Suona Art · Chinese Craft Stories

01 · Historical Records

The Wutai Eight Great Suites are folk music originating in and transmitted from Wutai county, Xinzhou city, Shanxi Province; they are one of the representative forms of traditional instrumental suite cycles, standing alongside Xi'an drum music and the Jing music of Zhihua Temple in Beijing. With Xinzhou city as their centre of radiation they are current above all in the townships of Dongye, Baijiazhuang, Yangbai, Chenjiazhuang, Wutaishan, Jian'an and Shenxi in Wutai county, and are also found elsewhere in Shanxi and in Inner Mongolia, Tianjin and Beijing. The Wutai Eight Great Suites were current in Wutai county as early as the Song dynasty at the latest. The late Qing was their period of greatest prosperity, when a large number of scores appeared, in suanzi notation, gongche notation and the like.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Wutai county lies in the north-east of Shanxi Province; because the Wutai Mountain within its borders is a famous Buddhist mountain, the local folk environment is strongly influenced by Buddhist culture, and the pieces and performing forms of the Eight Great Suites are closely related to Buddhist ritual and to folk activities such as wedding and funeral celebrations, festival temple fairs and burial rites. The performing occasions of the Wutai Eight Great Suites cover Buddhist ritual, assembly celebrations, weddings and funerals; they are organised as band societies, whose head is a person of good skill, high reputation and strong ability. Their performing forms are seated music and processional music; the number of players may be large or small, generally four or five and at times more than ten. The Wutai Eight Great Suites consist of eight large suite cycles — Qing Tian Ge Tuo (Blue Sky Song Suite), Bang Zhuang Tai Tuo (Dressing Table Suite), Tui Lu Che Tuo (Pushing the Millstone Suite), Shi Er Ceng Lou Tuo (Twelve-Storied Tower Suite), Zhen Yan Tuo (Admonitory Words Suite), Da Ma Yu Lang Tuo (Cursing the Fisherman Suite), E Lang Tuo (Goose Lad Suite) and Quan Jin Bei Tuo (Encouraging the Cup Suite) — containing 57 basic tune patterns in all, 108 pieces in total, each suite having from seven to fourteen pieces. Qing Tian Ge Tuo (Blue Sky Song Suite) is solemn and elegant, and is used mostly for worshipping the Buddha, sacrifices and joyful occasions. Bang Zhuang Tai Tuo (Dressing Table Suite) is used mainly for amusement and entertainment and for ceremonial celebrations. Tui Lu Che Tuo (Pushing the Millstone Suite) is used mainly for happy occasions that are lively and unrestrained, such as weddings. Shi Er Ceng Lou Tuo (Twelve-Storied Tower Suite) is generally used for Buddhist observance and for joyful occasions. Zhen Yan Tuo (Admonitory Words Suite) is played at Buddhist observances and at funerals and white banquets. Da Ma Yu Lang Tuo (Cursing the Fisherman Suite) is used for rural festival celebrations and for temple fairs and village assemblies. E Lang Tuo (Goose Lad Suite) is used mainly for folk amusement and entertainment. Quan Jin Bei Tuo (Encouraging the Cup Suite) is used for pressing drinks at drinking bouts and for joyful occasions. The Wutai Eight Great Suites have a distinctive creative concept and a rigorous arrangement of rhythm, with a flexible model of musical form, a fixed closing melody, a consistent gong-mode system and a reinforcing technique of modal sequence. Their principal instruments are the suona, sheng, guan, haidi, flute and erhu.