Nov 20, 2011 Guqin Yaji @ upstate NY

The Nov. 20th Guqin Yaji was really pleasant. Everyone came from at least two hours away and gathered at Zhong Dao Tang which really make it very special. While girls were preparing food, Sam and Mr. Song were practicing Chen style Taiji outside. From Yuni's kitchen window, we saw their practicing and I was really impressed with Mr. Song's 身手, as a 蛟健的 young man. (Here is a clip from Zhi-yu about Renjie's practicing of Chen Style Taiji in front of Zhong Dao Tang with the instructor Sam's correction. Mr. Song has been practicing Chen style Taiji for one year and one month so far. He learned from Master Chen Zheng Lai 陳正雷 and Sam Zhang.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWqHdECtvKo)

We had nice lunch at Yuni's dining room... dumplings, noodles, salad, Korean rices, Japanese miso soup... guest Andrew and Nan Nan bought patai noodles, tofu salad, apple pie... wines... etc,. After lunch we moved to Zhong Dao Tang to have tea and very easy going guqin yaji.

Mr. Song (a self tought qin player and maker, www.songstudio.us) talked about his qin making story and showed his two qins. Please see the attached videos for his talk. Sam saw that Yuni has many different kongfu tools so he was playing with those 關刀, 劍, and some of us were following his movement while he was doing the sword.

For Qin playing -- Zhi-yu played Chang Men Yuan 長門怨 and Qiu Feng Ci 秋風辭 with singing. Sam played Guan Shan Yue 關山月, and Shi Shan Liu Quan 石上流泉. Renjie played Pu Xue Zhai's Liang Xiao Yin 溥雪齋版本的良宵引. I played Sheng Ren Chang 神人暢 and talked about my interpretation of this qin piece with Qu-yuan's poem "Mountain Ghost" 屈原的山鬼. Before that, I played Mei Hua San Nong 梅花三弄 on Renjie's unfinished Knee Qin 膝琴 (or lap top qin) which is shorter than regular qin and this qin has very nice deep sound. When I played it, I can feel that it is a qin full of energy and purity. The purity is not the mechanical sound quality, as it is an unfisnihed qin, the surface and the Yue mountain still need some fine treatment. What the purity I mean is the qin makers' heart. I really enjoy playing it.

Guest, Andrew (www.andrewfranck.net and www.theartofporosity.net/About.html) is a very interesting person, according to his friend Nan Nan 楠楠, who is from Beijing and had been working in art field as a director of two art galleries in Asia and New York for last past 10 years. Nan said that for her, Andrew is like a 神人. He is not only a composer, artist, philosopher and author; he is also like a psychotherapist... Andrew likes the sound of Guqin and so even he had never touched qin before, in the Yaji, after he saw our playing and talks, he just found himself quietly seating in one of the qin table and practice guqin while several of us were having our tea time. He was probably already composing a new piece in his mind at that moment.

Time always goes so fast and outside looked like 9pm dark but it was only 6pm. People had to head home for the new week in front of us. We know we will meet everyone again...

Peiyou
11/22/2011

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYM40whW_Fw (Mr. Song Renjie talks about his qin making story Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-BLdNdPrz4 (Mr. Song Renjie's talks about his qin making story -- Part 2.)

(Photos of 11/20/2011 guqin yaji with Peiyou's qin playing of Shen Ren Chang)

October 16, 2011 Master Liu Shanjiao visited NY

October 16, 2011 Master Liu Shanjiao visited NYQS, Mr. Liu is the chief of Zhenjiang MengXi Qinshe(镇江梦溪琴社) and an expert of MeiAnPai(梅庵派). He played several Meian school's pieces including 長門怨及平沙落雁 and a Guang Ling school piece 山居吟. At the end of the meeting, he played 歸去來辭 which is a very nice piece to end the meeting.

Zhiyu is Master Liu's niece who played Guan Shan Yue 關山月

Please also visit New York Qin Society Website for more report on this event.

October 09, 2011 古琴雅集在繕維的蘭花房/Oct 11, 訪阿格家

photographer: Liu Sunwei. 攝影:劉繕維

Please click here to see more photos I took.
更多照片 請點這裡

2011/10/02 [古琴回家]- 國際古琴演奏會

西方琴人會台灣

[古琴回家]- 國際古琴演奏會 To view my journal of the [Guqin Return Home] please click here.我的古琴回家三日記

To view some of the photos of the stage please click here. 這有幾張舞台的照片
Please also visit New York Qin Society Website.

演出者: 美國紐約琴社社員: 王妙蓮(Marilyn Wong-Gleysteen)、 唐世璋(John Thompson) 、戴德(Stephen Dydo)、張培幼(Peiyou Chang)以及 中華古琴學會會長袁中平等

Program

演出日期: 2011/ 10 /2 (日) 演出時間: 19:30~21:30

地點:台中市立葫蘆墩文化中心演奏廳 台中市立葫蘆墩文化中心暨中華古琴學會共同合辦 襄助單位:北港振興戲院、百和美喜餅

售票: 500 , 300 , 200 , 100 (購票請洽兩廳院購票系統) 台中市立葫蘆墩文化中心 (04) 25260136 420台中市豐原區圓環東路782號 社團法人中華古琴學會 連絡電話: 02-28615465 或 0922-462046 ( 行政 : 陳小姐 )E-Mail: chqugin@gmail.com 部落格: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/qin-china 郵局捐款暨劃撥戶名:社團法人中華古琴學會 帳號: 50136917 【關於中華古琴學會】 中華古琴學會是目前唯一全國性非營利的琴學組織。成立宗旨在於維護古琴幾千年以來博大精深的優良文化傳統，及保存、繼承、發揚前人所遺留下的豐富文化遺產。並致力於學術的研究、推廣、教育、演奏與交流，以期提供全世界所有琴人、琴文化交流的一個平台。聯合國教科文組織也於2003年11月公佈，古琴為人類非物質文化遺產。為擴展本學會成為國際琴學中心，先後於2009年5月邀請台灣[中道琴社]及大陸青島[中道琴社]成為團體會員外，同年8月邀請美國[紐約琴社]加入成為本會團體會員。即開始舉辦國內外琴學文化交流活動，並獲得具體成效。為擴大影響，2010年與[北投文物館]舉辦[筆墨知音—琴畫]演展活動，獲得巨大成功，並已獲得其它重要城市邀約繼續此一活動的展演。展望未來，除了持續規劃及進行各項琴文化活動之外，本會將與政府相關部門合作，進一步加深古琴文化的廣度與寬度。我們衷心希望各界人士能多多參與、交流本會所舉辦的活動，並且不吝指導與支持。

【歷代傳世古琴暨當代古琴大展】

世界人類文化遺產古琴交流平
古蹟•聽琴•品茗•教育的人文空間

【歷代傳世古琴暨當代古琴大展】

是由台北市政府文化局與中華古琴學會共同合辦。本展覽於台北市齊東街53巷11號與金山南路一段30巷12號日式宿舍展出，展出地點日治時代屬幸町職務官舍群，約建於1920年代至1940年代，目前為臺北市之市定古蹟與歷史建築，在古蹟中傳承古琴文化，特具傳統文化深義。本展覽以琴道為宗旨，以世界琴文化交流中心為願景，將琴學專業研究及教育傳承視為目標，結合書法、掛畫、點茶、焚香、插花等傳統經典人文內涵，豐富身、心、靈的追求，以傳統概念樹立當代雅集風格，並推廣舉辦多項雅集活動如:「清翫會知音」─琴人雅集、「古琴回家了」─海外琴人交流、「琴史與古樂」─大師講座等。提供國人在古蹟中領略聆賞精緻高雅的古琴文化。
展覽時間：自 民國100年8月19日 至101年2月14日(免費參觀)
展覽地址:台北市齊東街53巷11號
活動報名專線: 0975-859-780 E-mail:chqugin@gmail.com
開放時間:10:00 ~ 17:30 pm (農曆春節假期及周一、二休館)
歡迎十人以上學校、團體預約參觀

【主辦單位】台北市政府文化局、中華古琴學會。
【協辦單位】中道琴社。
【襄助單位】振興戲院、百和美喜餅、阿風攝影、十分視覺設計、何柏村/洪毓華建築師事務所、程惠德古琴工作室、華山社區發展協會。


琴為何物〔歷代傳世古琴暨當代古琴大展〕
展覽時間：自 民國100年8月19日 至101年2月14日(免費參觀)
展覽內容:本次展覽集合了包含宋、元、明、清、民國等老琴。並同時並邀請當代海內外重要斲琴家的各式不同的作品參與展覽，包括(台灣地區):趙元成、孫于涵、陳國興、單志淵、程惠德。(大陸地區):李明忠、王鵬、馬維衡、金蔚、夏林余、倪師韻、吳為民、強龍安、張玉新。(美國地區):Stephen Dydo等人。相信這場跨越千年的時間，與跨越海峽與國際空間的展覽，定能獲得海內外普遍人士的讚賞



清翫會知音〔琴人雅集〕
活動日期： 民國100年8月28日 (額滿)、9月25日(額滿) 、10月30日 、11月27日 、
12月25日。
活動時間：15:30~17:00。(人數限定30名，需預約) (免費參加)
活動內容: 分為【清翫會知音】與【琴人操縵】藉由琴音、雅玩與生活心得的交流，呈現古代雅集的趣味。透過琴人及對生活美學、古美術、歷史文獻的實際交流，表現出傳統中視覺與聽覺互相影響的必然關係，再現若蘭亭序中曲水流觴的文化氛圍，打破當代喜愛琴文化的市民對「雅集」高不可攀的迷思。

古琴回家了〔海外琴人交流〕
活動日期： 民國100年10月1日
講座時間：14:00~16:00。
演奏會時間 : 18:00~20:00。
活動費用 : 演奏會每次300元 (人數限定30名，需預約)
講座每次300元 (人數限定30名，需預約)
活動內容 : 紐約琴社成立與西元2000年，為國際重要琴社之一，該社成員多為音樂家、書畫家、詩人、作家，成立以來舉辦多次與古琴文化相關之活動，為一活躍之古琴團體。此次為該社成立以來第一次來台，將與本地各界人士交流，由五名來訪琴人Jim Binkley、Peiyou Chang、Stephen Dydo、John Thompson、Marilyn Wong Gleysteen進行講座外，並有一場高水準的古琴音樂演奏會，千萬別錯過。


琴史與古樂〔大師講座〕
講座日期： 民國100年8月28日 。9月11、25日。10月16、30日。11月13、27日。12月11、25日。1月8日。
講座時間：13:30~15:30。(人數限定30名，需預約)
講座費用: 每次300元。(全期共十次，每人費用: 2500元)
講座內容: 中華文明歷史悠久，相傳伏羲氏發明了琴。「士無故不撤琴」三千多年前琴就已逐漸成為文人的時尚，直到今日。琴蘊涵了中華文化的人文精髓，博大精深的內容更代表了一個民族最高的精神依歸。透過學術的講演，期使國人學習與了解琴道的真正意涵，與歷史意義。本講座特別邀請中華古琴學會會長袁中平主講。分為「琴史」與「古樂」兩大範圍，由上古時期先秦以前，講述至現代，關於幾千年歷史中音樂與琴的關係，機會難得。

Guqin Yaji with special guest Yan Yan Zhu from Toronto Guqin Society

Time: Sunday, August 7 2011· 4:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: Rahway NJ, Peiyou and Stephen's


This yaji was to welcome Mrs. Yan Yan Zhu 朱彥晏 from Toronto Guqin Society along with her husband and daughters. They first visited the Zhong Dao Tang 中道堂 at Yuni's and then traveled to Manhattan and New Jersey.



Confucius once said : 有朋自遠方來 不亦樂乎 (How happy we are, To meet friends from afar), we are very happy to meet Yan Yan and she also love to meet all the qin friends from New York. Therefore, Peiyou and Stephen hosted a guqin yaji on Aug 7th.

Peiyou and Stepheh really appreciate all the friends who spent their valuable time with us in this hot, steamy day. Attendants were: Matthew Flannery from New York Qin Society; Yan Yan Zhu and Shawn and their two daughters from Toronto; Judy (Shih-hua) Yeh from New Yrok Qin Society; Sam Zhang who currently studys guqin with Shih-hua; Jennie Bai who currently studys guqin with Peiyou; Yuni Han from New Yrok Qin Society who currently study guqin with Peiyou as well; Weijun Wang; Mark Hu (friend of Weijun); Peiyou from New York Qin Society and Stephen.


The meeting started with Yan Yan's singing in Chinese opera style of Song dynasty poem "Ge Xi Mei Ling 鬲溪梅令" by Jiang Kuei 姜夔 who wrote the poem and the original melody. Yanyan then played her improvisation of this piece on Guqin (Peiyou's silk string qin). Her singing and playing can be heard from here:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8429455/Audio/2011NYQSYajiGexiMeiLing.mp3

Yanyan then played Pinsha Luoyan 平沙落雁 and O lu Wang Ji 歐鷺忘機 then, Jiu Kuang 酒狂
(Video of Jiu Kuang playing can be seen here -- http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150260033994895&comments)
Sound recording of Yan Yan's Jiu Kuang and her talks about this piece can be heard from here. Yan Yan's Jiu Kuang has her own style which is not like the Jiu Kuang most of the qin players had played.

Her Pinsha Luoyan 平沙落雁 sound recording: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8429455/Audio/2011NYQSYajiPingsha.mp3

Her O lu Wang Ji 歐鷺忘機 sound recording:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8429455/Audio/2011NYQSYajiOuluWangji.mp3

After that, Matthew talked about one of his collection of Chinese calligraphy.




The photo above is Matthew's collection-- written by Zeng Xi 曾熙 (1861-1930) who was one of Zhang Daqian's 張大千 (1899 -1983) teacher. Behind is Pu ru's 溥心畬 (1896-1963) collagraphy from Peiyou's family heritage.

The video of Matthew's talk:


We want to give a big Thanks to Matthew's wife Jeanette who made these two delicious dishes, mushroom balls and cheese cakes. I have to take photos before they disappear... :)





After a break for refreshment, Shih-hua and Sam played Guan Shang Yue 關山月 together. The video of their playing and Shih-hua's singing:





Jennie then played Lu Ming 鹿鳴. After she played Lu Ming, Yuni asked about this piece, Jennie and Yan yan both helped to explain to Yuni that it is like those deer play around Yuni's home and Yan yan family, as special guests of Yuni, came to visit. They played qin music at Zhong Dao Tang as the ancient poem described exactly: 呦呦鹿鳴，食野之苹。我有嘉賓，鼓瑟吹笙...

And Shih-hua also explained that this poem is from 詩經小雅, The Xiao Ya of [The Book of Songs]or [the Book of Odes]. The Book of Odes is the earliest existing collection of Chinese poems and songs. It contains three categories: Feng 風 (folk songs) , Ya 雅(Da Ya 大雅 and Xiao Ya 小雅 which many of the poems here were taken from folk songs and rewrite to upgrade to higher level for official use), Song 頌(Ceremony songs).




Peiyou and Jennie played Liang Xiao Yin 良宵引 together.


Yuni then played Yi Gu Ren 憶故人.

Sam then played Wen Wang Cao 文王操 on his metal string qin that he ordered from ebay. Sam has been learning guqin with Shih-hua for 9 months so far.To listen.
(Ps. Sam is a Taiji master, to see his Taiji video here.)

Peiyou played "Yu Qiao Wen Da 漁樵問答." When Peiyou finished this piece, Weijun said to her that he was thinking what the conversation between the fisherman and woodcutter could be? He felt that they probably says that tomorrow the stock market will drop a lot... haha... The stock market did drop a lot on the next day Monday but went back a lot too on Tuesday...oh well...that is life, so live like the fisherman, enjoy the nature world, without worrying of the material world too much.

Around 8:30, Yuni, Shih-hua,Weijun and Mark had to leave earlier. The rest of us continued to have a very different and fun music party. Yan Yan's elder daughter Jing-yu played violin and Peiyou played cello. Here is part of their duet...



There was also a kind of West mix East ensemble... cello (peiyou), violin (Jing-yu), Chinese opera singing (Yan Yan), Chinese flute (Yan's husband), xiao (Sam), and qin (Jennie). We tried to play Yang Quan San Die 陽關三疊 together, since each instrument were not really tuned together, it sounded a little bit funny but everybody had a great joy...



Recorded by Peiyou Chang

Guqin and Shakuhachi meditative night at Three Jewels

New York Qin Society April 2, 2011 Guqin and Shakuhachi meditative night at Three Jewels.

NYQS members and guests: (from left to right) Yuni, Ralph, Glenn

(the Shakuhachi player), Jennie (Translator for the night), Peiyou, Matthew, Stephen, Rebecca, Shih-hua, Peter.

Glenn and Peiyou played "Kyorei" (Empty Bell 虛鈴 -the oldest survived shakuhachi piece) duet.

Peiyou played Meihua Sannong 梅花三弄 and Yi Gu Ren 憶故人

Jennie played 陽關三疊 with singing.

Glenn talked a brief Shakuhachi history and then played “Shika No Tone” 鹿鳴 (Distant Cry of Deer) and "Hourai"蓬萊 (Penglai)

Shih-hua played Changmen Yuan 長門怨 and Ao Ai欸乃. Jennie helped explain both stories.

Stephen talked a brief history of guqin and played Pu An Zho 普庵咒 and Kongzi Du Yi 孔子讀易.

Videos:

Guqin and Shakuhachi Duet -- Kyorei (Empty Bell)

Peiyou and Glenn's Guqin and Shakuhachi Duet - Kyorei

(For a louder sound of guqin of this duet, one can listen from the link below, since this was recorded in a different day so the playing has slightly different from the video above:

http://www.peiyouqin.com/sounds/01-DR-consolidated-110403_0951.mp3)

Shakuhachi -- brief history talk and playing (partial) by Glenn Swann

Glenn's talk and partial playing of Shakuhachi

Guqin -- Three Variations on The Plum Blossom 梅花三弄(partial) performed by Peiyou Chang

Peiyou's playing of Mei Hua San Nong (Partial)

Guqin -- Changmen Yuan 長門怨 performed by Judy (Shih-hua) Yeh

Shih-hua's playing of Changmen Yuan with Jennie's explanation of the story.

It was really a great night. Approximately 35-40 people came. It was a bigger event then what we were expected. Peiyou's husband helped to record some videos and Shih-hua took most of the photos.

Stephen Dydo, the president of New York Qin Society started the event with brief explanation of Guqin and its culture, follow by his playing of Pu An Zho and Kongzi Du Yi.

Shih-hua then played Chang-men Yuan and Ao Ai. She also did some demonstration on some parts of her playing along with Jennie's very helpful English explanation and both made the audience understand much better about these two pieces.

Peiyou then played Mei-hua San-nong to convey her best wishes to the lost of Japanese and hope Japan can be as strong as Plum Blossom that no matter how hard the life environment is, they will still survive and still blooms and dances in the wind. The 2nd piece Peiyou played was Yi Gu Ren. The theme of this piece is the longing for familiar things or persons or having memories of the past yet with no one to tell. Therefore thinking of an old friend and wanting to tell but being unable to reach the friend. It is a very emotional qin piece which has the impression of feelings lingering.

Jennie as a qin beginner was not prepared to perform, but I encouraged her to the front and I am very proud of her that she managed to play through the Yang Guan San Die with a short singing, in a very calm manner. She also did a wonderful job of helping Shih-hua and Peiyou for English translation.

Our guest, Glenn Swann had a brief explanation of Shakuhachi and played two very nice solo pieces. The final piece was the duet of Guqin and Shakuhachi. Peiyou arranged the guqin part to play along with Glenn's Shakuhachi. I myself love this piece very much and many thanks for Glenn's suggestion to pick this piece as duet.

Peiyou Chang

Jan 03, 2011 中道堂雅集

Zhong Dao Tang is established By Yuni and Master Yuan Jung-Ping in 2009 in Catskill New York. It has very nice view and peaceful environment. Once I step into Zhong Dao Tang, I feel my energy is calm and stable. Several qin lovers gathered together to play qin, to listen qin music, drink tea, have some tea dessert, exchange guqin knowledge to each other, ... what else can be better than this moment?

Participants: Yuni, Ian, Heather, Jennie and Peiyou.