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Yuefu Songs

Songs gathered and sung by night, strings and pipes in answer

Introduction

The xianghe songs, qingshang music and horn-and-drum songs sung by the Music Bureau tradition from Han to early Tang

Yuefu songs are the poems collected, set to music and sung by the Music Bureau and court musicians from the Han to the early Tang. Emperor Wu of Han "set up the Music Bureau, gathered songs and had them sung by night", taking in the songs of Zhao, Dai, Qin and Chu. The Han and Wei had xianghe songs, in which one sang and others answered; under the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties the Wu songs and Western songs of the south, together called qingshang music, flourished, and the Northern Dynasties had their horn-and-drum songs. After the Sui conquered Chen it set up a Qingshang Office, and Emperor Wen called this music "the true sound of Huaxia"; after the Chang'an era of the Tang most of the old tunes were lost. This record covers the tunes and their performance; the lyrics belong to literature, gathered in Guo Maoqian's Song-dynasty Yuefu shiji.

Timeline

Emperor Wu of Han to the Chang'an era of the Tang (c. 112 BC-704)
112 BCE · OriginAccording to the Treatise on Rites and Music of the Book of Han, when Emperor Wu settled the suburban sacrifices he "set up the Music Bureau, gathered songs and had them sung by night, with songs of Zhao, Dai, Qin and Chu", and made Li Yannian Commandant of Harmony: the court began collecting and performing regional songs on a large scale.385 · EvolutionIn the Taiyuan era of Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin (376-396), a woman named Ziye is said to have created the Ziye songs; the Treatise on Music of the Book of Song says "the Wu songs and miscellaneous tunes all come from east of the Yangtze, and since the Jin and Song they have grown somewhat", marking the rise of the Wu songs of the south.589 · EvolutionAccording to the Treatise on Music of the Book of Sui, in 589 the Sui conquered Chen and took over the old music of the Song and Qi courts, setting up a Qingshang Office under the Court of Sacrifices to manage it; Emperor Wen praised its rhythm, saying "this is the true sound of Huaxia".704 · EvolutionThe Treatise on Music of the Old Book of Tang records that in Wu Zetian's time sixty-three qingyue pieces still survived, but "after the Chang'an era the court no longer valued the old tunes", and only eight could still be sung to winds and strings, among them Mingjun, Yangban and Chunjiang huayue; yuefu song as a performed tradition faded from then on.
  1. 112 BCEOriginAccording to the Treatise on Rites and Music of the Book of Han, when Emperor Wu settled the suburban sacrifices he "set up the Music Bureau, gathered songs and had them sung by night, with songs of Zhao, Dai, Qin and Chu", and made Li Yannian Commandant of Harmony: the court began collecting and performing regional songs on a large scale.Literature › Book of Han: Treatise on Rites and Music
  2. 385EvolutionIn the Taiyuan era of Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin (376-396), a woman named Ziye is said to have created the Ziye songs; the Treatise on Music of the Book of Song says "the Wu songs and miscellaneous tunes all come from east of the Yangtze, and since the Jin and Song they have grown somewhat", marking the rise of the Wu songs of the south.Literature › Book of Song: Treatise on Music, Part 1History › Noble Clans Flee South
  3. 589EvolutionAccording to the Treatise on Music of the Book of Sui, in 589 the Sui conquered Chen and took over the old music of the Song and Qi courts, setting up a Qingshang Office under the Court of Sacrifices to manage it; Emperor Wen praised its rhythm, saying "this is the true sound of Huaxia".Literature › Book of Sui: Treatise on Music, Part 3History › Sui Reunification
  4. 704EvolutionThe Treatise on Music of the Old Book of Tang records that in Wu Zetian's time sixty-three qingyue pieces still survived, but "after the Chang'an era the court no longer valued the old tunes", and only eight could still be sung to winds and strings, among them Mingjun, Yangban and Chunjiang huayue; yuefu song as a performed tradition faded from then on.Literature › Old Book of Tang: Treatise on Music, Part 2History › Wang Zhaojun's Journey Beyond the Passes