Tang-era piece: Yizhou
《伊州》
compiled by David Badagnani (rev. 16 August 2025)
In an effort to make this information more accessible, this document contains resources related to the Tang-era piece entitled Yizhou《伊州》(the name by which the city of Hami in eastern Xinjiang was known during the Tang Dynasty), which exists in the form of an instrumental part for a single-movement piece in the Lydian mode on A, called Nanlü Gong (南呂宮).
This piece appears in a single score collection: the 10th-century Dunhuang Scores (Dunhuang Yuepu,《敦煌乐谱》), also known as Dunhuang Qupu《敦煌曲谱》, Dunhuang Juanzipu《敦煌卷子谱》, or Dunhuang Pipa Pu《敦煌琵琶谱》, found in Mogao Cave 17 near Dunhuang in Gansu province, northwest China in 1900; Yizhou is piece no. 24 of Dunhuang manuscript P.3808, which comprises 25 pieces in tablature for the 4-stringed quxiang pipa. For this piece (as well as pieces nos. 21, 22, 23, and 25), the quxiang pipa is tuned (low to high): AC♯EA; this tuning was apparently called Yushen Diao (玉神調) or Yuchen Diao (玉宸調).
The Dunhuang Scores include another, apparently closely related piece with a similar title: You Man Quzi: Yizhou《又慢曲子。伊州》(Another Slow Piece: Yizhou), which is piece no. 16 of Dunhuang manuscript P.3808.
In his 2005 book on the subject of the Dunhuang Scores, the musicologist Chen Yingshi (陈应时, 1933-2020) includes a reconstructed vocal version of Yizhou that uses the poem "Yizhou Ge"《伊州歌》(Yizhou Song) by the Tang poet Wang Wei (王维, 692-761 or 699-759) as its text.
In his 2005 book on the subject of the Dunhuang Scores, the musicologist Chen Yingshi (陈应时, 1933-2020) includes a reconstructed vocal version of Yizhou that uses the poem "Yizhou Ge"《伊州歌》(Yizhou Song) by the Tang poet Wang Wei (王维, 692-761 or 699-759) as its text.
----------------------------------------------
Chinese historical sources mentioning Yizhou
● Beimeng Suoyan《北梦琐言》(mid-10th century), 逸文卷四
● Biji Manzhi《碧鸡漫志》, vol. 3 (mid-12th century)
● Jiegu Lu《羯鼓錄》
Jiegu Lu is a book on music in two parts by Nan Zhuo (南卓, fl. 848-850). The first part was completed in 848 and the second in 850, during the Tang Dynasty.
● Poem: "Yizhou Ge"《伊州歌》, by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei (王维, 692-761 or 699-759)
● Poetic lyrics: 《赠歌者二首 其二》, by the Tang Dynasty poet Gao Pian (高骈, c. 822 or 821-887)
● Poetic lyrics: "100 Palace Lyrics," no. 56《宫词一百首 其五十六》, by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Jian (王建, c. 767-c. 830)
● Taiping Guangji《太平广记》(978), vol. 204
----------------------------------------------
Videos and recordings of Yizhou
● Studio recording of Yizhou, as reconstructed by Ye Dong, for solo quxiang pipa, played by Ye Xuran (叶绪然, b. 1936) (Beijing, 1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhpmKyjPH9Q&t=10m05s
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1jH4y1n7p3
● Solo dizi performance of Yizhou by Zeng Zhaobin (曾昭斌) (China, c. 2008)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhpmKyjPH9Q&t=10m05s
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1jH4y1n7p3
● Studio recording of Yizhou, as reconstructed by Chen Yingshi, performed by the Shanghai Chinese Ancient Music Ensemble (Shanghai, 1988); Yizhou starts at 41:15
● Studio recording of an ensemble arrangement of Yizhou, with vocal soloist singing Wang Wei's "Yizhou Ge"《伊州歌》, by Xi Zhenguan (席臻贯, 1941-1994) (China, c. 1992)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tFfLlZrXzo
● Stage performance of the Cleveland Chinese Music Ensemble playing Yizhou, as reconstructed by Chen Yingshi, with vocal soloist singing Wang Wei's "Yizhou Ge"《伊州歌》(Kent, Ohio, USA, 2017)
● Stage performance of the Cleveland Chinese Music Ensemble playing Yizhou, as reconstructed by Chen Yingshi, with vocal soloist singing Wang Wei's "Yizhou Ge"《伊州歌》(Kent, Ohio, USA, 2017)
● Studio recording of a solo pipa performance of Yizhou, as reconstructed by Chen Yingshi, by the Carlsbad, California-based pipa player Wu Man (吴蛮) (2024)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dLsiM-CLg4
● Studio recording of a solo quxiang pipa performance of Yizhou, as reconstructed by Chen Yingshi, by the Shanghai-based musician Zhang Xiaodong (张晓东) (Shanghai, 2024)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gojbWwWpFuo
● Studio recording of a solo quxiang pipa performance of Yizhou, as reconstructed by Ye Dong, by the Shanghai-based musician Zhang Xiaodong (张晓东) (Shanghai, 2024)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4jwWgIY6pg
● Studio recording of a solo quxiang pipa performance of Yizhou, as reconstructed by Xi Zhenguan, by the Shanghai-based musician Zhang Xiaodong (张晓东) (Shanghai, 2024)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ500UGs26U
● Stage performance of Yizhou, as reconstructed by Chen Yingshi, played by two shu konghou (Shanghai, 2025)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVTgd0DpjKc&t=01h06m15s
----------------------------------------------
Bibliography
● Chen Yingshi 陈应时. Dunhuang Yuepu Jieyi Bianzheng《敦煌乐谱解译辨证》[A Dialectical Investigation of the Interpretation/Deciphering/Decoding of the Dunhuang Scores]. Shanghai: Shanghai Yinyue Xueyuan Chu Ban She 上海音乐学院出版社, 2005.
----------------------------------------------
Site index:
http://earlychinesemusic.blogspot.com/2020/04/site-index.html
No comments:
Post a Comment