passionate following around the world, with numerous large Qin Societies in America, the UK and Europe and in 2003, Guqin music was proclaimed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Our very special program features performances on actual ancient instruments (including a priceless Tang Dynasty Qin – dating from the 7^th century) and draws from a repertoire of more than 1400 years of music from five of China’s Imperial dynasties in addition to a contemporary composition. The subtle difference in tone quality, resonance and timber of each instrument provides an exceptional encounter with one of China’s most ancient, refined and subtle musical traditions as interpreted by one of the instrument’s greatest living masters.

For Further Reading:

John Thompson on the Guqin Silk String Zither

http://www.silkqin.com/index.html

Thompson’s website is an invaluable resource on ALL things Qin-related. Exhaustively annotated, thousands of illustrations and reproductions of ancient art and manuscripts make this a first stop on encountering the Qin.

Stephen C. Walker on the Guqin Zither

http://www.scwguqin.com/index.html

If John Thompson’s focuses on the documentary and theoretical aspects of the Qin, Walker’s elegant site reveals the heart of a true devotee; a musician who has encountered and embraced the Qin as a means of spiritual enlightenment.

R.H. van Gulik (髙羅佩): The Lore of the Chinese Lute: An Essay on the Ideology of the Ch'in Originally published 1941 by the Dutch diplomat, sinologist and author of the still-popular “Judge Dee” mysteries, The Lore of the Chinese Lute has yet to be surpassed for its comprehensive history of the Chinese Qin. Currently Out-of-Print, a new edition has been announced by the Orchid Press.