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Chapter 345: Music Master Li Guinian

During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, there lived such a strange man.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang accompanied him and Yang Guifei danced for him.

Wang Wei wrote poems for him in Jiangbei, Du Fu wrote poems for him in Jiangnan, and Li Bai wrote lyrics for him in Chang'an.

In the Tang Dynasty at that time, it seemed that no one was more noble than these five people.

He enjoyed such glory, he was Li Guinian, the music saint of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Bai's clouds look like clothes and flowers look like beauty, the spring breeze blows on the threshold and the dew is gorgeous.

Du Fu's poem is about the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan, and I meet you again in the season of falling flowers.

Wang Wei's red beans grow in the south, and sprout in spring. I hope you can pick more, as this is the most nostalgic thing.

The immortal lines of the three great masters of poetry were all written to Li Guinian. What an honor it is.

Unfortunately, the Anshi Rebellion broke Li Guinian's life trajectory and disrupted the development trajectory of the Tang Dynasty.

"Li Guinian lived during the Tianbao period, when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was in power."

"The great Tang Dynasty is full of peace and prosperity, with music and dance day and night."

"The Tianbao period was a prosperous time, and Li Guinian, as a talented musician, was naturally highly sought after."

"Tang Xuanzong, who loved music, formed a royal music group in the palace and called it the Emperor's Pear Garden Disciples."

"Since then, the sound of stringed instruments and bamboo instruments has often been heard in the palace, and the magnificent music bears witness to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty."

"Among these Liyuan disciples, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang selected some of the best players, and Li Guinian was one of them."

"Some of these carefully selected Liyuan disciples are good at playing musical instruments, some are excellent at singing and dancing, in short, everyone has a special skill."

"But only Li Guinian is not only good at singing, but also can play various instruments and compose music. He can be said to be a musical all-rounder."

"Li Gui's extraordinary achievements in music made him famous all over the world easily."

"The people of the Tang Dynasty were relatively open-minded, so musicians like Li Guinian, who had extraordinary musical attainments, were naturally sought after wherever they went."

"People from all walks of life in the Tang Dynasty vied to make friends with Li Guinian. Even the King of Qi, who was a member of the royal family, was no exception and often invited Li Guinian to his home as a guest."

"In order to show courtesy, when King Qi invited Li Guinian to his home for the first time, he specially arranged a singing and dancing performance to show the solemnity."

"But Li Guinian was a music lover. As soon as the musicians played the music behind the curtain, Li Guinian could immediately tell that it was the slow movement of Qinyin."

"After a while, the music suddenly changed, and Li Guinian could accurately recognize it as Chu Yin's Liushuiban."

"King Qi nodded repeatedly, and he was full of admiration for Li Guinian's musical attainments."

"After the performance, King Qi specially gave Li Guinian silk and satin."

"But Li Guinian was still immersed in the music and didn't even glance at these precious silk fabrics."

"Although Li Guinian didn't care much, King Qi was not angry at all. Instead, he admired Li Guinian even more."

"Suddenly, Li Guinian walked directly behind the scenes, snatched the musician's pipa, and started playing it on his own."

"The beautiful music makes even the best musicians in Prince Qi's palace feel inferior to it."

"When the song ended, Li Guinian walked away. The King of Qi, who understood music, smiled and watched him go away."

"After that, Li Guinian, who loved music to the point of being arrogant, became a frequent visitor to Prince Qi's mansion."

"Not only did the princes and nobles admire Li Guinian, but even Emperor Xuanzong of Tang liked him very much."

"As a disciple of the Pear Garden, Li Guinian was favored by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang for many years, and his relationship with Emperor Xuanzong was unmatched by ordinary people."

"It is well known that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang favored Li Guinian. Although the Tang Dynasty was open, the status of musicians was still relatively low."

"But Li Guinian's status is very high. His mansion is extremely luxurious, and the design is beyond the capability of someone of his status to build it."

“It’s comparable to the palaces of princes and nobles, or even better.”

"But Li Guinian is not a fool who only knows how to flatter others. He is a musician with real talent."

Su Shi: The great and famous poet Wang Wei was able to write poems and essays with sincere emotions for Li Guinian, which shows that he cherished his friend Li Guinian very much.

Wang Wei, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, was a man of brilliant literary talent. He was good at writing pentasyllabic poems, many of which were about mountains, rivers and countryside.

When the young Wang Wei first arrived in Chang'an, his outstanding talent attracted the attention of aristocratic families, who often invited him to their homes to attend parties. Prince Qi was one of the princes who admired Wang Wei the most.

King Qi was fond of music and was in charge of the ritual and music department in the palace.

Among the many musicians, there was a very outstanding one, Li Guinian.

So in Prince Qi's mansion, the young Wang Wei met Li Guinian, and the two formed a deep friendship.

Wang Wei wrote a widely circulated masterpiece as a gift to Li Guinian, which is the famous "Lovesickness", also known as "Presented to Li Guinian on the River".

As soon as "Lovesickness" appeared, it was loved by musicians in the palace and was widely sung.

Red beans grow in the south, how many branches will bloom in spring?
May Jun pick more, this thing is the most acacia.

This is a poem about objects. Wang Wei expresses his longing for Li Guinian by chanting red beans.

In Tang poetry, red beans are often associated with lovesickness, and lovesickness is not limited to love between men and women, but also includes friendship between friends.

Red beans grow in the south. Red beans are a plant that grows in the south.

Legend has it that a man was conscripted into the army. Later, all the people who were conscripted with him returned to their hometowns, except this man.

The man's wife cried under the tree and eventually died under the tree and turned into red beans.

The red beans in Wang Wei's poem represent his longing for his friend Li Guinian.

How many new branches will sprout in spring? Wang Wei asked a question: How many new branches will the acacia beans sprout in spring?
I think that since plants grow vigorously in spring, red beans will surely grow many branches and twigs.

When the fruits are ready, I hope my friends can pick more, because red beans best represent lovesickness.

These words sound very much like Wang Wei's advice to Li Guinian, hoping that Li Guinian would not forget him.

I hope you can pick more of them. The red beans, which symbolize lovesickness, represent the long-lasting friendship between two people and are unforgettable.

Wang Wei and Li Guinian were both skilled musicians at the time, and they admired each other more.

It was a kind of luck for Wang Wei to meet Li Guinian, so he cherished this friendship very much. I think Li Guinian also cherished his friend Wang Wei very much.

The Anshi Rebellion marked the decline of the Tang Dynasty. The society was in turmoil, people were displaced and their lives were miserable.

Perhaps it is because they are both rare talented men and beautiful women who are attracted to and appreciate each other.

Perhaps it was because they were in the midst of a transition from national strength to decline. In such an era, they first witnessed prosperity and then suffered hardships.

Therefore, they cherished their friendship even more, and the great poet Wang Wei left behind classic Tang poems that will last forever.

"If the performance in Prince Qi's palace was a small test of Li Guinian's talent, then the flower-viewing party held by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was a perfect display of Li Guinian's musical talent."

"Emperor Xuanzong of Tang once held a flower-viewing banquet with Concubine Yang at the Chenxiang Pavilion in Xingqing Palace."

"It was a beautiful day, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was so excited that he ordered Li Guinian to come and sing to liven up the atmosphere."

"After Li Guinian arrived on orders, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang felt that he should not use the existing songs for his concubines when enjoying the famous flowers today."

"So Emperor Xuanzong ordered Li Bai to write a poem called 'Qingping Diao' on the spot, and then asked Li Guinian to improvise a song based on Li Bai's new poem."

"Li Guinian immediately demonstrated his strong creative talent, condensing the essence of Li Bai's poems and composing the Qingping Qu."

"After the music was finished, Li Guinian sang the new song loudly."

"Tang Xuanzong played the jade flute to compose a splendid piece of music."

"Li Guinian was famous for his impromptu composition at the flower viewing party, but his musical talent is actually far more than that."

"In 745 AD, Li Guinian was ordered to compose music for the lychees that were presented as tribute from Zhongzhou."

"After the song was written, the title could not be decided."

"Just at that time, the lychees were delivered, and the moment I opened the box, the aroma of the fruit filled the air."

"Li Guinian suddenly had an idea and named the piece "Lychee Fragrance."

"Then he sang it and it was highly praised by Concubine Yang."

"It is worth mentioning that Li Guinian's singing method is also unique in music history."

"Li Guinian's singing voice was passionate, and his best song was "The Qin King's Battle Song."

"Therefore, later generations called Li Guinian's singing style Qinwangqiang, or Qinqiang for short."

"With the development of music, Qinqiang has gradually become a distinctive singing style in the Guanzhong region."

"In general, Li Guinian is still the founder of the ancient art of Qinqiang."

"Li Guinian is famous in the music world for his Litchi Fragrance and Qinqiang singing style, but what really reflects Li Guinian's creative ability is his Weichuan Qu, which he composed for the large-scale song and dance show Colorful Skirt and Feathered Coat."

"Weichuan Qu is a brand new piece of music that Li Guinian has integrated with Qin and Han tunes based on Northwest folk music."

"Once it was released, the song became popular all over the world and became a popular song during the Tang and Song dynasties." "The successful creation of "Weichuan Qu" brought Li Guinian countless fans, including the music lover Emperor Xuanzong of Tang."

"Tang Xuanzong was a master of drumming, and Li Guinian's drumming skills also happened to be outstanding."

"So Emperor Xuanzong asked Li Guinian how many drumsticks he had worn out during practice, and Li Guinian replied that he had worn out fifty."

"When Emperor Xuanzong heard this, he immediately said proudly that he had worn out three cabinets of drumsticks from practicing drumming."

"At this moment, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is no longer a high and mighty monarch."

"Instead, he transformed himself into a musical confidant of Li Guinian, and they talked about a long and lasting song."

"Li Guinian has always kept the friendship of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in his heart."

Ouyang Xiu: Li Bai wrote the lyrics, Xuanzong played the accompaniment, and the imperial concubine danced. This was the most glorious moment in Li Guinian's life.

During the Kaiyuan period, peonies were highly valued in the imperial palace.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang obtained four varieties at that time: red, purple, light red and pure white.

At that time, these peonies were planted next to Yang Guifei's Chenxiang Pavilion, and it was the season when peonies were in full bloom.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang rode a white BMW, followed by Yang Guifei, and went to the Chenxiang Pavilion to admire the peonies.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was admiring the beauty Yang Yuhuan while admiring the blooming peonies.

Accompanied by beautiful music, Li Guinian's singing of wonderful music could be heard from time to time around.

At this time, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who had some knowledge of music, felt that although Li Guinian sang well, the lyrics were a bit old-fashioned and lacked novelty.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang remembered Li Bai who had just arrived at the court, so he sent someone to find Li Bai and asked Li Bai to write new lyrics for Li Guinian.

At this time, Li Bai was drinking alone, and as usual, he got drunk again.

Soon the drunk Li Bai came to the Chenxiang Pavilion. As a great poet who could not enjoy life without wine, Li Bai was inspired to write poetry after drinking.

Li Bai said frankly that it was inconvenient to sit down with his boots on, so Gao Lishi was ordered by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to help Li Bai take off his boots.

The first two lines of this poem, which Li Bai wrote for Yang Guifei after he was drunk, have become famous lines through the ages.

Yun Xiang's clothes are beautiful and beautiful, and the spring breeze is blowing.

Yang Yuhuan is compared to the peony, the king of flowers. When I see clouds, I think of your beautiful clothes, and when I see famous flowers, I think of the imperial concubine's face.

This poem by Li Bai blends flowers and people together.

Li Bai's superb artistic skills can be seen in his description of the scene in which objects and people are one.

After Li Bai finished writing, Li Guinian immediately presented it to the emperor.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang immediately ordered the disciples of the Pear Garden to play accompaniment and let Li Guinian start singing.

Later, when the song reached its climax, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang personally played the jade flute to accompany Li Guinian.

Every time he finished playing a piece of music and was about to change to a new one, he would deliberately drag out the flute sound to please Yang Guifei.

Later, Li Guinian often told other people about this incident. After all, no one had ever won such a high reputation by singing.

"Before the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, Li Guinian was acutely aware that An Lushan had ulterior motives, but he was unable to advise him due to his low status as a musician."

"So Li Guinian had no choice but to imitate the tone and demeanor of An Lushan and Li Linfu in front of Emperor Xuanzong, hoping to warn Emperor Xuanzong."

"It's a pity that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did not understand Li Guinian's intention and just laughed at his performance."

"No flower lasts forever, and prosperity will eventually fade. The comfortable life made Emperor Xuanzong of Tang die in peace."

"Not long after, the drums of Yuyang shook the earth, and the colorful clothes and feathered robes were broken, and the Anshi Rebellion broke out."

"After the war broke out, the rebels marched straight to Chang'an, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had no choice but to flee to Sichuan."

"Those musicians who composed music could only go their separate ways, and Li Guinian was no exception. This marked the beginning of his wandering second half of life."

"Li Guinian fled to Jiangnan to escape the war and was extremely destitute."

"Here he met Du Fu, who was also fleeing from the war. The two hit it off immediately, and Du Fu wrote the poem 'Meeting Li Guinian in Jiangnan' for Li Guinian."

"I imagine that Li Bai and Du Fu at that time would exchange poems for wine and talk about the prosperous Chang'an of the past."

"After a quick meeting, Du Fu left on a boat, but he died of illness on the boat."

"Meeting Li Guinian in Jiangnan" became Du Fu's last poem that survived."

"The country was destroyed, the friends were gone, and everything changed in the blink of an eye."

"The only thing that remains unchanged is Li Guinian's love for music."

"Li Guinian, who was stranded in the south of the Yangtze River, could only sing for a living, and he often sang a few songs in beautiful scenery."

"Although I used to sing for money, my current situation is different after all."

"The difference is that the performance that made Emperor Xuanzong laugh back then has now moved the audience to tears."

"Later, Li Guinian traveled to Hunan and met Emperor Xuanzong of Tang again."

"But by this time, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had lost the throne and was already in his twilight years."

"As time went by, Li Guinian suddenly collapsed and lost all life while singing Wang Wei's 'Song of Yichuan'."

"His wife refused to bury him, believing he was not dead, and she kept him vigil for four days."

"Four days later, Li Guinian gradually regained consciousness."

"After waking up, Li Guinian still did not forget music. He told his family that he dreamed of teaching others to sing."

"Not long after this, Li Guinian passed away, leaving behind only a legend of a music saint, which is constantly sung in the mist of history."

"Li Guinian's life was full of joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, mainly due to the times."

"His joy was created by the times, and his sorrow was also created by the times. After all, it is always difficult to have both in this world."

Wang Anshi: Du Fu's "Meeting Li Guinian in Jiangnan" can be regarded as the most beautiful reunion in history.

It is common in Qi Wang's house, and Cui Jiutang heard it several times before.

that was nice scenery at Jiang Nan, met you again in autumn.

These four short sentences describe the prosperity and splendor of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, as well as its decline.

Two old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time met again during the falling flower season.

At the peak moment of Li Guinian's life, Li Bai wrote the lyrics, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang played the accompaniment, and Yang Guifei danced.

It can be said that that period was not only the glorious period of the Tang Dynasty, but also the peak period of Li Guinian’s life.

While winning honor and applause, Li Guinian also gained huge wealth.

As a result, Li Guinian's mansion in Luoyang, in terms of scale and luxury, can even be compared with the residences of kings, princes and generals.

In Luoyang City at that time, there were two heavyweight figures living there, they were King Qi and Cui Jiu.

Although Du Fu was still very young at that time, his talent had already been known throughout the world, so he was fortunate enough to become a guest of honor of King Qi and Cui Jiu.

King Qi and Cui Jiu would often invite Li Guinian to their homes for banquets and singing, so Du Fu had the opportunity to see Li Guinian's elegance in King Qi's house and in front of Cui Jiu's hall.

Time flies and things change.

Decades later, when Du Fu wrote the sentence "I often saw it in Qi Wang's house, and heard it several times in Cui Jiu's hall",

Li Guinian, who was once at the peak of his career, and Du Fu, who was full of vigor and vitality, have both gone from being guests of honor among kings and princes to being wanderers in the world.

After the Anshi Rebellion, Du Fu wandered for a long time.

Most of the time they have to live under other people's roofs and barely get by in hardship.

Li Guinian also had the same experience.

After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, Li Guinian had to flee south to escape disaster.

During the war, no one paid attention to Li Guinian anymore.

Everyone was busy with their own business and no one was willing to pay Li Guinian to sing and compose music.

Having lost his source of income, Li Guinian had no choice but to run around like millions of ordinary refugees, just to escape to a safer place.

Du Fu, who drifted to Changsha by boat, stopped at the shore and wandered aimlessly in the city.

Suddenly, I heard the familiar singing and music again, and the sound seemed to have come from the residence of King Qi in Luoyang City forty years ago.

Du Fu looked in the direction of the voice and saw a strange yet familiar figure.

The aging Li Guinian, in ragged clothes, sat in a shabby tavern, singing to himself the music that only kings, princes, generals and ministers could hear in those days.

During this chance encounter in the south of the Yangtze River, the two hit it off immediately, and Du Fu also wrote a famous poem for Li Guinian.

(End of this chapter)