You Lan Melody List

This list of 59 entries is one of three said to date from the Tang dynasty or earlier; the other two are Qin Cao (57 or 60 titles) and Qin Li (38 titles; see Appendix). Published together with the original You Lan manuscript, the list is thought also to date from the 6th or 7th century CE. The first four entries are the names of four modes, Chu, Qianjin, Hujia and Ganshen. After this the melodies may be considered as having been arranged according to these modes.² If this is true, then the melodies should be grouped after the names of the modes as follows:

The first five melodies (i.e., #5 to #9) are all in the Chu mode.³
The fifth of these is #9, You Lan, and this is apparently why in the manuscript You Lan is called "You Lan, Number Five." However, the title of You Lan specifies that it is a "Towering Rock Melody" (Jieshi Diao), which would mean Jieshi is a sub-category of Chu.
Numbers 10 to 18 are in the Qianjin mode,⁴
19 to 28 are in the Hujia mode,⁵
#29 to the end are in Ganshen and some miscellaneous modes which might be sub-categories of Ganshen.⁶

Having this list at the end of the tablature for You Lan suggests the possibility that these melodies were all published together at one time. Is it also possible that they were brought over to Japan together with You Lan, the subsequently lost? Yang, p.50 reports that an inventory compiled by the Japanese court in the 9th century claimed that they had in their possession "various types of qin/kin notations, in toal 120 scrolls." Such a collection could well have included many or most of those melodies listed here. But what happened to them? Were they, like the You lan scrolls, eventually all given away?

The complete list of melodies attached at the end of You Lan is as follows:

楚調 Chu Diao
(Modal prelude for #5 to #9? See comments above and footnote below.)
千金調 Qianjin Diao
(Modal prelude for #10 to #18? See comments above and footnote below, but compare Qianjin Qing)
胡笳調 Hujia Diao
(Modal prelude for #19 to #28? See See comments above and footnote below.)
感神調 Ganshen Diao
(Modal prelude for #29 to end? See See comments above and footnote below.)
楚明光 Chu Mingguang (begin Chu Mode?)
(See his biography)
鳳歸林 Feng Gui Lin
(See Xianmen Gao)
白雪 Bai Xue
(No Yang Chun! See commentary with 1425 Bai Xue)
易水 Yi Shui
(See Du Yishui)
幽蘭 You Lan
("第五 The fifth melody")
遊春 You Chun (begin Qianjin Mode?)
(Cai Shi Wunong #1)
淥水 Lu Shui
(Cai Shi Wunong #2; lyrics)
幽居 You Ju
(Cai Shi Wunong #3)
坐愁 Zuo Chou
(Cai Shi Wunong #4)
秋思 Qiu Si
(Cai Shi Wunong #5)
長清 Chang Qing
(Xi Kang 4 Melodies, #1)
短清 Duan Qing
(Xi Kang 4 Melodies, #2)
長側 Chang Ce
(Xi Kang 4 Melodies, #3)
短側 Duan Ce
(Xi Kang 4 Melodies, #4)
上上舞 Shang Shangwu (begin Hujia Mode?)
(17.54xxx shangshang; no shang shangwu or shang wu; see QSCB, p.64 for possible connections to Zhaojun Yuan)
下上舞 Xia Shangwu
(11.7xxx xiashang; see previous entry)
上間絃 Shang Jianxian
(Only 17.549xxx 上閒 shangjian; Jianxian 42164 = 42168.xxx; see Ma Gei; 1525 has a Jianxian mode with a Ming Jun seemingly unrelated to Zhaojun)
下間絃 Xia Jianxian
(See previous entry)
登隴 Deng Long
(See Liu Kun)
望秦 Wang Qin
(See Liu Kun)
竹吟風 Zhu Yin Feng
(See Liu Kun)
哀松路 Ai Song Lu
(See Liu Kun)
悲漢月 Bei Han Yue
(See Liu Kun)
辭漢 Ci Han
(39539.xxx; "Leave Han"; see, e.g., Longshuo Cao, Section 2; also QSCB, p.64)
跨鞍 Kua An (begin Ganshen and Other Modes?)
(Astride a Saddle; 38373.xxx)
望鄉 Wang Xiang
(Looking at the Countryside; 14697.134 has no musical references)
奔雲 Ben Yun
(Scattering Clouds; 6046.xxx)
入林 Ru Lin
(Entering the Forest; 1440.xxx)
華舜十遊 Hua Shun Shi You
(31910.xxx; 2741.xxx)
史明五弄 Shi Ming Wu Nong
(3334.xxx)
董揩五弄 Dong Kai Wu Nong
(32204.187xxx [Song dynasty person])
鳳翅五路 Feng Chi Wu Lu
(Phoenix Wings, 5 Roads; 47631.xxx)
流波 Liu Bo
(See in Feng Ru Song)
雙流 Shuang Liu
(Paired Waves; 43067.xxx)
三挾流泉 Sanxia Liu Quan
(See commentary in 1525)
石上流泉 Shishang Liu Quan
(See commentary in 1525)
蛾眉 E Mei
(Moth Eyebrows; 33914.5xxx; an E Mei Yuan is in YFSJ, Folio 43 [p. 631], at the end or after songs about Ban Jieyu)
悲風拂隴頭 Bei Feng Fu Long Tou
(Compare Bei Feng Yin Long Tou, Long Tou and Bei Feng Yin)
風入松 Feng Ru Song
(See 1511 commentary)
遊弦 You Xian (游弦)
(39841.xxx; in repertoire of Xue Yijian; YFSJ reference in Wang Shixiang article)
楚客吟秋風 Chu Ke Yin Qiu Feng
(Two melodies? See Qiu Feng but compare QSDQ and QYYL; 15473.67 only 楚客 Chu ke)
東武太山 (= 東武泰山) Dongwu Taishan
(Two melodies? See footnote the Wang Shixiang article; sometimes attributed to Confucius.)
招賢 Zhao Xian
(12212.136 has nothing on music; compare Zhao Yin)
反顧 Fan Gu
(Look Back; 3191.234 has nothing on music)
閑居樂 Xian Ju Le
(Sometimes attributed to Confucius)
鳳遊園 Feng You Yuan
(47631.xxx; compare 鳳遊雲操)
蜀側 Shu Ce
(33932.xxx)
古側 Gu Ce
(3308.xxx; see also this list)
龍吟 Long Yin (十弄 Shinong?)
(49812.163 qin melody played by Zheng Shuzu)
千金清 Qianjin Qing
(2744.226 melody name; Qinqu Pulu attributes it to Wen Wang; see also Qianjin Mode)
屈原歎 Qu Yuan Tan
(see footnote to Li Sao)
烏夜啼 Wu Ye Ti
(See 1425 version)
瑟調 Se Diao
(21625.20 a type of Xianghe Ge; see YFSJ, Folios 36 - 40, pp. 534 - 598)
廣陵止息 Guangling Zhixi
(See Guangling San, in particular section 2)
楚妃歎 Chu Fei Tan
(See in Qin Cao, Hejian Yage #19 and other lists; same as 湘妃歎 Xiang Fei Tan?)

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. See the original layout or the end of the original You Lan manuscript.
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2. This analysis comes from Yuan Jung-Ping; see also the General Introduction to You Lan.
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3. 楚調 Chu Diao (#1 and #5 - 9?)
Although this list begins with four the names of four "diao, it is not specifically stated that these titles refer to modal preludes rather than being just a list of the modes included. However, there is logic to this idea. First is the fact that elsewhere modal preludes have sometimes been listed or written out first; then there is the observation that if you don't have to include these four "diao when counting titles, then that makes it logical that You Lan is Number 5.

It has been further speculated that the other 55 titles were melodies that fit into these modes. From this, and the fact Qiu Ming lived in the Chu region, it is further speculated that Jieshi Diao was a type of Chu Mode (楚調 Chu Diao). However, as discussed further here, it seems more likely that jieshi refers to an actual melody or type of melody, one perhaps associated in some way with "Towering Rock Mountain" (碣石山 Jieshi Shan).

Chu melodies surviving from Ming dynasty tablature usually use one of the raised fifth tunings; see Chu Region. This does not seem to be the case for the surviving versions of the melodies included here.

Note also that This is related to the question of whether You Lan being called Number 5 means it is the fifth piece in the Chu mode or the 5th piece overall.
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4. 千金調 Qianjin Diao (#2 and #10 - 18?)
Surviving versions of these titles all use standard tuning.
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5. 胡笳調 Hujia Diao (#3 and #19 - 32?)
Hujia melodies surviving from Ming dynasty tablature usually use lowered first/raised fifth tuning; see North and Central Asia region. Regarding the first four melodies in this section, a commentary in Qin Ji (see YFSJ p.426) says, "胡笳明君四弄有上舞、下舞、上間絃、下間絃。 Four Ming Jun melodies in the Hujia Mode are Shang Wu (sic.), Xia Wu (sic.), Shang Jianxian and Xia Jianxian." The other five melodies in this category could also related to Central Asia: the first four are connected to the military official Liu Kun and #28 concerns Wang Zhaojun.
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6. 感神調 Ganshen Diao (Inducing Celestials Mode; #4 and #33 - end?)
11215.xxx; 7/612xxx; gan shen is mentioned in connection with the melody Shenren Chang, but as yet no further information.
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Appendix: 琴歷 Qin Li (Qin Account)

玉函山房輯 Yuhan Shanfang Ji has a list of 38 melodies under the title Qin Li, with references made to 琴歷頭薄 Qin Li Toubo, said to be from the 隋志 Sui Annals, and 琴集力頭拍薄 Qin Ji Li Tou Pai Bo, its name in the 唐志 Tang Annals. Qin Li lists the 38 melodies as follows:

蔡氏五弄 Caishi Wunong
雙鳳 Shuang Feng
離鸞 Li Luan
歸風 Gui Feng (太平御覽 has 歸鳳 Gui Feng)
送遠 Song Yuan
幽蘭 You Lan
白雪 Bai Xue
長清 Chang Qing
短清 Duan Qing
長側 Chang Ce
短側 Duan Ce (御覽 does not have this 側曲; added here from 初學記)
清調 Qing Diao
瑟調 Se Diao (初學記 does not have this melody; added here from 御覽)
大遊 Da You
小遊 Xiao You
明君胡笳 Mingjun Hujia
廣陵散 Guangling San
白玉歎 Baiyu Tan
楚妃歎 Chufei Tan
風入松 Feng Ru Song
烏夜啼 Wu Ye Ti (has comment on story, adding that they are not in 御覽 but are in 初學記)
楚明光 Chu Ming Guang
石上流泉 Shishang Liu Quan
臨汝侯 Linru Hou (Marquis of Linru; see Shen Jiao Qu)
子安之 Zi An Zhi
流漸涸 Liu Jian Hao
雙燕離 Shuang Yan Li
陽春弄 Yang Chun Nong
悅弄 Yue Nong
連弄 Lian Nong (#29 and 30 not in 初學記, added from 御覽)
悅人弄 Yue Ren Nong
連珠弄 Lian Zhu Nong
中揮清 Zhong Hui Qing (the 揮 is not clear)
暢志清 Chang Zhi Qing
蟹行清 Xie Xing Qing (omitted from 御覽 so added from 初學記)
看客清 Kan Ke Qing (初學記 has 看; 御覽 has 着)
便僻清 Pian Pi Qing (Bian?)
婉轉清 Wan Zhuan Qing (Both 徐堅初學記卷16, (太平御覽卷578)

Other melodies are mentioned in the Qinshu Cunmu entry.

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