Origin

Xi’an Guyue traces its origins back to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, gained prominence during the Song Dynasty, thrived during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and reached its zenith during the Qing Dynasty. Its structure, music titles, musical instruments and music notation are all closely related to the daqu (grand songs) of the Tang Dynasty’s yanyue (imperial banquet music). Xi’an Guyue gradually spread to the folk during the An-Shi Rebellion and preserved via Taoist temples.

Development

Xi’an Guyue takes centre stage mainly during temple fairs and folk festivals like the praying for rain. Several folk Guyue societies in Xi’an have passed down this ancient music form through oral transmission, allowing this vibrant musical heritage to be further showcased.

Xi’an Guyue research experts were photographed in front of the Guyue Museum
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao, President of Du Chenghuang Miao Guyue Society (Xi’an), hereinafter referred to as “Mr. Zhang Zhao”)

Schools

Xi’an Guyue can be classified into the following three schools based on their performance styles:

Scores

The notation system used in Xi’an Guyue continues to rely on the semi-character score method inherited from the folk music of the Song Dynasty. The essence of music has been passed down and preserved through generations by word of mouth and by person-to-person. Various Xi’an Guyue societies still utilize ancient handwritten semi-character music scores and retain copies from the Ming Dynasty. The music titles continue to carry the historical legacy of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, bearing witness to the rich history of traditional Chinese music development.

A handwritten score of Xi’an Guyue
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Symbols	Meaning
	A strong beat.
	A weak beat.
	A prolonged musical note, the number of beats required will be indicated.
	A sign of ornamentation or decoration commonly seen for vocal and dizi.
	The start of a repeated section.
	To repeat from the beginning / To repeat from/until here.
	The end of a musical section.
	To stop.
	To proceed to the succeeding musical score.

Music notation symbols adopted by Du Chenghuang Miao Guyue Society

Musical Instruments

The musical instruments of Xi’an Guyue can be divided into two main categories: “melodic instruments” and “rhythmic instruments”. There are five types of melodic instruments, namely, the dizi (flute), the sheng (mouth organ), the guan (pipe), the fangxiazi (small gong chime) and the double yunluo (double large gong chime). There are over twenty types of rhythmic instruments.

Melodic instrument: Dizi
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Charming Steps

Performed by Du Chenghuang Miao Guyue Society, this work has a strong Taoist character and a range of variation techniques is used on the leading instrument dizi.
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Melodic instrument: Double yunluo
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Song of the Blue Sky

Performed by Du Chenghuang Miao Guyue Society, this work features the playing of the double yunluo (the leftmost instrument in the video), which was known in the Tang Dynasty as the yun’ao. After the Song Dynasty, the single-framed, double-sided gongs were redesigned to become the double-framed format as we see today. It is played by both hands.
(Source: Cultural Center of Guangming District (Shenzhen))

Rhythmic instrument: Danmiangu (single-sided drum)
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Rhythmic instrument: Zuotanggu (sitting drum)
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Double Yunluo Eight-Beat Sitting Music in Che Key (excerpt)

In Xi’an Guyue, rhythmic instruments are responsible for setting the tempo, building the atmosphere, alternating with the melodic instruments, giving cues between music sections, and leading the beginning and the ending of music. They are as important as the melodic instruments. The music in the video excerpt starts with a performance given by percussionists, featuring the zuotanggu as the lead drum.
(Source: Cultural Center of Guangming District (Shenzhen))

Rhythmic instrument: Jiaozi (cymbals)
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Rhythmic instrument: Mubang (wood block)
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Xi’an Guyue is a vibrant tradition celebrated during rural and temple fairs, typically held between summer and autumn each year. Regardless of their faction, performances come in two primary formats: “sitting music” and “processional music”.

Sitting Music

• Traditionally performed indoors, seated around a table, often seen in skill competitions, and showcasing more intricate and diverse techniques;
• The composition of a sitting music performance consists of three parts: tou (head), shen (body) and wei (tail). Folk artists fondly refer to this structure as chuanxue daimao (with hat and boots on);
• A wide range of percussion instruments are used, including: drums (sitting drum, war drum, music drum, individual drum, etc) and a variety sizes and types of cymbals, gongs and wood blocks, etc;
• Sitting music can be sub-categorized into two types: “eight-beat sitting music suite” is so named as an “eight-beat drum section” is performed in the first three passages of tou; while “sitting music of Secular school” often uses large-sized percussion instruments to produce awe-inspiring sounds and robust moods.

Sitting music
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Sitting Music

The sitting music in the video consisting of several set tunes of the Secular school was performed by the East Village Ensemble of Nanjixian Guyue Society. The music of the Secular school is distinguished by its joyful and light-hearted sounds.
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Processional Music

• Designed for outdoor parades and large gatherings at temple fairs;
• More straightforward than sitting music, primarily focusing on melody, while rhythmic instruments serve as accompaniments;
• Processional music can be sub-categorized into two types: one with music that is elegant and steady in speed; the other tends to be short and has more lyrical appeal with a cheerful mood.

Processional music
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Processional Music

The processional music in the video was soothing and slow in speed. It was performed by Du Chenghuang Miao Guyue Society at the Tang Paradise (a national tourist attraction of China). The Taoist school is distinguished by its airy and elegant sounds.
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

Traditionally after the wheat harvest in the sixth lunar month each year, Xi’an Guyue performances are staged at various temple fairs and celebratory events. In particular, the famous chaoxiang jinxiang (pilgrimages to present incense to gods) plays an important role in the heritage transmission of Xi’an Guyue. Chaoxiang jinxiang is not only a large-scale religious event, but also a feast of folk music. It expresses the people’s longing for happiness and carries good wishes for peace and prosperity.

Today, significant changes have occurred for Xi’an Guyue’s performance venues and formats. The religious activity has been transformed into a stage performance. Highly regarded by the government and relevant organizations, Xi’an Guyue regularly participates in different kinds of celebrations and events. The aesthetic value has been enhanced by the modernization of costumes and props.

Sixteen Beats

This staged performance of processional music was jointly performed by Du Chenghuang Miao Guyue Society and the East Village Ensemble of Nanjixian Guyue Society. The extensive use of colourful commanding flags and banners made the performance impressive.
(Source: Cultural Center of Guangming District (Shenzhen))

Passing On the Culture

• Currently, Xi’an has only thirteen folk Guyue societies, not more than ten research experts, and four national exponents of intangible cultural heritage (Zhao Gengchen, Gu Jingzhao, Tian Zhonghe, He Zhongxin);
• Although nearly 200 compositions have been successfully translated from over 1,000 ancient tunes, none of the Guyue societies can perform more than 50 tunes;
• The current development units of Xi’an Guyue mainly consist of two types: community groups and faculty research. There are six community groups that have maintained traditional Guyue activities for over a century, while faculty research focuses more on music history research and arrangement of performances by student groups;
• The protection of Xi’an Guyue still requires robust support from all sectors of society.

Drum Performance by Maestro Gu Jingzhao

Maestro Gu Jingzhao (b. 1946) is a national exponent of intangible cultural heritage on Xi’an Guyue. He is also President of the East Village Ensemble of Nanjixian Guyue Society. The video features the breathtaking performance of Maestro Gu (the middle player in the video).
(Source: Cultural Center of Guangming District (Shenzhen))

Performance in the community
(Source: Mr. Zhang Zhao)

School Education

Given the support and encouragement of the government, recently, traditional music societies have organized many school activities including school concerts to promote Xi’an Guyue among young people. Inheritors of Xi’an Guyue are invited to give student lectures on basic knowledge and playing techniques of Guyue. Youth Guyue groups are formed on this basis. Some of the promotion activities have also been conducted overseas.

Xi’an Guyue dates back to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and has been passed down through the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the one of the most valuable artistic legacies of ancient Chinese music. It embodies the elegance of court music as well as the richness and grandeur of Tang and Song music. The preservation and transmission of Xi’an Guyue is extremely valuable in the study of Chinese and even world music cultures.