Lin He Xiuxi 臨河修禊

In this piece, published only here in Qinxue Xinsheng (1664), Zhuang Zhenfeng has set to music Wang Xizhi's preface to the poems written for the Xiuxi (Spring Purification Ceremony) held along a winding stream by the Orchid Pavilion (Lan Ting) just outside Shaoxing in the year 353 near the beginning of spring: specifically near at the beginning of muchun: the third ten-day period of the third lunar month.⁴

The poems, of which 41 survive, are said to have been written by 26 of the 42 scholars recorded as having attended this gathering. However, the meeting became famous not through those poems but through the preface by Wang Xizhi, who organized the event. And this preface is famous mainly because of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, said to be the best example ever of "running script" (xingshu) style.⁵

This 1664 tablature has the only known example of a musical setting of Wang Xizhi's preface, and there is no record of any of the 41 poems having been set to music. This does not mean any of these was never sung with qin, only that if such melodies were ever written down the notation has not survived.⁶

This musical setting also does not mean that the melody was intended to be sung: it is also very effective to have the words to Wang Xizhi's Lanting Preface read while the music is being played.⁷ In addition there are some problems within the tablature complicate determining what an intended rhythm might have been. For example, what does it mean if a cluster says both to do a nao vibrato but also to play the note quickly (these two terms are mutually contradictory)? Those problems aside, however, the rhythms that have been chosen here do make the entire lyrics seem quite singable in a way that seems naturally to complement the meaning of the lyrics.⁸

On this website there is related commentary on several other pages, two of them being other existing melodies on this theme:

Xiuxi Yin (Purification Ceremony; from 1525)
Refers to the same ceremony as here, perhaps same occasion, but no musical relationship
Liu Shang (Floating Winecups; only 1525)
Directly refers to the same Xiuxi, but musically related to the melody Jiu Kuang (Wine Mad; 1425)
Fuxi Yin (Purification Ceremony)
Old melody title, perhaps on the same theme but no longer extant
Lanting Scroll
Further commentary on the event, on Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and the related poems.

Further details about Wang's preface are easily found on other websites (details).

Preface by Wu Wenqing ⁹ Preface by 吳雯清 Wu Wenqing
The original (at right) is in a form of "grass writing" calligraphy.

歲聿之暮，寐居西泠，鍵戶擁寒，人音亦希。莊子蜨庵，携琴過余，並出其所著諸譜....
As the year was drawing to a close and I was peacefully residing in Xiling (Hangzhou), doors closed and embracing the cold, the sound of people scarce, Master Zhuang Diean (i.e., Zhuang Zhenfeng) carried his qin over to see me, and show me the tablature he had written. (The music of this tablature) is quite unique and marvelous, the legacy of high antiquity.

Although I am not very familiar with this sort of learning, Diean's use of his riverside preface (music, i.e., his setting for qin of Wang Xizhi's Lanting Preface), playing it once and then again for me, made me feel embraced by the greatness of the music that comes between mountains and seas. It actually made me feel so happy that I wanted to sing (the lyrics?), yet so emotional that I also wanted to cry. The sound of the qin and that of everything else became one.

The venerable (Su) Dongbo once said (source [中文]),

If you say music comes from qin strings themselves,
If you put it in a case why do they not still sing?
If you say the sound comes from your fingers,
Why from your fingers do we hear no ring?

Amidst such spiritual marvels, how can it be easy to speak? But Diean's marvels do not end with this. Whenever I come back to (this melody) "Riverside Purification Ceremony", I can just sense it. Diean's profundity becomes my own emotion.

康熙乙巳仲冬望日西陵第(?)吳雯清題於雪嘯軒中
In 1666 on the 15th day of mid-winter in Xiling 第(?) Wu Wenqing wrote this on the Whistling Snow Veranda

Music and lyrics¹⁰ (see 五線譜 transcription; timings follow my recording 聽錄音)
The lyrics here are Wang Xizhi's original Lanting Preface arranged, as is the melody, into five sections. The setting is largely syllabic, with the last phrase played in harmonics as a coda. Fluent online and offline translations are readily available (some of them are listed below). The lines below follow my understanding of the phrasing and, as part of my effort to reconstruct this melody, I made a translation that as much as possible is word for word; although the result is rather awkward, it did help me gain my understanding of how the flow of the music fits the flow of the words. It is included here not as a substitute for the more fluent translations, but as a guide for someone who might wish to sing the text as set to the qin melody. There is also further comment here about various ways of rendering qin melodies with lyrics.

00.00
永和九年，歲在癸丑，暮春之初，
Yǒnghé jiǔ nián, suì zài guǐ chǒu, mùchūn zhī chū,
In Eternal Peace ninth year (353 CE), 60 year cycle's 50th year, "spring end"'s beginning.
會於會稽山陰之蘭亭，脩稧事也。
Huì yú Kuàijī shān yīn zhī Lántíng, xiū xì shì yě.
We met by Kuaiji mountain's south side at Lanting; it was for the xiuxi events.
羣賢畢至，少長咸集，此地有崇山峻領。
Qún xián bì zhì, shǎo zhǎng xián jí; cǐ dì yǒu chóng shān jùn lǐng,
All the worthies finally arrived, young and old all gathered, (at) this place that has lofty mountains and steep peaks,
茂林脩竹；又有清流激湍，
Mào lín xiū zhú; yòu yǒu qīng liú jī tuān,
Luxuriant woods with slim bamboo, and also clear flowing strong torrents,
映帶左右，引以為流觴曲水，列坐其次。
Yìng dài zuǒ yòu, yǐn yǐ wéi liú shāng qū shuǐ, liè zuò qí cì.
(And) shining ribbons (of water twisting) left and right, drawing along floating wine cups in a winding stream,
while in order we were seated one by one.
雖無絲竹管絃之盛，
Suī wú sīzhú guǎnxián zhī shèng,
Although there was no silk and bamboo or wind and string's grandeur,
一觴一詠，亦足以暢敘幽情。
yī shāng yī yǒng, yì zú yǐ chàng xù yōu qíng.
One wine cup meant one poem, and this was sufficient for cheerful talk and profound feelings.
01.25
是日也，天朗氣清，
Shì rì yě, tiān lǎng qì qīng,
This day, actually, the sky was bright, the air clear,
惠風和暢。仰觀宇宙之大，
Huì fēng hé chàng. Yǎng guān yǔ zhòu zhī dà,
Pleasant breezes harmonizing our joy, looking up we saw the world's vastness,
俯察品類之盛。所以遊目騁懷，
Fǔ chá pǐn lèi zhī shèng. Suǒ yǐ yóu mù chěng huái,
Looking down we examined all types in abundance, allowing our wandering eyes to open our hearts,
足以極視聽之娛，信可樂也。
Zú yǐ jí shì tīng zhī yú, xìn kě lè yě.
And this was enough to cause great viewing and listening pleasure; trusting this we could really enjoy it.
02.03
夫人之相與，俯仰一世，
Fū rén zhī xiāng yǔ, fǔ yǎng yī shì,
As for people's relationships, in the case of an an entire generation,
或取諸懷抱，悟言一室之內；
Huò qǔ zhū huái bào, wù yán yī shì zhī nèi;
Some will choose various emotional connections, getting meaning within just private conversation;
或因寄所託，放浪形骸之外。
Huò yīn jì suǒ tuō, fàng làng xíng hái zhī wài.
Some give over to inclinations, giving way beyond wildness and objective existence.
雖趣舍萬殊，靜躁不同，
Suī qù shě wàn shū, jìng zào bù tóng,
But although (our) interests house myriad differences, (our degrees of) calmness or impatience are not the same,
當其欣於所遇，蹔得於己，怏然自足，
Dāng qí xīn yú suǒ yù, zàn dé yú jǐ, yàng rán zì zú,
When in delight about what is occurring,
at that moment we gain within ourselves arrogance about our self-sufficiency,
（泛起）不知老之將（泛終）至；
(Harmonics begin) Bù zhī lǎo zhī jiàng (harmonics end) zhì;
And we have no awareness of old age about to arrive.
及其所之既惓，情隨事遷，感慨係之矣。
Jí qí suǒ zhī jì quán, qíng suí shì qiān, gǎn kǎi xì zhī yǐ.
As for what we have been so earnest about, our emotions in accord with our affairs change,
and then feelings of regret tie us down.
03.05 (泛起 in harmonics)
向之所欣，俛仰之間，
Xiàng zhī suǒ xīn, fǔ yǎng zhī jiān,
As for what was appreciated before, within the blink of an eye,
已為陳跡，猶不能不以之興懷；
Yǐ wèi chén jì, yóu bù néng bù yǐ zhī xìng huái;
(Although) already it is (just) a past vestige, even now it cannot but arouse feelings (of regret).
況脩短隨化，終期於盡。
Kuàng xiū duǎn suí huà, zhōng qī yú jìn.
Moreover the rising and cutting off (of life) always changes, but finally it always ends (in death).
古人云：「死生亦大矣。」豈不痛哉！（泛終）
Gǔrén yún: Sǐ shēng yì dà yǐ. Qǐ bù tòng zāi! (harmonics end)
The ancients say, "Death and life are both momentous". How is that not agony!
03.49
每攬昔人興感之由，若合一契。
Měi lǎn xī rén xìng gǎn zhī yóu, ruò hé yī qì.
If one considers past people's deep (sad) feelings's sources, it accords with all their writings.
未嘗不臨文嗟悼，不能喻之於懷。
Wèi cháng bù lín wén jiē dào, bù néng yù zhī yú huái.
It is not that I do not share their writings' laments: I can not explain them in terms of (my own) feelings.
固知一死生為虛誕，齊彭殤為妄作。
Gù zhī yī sǐ shēng wèi xū dàn, qí péng shāng wèi wàng zuò.
I certainly know (the idea of the) oneness of death and life is empty and absurd;
similarly, premature death seems like going against nature.
後之視今，亦猶今之視昔，
Hòu zhī shì jīn, yì yóu jīn zhī shì xī,
When later (generations) look back on today, it will still be as today's looking at the past:
悲夫！
Bēi fū!
How tragic!
故列敘時人，錄其所述，
Gù liè xù shí rén, lù qí suǒ shù,
Therefore I am setting out this account by contemporaries, recording what we have written,
雖世殊事異，所以興懷，其致一也。
Suī shì shū shì yì, suǒ yǐ xìng huái, qí zhì yī yě.
Although generations change and matters differ,
the things that move us (to sadness): they amount to the same.
04.53 (泛起 (Harmonic coda)
後之攬者，亦將有感於斯文。
Hòu zhī lǎn zhě, yì jiāng yǒu gǎn yú sī wén.
(As for) people who later seize upon (them): (may they) also in future also be moved by these writings.
05.12 End

The recording was made on an 20 April 2015 using a guqin made by He Mingwei and silk strings by Marusan Hashimoto. Open first string = B flat.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Riverside Purification Ceremony (臨河修禊 Lin He Xiuxi; QQJC XII/93)
By 莊臻鳳 Zhuang Zhenfeng, it is the 9th of 12 pieces in his Qinxue Xinsheng.

30756.71 is only 臨河 Lin He.

Online resources include:

Lanting scrolls (蘭亭卷、圖)
My webpage with images and commentary on two scrolls collectively entitled 蘭亭集序 Lantingji Xu. One scroll has a copy of Wang Xizhi's original calligraphy for the preface (set to music above). The other has a depiction of the event, showing scholars beside the winding stream with bubbles showing the poems they are said to have written at the time. It is not clear whether 蘭亭集序 Lantingji Xu should be translated as Preface to the Lanting Gathering, or as Preface the Lanting Poem Collection. See also the Wikipedia page.
Spring Purification Ceremony Melody (修禊吟 Xiuxi Yin)
Commentary on a related melody. See in particular the footnote to the commentary. Links there include the translation by Swartz of the 41 poems, with commentary
Floating Wine-Cups (流觴 Liu Shang)
Another melody on the same topic; see also the references in the footnote.
New World Encyclopedia site Wang Xizhi
Thi site includes a Tang dynasty copy of the calligraphy plus further images, translation and commentary.

Translations of the preface not online include H.C. Chang, Classical Chinese Literature, Vol.I (Columbia and Chinese University Presses, 2000; p.479ff); also has excerpts from the poems by seven of the 41 attending poets.
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2. Yu mode (羽音 Yu Yin)
For more on this mode see Shenpin Yu Yi as well as Modality in early Ming qin tablature. In the early Ming dynasty yu mode melodies generally have yu (6; la) as their main tonal center and jue (3; mi) as the secondary center. Here this seems to be true only of Section 5. Sections 1 and 2 seem to have zhi (5; sol) as their main tonal center and shang (2; re) as their secondary center; Sections 3 and 4 may as well, though there often seems to be more emphasis on shang (2; re).
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3. Image (complete pdf)
QQJC XII/93
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4. "暮春之初 Beginning of muchun"
A less formal name for this spring ritual (修禊 xiuxi) is "qushui liushang". Muchun, the third ten-day period of the third lunar month, usually falls at the end of April or early May of the standard solar calendar. (1 May 2016, when Yuan Jungping read the scroll while I played Linhe Xiuxi, fell during this period (details).
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5. Running script" (行書 xingshu)
Also called semi-cursive script. Of this example a Chinese calligraphy page on the University of Washington website says:

The handwriting of the preface that Wang Xizhi wrote to accompany the poems collected from this event is praised for its spontaneity, lively rhythmic energy, and variation. The internal construction of his characters and his overall use of space is also highly admired.

There are further examples of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy here.
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6. Existing tablature
There is some reason to believe qin songs were often performed impromptu, and so most were never written down. For more on qin songs, as well as on qin melodies with lyrics perhaps not intended for singing, follow links from here.
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7. 蘭亭序 Lanting Xu (or 蘭亭集序 Lantingji Xu: reading it to music
The content of Wang Xizhi's preface is poetic, but it is not in the form of a poem or song. Nevertheless, by pairing the text and music following the traditional formula, the melody succeeds in enhancing for me the feelings and thoughts of the preface. To this effect, in a presentation of this melody in Taipei in May 2016 Yuan Jung-Ping recited the lyrics while I played the melody (video excerpt: Section 2).
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8. Pairing the words and music
Problematic passages can perhaps most easily be seen by looking in my transcription. Examples include,

In m.7 instructions with the character "之 zhi" say hold the related note ("少聲"), though seemingly meaning something like "of". This would then seem to be a mistake except for similar occurrences such as here, where in measure 5 a whole passage seems deliberately paired to "之 zhi". is
In the first phrase of Section 3, "之 zhi" is said to be played quickly (𠂊 = 急) but then the note is also assigned a "犭= 猱 nao" vibrato, so that it cannot be played quicker than the notes around it.
In general, the latter part of the melody has so many notes marked "𠂊" that it seems impossible to determine what they actually mean.
Quite a few clusters include marks that are illegible in my copy of the tablature. They seem all to be either finger positions (most of which seem pretty clear from the context) or ornaments.

In spite of such places, most of the preface can quite easily be sung to the melody delineated by the tablature.
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9. Preface by 吳雯清 Wu Wenqing
I am not sure of some characters in the original.

As for Wu Wenqing himself, it seems he was in Hangzhou taking a break from his responsibilities in the capital. Bio/1060 says he was 安徽休寧，初名元石，字方連，號魚山，順治九年，官至御史。有《雪嘯軒集》 from Xiuning in Anhui (near Huangshan)...achieved his jinshi in 1653 and rose in rank to imperial scribe; there is his "Whistling Snow Veranda Collection". At least one of his poems has been included in various collections of Yellow Mountain poems (黃山的詩詞、黃山古詩等), as follows:

《晚入藥穀》
清鸞峰下步遲遲，為訪幽居足已疲。
穿壑板橋驚欲墜，隔林茅屋望猶疑。
桃源舊徑依津間，藥孤樓傍石窺。
僅有殘僧相對晚，寒潭清嘯少人知。 No translation yet.
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10. Music and lyrics
Here is further comment on words and expressions used in the preface:

永和 Yǒnghé (Eternal Peace): reign period of 東晉穆帝 Eastern Jin emperor Mu (345-357 of Mu Di 345-363)
暮春之初 Mùchūn zhī chū: literally, the beginning of the third "decade" of the third lunar month.
會稽山 Kuàijī Shān (sometimes "Guìjī Shān") and 蘭亭 Lanting: near 紹興 Shaoxing (details)
崇山 chóng shān: these two characters are added in the margin to the right of "有峻 yǒu jùn; also: 領 = 嶺
"一觴一詠 yī shāng yī yǒng: One wine cup means one poem": presumably this is what leads people to say that if a cup stopped in front of one of the attendees they had to write a poem or pay the penalty of one cup. I do not know how that accords with what is written here.
"怏然 yàngrán: arrogance about, conceit regarding"; 10699.3 "不服懟也，或曰自大之意 uncomfortable dislike, also said to have the meaning of self-importance"; the only reference is to a passage in 戰國策，趙策三 that says,
辛垣衍怏然不悅曰：「嘻，亦太甚矣，先生之言也！先生又惡能使秦烹醢梁王？」。"
Xin Yuan Yan was very displeased and said: "Ah! Your words, are they not too strong, sir? And how can you, sir, make the King of Qin boil the King of Liang alive and cut him up?"
Note that this English translation, by G. W. Bonsall (reference; draft, p.157), has "very displeased", clearly a translation of "yangran". Although the most highly regarded versions of Wang Xizhi's original clearly have this "怏然 yàngrán", for about a thousand years after this calligraphy first surfaced it was apparently "corrected" to be "快然 kuàirán"; "快然自足 kuàirán zìzú" would mean "suddenly self-sufficient". After this the official (for want of a better word) interpretation apparently returned to "yangran", but online forms today usually seem to prefer "kuairan". I don't completely understand the arguments on that, but "arrogant" works well here.
"earnest"; the original looks like 惓 quán (earnest) but most printed versions seem to use 倦 juàn (tired). Once again I have not followed the arguments about why there exists this difference.
"俛仰 fǔ yǎng" "俛", commonly "miǎn", is here pronounced "fǔ"; "fǔyǎng" literally means "look down and look up" (compare "俯仰 fǔyǎng")
興懷 xìng huái, like 性感 xìng gǎn, literally means a flourishing or rising of emotions, but in this context it is interpreted to mean strong feelings of regret (compare 悲 bēi, which is usually translated as "sadness" but also means something like "an emotion so strong it brings tears to the eyes").

To rephrase and expand upon what was said above about this translation, although various other available translations are probably more easily understandable than the present literal one, they do not always help understand how the words may have influenced the shaping of the melody. And although there still remain some issues with my literal translation, I do think it has helped me with my own interpretation of what the original rhythms of the qin setting might have been. This, of course, also assumes that Zhuang Zhenfeng was in fact trying to set the words to music following a manner we might be able to understand. This is not proven one way or the other, at least not consistently, but only by making such an effort on all his settings of text to qin melodies will we be able to come to an informed conclusion about this.
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