Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 339 Ling Le's Cover Song
"The solemn temple stands tall, a testament to the glorious Tang Dynasty. It stood in harmony with Heaven, its glory shone through the reigns of countless sages..."

A melodious and solemn singing voice rang out, and several Taichang Temple musicians with high-pitched voices sang on the stage. Around the music hall, several Taichang Temple musicians sat, listening to the singing on the stage while making notes on the music board.

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices had numerous ritual music and dance performances every year, and in addition to the old pieces, the performances also required constant innovation. Some were for special ceremonies, while others were for banquets in the imperial court.

The Taichang Temple Office, located in the Taiji Palace Imperial City, was mainly used to train musicians, while the place for composing lyrics was the Music Official Courtyard located in Anxingfang.

Zhang Dai also sat among the musicians, listening to the newly composed music for the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The so-called "golden music" refers to music composed by striking metal instruments such as bells and chimes, and is a general term for temple music. The music is characterized by its clear and melodious sound throughout the entire piece.

After the song was finished, the musician Li Guinian came forward and asked Zhang Dai with a smile, "Now that you have heard this song, what do you think?"

"Too many changes in tone make it less solemn; let's play it slowly for a few more moments."

Zhang Dai is like a demanding product manager, scrutinizing the shortcomings of a work, but not deliberately nitpicking.

Having served as a music composer for so long, he may not yet be skilled enough to compose music himself, but his appreciation level has improved dramatically. It's like listening to an internet celebrity cover a classic song; you can hear the flaws to some extent.

Li Guinian was extremely famous in the music world, but he was not a professional singer trained by the Taichang system. Instead, he was a folk musician. Although he was highly talented, he had a flaw: he was too keen on showing off his skills and liked to imitate the sounds of Zheng and Wei.

At first, Zhang Dai did not understand what the Zheng and Wei music was. However, as he served in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices for a longer period of time and listened to various kinds of music, he gradually gained a deeper understanding.

The sound of Zheng Wei was called "lewd music," not because it aroused lust, but because it stirred up emotions, amplified the listener's feelings of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, causing intense emotional fluctuations and making them sensitive and irritable. "Lewd" here means indulgence, even allowing emotions to transcend rational boundaries, leading to impulsive actions.

But true, refined music brings peace of mind and eliminates distracting thoughts. Even a born scoundrel or a depraved person can temporarily set aside their violence and maintain a moment of tranquility when they hear this music.

This is what is known as the function of ritual and music education, and it is also the main content of the Taichang (the highest authority in Chinese academies). Especially in solemn ceremonial occasions, an inappropriate background music can create a very jarring contrast.

To put it more poetically, music is a key that unlocks the soul. The so-called "licentious music of Zheng and Wei" is the key that unlocks people's intense emotions, indulges their feelings, and releases their desires, while elegant music is music that brings peace and tranquility and nourishes the mind.

Some might say this is all nonsense, exaggerating the role of rites and music. If it were so effective, how could there be so many villains in the world?
To be clear, music is just a key, an inspiration, a way to make you feel a peaceful state of mind. If you don't adhere to it or pursue it, who can you blame?

The Tang Code even stipulated that incest was a crime, yet some shameless people knowingly broke the law. It's a matter of personal morality, not that the law was wrong.

"The current melody is already slow. If we remove a few more modulations, the entire piece will be like still water in a copper basin, without any ripples, and it will probably be too long and tedious..."

Li Guinian was renowned and naturally had his own artistic principles. Upon hearing Zhang Dai's words, he immediately frowned and said that he was somewhat unwilling to change them.

"Let's compose a few pieces based on this first, and then arrange a time for a re-performance and selection."

Adjusting the musical scales was the responsibility of the musicians; Zhang Dai was only in charge of assigning tasks. As for how the musicians felt, he didn't need to appease them.

"Well, alright, but could we postpone it until after the Shangsi Festival?"

Despite his displeasure, Li Guinian nodded in agreement and then made his own request.

Zhang Dai wasn't an unapproachable superior. Hearing Li Guinian's words, he smiled and asked, "Whose invitation are you going to for the Shangsi Festival? And whose request have you made to revise the lyrics?"

The Shangsi Festival held great significance in the hearts of the Tang people. During the festival, whether it was Weiqu in the south of the city, Bashang in the east of the city, or the banks of the Wei River in the north of the city, everywhere was bustling with tourists.

Spoiled young men from powerful families like Zhang Yang began preparing their costumes as early as last year, all for the sake of making a grand appearance and attracting attention on this day. Wealthy families throughout the region would also set up tents and have their courtesans perform. As for the brothels and pleasure quarters, they placed even greater emphasis on this. On the Shangsi Festival, besides the general public's outings and recreations, the most important activity was the various entertainments. And for performances to be successful, songs were essential; clichéd tunes naturally failed to pique interest, while novel lyrics and melodies were sure to entice.

As a renowned musician in the capital region, Li Guinian became one of the most popular figures in the city during this festive season. Whenever he composed a piece, it would be snapped up by the crowd.

Many powerful and wealthy families spared no expense in rewarding their courtesans for their talents, with a single song earning them tens or even hundreds of strings of cash. Some courtesans and entertainers from brothels even offered themselves in return, hoping to use their talents to make a name for themselves during festivals and celebrations.

"Alas, my skills are but a few, how dare I boast of them! However, I have received much favor and gifts from various families in the past, and now that they have entrusted me with something, it would be disrespectful to refuse. But please rest assured, I will not neglect my duties because of this, and I will definitely complete the tasks assigned to me by the law firm within the specified time!"

Li Guinian quickly added, "In recent years, I have been particularly favored by people in the capital, not because my talents have improved, but because everyone knows that I am currently working under Zhang Xielu, which is why they look up to me and hope to introduce me. However, Zhang Xielu is focused on his work and rarely indulges in pleasure, so I dare not presume to disturb him on this basis..."

Zhang Dai was naturally quite satisfied with this subordinate who was both capable and had high emotional intelligence, and wouldn't be too harsh on him. Upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "You must handle external favors properly. And remember not to neglect your duties."

And you gentlemen, with the festival approaching, you must be receiving many invitations, or finding it hard to refuse such warm hospitality. But you must also consider whether yourselves can manage both at your own pace. The Emperor's fondness for music and his favor towards actors are a blessing for you court musicians, but if you become arrogant and neglect your craft because of this favor, then the laws of the land will not be applied lightly for your sake!

Although he was not very old, he had already established his authority quite a bit since taking office at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The musicians present, some of whom were from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, some from the Left and Right Music Bureaus, and others from the Inner Music Bureau and the Pear Garden, all respectfully responded to Zhang Dai's admonition.

However, not all the musicians were so respectful. Zhang Dai was almost finished supervising the new music lesson when a musician with disheveled clothes, a short and stout figure, and a strong smell of alcohol rushed in. He immediately showed his yellow teeth and bowed to Zhang Dai repeatedly, saying with a fawning smile, "Sorry, sorry, Zhang Xielu, I'm late again!"
Zhang, the young lady of the Left Music Bureau, was quite persistent. I was pestered by her until dawn before I finally managed to escape. But please forgive me, Zhang Xielu, I've used her buttocks as clappers to create a new version of the song "Treading the Shaking Maiden," which I can use for today's lesson!

Every group has a few eccentric troublemakers. The newly arrived music official is a maverick from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices named Dongfang Chen. He is currently serving as the Assistant Director of Music and was promoted from a minor official position in the Court of Imperial Music.

Such a person's professional competence goes without saying; he is undoubtedly one of the best in the industry. This Dongfang Chen specializes in Buddhist music and has participated in the revision and coordination of all Buddhist music in the Taichang Temple since the Kaiyuan era. His seniority is also very deep. However, this man is indulging in sensual pleasures and living a dissolute life. All the Taichang officials have disliked him, but he was retained in the office only because of his talent.

Such a seasoned veteran, unambitious yet indispensable in his work, and with Zhang Dai not being his direct superior, naturally didn't take Zhang Dai seriously. Being late or leaving early was commonplace, and even offering an explanation and apology was considered a favor.

Of course, this wasn't just directed at Zhang Dai; this guy wasn't even afraid of the Minister of Ceremonies. Last year, when Prince Ning was the Minister of Ceremonies, he sent the music officials of the Ministry of Ceremonies into his residence to teach the musicians in his household music. This guy went straight to the bed of Prince Ning's favorite concubine, which angered Prince Ning so much that he was whipped and punished, and hung upside down in the music department to dry like sausages for several days. In the end, he was only demoted to a music slave again. However, last year, he was reinstated as the Assistant Minister of Music because of his remake of "Little Broken Formation Music".

Zhang Dai was also numb to this guy, and raised his hand to signal him to select an actor to try out the piece. A skilled musician only needed to browse through the lyrics and music book to be able to sing it without any problems. He didn't need to set aside several days to study it. Even if he wasn't quite proficient, it would be enough to demonstrate the level of the piece.

"Ta Yao Niang" is a dance piece, but it also has accompanying lyrics. Soon, a performer went on stage to sing it, but after singing for a short while, an official in the audience raised his hand to stop him: "The lyrics are too fast. Those with poor hearing cannot hear the lyrics clearly. How can this be performed in the palace!"

This eunuch was named Su Sixu, the same name as Yang Sixu, but they were two different people. Although Su Sixu also held the rank of a third-grade general, he was not a high-ranking military commander. He only concurrently served as the director of the Imperial Music Bureau and, together with Zhang Dai, was in charge of the music production.

Unlike Li Guinian, Dongfang Chen was not humble. When Su Sixu criticized his interpretation of the tune, he immediately laughed and said, "If you think my interpretation is inappropriate, it's as if you haven't experienced the pestering and arguing of that young lady Zhang. My interpretation is just right! Why don't you give it a try, and you'll see how skillful I am!"

Everyone in the hall naturally understood what this guy meant, and Zhang Dai couldn't help but smile slightly, then sighed that this guy's mouth was really nasty.

The eunuch Su Sixu was incompetent, not inexperienced. Upon hearing this, he was naturally furious and stood up angrily, saying, "Is this how the Court of Imperial Sacrifices teaches people? Guards, skin this slave girl alive and pull out her tendons today!"

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Chen panicked and knelt down before Su Sixu with a thud, repeatedly begging for forgiveness: "Forgive me, forgive me! I am but a lowly servant, how could I have troubled you to punish me personally..."

Zhang Dai was afraid that if he watched this farce any longer, he would burst out laughing, which would only make Su Sixu more annoyed. So he got up and walked out. However, his lighthearted mood did not last long.

He had just stepped outside the music hall for some fresh air when a family member rushed in and said, "My lord, an official from the Ministry of Personnel has come to report that Yan, the censor, has been demoted."

(End of this chapter)