Clips of the qin performance can be watched at https://youtu.be/RYOe96jLm5Q
Date: Saturday Sept 1st, 2024
Time: 3pm Eastern Time
Location: Zoom Meeting
Student Recital Program:
- Esmie Herrero from Ireland - 醉漁唱晚 (Zui Yu Chang Wan, "Drunken Fisherman Singing at Dusk") (Due to Esmie was not feeling well, she did not perform but listen in the audience)
- Markus Stoffer, from Netherlands- 秋風辭 (Qiu Feng Ci, "Ode to the Autumn Wind")
- Andrea Lioy, from London - 欸乃 (Ao Ai, "Fisherman Song")
- Ralph Knag, from NJ - Either 鷗鷺忘機 (Ou Lu Wang Ji, "Innocent Seagulls")
- Tracy Li, from Kansas - 平沙落雁 (Ping Sha Luo Yan, "Wild Geese Landing on a Sandy Shore")
- Alex Merck, from North Carolina - 良宵引 (Liang Xiao Yin, "Prelude to a Pleasant Evening")
- Sarah Sang Nguyen, from Louisiana - 香江怨 (Xiang Jiang Yuan, "Lament of the Xiang River")
- Dan Reid, from Canada - 普庵咒 (Puan Zhou, "Puan Chant")
- Peiyou Chang - Preview of the Qin Demonstration for BU Students on 9/10, followed by a discussion starting from a question raised by Andrea about my Facebook post and comments from Kathleen.
The origin of all sound arises from the human heart. The stirring of the human heart is caused by external things. When moved by external things, it is expressed in sound. Sounds resonate with each other, and thus variations are produced; when these variations take on form, they are called tones (music).
This phrase comes from the 'Book of Rites,' specifically the 'Record of Music' chapter.
This is a very anthropocentric view of sound. I don’t agree. The origin of all sound arises from Nature. Never mind the human heart which is minuscule, there are many sounds beyond the human hearing range. To limit sound to the human is to limit life.
Kathleen Su Perhaps my English translation is misleading. I think the beginning of the translation should says "The origin of all music arises from the human heart." 這段禮記樂記的原文對"聲"與"音" (還有"樂" 我沒寫出來 "比音而樂之，及干戚羽旄，謂之樂。") 的定義. "音" 與 "聲" 並不一樣. "The origin of all sound arises from Nature. " 應是指"聲". 而"音" 是在聲與聲相應之後成為"變"成為"方," 也就是有了形式, 那就是"音"了. 那個形式就是人為的. That is how I understand.
(the English translation of my original comment to Kathleen) Perhaps my English translation is misleading. I think the beginning of the translation should says "The origin of all music arises from the human heart." This original text from the "Book of Rites: Record of Music" defines "聲" (sound), "音" (musical tones), and (I didn't write this part out) "樂" (harmony or music in a broader sense), as in "To put together sounds and create music, and then with the accompaniment of shields, axes, feather banners, and pennons (along with dancing), this is called 'music' (樂)." "音" (musical tone) and "聲" (sound) are not the same. "The origin of all sound arises from Nature" likely refers to "聲" (sound). "音" (musical tone), on the other hand, comes into being after sounds resonate with each other, transforming and taking form, which then becomes "音." This form is created by human intention. That is how I understand it.
Kenneth J, DeWoskin's translation might be better. "Musical tones have their origins in the human mind."
Kathleen Su
Peiyou Chang ah if we are referring to music then yes it can be anthropocentric ….
The question in my mind is: how can music serve as a medium to connect humans with the cosmos? How do we know if we are truly connected or not? Sarah mentioned how her cat reacts to her qin playing. Dan also shared that while playing the shakuhachi, his cat reacted differently to his music depending on whether the note was correct or not, and Alex mentioned playing shakuhachi with a group and feeling the vibrations, even if he couldn't really hear the pitches.
My thinking is that sound vibrations and harmonics are natural phenomena, not man-made. They are always present; humans are not the creators but the perceivers. Only when we focus on them do we truly feel their presence. That is my guess about when we are connected to the cosmos.
Dan mentioned this book: Music, Cosmology, and the Politics of Harmony in Early China
Alex shared this link:
Tracy asked if we could create a group chat. Ralph mentioned using 'Discord,' so we might look into that. (To be honest, I feel like I’m getting older and don’t have the habit of checking my phone often, and I don’t have enough energy to keep up with technology. But I also don’t want to fall behind the times. So, we’ll see.)
