"Three Hundred Songs of Song Dynasty (Color Illustration Edition)"

Author: Shangjiang Village, Qing Dynasty
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-04-01
Features:
Ci, originally called quzi or quzi ci, refers to lyrics set to music. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, music from the Western Regions gradually blended with folk music, forming Yan Yue (Court Music). Quzi ci were the lyrics sung alongside Yan Yue. Later, quzi ci gradually detached from music and evolved into a poetic form, simplified as ci. Early quzi ci originated from the (folk), created by artisans or literati. After the mid-Tang Dynasty, some literati began composing ci. In the late Tang, more literati started writing ci based on the rhythm of the tunes (), filling in lines according to musical beats. Zhang Zhihe's "Fisherman," Wei Yingwu's "Diao Xiao Ling," and Liu Yuxi and Bai Juyi's "Yi Jiang" are all examples of how these authors learned from folk songs and absorbed their artistic essence. The late Tang and Five Dynasties period was marked by frequent warfare and social upheaval, but it was a crucial stage in the development of ci. At that time, ci composition had two centers: Western Shu and Southern Tang. The Xianian School (named after the Five Dynasties anthology Huajian Ji edited by Zhao Chongzuo), represented by the late Tang poet Wen Tingyun, primarily composed songs for entertainment, with works characterized by fragrant, soft, and (vibrant) styles. Song Dynasty poets like Yan Shu and Ouyang Xiu inherited the late Tang and Five Dynasties style, deeply influenced by Southern Tang ci. They mostly wrote (short ci), with elegant and (subtle) styles. Su Shi's ci hold an extremely important position in the history of ci. Zhou Bangyan of the late Northern Song Dynasty is considered the synthesizer of Northern Song ci. Xin Qiji, contemporary with Lu You, was one of the most (outstanding) ci poets of the Southern Song Dynasty. Another highly influential great ci poet of the Southern Song was Wu Wenying, whose style was (rich and dense) with profound meaning.
Regarding the artistic features of ci, the discussions of predecessors are innumerable. The late modern Wang Guowei uniquely identified the concept of "yijing" (), elevating "yi (meaning) and jing (scene) merging" as the highest artistic realm of ci creation.
Ci, originally called quzi or quzi ci, refers to lyrics set to music. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, music from the Western Regions gradually blended with folk music, forming Yan Yue (Court Music). Quzi ci were the lyrics sung alongside Yan Yue. Later, quzi ci gradually detached from music and evolved into a poetic form, simplified as ci. Early quzi ci originated from the (folk), created by artisans or literati. After the mid-Tang Dynasty, some literati began composing ci. In the late Tang, more literati started writing ci based on the rhythm of the tunes (), filling in lines according to musical beats. Zhang Zhihe's "Fisherman," Wei Yingwu's "Diao Xiao Ling," and Liu Yuxi and Bai Juyi's "Yi Jiang" are all examples of how these authors learned from folk songs and absorbed their artistic essence. The late Tang and Five Dynasties period was marked by frequent warfare and social upheaval, but it was a crucial stage in the development of ci. At that time, ci composition had two centers: Western Shu and Southern Tang. The Xianian School (named after the Five Dynasties anthology Huajian Ji edited by Zhao Chongzuo), represented by the late Tang poet Wen Tingyun, primarily composed songs for entertainment, with works characterized by fragrant, soft, and (vibrant) styles. Song Dynasty poets like Yan Shu and Ouyang Xiu inherited the late Tang and Five Dynasties style, deeply influenced by Southern Tang ci. They mostly wrote (short ci), with elegant and (subtle) styles. Su Shi's ci hold an extremely important position in the history of ci. Zhou Bangyan of the late Northern Song Dynasty is considered the synthesizer of Northern Song ci. Xin Qiji, contemporary with Lu You, was one of the most (outstanding) ci poets of the Southern Song Dynasty. Another highly influential great ci poet of the Southern Song was Wu Wenying, whose style was (rich and dense) with profound meaning.
Regarding the artistic features of ci, the discussions of predecessors are innumerable. The late modern Wang Guowei uniquely identified the concept of "yijing" (), elevating "yi (meaning) and jing (scene) merging" as the highest artistic realm of ci creation.