Yao An, deputy head of the gorgeous Temple of Heaven in southern
Beijing, couldn't conceal her excitement while talking about the
upcoming performance of ancient music.
During the Temple of Heaven Culture Week to be held January 22
to 27, nine ancient sacrificial musical pieces will be performed
for the public in the South Divine Kitchen, located to the east of
the famous Echo Wall.
Yao said that 11 years ago she was engaged in collecting musical
scores of this kind of music. She and her colleagues selected more
than 30 musical scores from among 10-million-word materials of
which nine classics will be presented to audiences this year as a
complete program representing sacrificial offering at the
temple.
The performances include Burning Firewood to Welcome
God, Sun Rises Above the Sea, Song of Enjoying
Bliss Together, Music of Peace and Song of A Thousand
Years, of which the first will last more than four hours.
"This music was played in ancient sacrificial ceremonies and
requires performers to know 17 different kinds of musical
instruments such as jiangu (ancient Chinese drum),
chi (ancient bamboo flute with eight holes), panpipe,
bell, qing (chime stone), qin (seven-stringed
plucked instrument similar to the zither) and se
(25-stringed horizontal harp)," Yao says. "It is hard to find a
proper player," she adds. Musical instruments such as the
chi and jiangu are even more difficult to find
these days. This time, the Temple of Heaven has invited 18 musical
players, some of whom are academicians solely devoted to the study
of ancient music.
During the culture week which has a total investment of over 1
million yuan (US$121,000), visitors will also see song and dance
staged in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, as well as an
exhibition of flags, weapons, etc. carried by guards, just as
emperors went there in ancient times, on the Bridge of Cinnabar
Steps. "The value of ancient music lies not only in its historic
sense but also in its artistic attainments," Yao says. "We expect
our visitors to appreciate a specific culture during the Spring
Festival. The Temple of Heaven can present to them not only
imposing buildings, but also cultural treasures."
Difficulty in sorting musical scores
Looking back over the past 11 years, Yao An would likely
describe it as "tough."
"The working team had only five people, so we threw ourselves
into museum and archive research every day, searching for song and
dance material related to the emperors' ancient sacrificial
offering to Heaven during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911)
dynasties. Sometimes we needed to consult rites and musical parts
from official historical references including Historical Records
(by Sima Qian (about 145 or 135 BC - 86 BC) of the Western Han
Dynasty) and Book of Song Dynasty (by Shen Yue (441-513)
of the Kingdom of Liang of the Southern Dynasties)," Yao said. The
group she worked with was frequent visitors to the Capital Library,
Palace Museum, National Library and the library of Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences.
In ancient Chinese music, one word represents one tune and one
physical action exactly, so later generations have had to fix every
word to ensure accuracy. They consulted every possible expert to
translate or verify musical lines. They have been known to consult
more than 10 experts to verify a single word.
Two years ago, the Temple of Heaven began to look for ancient
musical experts to experiment playing the music and finally
produced nine pieces. The performance will create quite a stir
among audiences. "This year we are trying to pursue the artistic,
entertainment and historic values of ancient music and make this
rarefied music more accessible," Yao said.
Imperial ceremonial music center expected
According to Yao, the Temple of Heaven has improved its service
by reviving ancient music that had almost disappeared. "We are
trying to create a harmony of man with nature so that our visitors
will feel enjoyment rather than emptiness while strolling through
the park. It is the most ideal state for our visitors," she
said.
Yao's desk is piled high with various design drawings. One
depicts a sacrificial offering to Heaven scene, restored according
to historical record, featuring rich, colorful and clear drawings.
Yao said the real ceremony from the Qing Dynasty was much more
magnificent and splendid: the musical players, civil and military
officials, princes, emperor as well as attendants and eunuchs all
had a place in the ceremony.
Now the office of divine music is being rebuilt in the Temple of
Heaven and expected to be open to the public next year. By then,
visitors will enjoy ancient music not only on Spring Festivals but
also throughout the year. Besides the great hall specially used for
playing ancient music, the new office of divine music will also
include eight showrooms respectively devoted to qin
(seven-stringed plucked instrument similar to the zither),
se (25-stringed horizontal harp), drum, dance, musical
scores, temperament, xun (egg-shaped ancient wind
instrument made of clay pottery with one to six holes on it) and
the words and music of songs.
"I have always cherished a hope that China could set up an
imperial ceremonial music center. In this way we could preserve the
treasures of ancient sacrificial music and carry it forward," Yao
said.
To date, Japan and Thailand have already set up their own
imperial ceremonial music centers and applied for world culture
heritage listing. Yao said she wished the day would come soon to
China.
(China.org.cn by Li Jinhui and Daragh Moller January 21,
2004)