Tang-era piece: Sumozhe
《蘇莫者》
compiled by David Badagnani (rev. 26 June 2023)
In an effort to make this information more accessible, this document contains resources related to the Tang-era piece entitled Sumozhe《蘇莫者》, which exists in the form of instrumental parts for a suite in the Dorian mode.
As preserved in Sino-Japanese sources, this piece is called Somakusha『蘇莫者（そまくしゃ）』or『蘓莫者（そまくしゃ）』, and it appears in the following score collections:
1) Hakuga Fue-fu『博雅笛譜』, also known as Hakuga no Fue-fu (literally "Hakuga's Fue Scores"), and properly known as Shinsen Gaku-fu (Chōshukyō Chiku-fu)『新撰樂譜（長秋卿竹譜）』(literally "Newly Compiled Music Scores (Lord Long Autumn's Bamboo [Flute] Scores)") (966)
2) and 3) Sango Yōroku and Jinchi Yōroku, both of which were compiled in the late 12th century
2) and 3) Sango Yōroku and Jinchi Yōroku, both of which were compiled in the late 12th century
The title of this piece, which also appears in historical sources variously as "Sumozhe"《蘇莫遮》, "Sumozhe"《蘇摩遮》, "Sumuzhe"《蘇幕遮》, or "Sumuzhe"《蘇幙遮》, is a transliteration of the name of a water-splashing festival celebrated in the oasis states of Central Asia, which was introduced to Chang'an via the Buddhist kingdom of Kucha (in what is today west-central Xinjiang) by the 6th or 7th century. The Central Asian name likely derived from the Sanskrit term samāja (समाज), meaning "assembly" or "gathering," India exerting a strong influence on the language, culture, and religion of Kucha.
In China, this festival, which was celebrated in the seventh lunar month, enjoyed popularity in the Tang court, especially during the reigns of Empress Wu Zetian (r. 690-705) and Emperor Zhongzong (r. 705-710), and also became popular in Heian-period Japan. It took the form of a boisterous carnival, featuring music, dance, ambulatory drama involving the wearing of costumes and masks, and, most characteristically, the splashing of water.
In Hakuga Fue-fu, Sumozhe is described as a piece of kogaku (古樂; Chinese: gu yue), meaning "ancient/old music," implying that this melody may have originated in the early Tang Dynasty, or possibly even earlier (the Sui Dynasty or Northern and Southern Dynasties period). It is recorded to have been performed in Japan since the Nara period (mid-8th century).
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Chinese historical sources mentioning Sumozhe
● Jiaofang Ji《教坊记》(The Conservatory Records)
A collection of short essays by the Tang Dynasty scholar Cui Lingqin (崔令钦, fl. 749). Sumozhe appears as "Sumuzhe"《蘇幕遮》.
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh/%E6%95%99%E5%9D%8A%E8%A8%98
https://zh.wikisource.org/zh/%E6%95%99%E5%9D%8A%E8%A8%98
● Tang Huiyao《唐会要》(Institutional History of Tang)
This history of the Tang Dynasty, comprising 100 volumes and 514 sections, was compiled by Wang Pu (王溥, 922-982) and presented to Emperor Taizu, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, in 961. Sumozhe is mentioned in volume 33, where it appears as "Sumozhe"《蘇莫遮》.
http://www.guoxue123.com/shibu/0401/01thyf/035.htm
http://www.guoxue123.com/shibu/0401/01thyf/035.htm
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Tang-era lyrics for Sumozhe
《杂曲歌辞 其一 苏摩遮》
作者：张说（唐）
by Zhang Yue (Tang Dynasty, 667 or 663-730)
* * * * * * * * *
《杂曲歌辞 其二 苏摩遮》
作者：张说（唐）
by Zhang Yue (Tang Dynasty, 667 or 663-730)
绣装帕额宝花冠，夷歌骑舞借人看。
自能激水成阴气，不虑今年寒不寒。
* * * * * * * * *
《杂曲歌辞 其三 苏摩遮》
作者：张说（唐）
by Zhang Yue (Tang Dynasty, 667 or 663-730)
腊月凝阴积帝台，豪歌急鼓送寒来。
油囊取得天河水，将添上寿万年杯。
* * * * * * * * *
《杂曲歌辞 其四 苏摩遮》
作者：张说（唐）
by Zhang Yue (Tang Dynasty, 667 or 663-730)
寒气宜人最可怜，故将寒水散庭前。
惟愿圣君无限寿，长取新年续旧年。
* * * * * * * * *
《杂曲歌辞 其五 苏摩遮》
作者：张说（唐）
by Zhang Yue (Tang Dynasty, 667 or 663-730)
昭成皇后帝家亲，荣乐诸人不比伦。
往日霜前花委地，今年雪后树逢春。
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Chinese poems mentioning Sumozhe
《苏幕遮》
(Sumuzhe)
(Sumuzhe)
作者：吕岩（唐）
by Lü Yan (Tang Dynasty, fl. ca. 874)
天不高，地不大，惟有真心，物物俱含载。
不用之时全体在，用即拈来，万象周沙界。
虚无中，尘色内，尽是还丹，历历堪收采。
这个鼎炉解不解，养就灵乌，飞出光明海。
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Videos and recordings of Sumozhe
● Two recordings of Sumozhe, as supervised by Laurence Picken and performed by a small ensemble led by Wu Wu-hsing (Taipei, Taiwan, 1972)
● Full-ensemble realization of Sumozhe by Bilibili user männlichkeit (China, 2021)
● Full-ensemble realization of Sumozhe, done by Tokinori Yanagita using synthesized sounds (Japan, 2021)
● Full-ensemble realization of Sumozhe, done by Tokinori Yanagita using synthesized sounds, revised version 3 (Japan, 2022)
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Bibliography
● Compareti, Matteo. "The Paintings Concerning Chinese Themes at Afrāsyāb." In New Elements on the Chinese Scene in the 'Hall of the Ambassadors' at Afrāsyāb Along with a Reconsideration of 'Zoroastrian' Calendar. Venice: Cascarina, 2007, pp. 19-20.
● Eckardt, Hans. "Somakusa." Sinologica, vol. 3, no. 3 (1953), pp. 182, 184.
● Marett, Allan. "Tunes Notated in Flute-Tablature from a Japanese Source of the Tenth Century." Musica Asiatica, vol. 1 (1977), pp. 1-59.
● Pelliot, Paul. "Tokharien et Koutchéen." Journal Asiatique, vol. 224 (1934), pp. 23-106 (esp. p. 104).
● Picken, Laurence E. R. and Noël J. Nickson, eds., with Nicholas Gray, Okamoto Miyoko, and Robert Walker. Music from the Tang Court, vol. 7: Some Ancient Connections Explored. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
● Rothschild, Norman Harry. "Why is it Necessary for Naked Savages to Drum and Dance? Early Tang Imperial Responses to a Sogdian Hibernal Festival." Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 8 (2015), pp. 65-80.
● Rothschild, Norman Harry. "Sumozhe Suppressed, Huntuo Halted: An Investigation into the Nature and Stakes of the Cold-Splashing Sogdian Festal Dramas Performed in Early Eighth Century Tang China." In Frontiers of History in China, vol. 12, no. 2 (2017), pp. 262-300.
● Schaab-Hanke, Dorothee. "Die Entwicklung des höfischen Theaters in China zwischen dem 7. und 10. Jahrhundert." Gossenberg, Germany: OSTASIEN Verlag, 2011, pp. 28-29.
● Wolpert, Rembrandt F. "Frogs, More Frogs..." In XXIV. Deutscher Orientalistentag vom 26. bis 30. September 1988 in Köln: Ausgewählte Vorträge (Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft. Supplement) (1990), pp. 497-506.
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