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Classic music composed by Confucius

Confucius is the most important founder of the entire Chinese traditional culture. Among his extensive and profound thoughts, although not many thoughts on the Tao and qin studies have been recorded, they are all classics. Whether it is his understanding of the Tao of the piano or his personal stories of practicing the piano and composing music, they are important resources in Chinese piano theory.

The Analects and other Confucian classics record many of Confucius’ thoughts on music and his music practice stories. Aiming at the Tao, relying on virtue, relying on benevolence, and enjoying art ("The Analects of Confucius") are Confucius' ideals and principles of life. He thrives in poetry, establishes himself in etiquette, and succeeds in music ("The Analects of Confucius"). It is the only way for a gentleman to achieve this ideal state of life. Based on this idea, Confucius loved rituals, music, poetry, and books throughout his life, and compiled the Six Classics. He not only used it to achieve his own life, but also used it to educate his disciples. At the same time, he also hoped to gain the understanding of the king and use it to learn from it. Educate the people and achieve an ideal society.

"Historical Records of the Confucius Family" records the story of Confucius editing the "Book of Songs" and turning it into a Qin song: the ancients had more than 3,000 poems. The Qi Houji describes the prosperity of the Yin and Zhou dynasties, ending with the decline of Youli, starting from the Feng Xi. Therefore, it is said that the chaos of "Guanyong" begins with "Feng", "Lu Ming" begins with "Xiaoya", and "King Wen" begins with "Daya" begins, "Qingmiao" begins with "Song". The three hundred and five chapters are all composed by Confucius in order to harmonize with the sounds of "Shao", "Wu", "Ya" and "Song". From now on, rituals and music can be described in order to prepare for the king's way and become the six arts. Confucius's great wish was to educate his people and advocate the royal way through the rites and music education that complemented each other through poetry, etiquette, and music.

Confucius advocated and promoted the Confucian etiquette and music culture. He himself was a great musician, music educator, composer, and piano player. According to "Huainanzi Zhushu Tu", Confucius learned the qin from Xiang Xiang, and he was able to understand the music, theory and qin from the beginning, to the meaning, the person, and the type. This is a model that will last forever in the history of qin.

Confucius not only learned the qin, but also composed many qin music. According to relatively reliable historical records such as Sima Qian's "Historical Records" and Cai Yong's "Qin Cao", Confucius composed "Yilan Cao" (1 It is called "Youlan Cao"), "Jianggui Cao" (also known as "Zou Cao"), "Guishan Cao", "Huolin Cao", "Confucius'e" and other qin music.

1. "Yi Lan Cao": Orchid should be fragrant for the king

"Yi Lan Cao" is the most popular among the qin songs created by Confucius (most of the qin songs created by Confucius are qin songs) Famous, it is the expression of Confucius' mind and sentiment, so it has been passed down through the ages and is loved by literati and officials. Cai Yong's "Qin Cao" of the Han Dynasty has detailed explanations of several qin music said to be composed by Confucius. Regarding "Yilan Cao", he said:

"Yilan Cao" was composed by Confucius. Confucius hired princes successively, but none of the princes were qualified. Self-defense against Lu, when passing through a hidden valley, I saw a luxuriant orchid growing alone. I sighed and said: The orchid was supposed to be the king's fragrance, but now it is alone and luxuriant. It is among the other grasses. It is like a wise man who is not in the right time and is in the same relationship with a humble husband. also. It is the cloud that stops the car and supports the music and drums: Xixi the valley wind, the clouds and the rain. The son returned home and was sent far away into the wild. Where is the sky, there is no place for it. You must be in a free state, with no fixed place. The world is secretive and does not know the sage. As the years pass by, the whole body will become old. He hurt himself at the wrong time, so he excused himself to Xiang Lanyun.

Confucius, who had lofty ambitions and ambitions, led his disciples to travel around the world for fourteen years in his later years, but he never met the King of Bole. Even when he was trapped in the two countries of Chen and Cai, with no food in the barren mountains and ridges, he still continued to recite stringed songs. In his twilight years, Confucius was still diligently studying the theory of Qin. On the way back to Lu from self-defense, I saw orchids and weeds growing together in the valley, just like a gentleman in troubled times. He has good moral character and talents, but he was born at the wrong time. He sighed in his heart, stopped to pick up his harp, and played and sang "Yi". Lan Cao". Therefore, this exercise can be said to be the expression of Confucius's mood for many years, and it is also the heart song of the depressed intellectuals throughout the feudal era. After Confucius became a saint, he was respected by the rulers of subsequent generations. This music also received great attention and became the basis for virtuous kings and virtuous subordinates. For example, Li Shimin and Shangguan Yi, the wise emperors and ministers of the early Tang Dynasty, both chanted orchids and stated their aspirations with this purpose. Li Shimin's poem "Fragrant Orchid" says: The spring light blooms in the asters, and the beautiful orchids bloom in the beautiful scenery. The courtyard is light-colored, and the dew is shining.

The sun is shining with varying shadows, and the wind spreads light and heavy fragrance. It will be necessary for a gentleman to break it, and Perry will make it fragrant. Shangguan Yi's "Fake Orchid Poems" says: Although the sun and moon do not shine, the fragrance must be abundant. There is resentment in the quiet place, and there is no way to chase the distant wind. Both the monarch and his ministers felt deeply about Youlan's gentleman's resentment. For another example, Volume 59 of "Records of Ming Dynasty and Records of Xuanzong" records: (Bingxu, October 4th, the fourth year of Xuande), the emperor issued "Yilan Cao" and gave it to the ministers. The preface says: In the past, Confucius defended himself and returned to Lu. He lived in seclusion in a valley. He saw luxuriant orchids and was among the grass. He hurt himself at the wrong time, so he was asked to do this. I am thinking that there are some talented people in the field who have not yet emerged, so I also plan to do it. His poem says: Orchids grow in deep valleys, and they are fragrant. A wise man is in the wild, and his path is bright. The orchid is luxuriant, surrounded by grasses. If there is a virtuous person, please help me. He also ordered: Recommending virtuous people to serve the country is the way of ministers. Your Majesty, please follow my wishes.

Most of this music is divided into 11 sections. Ming Dynasty Xie Lin's "Taikou Yiyin", Wang Zhi's "Xilutang Qin Tradition", Yang Biaozheng's "Reconstruction of Zhenzhuan Qin Score", Zhang Tingyu's "Rational Yuanya" Remember the subtitles and lyrics separately, each one is different. Most of the lyrics were originally recorded by Confucius in historical materials, and were filled in by later generations. Taking the "Re-repair of Zhenzhuan Qinpu" as an example, it is divided into 11 sections: Fragrance of Nine Banners, Beautiful Quality of the Universe, National Fragrance and People's Wear, Grasses and Grasses, Dew in the Deep Forest, Fragrance of the Valley, Business of Xieting, and Fragrance of Chu. Spirituality, holding things up as metaphors for people, playing the piano to record events, and philosophers imitating exercises. It can be seen from this that the elegance of this song is unparalleled. Although Confucius devoted his life to saving the world, the character of Orchid sung in "Yilan Cao" is transcendent and refined.

2. "Jianggui Cao" and "Guishan Cao": He will return to Guishan at the wrong time

It is different from "Yilan Cao" which expresses his feelings and aspirations. However, the remaining qin songs and qin music were all composed by Confucius out of concern for current affairs and sadness for mediocrity. They are both full of the Confucian spirit of mission to benefit the world, and also imply the rich world of Confucian benevolence and mediocrity. For example, "Jianggui Cao" and "Guishan Cao" are also recorded in detail in Cai Yong's "Qin Cao". Let’s first look at “Jiang Gui Cao”:

“Jiang Gui Cao” was written by Confucius. Zhao Jianzi held a jade silk to hire Confucius. Confucius was about to go, but before he arrived, he crossed the Dishui River. When he heard that Zhao had killed his wise official Dou Mingdu, he sighed and said: The reason why Zhao ruled was because of Mingdu's power. If you kill the screeching calf and recruit the rest, where will you go? If you burn the forest and fill the fields, the unicorn will not come; if the nest is overturned and the eggs are broken, the phoenix will not fly. Birds and beasts are still evil and hurt human beings, but how about gentlemen? So I played the harp and drums and said: Soar over the guard and return to my old home; follow my own preferences, and the joy will only last.

From the story told in "Jiang Gui Cao", we can see another side of Confucius' personality, that is, when he did not meet the truly wise king in his mind, he would rather follow my own preferences. He only wants to be happy, not just trying to achieve his grand ideal of governing the country and bringing peace to the country. Han Yu's poem for "General Return to Cao" praises this kind of character of the sage Confucius: Confucius went to Zhao, and when he heard about it, he killed the calf. When Zhao killed Mingdu, Confucius came to the river. He sighed and composed a song, saying: The autumn water is filled with wind and waves, and the boats are turned upside down, even more, and Hu Weisi is coming back. The autumn water is flowing, its color is faint; I will help it, but there is no reason for it. When I wade in the shallows, rocks bite my feet; when I wade in the deep, dragons enter my boat. I am sorry but I will return to you safely. Come home, come home, no fight with stones, no answer to dragon's request. The key to Cai Yong's sighs and Han Yu's sighs and songs is the word sigh, which depicts the sadness and helplessness of Confucius. He was born in troubled times and had no wealth of knowledge and grand ideals. He saw talented people being killed and put himself in his shoes to lament his own life. , can only relieve inner sadness through string songs. We know that ancient and modern Qin music can be mainly divided into four categories: Chang, Cao, Yin and Nong. Huan Tan's "New Theory of Qin Dao" summarizes the characteristics of these types of Qin music, especially the Cao music that has been handed down the most since ancient times: Husband's Encounter At the same time, if you are poor, you can only take good care of yourself without losing your skills, so it is called Qiao. Use the sound of wild geese. Da Ze is good at the same time and everything in the world is smooth, so it is called smooth. "Yao Chang" Sutra does not exist. According to "Shun Cao", in the past, Yu and Shun had far-reaching saintly virtues and ascended to the throne of emperor. They mourned for their relatives, but the position of the mighty God could not be guaranteed. He played the piano with help, and his voice was clear and faint. According to "Yu Cao", in the past summer, floods flooded Xiangling and sunk the mountains. Yu assisted in playing the qin. His voice was clear and overflowing, gurgling, aiming at the deep river. "Wei Zi Cao", Wei Zi injured Yin and was about to die, and finally had no choice but to see the swan flying high, and assisted the piano to play, and its sound was clear and pure.

According to "Wen Wang Cao", during the reign of King Wen, there was no justice, rotten gold was the grid, overflowing wine was the pool, the palaces were killing each other, bones and flesh were turned into mud, the rooms were beautiful and the terraces were beautiful, clouds were covering the wind, bells were ringing with thunder, and the heaven and earth were moving rapidly. , King Wen bowed and was punished by the law, he practiced benevolence and righteousness, and assisted in playing the piano. Therefore, his sound disturbed the merchants, and his horns shook the merchants. "Bo Yi Cao" and "Jizi Cao" have pure and exciting sounds. It can be seen that since the beginning of Qin music, Cao Cao has always been a kind of sad and tragic Qin music. The music related to Confucius is all about Cao, which just shows that Confucius was good at himself without losing his character of Cao.

"Zou Cao" recorded in "Historical Records of the Confucius Family" is another title of "Jiang Gui Cao". "The Family of Confucius" first explains that Zouyi is the hometown of Confucius. Confucius was born in Zouyi, Luchangping Township, and then writes:

Confucius cannot be used for defense, so he will see Zhao Jianzi in the west. As for the river, I heard about the deaths of Dou Mingdu and Shun Hua. When I came to the river, I sighed and said: "The water is beautiful, it's so vast! If the hills don't help, it's my fate!" Zigong approached and said, "I dare to ask what it means?" Confucius said: "Dou" Mingdu and Shunhua were also virtuous officials of the Jin Dynasty. When Zhao Jianzi did not succeed in his ambition, it was necessary for these two people to enter politics; and when Zhao Jianzi had achieved his ambition, he had to kill them to join politics. Qiu heard that if the fetuses are removed and the babies are killed, the unicorn will not reach the suburbs; if the lake is dry and the fishing is dry, the dragon will not be in harmony with the yin and yang; if the nest is overturned and the eggs are destroyed, the phoenix will not be able to fly. Why? A gentleman avoids harming others. Birds and beasts still know how to ward off injustice, and what's more, Qiuzai! They returned to Zou Township and mourned it as "Zou Cao". Instead, Wei Wei took over Zang Boyu's family.

Wang Ling, a talented but short-lived poet in the Song Dynasty, once wrote a poem called "Zou Cao" on the piano: I am traveling to visit the world, but I will never return home. People will abandon me and not follow them, but I can still favor others and follow them. What I heard in the past was true, but now I see that it is not true. Sorry, if human beings are so different, how can they do anything about it? This is the case for everyone in the world. Who should I follow if I go here? Belief is also the fate of the husband, and he is stubborn and doubtful. Wang Ling stayed out of office all his life, teaching students and traveling between Guazhou, Tianchang, Gaoyou, Runzhou, Jiangyin and other places. Although he passed away at the age of twenty-eight, he left 30 volumes of "Guangling Collection" (including 18 volumes of more than 500 poems). ), Confucius's lament that he was about to return without ambition, that people would abandon me but not follow them, and that I would be willing to favor others and follow them, are all clearly revealed in the poem. He is also a person who knows how to play the qin. There is a short rhyme line in the poem "The Feelings of the Spring Snow Presented to Uncle Wang Zheng to Embroider the Hui Zhi", which include the poem "Ping Jun" attached to the qin. In addition, he also has "Two Poems on the Qin". One is about where to find the ancient wind, and "South Wind" has a deep meaning. I heard that the five strings were not broken, and I wanted to borrow the harp from someone else. I said that I would not just play in the quiet time, but I would like to return it in pursuit of the ancient style. How can we explain our people's confusion? They don't dare to play "South Wind" after learning it. The love for the piano and dissatisfaction with current affairs in the poem also coincide with the meaning of "Zou Cao". Therefore, "General Return" is a Qin music that has been loved by future generations of intellectuals who did not appreciate their talents since Confucius.

Looking at "Guishan Cao" again, Cai Yong wrote this:

"Guishan Cao" was written by Confucius. The people of Qi gave music to girls, and Huanzi of Ji accepted it, but Jun of Lu closed his doors and refused to listen to the court. At this time, the Ji family was in dictatorship, tyrannizing the emperor at the top, and the officials at the bottom, expelling the sages and slandering the whole dynasty. Confucius wanted to remonstrate but could not get it, so he retreated and looked at Lu. Lu was covered by a turtle mountain. The Ji family was established in Guishan, and the power was located in Xuke; the Ji family's dictatorship was like a turtle shielding Lu. The Ling Chi harmed the political integrity, and the Min people were unable to find their place. They wanted to kill the Ji family, but they were unable to do so. So he played the harp and sang: "My desire is Lu, and the turtles and mountains hide it." If you don’t have an ax in your hand, what’s the point of Guishan?

The story of "Guishan Cao" shows Confucius’s attitude towards the tyranny of the time as a gentleman with a benevolent heart. Unable to find the right place, he wanted to kill the Ji family, but was unable to do so. In such an environment, he could only use the music of the piano to relieve the injustice in his heart. This story is about what happened in the 14th year of Lu Dinggong (496 BC) when Confucius was appointed as the chief military officer of the Lu state. At that time, Confucius was 56 years old. He was in the prime of life. It was a rare moment of success in his life. He took charge of affairs and promoted the great prosperity of the state of Lu. However, the result was that the state of Qi was worried about it. The king of Qi sent 80 beauties to the king of Lu, and the king of Lu accepted them. As a result, he indulged in sensual women's music and neglected political affairs, which resulted in the dictatorship of the Ji family. He tyrannized the emperor at the top and the officials at the bottom, expelled the sages and slandered the whole dynasty. Confucius was deeply worried about this, and had no way to dissuade him. He could only sing while looking at the Guishan Mountain, singing with his harp, and sighed sadly: My desire is Lu, and the Guishan Mountain hides it.

Without an axe, what is the turtle mountain? Confucius was full of love for his homeland and hoped that he could help the king make it prosperous. However, he also suffered setbacks, which made him sadder than encountering obstacles in other countries. Han Yu's lyrics for this operation are also full of this kind of worry and anger: The atmosphere of the tortoise is wet, and there can be no clouds and rain. The tortoise is like a thorn, but it doesn't hit the beam. The tortoise is so big that it can only be found in Amulu. I know that the general is dead, so I don't have any left to mourn. The Duke of Zhou is haunted by ghosts, and I return to assist him. Cao Xun of the Song Dynasty also wrote a poem "Guishan Cao": The flowers of the turtle are luxuriant, the clouds of the turtle are falling, and the rest of the journey is delayed. Turtles are like turtles, Lu is relying on them. Bandits and bandits are in danger, and they are supported and supported. The rest of my journey is filled with sadness. As a high-ranking official who was born with the same Jinshi background and knew how to play the piano, Cao Xun also had a true understanding of Confucius.