To make matters more difficult, the ancient scores were written for instruments different from those used by musicians today, for many instruments in common use even a century ago are no longer extant.
But there is one notable exception: Nan-kuan music, the sole surviving relic from China's glorious musical heritage. With this exception, other classical music heard on Chinese stages in fact bears little resemblance to that performed in China, at the same time Mozart, for example, was composing and performing in Europe.
The scarcity of historical records makes it impossible to give a definitive answer to just how far back in Chinese history the roots of Nan-kuan music go. Scholars have attempted to date it based on the contents of the ballads, the styles of the musical scores, and the sorts of instruments used. Although some researchers have tried to establish links between Nan-kuan and the music of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.—220 A.D.), very little is actually known about Han musical forms.
The long recorder, called a shakahatchi in Japanese, is a key ensemble instrument.
Most scholars suggest somewhat more modern roots, placing the origin of Nan-kuan music several centuries later, between the Tang (618-907) and Southern Sung (1112-1279) Dynasties. Extensive research in recent years on Tang period music has given further support to this period of origin, for Nan-kuan seems to have striking similarities to Tang musical forms.
Lu Chui-kuan, one of Taiwan's foremost Nan-kuan authorities, traces the development of Nan-kuan through three major periods: the formative period during the Tang and Sung Dynasties; a period of maturation during the Yuan (1279-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties; and a period of later development from the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911) to the present.
Several years ago, Professor Piet van der Loon of Oxford University uncovered a collection of Nan-kuan ballads from Fukien dating from the end of the Ming Dynasty. These are similar to ballads still sung today, and therefore establish that no matter what Nan-kuan's exact origins, it is a virtually unchanged and uninterrupted tradition at least several centuries old.
When China's northern political and cultural center moved southward during the Southern Sung Dynasty, Nan-kuan—like many other cultural traditions originally belonging to central China—took refuge in the southern province of Fukien. In this isolated mountain province, Nan-kuan was free to continue its development, relatively unaffected by the tremendous political and cultural changes in the rest of China. For this same reason, more than any other modern local dialect, the Minnan dialect of Chinese as spoken today (common both in Fukien and Taiwan, where it is called "Taiwanese") maintains the closest resemblance to ancient spoken Chinese.
The well-worn patina of this antique pipa attests to generations of Nan-kuan performances and loving care.
The eastern port of Chuanchou was the center of Nan-kuan music in Fukien. As a result, the musical style was originally known as Chuanchou Hsien Kuan, or "Chuanchou string and wind music." The musical form has been known by other names as well, including Nan-chu or "Southern ballad music," and simply Nan-yueh, "Southern music." The current name, Nan-kuan, which literally translated means "Southern woodwind music," was adopted when the music moved from Fukien to Taiwan.
The minimum number of players for a Nan-kuan ensemble is five, although it can have up to twelve. There are four major instruments: the pi pa, often called the balloon guitar in English; the san hsien, a three-stringed lute; the er hsien, a two-string fiddle held vertically and played with a bow like the violin; and the tung hsiao, a deep, full-sounding recorder, called the shakahatchi flute in Japan. These four instruments accompany the singer, who keeps time with the pai pan, a wooden clapper consisting of five wooden pieces tied at the top. Other instruments may be added as necessary, such as the Chinese oboe, large and small cymbals, bells, horizontally held flutes, and clappers called "wooden fish."
The sound, style, and method of playing the balloon guitar, recorder, and the two-string fiddle in Nan-kuan concerts are very similar to those of the Tang Dynasty. For example, during Tang times the balloon guitar was held horizontally across the body, and the strings plucked with a wooden pick. In other modern classical Chinese orchestras, which also commonly use the balloon guitar, the balloon guitar is held in an upright position, and is either strummed or plucked with the open fingers of the left hand. But when used in a Nan-kuan ensemble, it is played in its original horizontal position. Although the wooden pick is no longer used, the five fingers of the left hand are held tightly together like a duck's bill, and used to pluck the strings in much the same way as the wooden pick was employed during Tang times.
The wooden clappers are used to keep time and conduct the orchestra.
The content of Nan-kuan music consists primarily of love ballads written in free verse, with the subjects coming mostly from traditional Chinese stories. The Yuan Dynasty was considered the "Golden Age" of the ballad as a form of musical expression, and was one of the richest periods for inspiring additions to the Nan-kuan repertoire. Opera pieces were another popular source of Nan-kuan music, and after the Ming Dynasty many traditional opera scripts were redone in the Chuanchou dialect. Nan-kuan is still sung in the Chuanchou dialect, which is a thickly-accented local variety of the dialect of southern Fukien. The dialect is difficult to understand even for those from other areas of Fukien, let alone Chinese from other provinces. The language problem limited the spread of Nan-kuan, and it moved only to Taiwan, Amoy, and a few other Asian Hokkien communities, such as those in the Philippines and Malaysia.
Beyond problems of language, the musical intricacies of Nan-kuan are also extremely complex and difficult to master. Only one person, either male or female, sings in a Nan-kuan ensemble at one time. The notes must be sung clearly, often with the mouth half-closed, or even completely closed. Although to the uninitiated listener there are no inflections of emotion detectable, there are different "moods," depending upon the meaning of each ballad.
The singer also is the conductor of the ensemble, keeping time with the clapper. There are six different musical measures, which vary from a slow 16/4 to a fast 1/4 time. These may be alternated within one ballad, the combination of several themes in one ballad being a popular musical style of both Tang and Sung Dynasty music. Strict rules govern all aspects of the performance; slower ballads must precede the faster ones, and no musical pause must be detectable between ballads, even when changing singers or musicians.
The two-string fiddle, is one of Nan-kuan's major instruments.
The organization of a Nan-kuan conservatory has always been anything but casual. The study and performance of Nan-kuan was undertaken by members of the urban bourgeoisie, whose admittance to the conservatory was based not only on their social standing, but also on their moral character. As in the past, Nan-kuan musicians are amateurs, associated with a local merchant guild or organization. Traditionally, 10 students a year were admitted to a conservatory, five studying instruments and the other five destined for singing roles. The conservatory members were known as Lang Chun Tsu Ti, or "disciples of Lang Chun." Lang Chun is another name for Meng Chang, the patron saint of Nan-kuan. He was the second ruler of the short-lived Later Chou Dynasty (934-965), during the chaotic Five Dynasties Period (907-970) which followed the Tang. He was also a brilliant essayist and ballad writer, which no doubt was responsible for his association with Nan-kuan.
Meng Chang is worshipped twice a year by all Nan-kuan conservatories during the spring and autumn seasons. Preparation for such a worship ceremony begins a month in advance, and invitations are sent to members of other Nan-kuan conservatories so they can share in the festivities with fellow musicians. On the day of the ceremony, they all participate in a special afternoon worship service lasting about three hours. It is a complex event, requiring 36 different kinds of offerings, including flowers, sweet rice dumplings, fruits, and specially prepared cakes. In typical Chinese style, the worship service is followed by a banquet and—most appropriately—there is then an all-night recital of Nan-kuan music, ensuring one more year of survival and development of a rare classical relic.