Tang-era piece: Qing Bei Yue
《傾盃樂》
compiled by David Badagnani (rev. 23 July 2023)
Gilded silver flask shaped in the style of a northern nomad's leather bag, embossed with the image of a horse dancing with a cup of wine in its mouth. China, Tang Dynasty. Excavated in October 1970 from Hejia Village, Xi’an, Shaanxi province, northwest China. Collection of the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an, Shaanxi province, northwest China.
In an effort to make this information more accessible, this document contains resources related to Tang-era pieces bearing the title Qing Bei Yue (《傾盃樂》or《傾杯樂》) (Tilted Cup Music), which are preserved in score materials found in both China and Japan.
In China, the Dunhuang Scores (10th century) contain two different melodies of this title (which musicologist Chen Yingshi found to be virtually identical despite being in different mode-keys: pieces nos. 3 (in the Lydian mode on C, called Huangzhong Gong 黃鐘宮 in Chinese) and 12 (in the Aeolian mode on B, called Xiaoshi Jue 小食角 in Chinese).
As preserved in Sino-Japanese sources, this piece is called Keibairaku『傾杯樂（けいばいらく）』or『傾盃樂（けいばいらく）』, and it appears in the following score collections:
1) and 2) Sango Yōroku and Jinchi Yōroku, both of which were compiled in the late 12th century
3) Ruisō Chiyō『類箏治要』(1296 or c. 1261)
4) Rosei Yōroku『蘆聲要録』(perhaps 1661)
The list of "Tang music" pieces prepared by the Japanese flute player Heguri no Hideshige (平群秀茂) that appears in his Sango Hishō『三五秘抄』(928) lists Qing Bei Yue as a suite in the Mixolydian mode on E, originally comprising three movements: xu (序, prelude), po (破, "broaching"), and ji (急, "quick"), but of these the first has been lost.
This piece is associated with the celebrated dancing horses of the Tang emperor Xuanzong (Tang Xuanzong de Wu Ma, 唐玄宗的舞马), which would end their performances by lifting a wine cup in their mouths, then tossing back their heads as if to drain its contents. Volume 28 of Jiu Tang Shu《旧唐书》(The Old Book of Tang), an official history of the Tang Dynasty, includes a mention of a debut performance, during Xuanzong's reign (713-756), by thirty pairs of dancing horses, which danced to a piece entitled Qing Bei Qu《傾杯曲》.
An archaeological discovery made in Hejia Village, Xi’an, Shaanxi province, northwest China in October 1970 provided proof of the veracity of these stories of dancing horses: a Tang period gilded silver flask (now in the collection of the Shaanxi History Museum), shaped in the style of a northern nomad's leather bag, embossed with the image of a horse dancing with a cup of wine in its mouth.
More information about the silver flask:
http://masterpieces.asemus.museum/masterpiece/detail.nhn?objectId=10735
More information about the silver flask:
http://masterpieces.asemus.museum/masterpiece/detail.nhn?objectId=10735
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Chinese historical sources mentioning Qing Bei Yue
● Sui Shu《隋书》(The Book of Sui)
The official history of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the Sui Shu was completed in 636 (actually during the early Tang Dynasty). It is one of the Twenty-Four Histories (二十四史). A piece entitled "Qing Bei Qu"《傾盃曲》appears in volume 15.
● 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. The title appears as《傾杯樂》.
● Jiu Tang Shu《旧唐书》(The Old Book of Tang), also known simply as Tang Shu《唐书》 (The Book of Tang), a historical work in 200 volumes that was completed in 945, actually during the Later Jin (后晋) Dynasty, one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (五代十国) period following the fall of the Tang Dynasty; it is one of the Twenty-Four Histories (二十四史). The title appears in volume 28 as《傾杯樂》.
● 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. The title appears in volume 33 as《傾盃樂》.
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Chinese poems and poetic lyrics mentioning Qing Bei Yue
《范真传侍御累有寄，因奉酬十首》
作者：鲍溶（唐末）
by Bao Rong (late Tang Dynasty, fl. c. 820)
昨日新花红满眼，今朝美酒绿留人。
更宜明月含芳露，凭杖萧郎夜赏春。
白雪翦花朱蜡蒂，折花传笑惜春人。
请君白日留明日，一醉春光莫厌频。
云髻凤文细，对君歌少年。
万金酬一顾，可惜十千钱。
玉管倾杯乐，春园斗草情。
野花无限意，处处逐人行。
闻道中山酒，一杯千日醒。
黄莺似传语，劝酒太叮咛。
红袂歌声起，因君始得闻。
黄昏小垂手，与我驻浮云。
相劝醉年华，莫醒春日斜。
春风宛陵道，万里晋阳花。
碧绿草萦堤，红蓝花满溪。
愿君常践蹋，莫使暗萋萋。
萋萋巫峡云，楚客莫留恩。
岁久晋阳道，谁能向太原。
岁酒劝屠苏，楚声山鹧鸪。
春风入君意，千日不须臾。
* * * * * * * * *
《鹧鸪天》（集曲名）
Partridges in the Sky (Zhegu Tian)
作者：无名氏（唐末宋初）
Anonymous (late Tang or early Song Dynasty)
烛影摇红玉漏迟。鹊桥仙子下瑶池。
倾杯乐处笙歌沸，苏幕遮阑笑语随。
醉落魄，阮郎归。传言玉女步轻移。
凤凰台上深深愿，一日和鸣十二时。
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Videos and recordings of Qing Bei Yue
● Studio recording of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 3) (China, c. 1992) (starts at 3:16)
● Studio recording of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 12) (China, c. 1992) (starts at 27:06)
● Studio recording of a solo performance of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 12), as reconstructed by Chen Yingshi, performed by a pipa player from the Shanghai Chinese Ancient Music Ensemble (Shanghai, China, 1988)
● Solo performance of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 3) by Xu Bilan (shu konghou) (probably China, 2012)
● Duo performance of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 3), as reconstructed by Ye Dong, performed by Xu Bilan (shu konghou) with Xu Ge (janggu) (China, 2015)
● Duo performance of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 3), as reconstructed by Ye Dong, by Xu Bilan (shu konghou) with Xu Ge (janggu) (China, 2018)
● Performance of Qing Bei Yue (from Sino-Japanese sources), performed by Xu Ge and his ensemble (China, 2018)
● Duo performance of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 3) by shu konghou players Tomoko Sugawara and Fan Rong (Shanghai, China, 2019)
● Performance of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 3) by the Eurasia Consort (2019) (starts at 12:14)
● Performance of the Ji movement of Qing Bei Yue (from Sino-Japanese sources) by Xu Ge and his ensemble, with added Western harmony in the shu konghou part (Weihai, Shandong province, China, 2020)
● Multitracked studio recording of the Ji movement of Qing Bei Yue (from Sino-Japanese sources) by Bilibili user männlichkeit (China, 2020)
● Performance of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 3) by the Eurasia Consort (2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STSilvd1PHo&t=1152s (starts at 19:12)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUkttZFAdWw&t=873s (starts at 14:33)
● Full-ensemble realization of Qing Bei Yue (from Sino-Japanese sources) done by Tokinori Yanagita using synthesized sounds (Japan, 2021)
● Full-ensemble realization of Qing Bei Yue (from Sino-Japanese sources), revised version, done by Tokinori Yanagita using synthesized sounds (Japan, 2021)
● Full-ensemble realization of Qing Bei Yue (from Sino-Japanese sources), revised version 2, done by Tokinori Yanagita using synthesized sounds (Japan, 2022)
● Electronic realization of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 3), in versions for solo pipa with percussion and solo pipa, by YouTube user 古樂尋蹤_HGofACH (Canada, 2022)
● Electronic realization of Qing Bei Yue (Dunhuang Scores no. 12), in both full-ensemble and solo pipa versions, by YouTube user 古樂尋蹤_HGofACH (Canada, 2022)
● Full-ensemble realization of a Meiji-era version of Qing Bei Yue, done by Tokinori Yanagita using synthesized sounds (Japan, 2023)
● Full-ensemble electronic realization of Qing Bei Yue (from Sino-Japanese sources), done by YouTube user 古樂尋蹤_HGofACH (Canada, 2023)
● Electronic realization of the pipa part for Qing Bei Yue (from Sino-Japanese sources), done by YouTube user 古樂尋蹤_HGofACH (Canada, 2023)
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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.
● Ye Dong 叶栋. Dunhuang Pipa Qupu《敦煌琵琶曲谱》. Shanghai: Shanghai Wenyi Chubanshe 上海文艺出版社, 1986.
● Ye Dong 叶栋. Tangdai Gu Pu Yi Du《唐乐古谱译读》. Shanghai: Shanghai Music Publishing House, 2001.
http://www.jianpu.cn/book/4/4327.htm
● Ye Dong 叶栋. Tangdai Gu Pu Yi Du《唐乐古谱译读》. Shanghai: Shanghai Music Publishing House, 2001.
http://www.jianpu.cn/book/4/4327.htm
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Thanks to Keith Wong for assistance with this page.
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