8/30/2015 qin yaji to remember Alan Berkowitz

Alan's 王鵬倣斷紋琴 and 張建華琴. Both strung with silk stings. 

Alan's qin made by 李明忠, strung with metal strings. 

People who attend this gathering were:

Host: John and Suzanne

Peiyou and Stephen From Vestal NY

Hongmei from NJ

Lucie and James from NJ

Juni from Toronto

We (John, me and Juni) all played Zhao Yin 招隱 (Seeking a Lofty Recluse) to pay our respect and memory to Alan. Three of us play the same piece but with three different personalities. John later played 梅稍月, Ming dynasty 秋風辭, 神奇秘譜流水. Peiyou also played 流水, (管平湖版), Juni played 孔子讀易 on Alan's metal string LMZ qin. 

Meeting after, we all walked to the river side to enjoy the view of Manhattan and Hudson River.

Late Summer at CDT 中道堂夏末雅集與射箭

found a quiet moment to practice before yaji started.

Guest Juni from Toronto played 流觴, 古風操 and 招隱 (on silk string)

Juni talked about her background and her PHD study -- modern history of Chinese Hanfu. So she and Jiawei did a little demonstration of Juni's hand made Hanfu. 

Jiawei from Binghamton, played 平沙落雁 (metal string), 流水(partial) demo on silk string and metal string to see how her finger strength on both strings. 普庵咒(silk string). After her playing Henry Chan, the archery instructor said his feeling -- and I like his opinion about the metal string and silk string sound to him. He made two kinds of hand gesture to explain, one is like many big circles coming out and back (silk string) and one is like many straight lines shooting out (metal string).

Yixuan from Ithaca played 神人暢 (silk string)

Peiyou played 列子御風 (silk string)
Thanks Henry took this photo.

Archery time.

Looks like many arrows hit the target.

This qin yaji was very special to me. Meeting different qin players and hearing their opinions or stories can be very encouraging and very inspiring. And after seeing Jiawei's qin playing, and we all feel that her finger strength is pretty strong. Therefore a question come out of my mind... 

指力可以練出來嗎？或是它是與生俱來的？是一種能練得出來的內勁還是必須如嬰兒至柔般的單純才存乎？是否當人們開始有了價值觀,有要求,有顧慮時這與生俱來的本能就自動消失了？然後彈琴就變成了一種刻意？Can the inner strength occur by practicing? or it only happen when one is "soft and pure" like a baby without thinking or worry or pretend to or trying to, then it comes out naturally? a question in my mind about qin playing fingering strength.

虛無至柔，則無所不通 -- 王弼 

天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅 -- 老子

Juni says: Having taught a dozen new people, I am convinced that playing the strings with the right strength is NOT innate, and must be nurtured.

 I think: Yes, how to play with right strength need to be taught but Jiawei is the person whose playing convinced me that she has the nature and so plus nurtured she will become even amazing. I will say people like her is rare, but there are some.

And Qin is like a mirror that the qin player's personality shows on it when playing it.  

Memory of Alan Berkowitz, 憶琴友柏士隱

November 23rd, 2002

at China Institute of America, 125 East 65th street NYC

NYQS Annual Conference, Guqin Music: People, Poetry and Place.

“Qin Players of Yore and their Lore” 昔時琴人昔時義 (lecture)

Alan BERKOWITZ tells the poignant stories of emperors, real and legendary, scholar-officials, literati, poets, high-minded recluses, Confucians and Daoists, demonstrating how their tales helped to make the qin an aesthetic emblem of self-cultivation. Lore about these qin aficionados of early and medieval China highlights the literary and artistic landscape of traditional Chinese culture.

柏士隱先生告訴我們真實及傳說中 一些尖銳深刻的故事 包括皇帝 士大夫 文人 詩人 高人隱士及儒者道人 他們如何運用琴道的言行表現 來象徵自我的修養 這些古代和中古時期的琴癡們 在文學及藝術中表現的智慧 永遠閃耀在中國傳統文化之中 -- from NYQS website.

Alan and Mingmei

2004 Chinese New Year at Rahway NJ Peiyou and Stephen's house warming party.

September 18, 2009 at the NYQS yaji at Museum of Art and Origins.

John and Alan

June 8th 2014, at John and Suzanne's home in NJ

Happily Hooked on China

By Carol Brévart-Demm

About Alan... http://bulletin.swarthmore.edu/bulletin-issue-archive/index.html%3Fp=322.html

我記憶中的Alan

從一開始跟袁老師學琴時就認識Alan 了(2000年), 他那時學平沙落雁, 有一回我們一起跟袁老師學氣功. 是因為我提早到了上課地點, 而Alan 還沒上完. 袁老師就讓我們一起在最後十幾分鐘的時間練一下簡單的氣功. 這是我記憶中最早的Alan. 

後來幾次都是在紐約琴社的雅集上見面, Alan 總是用很標準的中文跟我們說話, 溫文儒雅是一直以來對他的印象. 那時他的兒子還在唸小學. 琴會後大家一起在紐約中城的大四川用晚餐, 看他們父子情深很感溫馨. 

Alan 住費城, 因為住的離紐約市比較遠所以也無法參加每一次紐約琴社辦的雅集. 但2004年過年我們剛搬到Rahway NJ, 他還特別開兩個多小時車程參加我們的house warming party. 很讓我感動. 09年也特別與夫人參加了我與一位非洲藝術收藏家朋友在其家中辦的雅集. 還記得那天雅集結束後我跟Alan 說在Amazon買到了他的關於魏晉隱士研究的書 (http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=317). 他很自謙的說那書很難讀(他用dry這個形容詞). 我說才讀了序言, 覺得還懂. 他說早知就先把序言傳給我看我也不用花那麼多錢買一整本書來讀. 其實確實如他所言, 讀起來有點辛苦, 我後來還是選了其他中文的關於隱士的書先看, 想回過來再讀英文時應該會容易懂一點, 不料才在最近又把他的書拿出來讀的時候, 便聽到他在旅遊台北時往生的消息.

最後一次見Alan 是去年六月在John 唐世璋先生的家的雅集. 大家都很高興在久未見面之後, 見到他與他的夫人. 他看起來還是神采奕奕. 我們聊到他前幾年到台灣的一些事, 聊到他兒子已大學畢業,找到了工作. 怎麼也不會想到那竟然是最後一次見面話家常. 

雖然與Alan 的緣份就這麼幾次屈指可數, 可他散發出的人文氣質是讓人永難忘懷. As Bo says, he was truly a scholar and gentleman. 

Alan 享年六十五歲.

Just found this photo that has Alan with us, and this was taken in july 2002 The NYQS had a museum trip to DC. Freer Gallery.

中道雅集 Guqin, Qigong, Taiji & Tea

Guqin, Qigong, Taiji & Tea

Hoster: Yuni Han

July 11, 2015

中道雅集 kicked off with Meditation led by Linda Yuxia Qiu.

Guqin Play by:

　（First Half）

　－　Micaeal Johnson: 古琴吟（Guqin Yin on metal string ）

　－　Honmei Zhang: 洞庭秋思(Dong Ting Qiu Si - Zha Fuxi dapu); 歸去來辭 (Gue Qu Lai Ci)

　－　Yuni Han:憶故人 (YiGuRen)

　－　Peiyou Chang: 招隠 (Zhao Yin) w/singing

　（Second Half)

　－　Ralph Knag: 洞庭秋思(Dong Ting Qiu Si -from Xi Lu Tang Qin Tong)

　－　Marilyn Wong: 古琴吟（Guqin Yin ）; 畊莘釣渭(Gen Xin Diao Wei)

　－　Peiyou chang: 春曉吟(Chun Xiao Yin)

    －　Micaeal Johnson: 古琴吟（Guqin Yin on silk string ）

We had a special guest, Ting Luo, who is the owner of Green Teahouse (thegreenteahouse.com) from New Haven, CT. She brewed wonderful tea from her shop.

Then, we had Swimming Dragon Qigong exercise led by Linda Yuxia Qiu followed by Michael leading Yang 24.

Then, Henry Chang's Archery lesson

And Korean barbecue dinner! 

Guqin, Qigong, Taiji Tea and Archery all together is a very healthy life style. We are very lucky to experiencing it. 

Courtesy to Yuni Han, Michael Johnson and Stephen Bourne for the photos and video.

Peiyou's little study about Zhao Yin

http://peiyouqin.blogspot.com/2015/07/seeking-lofty-recluse.html

ChungDao Yaji (中道雅集）- Saturday, April 18, 2015

From 2pm to 5pm. There was a well organized qin gathering hosting by Mrs. Yuni Han at the 中道堂, Catskill NY.

Thanks to the photographer Henry. (from the 2nd to the 8th photo)

Sorry we missed a photo of Yuni here. 

Yuni played 瀟湘水雲, 

Yixuan played 普庵咒,

Renjie played 石上流泉, 

Peiyou played 鷗鷺忘機(1st run) and 漁樵問答(2nd run).

Jennie also played 石上流泉.

Marilyn played 慨古引, 

John played 脩契吟, 流觴(in relates to the 蘭亭序 event). 

Ralph played 洞庭秋思.

Peiyou and Renjie played the 寒山僧蹤 qin xiao duet. 

Our tea host Mr. Mike J 蔣賢

Renjie was showing  his collection of the images of 王鐸's Calligraphy and did a demonstration on writing Chinese calligraphy on special water paper which is very good for practicing calligraphy without wasting any rice paper. He explained that the writing action is very similar to playing the guqin. 

After Renjie's demonstrating, everyone tried to do brush writing on the magic water paper. 

米芾 (top) and 王鐸's Calligraphy

According to Renjie: The Rubbing ink post shows calligraphy by Mi Fu (1051－1107), one of four famous Song Dynasty Calligraphers. The other two calligraphy by Wang Duo’s (1592－1652), from Min and Qin Dynasty.

it dried out in about three minutes.

John's collection of 蘭亭序曲水流殤雅集 

Renjie demonstrating Chinese calligraphy. He said: 拓墨帖是宋四家之一 米芾 的字。書法介紹基於與琴有關的詩詞，如影印本王鐸行書【聽穎師彈琴】（唐李賀），鄙人試習草書【聽蜀僧彈琴】（唐李白）...

Renjie says; Two calligraphy by Wang Duo’s (1592－1652), from Min and Qin Dynasty.

Most of calligraphy showed at Yaji are Qin-related poetry, such as

[Listen to Monk Ying Play Qin] poem by Li He (790－816 ) of Tang Dynasty, running style calligraphy by Wang Duo(1592－1652) .

Peiyou helped Jennie to change her qin from metal string to silk string but this qin was not good for silk string, so we end up changing back to metal. 

It was a very beautiful day. This photo was taken around 5pm. 

After 5pm, there was archery demonstration and practicing lead by Mr. Henry Chan.