Free playing:
Peiyou - 酒狂 (on nylon string).
Kevin - 梧葉舞秋風 (on silk string).
Many thanks to Kevin Ge (vice president of NYGA) helped to bring and set up the qin table.
Instructor of flower arrangement Doris Lin talked about her thought of Chinese and Japanese flower arrangement and philosophy of flower arrangement.
花材: Fantail willow, 扇尾鴿楊柳, Lemon Leaf 檸檬葉, Oriental Lily 東方百合, Iris 鳶尾花, and Daisy 雛菊. Doris 老師為了配合琴曲特地選擇了可幫助我們想像的花材. These flower materials were chosen by Doris, and she said Fantail willow grows near water and she thinks that match our qin melodies that has fisherman and woodcutter. She hope by doing this flower arrangement, it will help our imagination while listening the qin music.
與會來賓每一位都很仔細試著做出自己想要的插花. Concentrate on arrange the flowers.
構思, 心念越單純, 插出的花也會越美麗.
Mind is more pure, the flower arrangement will be more pleasant.
Doris 老師讓大家先自由發揮再一一幫忙修正. 有的花材可以用手彎曲莖來改變造型. 要考慮花開後的空間.
Doris wanted us to be free to do what we want to do and then she helped to enhance our work one by one. Some of the material can be banded by hand to create nice shape, such as the lemon leaves.
When you have the material on your hand, you need to think about what image you want to present.
當拿到花材時, 要先仔細觀其形式, 並在心中構思如何擺入花器中
遠道而來的Michael and Yuli' work.
Doris laoshi helped us, left is me and Stephen's work. Middle is Hongmei's work. Right is Kevin's work.
Lucie sponsor all the flower arrangement materials and helped to be the tea host. A huge thanks to Lucie.
Lucie's tea is full of love and generosity
Peiyou did a little introduction of the guqin, because 2/3 of the audience have not heard or see a guqin before.
梅花三弄
醉漁唱晚
漁樵問答
Yuni couldn't come due to an unexpected problem happen that she had to cancel her trip, therefore her piece (長亭怨慢) was played by Peiyou with Hongmei's singing.
Glenn's "Kakumon" was such a beautiful performance.
鷗鷺忘機的走絃聲象徵虛音
Qin music is the combination of Yin and Yang. The sliding sound is like Yin (soft, xu 虛) and the plucking sound and stopping sound is more like Yang (stronger, shi 實). Innocent Seagulls is a piece using many Xu yin, sliding sound.
Duet of 寒山僧蹤
Peiyou did a little flower arrangement for the qin. Kevin is playing 梧葉舞秋風
Thanks for everyone's participation to make this event so memorable.
From this event, I learned a lot. 花道,琴道與茶道,都分享著中國人深刻的道家思想 -- 除雜念, 靜心, 不執著, 但如梅妻鶴子般不食人間煙火或著孤芳自賞之文人雅士,卻又渴求覓知音的心境,似乎也不曾改變過. 藝需要有技來幫助呈現, 而技也需要有意念方才能成為完善的藝.
NJ local Chinese newspaper reported the event.
"雪霽天晴朗，臘梅處處香，騎驢灞橋過，鈴兒響叮噹。響叮噹響叮噹響叮噹，好花採得瓶供養，伴我書聲琴韻，共度好時光。 "
[踏雪尋梅]這首現代民歌相信很多人都還能朗朗上口。 而這採得花兒瓶供養， 書聲琴韻好時光的情景卻真真實實地於一月十六日臘八節前夕，在愛迪生市的美中協會悄然發生。
話說[紐約琴社]是美國第一個成立的古琴社團， 至今已邁入第十六年的光陰。上週六琴社首次在新澤西舉辦了一場別開生面的花道，琴道，茶道雅集。 邀請了新澤西的花道老師Doris Lin, 普林斯頓的尺八演奏家Glenn Shouyuu Swann， 以及[紐約琴社]的友社[紐約古琴研究會]的副會長葛文潮先生， 陳稚小姐， 美中協會的張紅梅女士演奏古琴。
古琴又稱七弦琴， 在中國已存在有三千多年的歷史， 與古箏是兩種不同的絃樂器。 琴聲低沉韻長，泛音清幽感人。 插花在中國漢唐時代已興起，至宋朝最蓬勃。 經遣唐使傳到日本， 而日本將此藝術發揮到最精緻成為日本華道Ikebana。
琴棋書畫茶香花都是古代中國文人記趣， 寄情， 高度重視的藝術活動， 也都蘊藏了深厚的儒釋道精神與思想。 正如花道老師 Doris 所說， 心若不靜， 插出來的花也不會賞心悅目。茶主人Lucie Zhang 帶來的一瓷盤上也寫著，心靜茶香濃。[紐約琴社] 的琴師張培幼也指出，老子的大音希聲，正是最能體現在古琴上的道家思想之一。 這些都需要靜心，淨心，方能進行其藝術表現， 方能舒己悅人。
然而這些在中國古時屬於皇家貴族文人的高雅藝術情趣，曾在連年的戰火，政權更替， 和文化浩劫中幾乎消失殆盡。幸運的是今天還有這些有心人默默地學習，推廣，和傳授技藝，中國傳統高雅文化的復興指日可待。特別是在海外， 又在繁忙的生活中， 我們能體驗插花， 欣賞傳統音樂， 真的是感到何其有幸。 這是一場心靈至真至善至美的饗宴。-- 新州周報 1/21/2016
