The Lore of the Chinese Lute - By R. H. Van Gulik (1)

Introduction

Van Gulik, a Dutch diplomat in China, is one of my idols. His proficiency in traditional Chinese culture, especially the in-depth exploration of Guqin culture, amazed me and motivated me to learn our own treasure. From today on, I will share his book The Lore of the Chinese Luteand hope you'll like it!

Preface

"Although the tones of the lute may be featured, when listening to them who shall be able to fathom their significance?"（琴声虽可状，琴意谁可听）

This essay is an attempt to describe the cultural significance of a Chinese musical instrument, the seven-stringed lute. Commonly called Ku-CH'IN or "the lute of antiquity", it was played more than two thousand year ago as it is still today. It is chiefly used as a solo instrument, producing a subdued and highly refined music.

But rather than its imposing age or its charming tones, it was the unique place it holds in Chinese culture that prompted this study. For from a remote time the lute was set apart as the inseparable companion of the literatus, that engaging combination of official, poet, painter and philosopher, till gradually its became in itself a symbol of literary life, with all of its elegant and tasteful pleasures. The musical properties came to be accessory to the instrument as center of a special system of thought, an ideology fitly encompassing the eclectic tendencies characteristic of the old-fashioned Chinese scholar. 

Although it is with this ideology - its origin, development and final formulation - that the present essay is concerned, there must be frequent references to the music itself. The author, merely a dabbler in musical science, had to take into consideration various aspects of it, withal aware that he encroached upon ground more properly reserved for musicologists. Among these, the author would be gratified to find readers, although he addresses himself primarily to Orientalists, in the hope of drawing attention to one of the lesser known aspects of Chinese culture. Musicologists will discover here a veritable treasure house of ancient Chinese music in general, a rich source which might, with scientific analysis based on historical musicological principles, revolutionize the opinions on ancient Chinese music current now both east and west. This music of the lute may truly and proudly call itself T'ai - KU -I -YIN,"tones bequeathed from high antiquity".

      It has seemed desirable to include a more or less exhaustive list and a critical discussion of the sources where these musicological materials are found, and it is hoped that they may serve musicologists in the further study of problems which could be but briefly treated here. Then, should one among them compile a complete handbook of lute music, the author would feel at least discharged of part of the large debt he owes it. Many were the joys the lute gave him. Old melodies enlivened weary summer evenings, and playing some light prelude often heartened him to attack again knotty passages in many a musty Chinese volume. During the writing of the following pages about the ideology of the lute, its music was an invariable inspiration.