Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s3.t3.9

v2.c11.s3.t3.9

As ‘*Nichang Yuyi Music*’ was recomposed by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Lady Yang was good at dancing to it. Therefore, it was popular during the periods of Kaiyuan and Tianbao (713-755 CE) of the Tang Dynasty. After An Lushan Rebellion, it was fading and even not seen in the palace. Up to the Kaicheng Period during the reign of Emperor Wenzong (836-840 CE), it was once rearranged and performed based on the old one, but was finally lost along with the turbulent political situation at the end of the Tang Dynasty. Li Yu, the Emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty of the Five Dynasties, obtained the incomplete notation, organised and played with an imperial concubine, Zhaohui. According to ‘*The Songs of Taoist Baishi • the First Small section of Zhongxu of Nichang*’ written by Jiang Kui, a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty who was good at rhyming, “In the year of Bingwu Period (1186), I stayed in Chansha, visited Zhu Rong and obtained the sacrificing songs called ‘*Yellow Emperor Yan and Storax*’ as well as the 18 Que of Shang melody of Nichang Music from the old musician book. All had no tunes without any words. According to ‘*Prosody*’ written by Shen (Shen Kuo’s ‘*Mengxi Bitan*’), ‘*Nichang*’ should not be Dao Melody but be Shang Melody. Letian’s poems mentioned that there are six Que in the Sanxu, but here it was composed of two, so which one was right? However, the syllables were graceful and not like the music of today. I had no time to complete, so I finished one Que in the Zhongxu to spread.” Jiang added the lyrics, ‘*The First Paragraph of Zhongxu of Nichang*’, for one paragraph in the 18 paragraphs of scores and it was passed on to us.