Keywords: Ruanjia Music in Liu Chen in Wei and Jin Dynasties
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to the establishment of the gate system, many famous families appeared, which had a great influence on politics, society and economy at that time. Among these families, Ruan Ji, as the representative, had a special social status in Wei and Jin Dynasties. This is a famous family, and there are more than 20 people named Chen Liuruan in Shi Shuo Xin Yu alone. Their contribution to history lies not in their political achievements, but in their natural birthday behavior in Ren Zhen, their lofty metaphysical spirit, their personal pursuit of resisting ethics and self-affirmation, and their literary achievements, which are of great value in the cultural history of China. At the same time, this family is also a musical family, which has also added a glorious stroke in the history of ancient music in China.
The so-called musical family means that there is a family origin in music. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Ruan family in Liu Chen took Ruan Ji as the core, and even its father Ruan Yu, nephew Ruanxian, son Ruanzhan of Ruanxian, and four generations of grandparents and uncles were good at playing the piano, playing the pipa, or singing and playing, which was a musical family.
It was one of the famous "seven sons of Jian 'an" at that time, and the rise of Ruan family began from this generation. Because of his achievements in literature and art, he created a good political and social prestige and a strong cultural atmosphere for the future rise of his family, so he can be said to be the founder of the rise of Ruan's family. Ruan Yu started Ruan's literary career, and his family's love for music art also started from him.
Ruan's musical accomplishment is very traditional. Ruan Yu's teacher Cai Yong is a musician, and Ruan Yu's musical attainments should come from Cai Yong. Ruan Yu is famous for his piano. For his deeds, see The Reflection of the Three Kingdoms Shu Wei Wang Weier Liu Fuchuan. Pei Songzhi's Note: Cao Cao heard his name, so he called him, but he failed. "Even if he saw it, he escaped into the mountain." Cao Cao had the mountain burned, caught him and sent him to Chang 'an. At that time, Cao Cao was conquering Chang 'an and giving a big banquet in the camp. "If you don't talk when you are angry, you will be on the list of performers" and put him in the hands of musicians to humiliate him. "Being good at interpreting sounds, playing drums, and then singing strings, you can make a song saying,' Yi Tian Yi Men opens, and it comes into being. Qinggai traveled to Kyushu, and people complained about things. Scholars know that they are dead, and women have played for fun. As you think, how can others be chaotic!' It was crowned at that time because of its quick action and wonderful timbre. "This story shows that Ruan Yu can play and sing, and he can improvise quickly. It can be seen that his superb playing skills are beyond the reach of musicians sitting there.
Ruan Ji, the son of Ruan Yu, greatly surpassed his predecessors in literary achievements and social prestige, which made the Ruan family reach its peak in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. He and Ji Kang are called "Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest". In music, he is also different from ordinary people. He not only has a unique musical opinion, but also is a great pianist, which has had a certain influence on the music scene in Wei and Jin Dynasties and even the whole ancient music history. Historian Ruan Ji is "addicted to alcohol and good at playing the piano". Wei's Spring and Autumn Annals once recorded an anecdote about Ruan Ji and Mr. Su Men whistling. Ruan Ji, who was born in troubled times, showed his detached temperament with Xiao and Qin. At a banquet in Si Mazhao, a person held his breath and sang Jin Yan. "Only Ruan Ji sat and sang at his desk, and he was as cool as a cucumber.". From the Book of Jin, it is recorded that "Xi Dikang heard it, and it was a great pleasure to see it with wine as a piano." We can see that Ruan Ji likes to make friends with the piano. There are also many chants about his playing the piano in his poems: "I can't sleep at night, so I sit up", "I was thin and good at string songs when I was a teenager all my life", "Blue clouds covered my vestibule, and my piano was sad", "How can I play the piano and swear to Peng Hu" and so on. According to legend, the guqin song Drunk was written by Ruan Ji. Among thousands of guqin songs, this is the most unique one. It takes drunkenness as the theme and tries to show the madness after drunkenness. It goes without saying that the meaning of drunkenness is not in wine. It reflects Ruan Ji's cynicism and shows contempt for the high-handed means of those in power. This piece of music, like his literary work Poems on Huai River, shows his noble character in a figurative way, and reveals the debauchery and corruption of the rulers by comparing the past with the present.
Ruan Ji is not only "good at playing the piano", but also "bosom friend", and has made great achievements in music theory. Ruan Ji's music view is embodied in his music theory. This article about music and Liu Ling mainly expounds the generation and function of music. Its tone is consistent with Confucian music theory, and at the same time, it refers to Laozi and Zhuangzi's theory of natural inaction. He believes that "the musician is the body of heaven and earth, and the nature of all things is also." It's good to be in harmony with its body, but not in harmony with its body. "It is precisely because music is related to everything in the world that the ancient sages and sages" will conform to the world and become the nature of everything. "This is different from Ji Kang's view that music is a natural thing. He believes that music is the reflection of social customs and the expression of people's emotions. He advocates the voice of elegance and integrity, and despises the voice of modesty and pleasure. Ruan Ji's music theory also pays attention to the word "harmony", and he especially praises the music that "makes people feel calm, does not enter, intersects heaven and earth, and keeps things far away", and thinks that this kind of music is the real music. Ruan Ji's view of music coincides with Ji Kang's emphasis on "harmony" in music.
Ruan Xian, the son of Ruan Xi, Ruan Ji's brother, is known as Zhong Rong, one of the "Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest", and is called "Big and Small Ruan" with his uncle Ruan Ji. Compared with his uncle, he never left a famous title, but Shi Shuo Xin Yu Yu Shujie said that he knew how to play a bosom friend. He surpassed his uncle in musical attainments and achievements, and his life had an important influence on the development of ancient music history in China. Ruan Xian is good at playing pipa. His performance was called the best in the world at that time, and he made outstanding achievements in the reform of this instrument. Not only does he stand out in the world, but his name is integrated with its instrumentality, which will last forever. Throughout all the national musical instruments in China, "Ruan Xian" is the only musical instrument named after the ancient sages. 1960 The brick mural of "Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest and Rongqi Period" found in the tomb of Xishan Bridge in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province has a picture of Ruan Xian playing Ruan. This musical instrument has been handed down to this day and is called Ruan. Now Ruan, including Xiao Ruan, zhongruan, Da Ruan and Xiao Ruan, all play a role in national bands. At the same time, he is also proficient in music theory. He once wrote Legal Discussion, and he is also proficient in composing music. Liu Quan in Three Gorges, a popular piano piece in Tang Dynasty, was composed by Ruan Xian based on Yuefu Poems and Ji Qin. In the poem "Three Gorges Flowing Springs", Li Jilan said, "Recalling Ruan Gong's past is like a song, but Zhong Rong can't get enough of it". More importantly, he is proficient in temperament and has a high appreciation of music. "Shi Shuo Xin Yu" records that "Xun Xu is good at solving sounds, and the theory of time is called dark solution. So the rhythm is adjusted and the music is elegant. Every orthodox church, temple and court has fun, and the palace merchants have self-regulation and are very harmonious. Ruan Xian's wonderful reward is called the divine solution. All gangs have fun, but their hearts are divided, and there is no straight word, which means to avoid it, so Ruan is the beginning of the platform's life. Later, a father plowed the field. When he got a jade ruler every week, it was the most correct ruler in the world. Xun tried to correct the bell, drum, stone, silk and bamboo, but they all felt a little short, so Fu Ruan was knowledgeable. " Due to the loss of musical instruments in the Zhou Dynasty, there were many discordant melodies at that time, so Xun Xu was instructed by the emperor to formulate new melodies on the basis of the old classics, and at the same time he was jealous of Ruan Xian's talent. Naturally, he didn't listen to Ruan Xian saying that his melody was not harmonious. But the ending of the story is intriguing; Later, when a farmer was farming in the field, he found a jade ruler, which not only corrected the conventional ruler of the world. The instruments used by Xun Xu to correct his new law were all as short as a small grain of rice, so he finally recognized Ruan Xian as "god knowledge". This shows Ruan Xian's mastery of temperament. Ruan Xian's requirements for music are "elegance" and "neutrality". He treats the so-called "elegant music" and "lewd music" equally. The "neutralization" he demanded did not inhibit people's emotional expression, which proved that he was always willful and unrestrained when playing the pipa.
Biography of Ruan Ji describes Ruan Xian's Two Sons: Vision and Happiness. Looking at the words thousands of miles away, naturally clean and empty, complacent in your arms. "This means that he is at peace with the world. He also said that he was "good at playing the piano, and people heard his ability and asked for more. "Don't ask if you are young or old, you are all playing with it." It can be seen that he is not only superb in piano skills, but also excellent in piano virtue. Piano players are narcissistic and unwilling to play for "laity", which is a common occurrence. It is rare that Ruan Zhan can do the opposite. It is said that his brother-in-law Pan Yue often lets him play the piano "all day and all night", which he thinks is not enough. Its ancestors did leave a legacy.
Ruan's Musical Family is of typical significance. This music family began in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and ended in the late Western Jin Dynasty, which lasted for about a century. At that time, they were in troubled times, and they only had musical feelings. From the music, they heard their inner agitation and saw the vicissitudes of the world and the indifference of the world. The biting wind and rain in reality and the sunny weather there, the noise here and the peace there, made them get carried away. Musically, they pinned their spirit and affection, and also found their ideal character and spiritual conversion!
The special historical conditions in Wei and Jin Dynasties created such a special family as Ruan, who had a special relationship with music. Music has become a part of their lives, and music is also one of the main carriers of their pursuit of spiritual independence. This family has a far-reaching influence in the history of ancient music in China.
References:
[1] Wang Jianguo's Textual Research on Ruan Weijin's Family Style was published in the 4th issue of Journal of Tianzhong School in 2004.
[2] The contribution of five sages such as Yun to the spirit of bamboo forest, in Gansu Social Sciences, No.5, 1997.
[3] Tamia Liu's "On Ji Kang's Ruan Ji Music Thought" contains "Journal of Zhengzhou University" 1999 No.4.
[4] Fan "On Ruan Ji's Good Whispering" contains "On the North" 1999 No 2.
[5] Zhang Huaying's Guqin, Zhejiang People's Publishing House, March 2005 1.