Jizhong Sheng and Guan Ensemble
01 · Historical Records
Qujiaying Village, in Gu'an County, Langfang City, Hebei Province, is a small village of long history and simple folk custom on the North China Plain. The “music society” of the village is folk sheng-and-guan music, traditionally traced to the Buddhist music of temples at the turn of the Yuan and Ming dynasties, with the ancient master Shi Kuang venerated as its patriarch. It has been handed down by oral transmission from master to pupil, and a learner must be able to recite by heart all the tune patterns before being allowed to touch the instruments; it is notated in the gongche system and has been preserved to this day, used mainly for sacrificial rites and funeral ceremonies.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Jizhong sheng-and-guan music is current in the Jizhong Plain, that is, the drum-and-wind music of nearly thirty counties and cities south of Beijing, west of Tianjin and north of the line running through Cangzhou and Dingzhou, popularly called a “music society” by the people. Because it is led by the guan and joined by the sheng and other instruments, it is also called “sheng-and-guan music”. Besides the sheng and other wind instruments, it also uses cloud gongs, flutes and such percussion instruments as the drum, nao, cymbals and clapper bells. Its pieces fall into three kinds: suites, short pieces and independent sets of percussion music. Suites are of great length and complex structure, and form the main part of “sheng-and-guan music”. “Sheng-and-guan music” is found all over the Jizhong Plain. Farmers in every locality form societies by village, borrowing instruments to meet, and perform and hand it on in local sacrificial rites, ritual observances and funerary folk activities. Qujiaying Village, in Gu'an County, Langfang City, Hebei Province, is a small village of long history and simple folk custom on the North China Plain. The “Qujiaying music society” is folk sheng-and-guan music, traditionally traced to the Buddhist music of temples at the turn of the Yuan and Ming dynasties; it has both the plainness and roughness of northern music and the gentle, clear resonance of southern music, and is used mainly for sacrificial rites and funeral ceremonies. It has the traditional instruments the guan, flute, sheng and cloud gong, is notated in the gongche system, and has been preserved to this day. The Qujiaying band has a fixed establishment: twenty-four players make a “full canopy” and twelve players a “half canopy”. What survives today comprises thirteen suites such as Yu Fu Rong, seven large-scale “daban” pieces such as Jin Zi Jing, more than twenty short pieces such as Wu Sheng Fo, and one set of percussion music. The Qujiaying music society has a long history and is traditionally said to have taken the ancient master Shi Kuang as its patriarch. The “music society” is handed down by oral transmission from master to pupil, and a learner must be able to recite by heart all the tune patterns before being allowed to touch the instruments.
Yu Fu Rong
One of the thirteen suites surviving in the Qujiaying music society and a representative piece of the musician Hu Guoqing.
Jin Zi Jing
One of the seven large-scale “daban” pieces surviving in the Qujiaying music society.
Wu Sheng Fo
One of the more than twenty short pieces surviving in the Qujiaying music society.
Full and half canopy ensemble
The fixed establishment of twenty-four players is called “full canopy” and that of twelve players “half canopy”; these are the regular formations handed down by the music society.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Qujiaying music society is organised as a society by village, with a fixed band establishment: twenty-four players make a “full canopy” and twelve a “half canopy”. What survives comprises thirteen suites such as Yu Fu Rong, seven large-scale “daban” pieces such as Jin Zi Jing, more than twenty short pieces such as Wu Sheng Fo and one set of percussion music, together with cloud gongs, flutes and such percussion instruments as the drum, nao, cymbals and clapper bells.
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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Qujiaying sheng-and-guan music has a rich repertory, complete scores and players of superb skill, and is of considerable reference value for the study of ancient Chinese music and of the intermingling and evolution of temple music and folk music. Feng Yuechi (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): male, Han, born in 1926, died in 2010, a native of Gu'an County, Hebei. Representative inheritor of the second national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage project Jizhong sheng-and-guan music (Qujiaying music society), and a first-class master of ancient music. His playing combines strength and gentleness alike and has a distinctive artistic style; he took part many times in national and provincial and municipal performance activities and won prizes. Hu Guoqing (as recorded in the official file of the associated inheritor): male, Han, born in May 1952, a native of Gu'an County, Hebei Province. He knows the music society's repertory clearly, his playing technique is accomplished, and he has mastered the technique of playing such percussion instruments as cymbals, nao, gezi, dangzi and the drum, and can play all the pieces the society still preserves. He has mastered such flute techniques as single tonguing, double tonguing, triple tonguing, tremolo and portamento, and plays in close accord with the other musicians of the band. In performing pieces that change mode, the modulation is achieved by flexibly changing the fingering, and the instruments are basically not swapped. His main representative works include Qi Yan Hui, Da Liangzhou, Pu An Zhou, Xiao Hua Yuan and Yu Fu Rong, the percussion suite Fa Qi, and the short pieces Kai Tan He Qi, Qing He Qi and He Qi Po. He serves as president of the Qujiaying music society. Representative inheritor of the fourth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage project Jizhong sheng-and-guan music (Qujiaying music society). In 2000 he won the silver prize of the national “Qunxing” Award.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Feng Yuechi 02-0302
- Cai Yurun 02-0303
- Shangxuezhi 02-0304
- Hu Deming 02-0305
- Xia Laofei 03-0849
- Liu Qin 03-0850
- Wang Ruhai 03-0851
- Hu Guoqing 04-1528
- Shi Junping 05-2083
- Shao Shutong 05-2084
- Cai Baoheng 05-2085
- Zhang Zhanmin 05-2086
- Jia Tingxin
- Lizhanglin
- Pan Desen
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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