Dizi & Xiao - Stories and History

[hengdi]

您们好！Greetings everyone! I am new to this forum (as a member) although I have been following you all and your discussions for quite awhile. I finally decided to join in this great, supportive community.

For me, knowing the significance of an instrument is just as important as playing it.   

I have always been fascinated with stories behind the force of music, and behind the instruments themselves in these deep cultures, and was wondering if any of you know more about it. I have come to know that the two oldest Chinese instruments (the Guqin and the Xiao) have stories behind them. The Guqin is called the Instrument of Sages, and therefore the Instrument of the Balance of the Universe. The Xiao, as told by Winson Liao, is the Instrument of the Phoenix that was made after the Pheonix's voice. Is there any of these stories for Dizi that you all know of? Judging from all of the compositions that I have heard, it seems very much connected to the songs of birds (especially in the Northern style of playing), but I was wondering what you all think.

[mel]

Thanks for sharing, fascinating to know the legends behind the instruments

I don't know much except my friend says the guqin and xiao were more played/enjoyed by aristocrats whereas the guzheng and dizi would have been more for the common folk. Also my teacher says the northern style of playing is often inspired by northern wind storms while south style depicts serene landscapes like water gardens. Wouldn't it be amazing to hear each instrument in its original setting? ^_^

[phoenixiao]

I happen to be researching about the qin and xiao in greater depth to understand the nuances of playing it.

Seems there's more written about the qin, especially during the period of Tang dynasty when it was used for both casual entertainment and "sagely" cultivation. There's a book titled "琴声十三象" by 李祥霆, that references several poems that involve the qin. A part of the book happens to be online, it describes the 13 qualities of qin music: artx.cn/artx/yinyue/22158.html

As for xiao, Winson's website documents a lot about it. Other interesting explorations would be into shakuhachi, a continuation of the xiao in various forms in Japan, southern China, and Taiwan.

Maybe the most common xiao story is about a princess attracting the phoenix with her xiao playing, and how she and husband take off on a phoenix and dragon to a better life.

吹簫引鳳: www.epochtimes.com/b5/9/1/17/n2400430.htm

In terms of dizi, perhaps searching for stories about the "flute" might be more fruitful. The dizi (transverse flute) seems to be common among many cultures other than China or Asia. It's also interesting to learn about the various styles of flutes that man has invented, e.g., nose flute, no finger holes, the ney, etc.

PS: I'm assuming you can read Chinese.

[hengdi]

Just came across one of 李白's poems that pairs the sound of the Dizi with 飞 (to fly), which gives such beautiful imagery as what the Dizi may represent: the flapping of the birds' wings! This makes total sense. If the Xiao is the Phoenix, King of Birds, then the Dizi is the bigger birds, and the Suona is the smaller birds. No wonder the piece 鹧鸪飞 Flying Partridges seems so at home with Dizi. Every rendition of this piece is superb!