Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 468 The Song of Rainbow Feathers

The overall melody and rhythm of "Rainbow Feather Dress Dance" is relatively slow. As Bai Juyi wrote in his poem, "Having traveled fifteen li outside the city, I only need a slow Rainbow Feather Dress Dance to pass by." The word "slow" summarizes the rhythmic characteristics of this dance.

The soothing melody and rhythm can largely reflect Emperor Xuanzong's neglect of state affairs and indulgence in pleasure in his later years. The prelude of "Rainbow Feather Garment Dance" especially gives people a wonderful artistic experience of illusion, etherealness, and transcendence.

Bai Juyi once again wrote in his poem, "I love the 'Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe' before it was played," indicating that this old gentleman truly loved the "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe Dance" and frequently recited it in his poems. Bai Juyi deserves much credit for the later fame of the "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe Dance," using the elegance of his poetry to dispel much of the shameful undertones of incestuous relationships.

When Zhang Dai was directing the arrangement, he also fully absorbed and drew upon the artistic features of the "Rainbow Feather Dress Dance" described in Bai Juyi's poem. Later generations, when conducting related research, will inevitably face the chicken-and-egg dilemma, provided, of course, that Bai Juyi could still create similar works in that era.

The piece of music, which is not yet named "Rainbow Skirt," has been reworked into several different styles by the musicians according to Zhang Dai's requirements. The original "Brahman Song" itself is quite complex, and the difficulty of reworking it is also very high. Everyone was somewhat driven to ecstasy by this piece.

In order to facilitate Prince Shou's understanding of the "Brahman Song", Zhang Dai had someone first play a slow version with a gentle rhythm, which he felt was the closest to the historical version of the "Rainbow Skirt" song.

Although this version of the "Brahman Song" has a slow tempo, it does not mean that there are few variations. The piece itself is rich and varied, most obviously reflected in the large number of instruments involved in the performance. Almost all commonly used instruments today, such as metal, stone, silk, and bamboo instruments, are used in it.

Integrating so many instruments into a single piece of music is inherently difficult, but to make them blend seamlessly and complement each other, while also avoiding the need to speed up the tempo to mask the inherent differences in timbre, style, and other aspects between the different instruments, undoubtedly increases the difficulty several times over.

However, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Inner and Outer Music Bureaus themselves gathered the most outstanding musical talents of the era, and the Tang Dynasty was a peak of ancient music and art development. With the hard work of the musicians who racked their brains and worked tirelessly day and night, they finally managed to meet Zhang Dai's requirements and the musical effect was extraordinary.

As the music began, Prince Shou was filled with anticipation, and Song Zhuo, the grandson of Song Jing, who was sitting in the audience enjoying the music, also had his eyes light up.

Seeing his expression, Zhang Dai chuckled and asked softly, "What does Song Lang think of this melody?"

Upon hearing this, Song Zhuo merely nodded slightly, too busy to answer Zhang Dai's question, and then focused on listening to and appreciating the beautiful music.

The introductory section of this piece is the essence of the arrangement, fully showcasing the fusion of various instruments and musical styles. Even those who are well-versed in music theory can genuinely appreciate the rich variations.

Although Prince Shou was young, he was born into the royal family and was raised by his uncle, Prince Ning, for a long time. Prince Ning himself had extraordinary musical talent and had served as the Minister of Ceremonies for several years. He was very attentive to Prince Shou's education.

Therefore, even at a young age, Prince Shou already possessed a certain level of musical literacy, and appreciating music was no problem for him. Listening to this melodious and exotic piece of music, his little face was full of excitement, probably already imagining the scene of presenting it to someone and being deeply loved.

Song Zhuo, who was standing to the side, was clearly also well-versed in music theory. He looked completely absorbed and enjoying the music, and he didn't hear any other sounds besides the music.

Only when the prelude abruptly ended did his eyes regain focus, but his face was full of regret: "Is the music really that short?"

"This is only the prelude to the main piece; the middle and the final sections have not yet been performed."

Hearing Zhang Dai say this, Song Zhuocai breathed a sigh of relief, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "I've never heard this piece before; I thought it was just a miscellaneous tune. The melody is so beautiful, why not perform it soon?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled slightly and then waved his hand slightly towards the stage, at which point the musicians resumed their performance.

As the melody entered its middle section, the tempo noticeably quickened, and four dancers took to the stage to perform a dance and a song. The performance, filled with song and dance, was undoubtedly much richer than the previous solo musical performance. However, Song Zhuo, who was watching from below the stage, frowned slightly, his expression no longer as intoxicated and focused as before. He also had time to chat with Zhang Dai.

"It seems a bit chaotic. The dance resembles 'White Silk' but also incorporates Hu Xuan (a type of folk dance), the music is a bit too intense, and the drums are too loud..."

Song Zhuo pointed out several shortcomings in a row, but then realized that he was just a spectator. He quickly tried to make amends, saying, "The combination of these kinds of music is also good. It's just that the arrangement of the instrumental prelude is too amazing. With such a gem in front of us, if the later pieces are only passable, it will undoubtedly fall far short of expectations."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded and replied, "Song Lang's assessment is indeed fair. The first part, with its ingenious ideas from both the inner and outer court musicians, is captivating in its various variations and fusions. The middle section requires the coordination of dance and music, but the performers from the Imperial Music Academy and the inner and outer court music bureaus are ultimately a step behind in skill. The dance is not vibrant enough, and the music is not melodious enough, inevitably resulting in a significant loss of luster..."

The reason why "The Song of Rainbow Feathers and Feathered Robes" can be regarded as a model of Tang Dynasty dance and music is that it has reached the ultimate in every aspect. Zhang Dai could certainly find the best musicians in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the inner and outer music academies, but the most outstanding dancers were concentrated in the Yichun Courtyard.

Their activities were restricted even more strictly than those of the emperor's concubines, so Zhang Dai, an outsider, naturally had little chance of frequent contact with them. Even if he conveyed his creative ideas through the music officials, it was ultimately not as direct as face-to-face communication.

Moreover, Zhang Dai had too many demands regarding various details, making him a very difficult client. In addition, the Yichun Courtyard itself had a very heavy performance workload, and they were not under the jurisdiction of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

At first, they might have wanted to lend a hand and give face to Zhang Dai, the rising young lyricist, but as the creative content proposed by Zhang Dai became increasingly demanding and difficult, they gradually became impatient and began to give perfunctory answers, making the dance and music accompaniment part significantly inferior to the previous part.

However, the subsequent entry into the choreographed version requires dancers to have even more amazing expressiveness, which makes it increasingly difficult to continue, and it has not yet been choreographed.

Upon hearing this reason, Song Zhuo couldn't help but sigh, and then said, "Zhang Shiyu's guidance in creating this piece demonstrates his exceptional talent and leadership. It's just a pity that due to the constraints of personnel rules, things couldn't be completed perfectly. Perhaps it's because people today are not fortunate enough to have it. What a pity!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai also sighed, but his thoughts were completely different from Song Zhuo's. Once this piece of music was truly composed, people of this era would be truly unlucky!
Of course, this refers to the original history. As for the present day, Zhang Dai is also making many attempts to avoid widespread suffering. His pursuit of art is not contradictory to this; he presented this unfinished piece of music to Prince Shou, hoping to leverage Consort Hui's influence within the palace to facilitate its completion.

As for whether future sages will have the opportunity to change and create such a famous piece of music and dance, that remains to be seen.

After all, Zhang Dai already had a pretty firm idea: if this guy doesn't want to be respectable in the future, then he'll give him some respectability.

Letting him enjoy this dance and music in advance would be a way of fulfilling the duty between ruler and subject. Having Prince Shou present it to him was a gesture that only Zhang Dai could truly understand in this world.

"Ah? This piece still has so many flaws, how can it still be presented before the Emperor's birthday?"

Although Prince Shou had a certain artistic foundation, he was not at a very high level at his age. He thought the dance and music were quite good and was thinking about how he could join in. When he heard the conversation between the two, he immediately became nervous.

"Your Majesty need not worry too much. The matter is not yet settled. It is only that the skills of those involved are still slightly lacking. But if we have enough manpower and resources, it will not be difficult to accomplish the task. There is also enough time for Your Majesty to practice."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and said that the biggest problem with artistic creation is the lack of direction, concept, and even the question of what kind of aesthetic beauty should be presented. It requires repeated exploration and experimentation.

Zhang Dai had never seen the real "Rainbow Feather Dance," but he knew the direction and what kind of effect to pursue. As for how to move forward to achieve the goal, that was the responsibility of the professionals.

His confident statement reassured Prince Shou, who then turned back to continue enjoying the ongoing song and dance performance on stage.

Song Zhuo observed Zhang Dai with great interest. Confident people always attract more attention, whether from the same sex or the opposite sex. After returning to the capital, Song Zhuo frequented the Music Bureau and heard many stories about Zhang Dai. He was very curious about this young man whose background was similar to his own.

Upon meeting him, he discovered that Zhang Dai was not only outstanding in appearance, but also possessed remarkable talent and confidence. He had initially thought that the various praises from the music officials were merely flattery, but now it seemed to be based on factual descriptions!

Faced with such an outstanding peer, he couldn't help but feel a surge of competitive spirit. Music and lyrics were also among his strengths, so after a moment's thought, he leaned closer to Zhang Dai and whispered, "The new piece composed by Attendant Zhang is truly admirable, but after hearing the rest of the piece, I have some thoughts: it seems there's room for further refinement..."

As he pondered, he slowly described his feelings and opinions, and overall he felt that the piece could be adjusted to be more robust and lively.

Zhang Dai listened attentively to Song Zhuo's suggestion. After Song Zhuo finished speaking, Zhang Dai raised his hand to signal the musicians on stage to continue playing another adapted version. He then smiled and said to Song Zhuo, "Young Master Song has profound insights. Why don't you listen to this piece?"

As the music began to play, Song Zhuoyue's expression grew increasingly alarmed, because this new piece of music closely matched the suggestions he had just made; it could even be said that it was an expression of his own feelings.

Soulmate!
When Song Zhuo looked at Zhang Dai again, his eyes became burning with desire.

(End of this chapter)