Sunday, April 19, 2020

Early Chinese Music Resources: Chen

Early Chinese Music Resources: Chen
compiled by David Badagnani (rev. 20 March 2021)

In an effort to make it more accessible, this document contains resources related to the musical heritage of the Chen Dynasty (陈朝, 557-589), the fourth and last of the Southern Dynasties (北朝) during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (南北朝) period, which was founded by Chen Baxian, who had been a general in the army of the previous dynasty, the Liang Dynasty (502-557).
Links to textual sources are highlighted in green.

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Historical reference works about the music of the Chen Dynasty

Chen Shu 《陈书》 (The Book of Chen)
The official history of the Chen Dynasty (557-589), Chen Shu was compiled during the Tang Dynasty by compiled by the Sui and Tang Dynasty official Yao Silian (姚思廉, 557-637), and completed in 636, in the early Tang Dynasty.  It is one of the Twenty-Four Histories (二十四史).  Music is discussed in several volumes.

卷七 列傳第一:皇后
From vol. 7, Collected Biographies no. 1:  Empresses and Consorts:
史臣侍中鄭國公魏徵考覽記書,參詳故老,云後主初即位,以始興王叔陵之亂,被傷臥于承香閣下,時諸姬並不得進,唯張貴妃侍焉。而柳太后猶居柏梁殿,即皇后之正殿也。後主沈皇后素無寵,不得侍疾,別居求賢殿。至德二年,乃於光照殿前起臨春、結綺、望仙三閣。〔七〕閣高數丈,並數十間,其窗牖、壁帶、懸楣、欄檻之類,並以沈檀香木為之,又飾以金玉,間以珠翠,外施珠簾,內有寶床、寶帳,其服玩之屬,瑰奇珍麗,近古所未有。每微風暫至,香聞數里,朝日初照,光映後庭。其下積石為山,引水為池,植以奇樹,雜以花藥。後主自居臨春閣,張貴妃居結綺閣,龔、孔二貴嬪居望仙閣,並複道交相往來。又有王、李二美人、張、薛二淑媛、袁昭儀、何婕妤、江脩容等七人,並有寵,遞代以遊其上。以宮人有文學者袁大捨等為女學士。後主每引賓客對貴妃等遊宴,則使諸貴人及女學士與狎客共賦新詩,互相贈答,採其尤豔麗者以為曲詞,被以新聲,選宮女有容色者以千百數,令習而哥之,〔八〕分部迭進,持以相樂。其曲有玉樹後庭花、臨春樂等,大指所歸,皆美張貴妃、孔貴嬪之容色也。其略曰:「璧月夜夜滿,瓊樹朝朝新。」而張貴妃髮長七尺,鬒黑如漆,其光可鑒。特聰惠,有神采,進止閑暇,容色端麗。每瞻視盼睞,光采溢目,照映左右。常於閣上靚粧,臨于軒檻,宮中遙望,飄若神仙。才辯彊記,善候人主顏色。是時,後主怠於政事,百司啟奏,並因宦者蔡脫兒、李善度進請,〔九〕後主置張貴妃於膝上共決之。李、蔡所不能記者,貴妃並為條疏,無所遺脫。由是益加寵異,冠絕後庭。而後宮之家,不遵法度,有挂於理者,但求哀於貴妃,貴妃則令李、蔡先啟其事,而後從容為言之。大臣有不從者,亦因而譖之,所言無不聽。於是張、孔之勢,薰灼四方,大臣執政,亦從風而靡。閹宦便佞之徒,內外交結,轉相引進,賄賂公行,賞罰無常,綱紀瞀亂矣。

校勘記

〔七〕 乃於光照殿前起臨春結綺望仙三閣 「光照殿」南史張貴妃傳作「光昭殿」,通鑑同。

〔八〕 令習而哥之 「哥」殿本作「歌」。按哥古歌字。

〔九〕 並因宦者蔡脫兒李善度進請 「蔡脫兒」南史作「蔡臨兒」。

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Chen-era poems about music

http://earlychinesemusic.blogspot.com/2018/10/poems-about-music-six-dynasties.html

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Bibliography

● Laurence Picken, ed., with Rembrandt F. Wolpert, Allan J. Marett, Jonathan Condit, and Elizabeth J. Markham, and with Yōko Mitani and Noël J. Nickson. Music from the Tang Court, vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. http://services.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/music/ethnomusicology/music-tang-court-volume-3 https://www.amazon.com/Music-Tang-Court-Laurence-Picken/dp/0521278384

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