Chapter 6 Chapter Six Sui and Tang Dynasties Ritual Music and Dance

The establishment of the Sui Dynasty ended the division of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and China moved towards unification.The Tang Dynasty pushed the politics, economy and culture of Chinese feudal society to the peak. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there were several ceremonial music and dances that represented the national level.The "Seven Music" and "Nine Music" of the Sui Dynasty, and the "Ten Music" of the Tang Dynasty were the highest level of music and dance at that time.They are the results of the exchange of music and dance of various nationalities at home and abroad.

As far back as the early years of the Han Dynasty, with the opening of the "Silk Road", "Khotan Music" was already being played in the court.At the same time, the music and dance of the Han nationality continued to spread to remote areas.During the Three Kingdoms period, the music and dance of some fraternal nationalities took root in Han areas and became an indispensable part of cultural life. From the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Indian music and dance entered China along with Buddhism.During the Three Kingdoms period, "Tianzhu Music" had been circulated in China.During the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the former Qin Dynasty, Lu Guangtong brought "Kuici Music" into the Western Regions.

The music and dance of the Western Regions represented by "Qiuci Music", the vigorous and lively dance music, the light dance steps, the expressive movements of flicking the knuckles, moving the neck and head, and the spinning skills like the wind, are intoxicating. It spread among the people. The band of "Kuici Music" is also very spectacular, including vertical harp, pipa, five strings, sheng, flute, xiao, 筚篥 [bi li bili], as well as Maoyuan drum, Dutan drum, Dala drum and waist drum , Jiegu, Jilougu, copper cymbals, shellfish, etc., are very fresh to the Han people.During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a large number of "Kuici Music" poured into the Central Plains.During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, "Qiuci Le" developed to its heyday.At that time, no matter the court or the folk, most of them used "Kuizi Music" when dancing.

"Qiuci Music" was combined with "Old Chinese Music" to produce "Xiliang Music".Goguryeo music and dance in Northeast China was also introduced to China. The great exchange of music and dance between Chinese and foreign nationalities has attracted the attention of Chinese rulers.In order to show off the unity of the world and the prosperity of the country, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty collected and organized the music and dances of various regions and nationalities since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and formulated "Seven Music", including "Guo Ji", "Qing Shang Ji", and "Gaoli Ji". , "Tianzhu Play", "An Guo Play", "Kuicha Play", "Wenkang Play".Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty added "Kang Guo Ji" and "Shu Le Ji", and renamed "Guo Ji" to "Xi Liang Ji", thus forming "Nine Bu Yue".

In order to show the prosperity of the country and balance international and ethnic relations, Emperor Taizong of Tang created the palace Yan music "Ten Music", including "Yan Yue", "Qing Yue", "Xiliang Music", "Tianzhu Music", "Gao Li Music", "Kuci Music", "An Guo Music", "Shu Le Music", "Kang Guo Music", "Gao Chang Music". These music and dances are used for diplomacy, or for celebrations, or for banquets, with distinct etiquette.Through music and dance management organizations such as Taichang Temple, the state has sorted out and standardized the names, makeup, titles, and musical instruments of various music and dance systems.Each part of music and dance contains a standardized dance program.

"Yan Le" includes four music and dance parts, including "Breaking Battle Music" and "Celebrating Good Music" which extol the martial arts and virtues of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty; "Qingyue" is "Qingshangyue", which is the traditional music and dance of the Central Plains handed down from the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties. The famous dance programs in "Qingshangle", such as "Baifu Dance", "Qianxi Dance", "Bing Bing Dance", "Fu Dance", etc., were still popular in the Sui and Tang Dynasties.However, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty insisted that the dancers of the dancers who performed the dance, duo dance, towel dance, and fu dance were not allowed to hold the dancers in their hands.

"Xiliang Music" is the product of the exchange between the music and dance of the Western Regions and the music and dance of the Han nationality.Xiliang was one of the sixteen northern states in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, located in the northwest of what is now Gansu.Xiliang music is characterized by "old Chinese music mixed with the sound of Qiang and Hu". The dance music of "Xiliang Music" includes "Khotan Buddhist Song".Xuanzang, the monk of the Tang Dynasty, traveled through Kuetan when he went to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures. He said that "the country respects music and people like singing and dancing" there, and "Xiliang Music" absorbed the singing and dancing there. "Xiliang Music" also includes "Liangzhou Dance" and "Lion Dance".

"Tianzhu Music" is an ancient Indian music and dance.The beautiful dances for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that we see in the Dunhuang murals may belong to "Tianzhu Music". "Koryo Music" is the music and dance of the Goguryeo Kingdom by the Yalu River, which was introduced to China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.It is characterized by "dancing while standing side by side". The dancers wear clothes with wide sleeves and white shoes, which is very similar to the current Korean dance. "Kangguo Le" is a music and dance from the ancient Kangguo.Kang Guo is located in Samarkand, Uzbekistan today. Its dance "turns like the wind", commonly known as "Hu Xuan".

Kucha Music is the most widely spread.The ancient Kucha country is now in Kuqa, Xinjiang.Xuanzang, the monk of the Tang Dynasty, said that Qiuci is "specially good for all countries", which means that the level of music and dance in Qiuci is higher than that of other countries.Kucha music has a cheerful rhythm and is accompanied by colorful percussion music.In addition to being popular in the Central Plains, it has also spread to Nanzhao, Tubo and other places. The ancient Gaochang State is located in Turpan, Xinjiang, which is the hub of the northern "Silk Road" and one of the meeting points between the culture of the Central Plains and the culture of the Western Regions.The music and dance culture there is also influenced by the Central Plains culture.The murals of banquet, music and dance in the tombs of the Sixteen Kingdoms period unearthed in Turpan revealed some information about the dance of "Gaochangle".

Ancient Anguo is located in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. "An Guole" is the music and dance from there. "Wen Kang Ji" was called "Li Bi" in the Sui Dynasty, and it was the last of "Seven Music" and "Nine Music".Founded in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.Yu Liang in Guizhou died, and the emperor gave him a posthumous title of "Wenkang".In memory of him, the song and dance artists of his family created a masked dance "Wen Kang Ji". "Seven Music", "Nine Music" and "Ten Music" reflect the historical fact that music and dance of various ethnic groups in various regions gathered in the Central Plains during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.Most of the singing and dancing programs come from the folk, and after entering the court, they are designated as "Zhengsheng".The emperors of the Sui and Tang Dynasties attached great importance to music and dance.The Sui Dynasty established the Taichang Temple in charge of sacrifices and banquets.The Tang Dynasty followed the old system of the Sui Dynasty. In addition, an inner teaching workshop was set up in the palace, and a left and right teaching workshop was set up in the capital, responsible for music and dance training and performances.Tang Xuanzong also set up a "Pear Garden" for himself to teach and perform "Faqu".Liyuan musicians are all first-rate masters.

There are two types of court music and dance performances in the Tang Dynasty.One is "sitting tricks" and the other is "standing tricks". "Zuobu Ji" is played in the hall and performed in the indoor hall.The scale is small and the number of performers is small, among which dancers range from three to 12. "Libu Ji" is played in the hall and performed in the outdoor square courtyard.The scale is large and the number of performers is large. Sometimes there are as many as 180 dancers, and there are at least 64 dancers. The programs of "Zuobu Ji" and "Libu Ji" have certain political significance in themselves, and most of them praise the emperor's martial arts and martial arts.However, due to the absorption of traditional folk forms of many ethnic groups, the expression techniques are relatively rich. The dance program of "Libu Ji" includes: "An Le" was originally composed in the Northern Zhou Dynasty to praise Emperor Wu of Zhou for destroying the Northern Qi Dynasty.It became a court music and dance in the Sui Dynasty, and it was still performed in the court in the Tang Dynasty. The dance in "An Le" is that the actors wear animal-shaped masks, and the formation is square, like the outline of a city, so it is also called "city dance". "Broken Array Music" is also called "Dance of Seven Virtues".It is a tribute to Li Shimin's martial arts in unifying the country.First, the music of "The Music of the King of Qin Breaking the Array" was circulated in the army.After Li Shimin became emperor, he personally drew the "Broken Array Music Picture", which was choreographed and danced by court musician Lu Cai according to the picture, and rehearsed into a grand dance program.The dancers wear armor and hold halberds, and the formation has various changes from left to right.The dance is divided into three sections, and each section needs to change into four formations.It has a strong fighting spirit and a rough masculine beauty.The accompaniment is "Kuici Music", beating the big drum, "the sound vibrates hundreds of miles, and the valley is turbulent".During the performance, there is also accompaniment of music, which is said to be sung 52 times. "Broken Array Music" was originally a male dance for 120 people, but later Tang Xuanzong changed it into a female dance with hundreds of people, and then changed it into a small dance performed by a dozen or four people, and it became "Little Broken Array". happy".The original music and dance of "playing vigorously, with generous rhymes" has become a performative and entertaining dance.In the late Tang Dynasty, Shi Huohu, a female acrobat artist from Youzhou, adapted "Broken Array Music" into an acrobatic show and performed it in a thousand feet. "Broken Array" has been circulated in various forms for more than 300 years, and then spread to Tubo, India, and Japan. "Qing Shan Le" is a dance praising Tang Taizong's Wende.The sentiment is quiet and elegant, in the style of "Xiliang Music".Performed with 64 children.There are nine times of music. Both "Zuobuji" and "Libuji" have "Qing Shanle", but "Zuobuji" dances with four people, and the music is reduced to one time, which becomes a small program. "Shangyuan Music" was composed in 674 AD when Tang Gaozong changed his reign title to "Shangyuan", and was performed by 180 people.The dancers wear multicolored clothes with water patterns, and the music is performed 29 times. The above three kinds of music and dance are called the Three Great Dances of the Tang Dynasty. "Da Ding Le" is a dance choreographed in imitation of "Broken Array Music", praising Tang Taizong and Tang Gaozong's military exploits in conquering Liao. "Shengshou Le" was arranged by Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian of Tang Dynasty. A dance team of 140 people, singing and dancing, put out 16 characters with ingenious formation changes: "Shengchao Qiangu, Daotai Hundred Kings, Long Live the Emperor, Bao Zuo Mi Chang." During Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, changes in the color of the clothes were added.After dancing for a while, the dancers quickly take off their solid-color blouses to reveal colorful embroidered clothes.The dancers are all beautiful women. "Guangshengle" was compiled by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, praising Xuanzong's achievements in restoring the Li and Tang Dynasties.It uses the dance movements of "Shangyuan Le" to imitate "Shengshou Le" to place characters. "Taiping Le" is also called "Five-Party Lion Dance".Lions are regarded as mighty and auspicious animals in Chinese folk.During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was already a lion dance in China.The lion dance in the court of the Tang Dynasty was grand.People wear fake lion skins with feathers and dress up as five lions of different colors, representing the colors of the five directions.Another two dressed up as "Kunlun", that is, black people, teased the lion with whisks.Next to it is a 140-person accompaniment team, singing "Taiping Le".The performers have to make various expressions of the lion.Bai Juyi's "Xiliang Opera" poem describes the lion dance: "Humans with masks and fake lions, carved wood as the head and tail. Gold-plated eyes and silver teeth, Fenxun sweater with ears..." The situation and the performance of modern folk lion dance It's almost there. "Yan Yue" by "Zabu Ji" also has four dance programs: "Longevity Music" is composed because Wu Zetian grew two more teeth when she was old, praising her longevity. "Heaven's Music" praises Wu Zetian's proclaiming himself emperor.The dancers all wear painted clothes and colorful phoenix crowns. "Bird Song Long Live Music" is a music and dance choreographed because the birds in Wu Zetian's palace can learn to speak the human language and shout "Long Live".Dancers wear bird-patterned garments and bird-shaped crowns, and presumably imitate the movements of birds. "Longchi Music" was compiled by Tang Xuanzong.The dancers wear lotus crowns, and their dance steps move lightly, like lotus flowers floating on the dragon pond.The orchestra also removed the bell and chime, and dedicated it to the orchestra. Among the palace music and dances in the Sui and Tang dynasties, there were also music and dances presented by foreign countries as diplomatic gifts.The more influential ones are "Nanzhao Fengsheng Yue" and "Piao Guoyue" written in the Zhenyuan period of the Tang Dynasty (785-805 AD). The Nanzhao Kingdom is located in Dali, Yunnan today.In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Nanzhao and the Tang Dynasty had a close relationship and often sent envoys to each other.During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the relationship between the two countries was tense and wars broke out.In the ninth year of Zhenyuan (793 A.D.) of Emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty, the relationship between the two countries was normalized again.In the sixteenth year of Zhenyuan (800 A.D.), under the auspices of Jiannan Jiedu envoy Wei Gao, he absorbed the music and dance of Nanzhao and other brother nationalities, and arranged a large-scale multi-segment song and dance "Nanzhao Fengsheng Music", which was presented to Chang'an. play.Tang Dezong watched the performance in person, which later became a repertoire in the court.The theme of this music and dance is ethnic friendship, and the art forms are also very rich, including men's group dance, women's group dance, men's solo dance, and women's solo dance. This large-scale music and dance performance has had a major impact internationally.In the eighteenth year of Tang Zhenyuan (802 A.D.), Pyu (now Burma) also went to the Tang Dynasty to offer music.Pyu is a Buddhist country, and music and dance are all influenced by India.Bai Juyi's "Piao Guoyue" poem said: "When the jade snail blows, the chinchilla rises, and the bronze drum strikes the tattoo. The bead tassels dazzle and the stars shake, and the flower garland [man] fights the dragon and the snake moves." The faces and bodies of the performers There are patterns on the thorns, combed in a bun on the head, bead tassels and garlands, beating bronze drums, blowing jade snails, dancing, jumping and spinning, like dragons and snakes flying.These characteristics can still be seen in Burmese folk dances today. The splendid and magnificent ceremonial dances of the Sui and Tang Dynasties are new achievements of inheriting traditions and extensively absorbing and drawing lessons from the music and dances of various nationalities at home and abroad.