Chinese poetry through the guqin: a practical tool to learn Chinese language and culture
Dear Qin Friends,
Confucius said: “To educate somebody, you should start with poetry, emphasize ritual, and finish with music”. NAGA has developed a series new class that will combine poetry and music with guqin study and aims to deepen the appreciation of Chinese poetry and guqin culture through the exploration of guqin songs.It is designed for complete beginners and experienced players alike.
Students will not only learn how to play the guqin and sing poems by famous poets from different Chinese dynasties, but also will learn standard Mandarin through these poems. This course will provide a practical, interdisciplinary approach to the study of Chinese language and culture.
About 3000 pieces of guqin music have been handed down from past dynasties, of which about a third contain lyrics. However because the guqin has become an endangered instrument, they are unknown to most people. This course therefore also aims to preserve and promote guqin music and the singing of guqin songs.
At the end of the course, students will be able to sing at least five famous Chinese poems while playing the guqin, and will have a broad appreciation of Chinese culture.
Course description
Topics covered include:
systematic coverage of guqin playing and performance techniques
guqin history, tradition, theory, handbooks, and repertory
the use of singing to enhance guqin playing and of guqin playing to enhance singing
the historical background of the poems, authentic diction of the song texts, pronunciation of classical poetry, recitation and singing, and poetry translation
the technique of traditional guqin songs following the method of guqin master Zha Fuxi, which is now almost lost
The classes will consist of lectures and practical sessions, and will include PowerPoint presentations to explain guqin notation, to show music in guqin tablature and staff notation, and to show poems in Chinese characters, Pinyin with tone indications and English translation.
Practical information
Fees $400 for 5 weeks
Venue
Union City
, CA. Address to be announced after registration. Accessible by public transportation.
Class size
Because we intend to run a beginner-friendly group using a traditional teaching style, one student per guqin, space is limited.
Instruments
Instruments can be either rented for the full 5 weeks duration of the course(rental can be credited towards the purchase of a qin) or purchased from the teacher.
Good guqinswill be provided for use during the classes, one for each student. Students do not need to bring their own instruments.
Instructor
The guqin is a unique Chinese musical instrument with many playing techniques that need to be taught orally by masters. Unfortunately, there are very few guqin teachers in the United States. More and more people are people are becoming fascinated by the guqin but cannot find a qualified teacher. Even self-teach is very difficult because there is no English instructional material.
If there were any shortcut to learning the guqin, it would be to follow a master’s guidance. Renowned guqin teacher, scholar and performer, NAGA director Wang Fei is the only inheritor in the North America of the world’s greatest guqin grand master, China National Treasure Li Xiangting. She has inherited the traditions, styles, concepts and masterpieces of her “grand teachers” Zha Fuxi, Wu Jinglue and Guan Pinghu, the three greatest guqin masters of the last century, and transmits them through her guqin teaching, performance and promotion in the western world. She is also one of the very few bilingual guqin players recognized in both the US and China by mainstream universities, music festivals and museums. She has toured internationally and has given lectures, workshops and seminars on the guqin at many prestigious universities including Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA and the Central Conservatory of Music. Wang Fei will impart the essence of her more than 25 years of guqin playing in those classes.
For a brief introduction to the guqin in English,please see
The
number of places is limited, and space is available on a
first-come-first-served basis, so please register now! Email registration is
highly recommended! Please email your registration form to info@guqin.org.
Your
reservation is not confirmed until NAGA staff contact you and your registration
is fully paid. No refunds or exchanges once payment is received. Tuition is
non-transferable.
Fill
out the registration below and print out along with your payment send to:
North American Guqin Association