Tang-era piece: Cheng Tian Yue《承天樂》

Tang-era piece:  Cheng Tian Yue

《承天樂》

compiled by David Badagnani (rev. 5 July 2026)

In an effort to make this information more accessible, this document contains resources related to the Tang-era piece entitled Cheng Tian Yue《承天樂》(Music of Following [the Will of] Heaven), which exists in the form of instrumental parts.

As preserved in Sino-Japanese sources, this piece is called Shōtenraku『承天樂（しょうてんらく）』, and it appears in the following score collection:

● Kagaku ifu『歌楽維譜』(13th-century)

Additionally, the title appears in a table of contents for 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), which was made public in 2002, but no notation for this piece survives in this collection.

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Chinese historical sources mentioning Cheng Tian Yue

● Tongdian《通典》(Comprehensive Institutions)

Written by Tang Dynasty scholar and historian Du You (杜佑, 735-812) between 766 and 801, Tongdian discusses music in its fifth section; Cheng Tian Yue is mentioned in volume 146.

http://www.guoxue123.com/shibu/0101/01tdf/146.htm

● Wenxian Tongkao《文献通考》(Comprehensive Examination of Literature)

Compiled in the early 14th century by Ma Duanlin (马端临), this work contains a list and descriptions (though no illustrations) of many ancient and Medieval musical instruments.  In volume 146, the title appears as "Cheng Tian Yue"《承天樂》and "Cheng Tian Wu"《承天舞》.

http://www.guoxue123.com/shibu/0401/01wxtk/147.htm

● Xin Tang Shu《新唐书》(The New Book of Tang; generally translated as "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History")

This historical work covering the Tang Dynasty, comprising ten volumes and 225 chapters, was compiled by a team of scholars led by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi, a process that took 17 years.  It was completed in 1060, during the Northern Song Dynasty.  It is one of the Twenty-Four Histories (二十四史).  It contains some discussion of the music of the Sui Dynasty.  In volume 21, the title appears as "Cheng Tian Yue"《承天樂》and "Cheng Tian Wu"《承天舞》.

http://www.guoxue123.com/shibu/0101/00xtsf/020.htm

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Thanks to Steven G. Nelson for assistance with this page.

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