Gao Shan Liu Shui 高山流水

This page concerns a melody that in the 17th century was made to fit lyrics in the ci pattern (cipai) called "Gao Shan Liu Shui". It also considers the possibility of using this melody for other lyrics in versions of that pattern. And several sets of lyrics are translated.⁶

First, though, for most guqin players the titles "Gao Shan" and "Liu Shui" refer to two specific qin melodies, instrumental melodies that survive from antiquity (earliest surviving tablature is from the 1425 Gao Shan and Liu Shui). They may have evolved over the years, and there is sometimes the belief that there was originally one melody called Gao Shan Liu Shui, or Gaoshan Liushui, but in general little thought seems to go beyond these assumptions.

In fact, within the oral tradition there have been many melodies with these titles over the years, whether separately or together. And as this dictionary reference suggests, "Gao Shan Liu Shui" can simply refer to the concept of a beautiful melody.

In addition, as the same reference outlines and as was stated above, "Gao Shan Liu Shui" is also the name of an old poetic rhythm (cipai). The earliest known setting of this cipai is from the present handbook, Shuhuai Cao (1682). And most of the melodies in that handbook follow and are named after cipai (other examples).⁷

As for the present melody, its pattern (the first half, at least) does fit very closely into pattern of the earliest known cipai called Gao Shan Liu Shui, as can be see comparing the 1682 version with the examples given here, beginning with one by the earliest poet connected to this pattern, the mid-13th century poet Wu Wenying.⁸

The image at right shows the way the handbook generally lays out these songs: rather than following the common practice of directly showing the pairing of lyrics and music (earliest known example), the lyrics are given first, then the tablature for the musical setting is written out. Regarding the actual title, sometimes, as here, this is simply the name of the ci pattern; in other cases there is a new title that is more directly related to actual lyrics of this rendition in that pattern. The actual arrangement of the lyrics and melody is discussed further below.

As for surviving melodic settings in this form, according to the Zha Guide qin music with the title Gaoshan Liushui survives only in the two above-mentioned song collections. They are nearly identical to each other and both are part of Songfengge Qinpu.⁹ The one shown at top is from Shu Huai Cao (1682); the one shown below is from Song Sheng Cao (1687). The lyrics are attributed to Zhou Zaidu (Yanke) of Daliang.¹⁰

Although the music of both is basically the same, the 1687 version does eliminate what seems to be some extraneous fingerings near the beginning, then it changes a few fingerings later. These are not necessarily corrections, though confirming this is complicated by the fact that the lyrics are stated first rather than being directly paired to the music. Both versions of the melody are attributed to the same person, Cheng Xiong, who apparently did the music for almost all the pieces in these two handbooks.¹¹

As for the tuning/mode, although the 1682 version calls it 清角 qingjue (or qingjiao) while 1687 calls it simply 角 jue mode, their tuning is in fact both the same. In both cases it is clear that the tuning requires lowering the first, third and sixth strings (as with the Shen Qi Mi Pu Mangong mode). What is not clear is whether the few differences in fingering resulted from attempts by the latter to "correct" the former (it seems to have as many errors), or whether these are simply two differing interpretations of the same melody.

The non-standard tuning is interesting but seems unnecessary. Its tuning does emphasize that the melody has no connection with the more famous Gao Shan or Liu Shui, which both use standard tuning. However, except for one note this Gao Shan Liu Shui can easily be transposed into standard tuning. This is because the qingjue tuning results in the relative scale of the open strings being 3 5 6 1 2 3 5. As can be seen, if the first string is ignored, the tuning becomes 5 6 1 2 3 5, as with the first six strings in standard tuning. Here only one note (in the first phrase) is actually played on the first string. The result of this is that the whole melody can be played in standard tuning, using only the first six strings. Each note is played on one string lower than is written and the seventh string is not used. The only note indicated on the first string is in the very first phrase. Instead of playing it as written in the tenth position it can be played down at the 外 wai position on the first string. This transposition to standard tuning of course makes it much more familiar to the average qin player.

This is still a temporary assessment, as both settings seem to have several mistaken finger positions and perhaps in punctuation, while the latter setting is not very clearly written and it lacks punctuation. Some of the problems I have marked in red in the online copies here (at top and below) of each:

The copy of the original 1682 setting has the added punctuation marked in red.
The tablature of the original 1687 setting has in red added one missing punctuation mark (corresponding to "紅 hong" in the lyics); and a mistake circled, with the correct figure meaning "begin harmonics" added next to it.

Comments here are particularly tentative. Although I have tentative translations of three sets of lyrics, and have completed a tentative transcription and started playing from that, I do not completely understand the lyrics and in some crucial areas am finding problems. Of course, it would be very interesting if one could find a passage in either of the two famous instrumental melodies that had the same pattern as the lyrics here, so that it could be sung to that music. But this is very unlikely, and it also seems unlikely that the music could have any connection at all to the instrumental Gao Shan or Liu Shui. Thus, although in his preface to Gao Shan in Shen Qi Mi Pu, Zhu Quan stated that Gao Shan Liu Shui was originally a single melody, he must be referring to an ancient and lost instrumental tradition, not to any surviving melody.

Xu Jian's Outline History, p. 177, discusses Gao Shan and Liu Shui separately, focusing on the 19th century version of Liu Shui attributed to 張孔山 Zhang Kongshan of Sichuan.

The setting for the present lyrics, as with almost all qin songs, is done one note per character except for the extra notes that come from certain left hand techniques such as slides. Here 搯起 taoqi occurs three times but is paired once; 罨 yan occurs once, unpaired.

When reciting seven character phrases it seems quite commeon to give each syllable almost equal duration but then pause one beat at the end of each line so the 7 syllables become 8 beats per line. Likewise, at least here, it seems natural to adjust the length of notes with the lyrics so that they can all be recited or sung with a similar rhythm.

Note also the interesting phrase "換徵移宮" (huan zhi yi dong) that appears in both the present poem (q.v.) and the one by Wu Wenying (q.v.). Gong and zhi are a fifth apart, the equivalent of do - sol; along with la - mi these are arguably the two most important notes in Ming dynasty melodies. Perhaps this means changing, implying that his can be done incorrectly by someone who doesn't understand musical mode, about which see further comment.

Preface (XII/358)
None, only the brief comments translated above. See also the further comment regarding the tuning and overall arrangement.

Melody and lyrics for the 1682 and 1687 Gao Shan Liu Shui¹² (see and hear my tentative transcription and recording [qin only])
Lyrics by 周在都 Zhou Zaidu (compare those by 吳文英 Wu Wenying and 汪元量 Wang Yuanliang)
Singers should transpose octaves to fit their vocal range
Note that on two lines of Part B the word patterns differ from this standard form.

A.
揮絃，一曲幾曾終。
Huī xián, yī qū jǐ céng zhōng
Control the strings, how often can a melody end?

歷山邊，猶起薰風。
Lì shān biān, yóu qǐ xūn fēng.
And yet at Mount Li, the breezes continue to blow.

門外客攜琹，依稀太古重逢。
Mén wài kè xié qín, yī xī tài gǔ chóng féng.
Outside my gate guests carry qin, rarely would such antiquities regularly meet.

髙仾處，落雁驚鴻。
Gāo dī chù, luò yàn jīng hóng.
From high places, descending wild geese startle the swan-geese.

怕彈指。
Pà tán zhǐ
Startled by the snap of fingers

喚醒美人邜睡，客子春濃。
Huàn xǐng měi rén xī shuì, kè zi chūn nóng.
The beauty wakes from her sleep, guests in spring are lethargic.

任閒愁千縷，也不觧踈慵。
Rèn xián chóu qiān lǚ, yě bù jiě shū yōng.
Though busy with a thousand matters there is no feeling of carelessness.

B.
焦桐，非中郎靑眼，
Jiāo tóng, fēi zhōng láng qīng yǎn,
A scorched tail (qin), Cai Yong with his good graces.

徒沉埋爨下殘紅。
Tú chén mái cuàn xià cán hóng.
Simply deeply buried, below the (bronze) cauldron a dim red.

休慮卻，調高和寡，換徵移宮。 (11 字; compare 5+6 below)
Xiū lǜ què, diào gāo hè guǎ, huàn zhǐ yí gōng.
Don’t worry, the more elegant the music, the fewer the people who can follow it. Change which note is zhi and you move which note is gong (? See "huan zhi yi dong").

一簾秋水月溶溶， (play this line in harmonics)
Yī lián qiū shuǐ yuè róng róng,
There is a curtain of autumn light, the moon dissolves into the water.

酒樽空。
Jiǔ zūn kōng.
The bottle of the wine is empty.

懶聽琵琶江上，淚濕芙蓉。
Lǎn tīng pí pá jiāng shàng, lèi shī fú róng.
I’m not eager to listen to the music of pipa on the river, and my tears dampen the lotuses.

盼何時，鍾期再遇野航中。 (10 字; compare 4+3+3 here and 5+5 here; last three notes are harmonics)
Pàn hé shí, Zhōng Qī zài yù yě háng zhōng.
When can I meet a friend (like) Zhong Qi and again sail freely in the wild?

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. References for High Mountains Flowing Streams (高山流水 Gaoshan Liushui)
46302.32 has two descriptions,

"樂曲高妙 A masterful melody." Its example is the basic story of the qin melody as related in 列子湯問 Liezi Questions of Tang, 12 (see the preface to Gao Shan as well as Liezi, Yellow Emperor 5 and 13 [ctext]).
"詞牌 The name of a cipai." It then quotes 詞譜 Ci Pu as saying, "調見「夢窗詞」，吳文英自度曲。贈丁基仲妾作。妾善琴，故以高山流水為調名. For the melody see "Ci from Dream Window", a piece by Wu Wenying. Presented to Ding Jizhong's wife (to create a melody?). She excelled at qin so the melody name given was Gaoshan Liushui."
An alternate name for the melody is "錦瑟清商引 Jin Se Qing Shang Yin" (Clear Shang Prelude for a Brocade Se Zither".

As for "Ci on a Dream Window (夢窗詞 Mengchuang Ci), 5935.85 夢窗 says Mengchuang was a nickname for Wu Wenying.
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2. The instrumental melody High Mountains Flowing Streams (高山流水 Gaoshan Liushui, also written Gao Shan Liu Shui)
Although this is an ancient title, generally referred to in a way that assumes it to have been an insrumental melody, the Guide by Zha Fuxi does not list any instrumental melodies called Gaoshan Liushui. And although there is actually at least one surviving qin instrumental melody of this title that Zha did not know about, it is clearly not an ancient melody. First published in Qinxue Chujin (1894; QQJC XXVII/245), it has 15 sections; the first eight are a version of the existing qin melody Gao Shan while the last seven are related to existing Liu Shui.

Although I have not yet found any existing recordings of this melody, there are a few old recordings of instrumental pieces that are claimed to be melodies called Gao Shan Liu Shui. Examples mentioned on this site include recordings by
Guan Pinghu (Gao Shan of 1802 + Liu Shui of 1876 [Zhang Kongshan version ])
Hou Zuowu (1st half of the Gao Shan of 1876 + 2nd half of its Liu Shui)
Xu Yuanbai #1 (Gao Shan of 1744 [no Liu Shui]; did Yao Bingyan also play this?).
Follow the links for more on why these are incorrect or misleading titles.
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3. Ci form "High Mountains Flowing Streams"
Other than what is mentioned in the preceding footnote, the surviving melodies of this title are all song settings with lyrics that seem to be related to the ci form of this title. The actual 平仄 pingze structure of the cipai called Gao Shan Liu Shui is said to be as follows (source: the Su Xian Yi Yi Cheng version as with Wu Wenying; compare this with the Jin Se Qing Shang Yin version as with Wang Yuanliang). Note the parallel word count between sections A and B except for the last line. The poem by Wu Wenying that directly follows the pingze outline is said to be the classic (earliest known?) example of this.

A
仄平仄仄仄平平。
仄平平、平仄平平。
平仄仄平平，平平仄仄平平。
平平仄、仄仄平平。
平平仄，
平仄平平仄仄，仄仄平平。
仄平平仄仄，仄仄仄平平。

B
平平。平平仄平仄，
平仄仄、仄仄平平。
平仄仄平平，仄仄仄仄平平。
仄平平、仄仄平平。
仄平仄，
平仄平平仄仄，仄仄平平。
仄平平仄，仄平仄、仄平平。

The two most famous poems in this form are the following:

The poem by Wu Wenying (ca.1207 - ca.1269) has been given the full title, "Ci on a Window of Dreams" (夢窗詞 Meng Chuang Ci), "to (a version of the tune) Gaoshan Liushui". The text below shows how it fits with the pingze outline above. It begins, though, with the following preface:
丁基仲側室善絲桐賦詠，曉達音呂，備歌舞之妙。
The "side chamber" (i.e., concubine) of Ding Jizhong (丁宥 Ding You) is skilled at qin and intoning lyrics; she is also familiar with the structure of music and is ready to sing and dance beautifully.
Wu Wenying's poem, perhaps presented by him to Ding You, is then as follows:
A.
素絃一一起秋風。
Sù xián, yī yī qǐ qiū fēng..
The unadorned strings, one by one evoke autumn breezes.
寫柔情、多在春葱。
Xiě róu qíng、duō zài chūn cōng.
Depicting sensuous feelings, much like spring onions (i.e., the slender fingers of a lover).
徽外斷腸聲，霜霄暗落驚鴻。
Huī wài duàn cháng shēng, shuāng xiāo àn luò jīng hóng..
From beyond the qin come wrenching sounds, frosty skies darken startling wild geese.
低顰處、翦綠裁紅。
Dī pín chù、jiǎn lǜ cái hóng..
Leaning over and frowning, cutting foliage of green leaves and red flowers.
仙郎伴，
Xiān láng bàn,
With the noble young man's accompaniment,
新製還賡舊曲，映月簾櫳。
Xīn zhì hái gēng jiù qǔ, yìng yuè lián lóng
She sings old songs with new lyrics, shining in the moonlight.
似名花並蒂，日日醉春濃。
Sì míng huā bìng dì ，rì rì zuì chūn nóng.
Like famous flowers blooming together, engrossed daily in the spring's lushness.

B.
吳中。空傳有西子， (西子 = 西施)
Wú zhōng, kōng chuán yǒu Xī Zǐ,
In the area of Wu, they vainly talk about (the famous beauty) Xi Shi,
應不解、換徵移宮。
Yīng bù jiě、huàn zhǐ yí gōng.
And so they may not understand how "changing zhi means moving gong".
蘭蕙滿襟懷，唾碧總噴花茸。 (5 + 6 字; compare 3 + 4 + 4 in qin song)
Lán huì mǎn jīn huái，tuò bì zǒng pēn huā róng.
With orchids and fragrant herbs filling her bosom, her every word is like a spray of blossoms.
後堂深、想費春工。
Hòu táng shēn 、xiǎng fèi chūn gōng.
The inner hall is deep inside, she may take a lot of time in spring on work.
客愁重，
Kè chóu zhòng,
The guest's sorrow is heavy,
時聽蕉寒雨碎，淚濕瓊鐘。
Shí tīng jiāo hán yǔ suì ，lèi shī qióng zhōng.
Often hearing the chill rain crash into the plantain, tears wetting the jade bell.
恁風流也，稱金屋、貯嬌慵。 (4+3+3 字; This is the only verse with this ending; compare 3+7 in qin song and 5+5 below)
Rèn fēng liú yě ，chēng jīn wū 、zhù jiāo yōng.
So charming and graceful, evaluate the golden room and store the lover.
汪元量 Wang Yuanliang (1241?-1318?) is usually credited as the creator of another Gaoshan Liushui poem (sometimes it is apparently also attributed to Wu Wenying). Its subtitle seems to be "Qingshang Melody Brocade Zither (錦瑟清商引 Jin Se Qingshang Yin; see above). As can be seen below it has the same line-by-line character count as Wu Wenying's first poem, but individual phrases have different word counts.
A.
玉窗夜靜月流光。
Yù chuāng, yè jìng yuè liú guāng.
At the jade window, the night is quiet, the moon shining bright.
拂鴛弦、先奏清商。
Fú yuān xián 、xiān zòu qīng shāng.
Strum the silk strings, play the clear and melodious tune first.
天外塞鴻飛呼，羣夜渡瀟湘。
Tiān wài sài hóng fēi hū ，qún yè dù xiāo xiāng.
Beyond the sky, wild geese fly and call, Crossing the Xiao and Xiang rivers in the night.
風回處，戛玉鏗金，
Fēng huí chù, jiá yù kēng jīn.
Where the wind returns, the qin playing resounds like striking jade and gold, 戛 jia jia - 鏗 keng keng.
翩翻作新勢，聲聲字字，歷歷鏘鏘。
Pián fān zuò xīn shì ，shēng shēng zì zì ，lì lì qiāng qiāng.
Dancing into new forms, each sound and word, clear and ringing.
忽低顰有恨，此意極淒涼。
Hū dī pín yǒu hèn ，cǐ yì jí qī liáng.
Suddenly, a frown of sorrow, this feeling is extremely desolate.
B.
爐香簾櫳正清灑，
Lú xiāng， lián lóng zhèng qīng sǎ.
The incense burner is smoking, The bamboo curtain is fresh and clean.
轉調促柱成行。
Zhuǎn diào cù zhù chéng háng.
Change the mode, press the strings into rows.
機籟雜然鳴素手，擊碎琳琅。 (7 + 4 字; compare 3 + 4 + 4 in qin song)
Jī lài zá rán míng sù shǒu ，jī suì lín láng.
The natural sounds intermingle with her skilled hands, knocking out a jade-like melody.
翠雲深夢裏昭陽。
Cuì yún shēn，mèng lǐ zhāo yáng.
Deep in the verdant clouds, Dream about Zhaoyang Palace.
此心長。
Cǐ xīn cháng,
This heart remains steadfast.
回顧窮陰絕漠，片影悠揚。
Huí gù qióng yīn jué mò ，piàn yǐng yōu yáng.
Looking back at the distant, desolate north, a single shadow floats gracefully.
那昭君更苦，香淚溼紅裳。
Nà zhāo jūn gèng kǔ, xiāng lèi shì hóng cháng.
How much more bitter is it for that Princess Zhao, Her fragrant tears wetting her red robe?

Other poems in this form in addition to the one here (and here) attributed to 周在都 Zhou Zaidu (17th c.?) include ones by 屈大均 Qu Dajun (1630—1696) and other Qing dynasty poets.
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4. Qingjue mode (清角調 Qingjue diao) (3 5 6 1 2 3 5)
Lower 1st, 3rd and 6th strings a half tone each; see under mangong mode. However, my reconstruction uses standard tuning: see the comment above about how to do this. The main results of doing this.281 is that it shifts all the pitches down a note and so perhaps favors a voice with a lower register, and it becomes a piece that can still be played if the seventh string suddenly breaks.
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5. Tablature for Gao Shan Liu Shui (1682; XII/380-81) 1687 Gao Shan Liu Shui (compare 1682)
Compare the 1687 version at right (XII/399) with the 1682 version above: both write out the melody and lyrics on separate pages. The accompanying explanations are as follows:

Line 1 of the top half (lyrics): "Zhou Zaidu of Daliang, a guest of Yan (i.e., of Cheng Xiong?), added the lyrics."
Line 2: "Gao Shan Liu Shui (in) Qingjue (mode)".
Line 1 of the bottom half (tablature): "Cheng Xiong of Yanshan, style name Ying'an, paired the pu" (i.e., its two parts, tablature and lyrics).
"Qing Jue: Gao Shan Liu Shui, lower the 1st, 3rd and 6th strings."

The 1682 version also has some mistakes. Corrections are further discussed above.

The arrangement of the version in Song Sheng Cao (1687), shown at right, is somewhat different. First there are the lyrics, on the right side, then the tablature, on the left. Here,

Under the title to the lyrics part the mode is given as "Jue Yin" then below that it has the "Zhou Zaidu, Yan guest" without saying what he did.
The title of the lyrics is "Jue Yin". Under that "Gaoshan Liushui" is given as a subtitle; then below that is the name "Cheng Xiong, 隱菴 secluded in his hut".

Again, in the 1682 version corrections have been made in red, as discussed above. Note also that in 1687 the quality of printing is also not very good, making some characters difficult to read.
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6. Translation
Translations here with assistance from 朱元虎 Zhu Yuanhu.
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7. Ci poems in Shu Huai Cao
Most of the poems in this handbook apparently were written in honor of, perhaps praising, Cheng Xiong (bio). Many, if not most, also use a ci form (玉樓春 Yu Lou Chun, 風入松 Feng Ru Song, 高山流水 Gao Shan Liu Shui, 水調歌頭 Shui Diao Ge Tou, 千秋歲引 Qian Qiu Sui Yin, 滿江紅 Man Jiang Hong, etc.). For more on this, search an outside link such as the following: 讀古詩詞網.
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8. 吳文英 Wu Wenying (ca.1207 - ca.1269; Chinese Wiki)
From the Ningbo region but lived mostly in Hangzhou and Suzhou. Prolific but heavily criticized for his association with the faction trying to appease the Mongols to the north.

Two poems by Wu Wenying are said to be in the form Gao Shan Liu Shui, though I have been unable to find one, and the phrasing of the other is somewhat different.
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9. Tracing Gao Shan Liu Shui
Zha Guide 36/--/527, in writing out the text of the two sources, makes some very useful corrections or explanations of characters, such as 琴 for 琹, 低 for 仾, 卯 for 邜. Details of the two editions are as follows:

Shu Huai Cao (#37, QQJC XII/380 [lyrics]/381 [music]; 1682; original tablature at top)
Song Sheng Cao (#23, QQJC XII/399; again lyrics then music; 1687; [original tablature below]).

The lyrics of both are the same, attributed to Zhou Zaidu (Yanke) of Daliang (see next).
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10. 大梁周在都（燕客）Zhou Zaidu (Yanke) of Daliang
No further information yet on this person. "燕客 Yan Ke" may mean he was a house guest of Cheng Xiong (of Yanshan). 大梁 Daliang was an old name for 開封 Kaifeng in Henan but could also refer to other places.
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11. Source of the music for Gao Shan Liu Shui
Although the commentary with the tablature says Cheng Xiong "paired the lyrics with tablature", this does not necessarily mean he created the music himself. Also, the structure of the melody should allow it to be used for any any lyrics in the ci pattern Gao Shan Liu Shui, but to my knowledge this has never actually been tested.
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12. Music and lyrics for the qin song Gao Shan Liu Shui
Here the lyrics are arranged without pinyin so as to show more clearly the comparative structure between the first and second half. The numbers here show my division of each half into four lines (eight in total). In my transcription these eight sections are similar in length, following my feeling for the music as having four lines in each section, as follows:

揮弦一曲幾曾終。
歷山邊，猶起薰風。
門外客攜琹，依稀太古重逢。 (11 字; compare 3 + 4 + 4 in part B; 琹 is an old form of 琴)
髙仾處，落雁驚鴻。
怕彈指。
喚醒美人邜睡，客子春濃。
任閒愁，千縷也不觧踈慵。 (Use 5+6 of this form? Compare classic form; also compare the last line below.)

B.
焦桐，非中郞靑眼，
徒沉埋爨下殘紅。
休慮卻，調高和寡，換徵移宮。 (11 字; compare 5 + 6 in part A as well as in the classic form)
一簾秋水月溶溶， (play this line in harmonics)
酒樽空。
懶聽琵琶江上，淚濕芙蓉。
盼何時，鍾期再遇野航中。 (10 字; Use 5+6 of this form? Compare 4 + 3 + 3 in the classic form; play the last three notes in harmonics)

Note that here the last line of each section is 3+7 whereas in the classic form the last lines are different (5+6 for first, 3+4+4 for second). The classic form is discussed further above. It is not yet clear whether there are other Gao Shang Liu Shui using other variants.
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