Chapter 99: Water Tune Song
Sun Yanran ignored Dongfang Liang and turned to Huang Guolun. “Teacher Huang, why don’t you tell the students about the song you composed, ‘Su Zhou Jiang Yin—When Will the Bright Moon Rise?’”
“This lyric, you’ve all studied it before, and you should all be able to recite it. I won’t say much about the content… Here, Zhang Jing, help me distribute the sheet music for this lyric to the students.”
Huang Guolun only knew Zhang Jing, who played the guzheng. He handed her the printed sheet music, and she passed it to each student.
Upon receiving the music, everyone frowned, finding it difficult to understand.
Only Zhang Jing could read the score and sing from it.
Fang Shuo, who was tall and handsome, complained petulantly, “Teacher Huang, you’ve only given us the sheet music, but… we don’t know how to sing it.”
“It’s fine, just look it over first. I’ll teach you how to sing it later.”
As he spoke, Huang Guolun handed another sheet music to Sun Yanran and said, “Teacher Sun, you should learn it too, to encourage the students to practice this song.”
Sun Yanran confidently replied, “No problem. I’m sure I’ll learn it faster than them.”
A sigh escaped from the doorway. Dongfang Liang took the lead in teasing Sun Yanran.
Only a few boys laughed in response, while the girls stood firmly with Sun Yanran, refusing to join the boys in mockery.
Sun Yanran shot Dongfang Liang a displeased glance, deliberately ignoring this troublesome troublemaker of a student. Then she told the others, “We’ll have a competition later to see who learns the song first.”
Zhang Songtao hung his fat face, sighing dejectedly, “Alas, this lyric is really too vulgar. Singing such a song must be hard to make a name for oneself.”
Huang Guolun said, “This classmate, don’t be so pessimistic. This ‘Su Zhou Jiang Yin’ is an excellent work, created in the moment, yet its style remains high through the ages. If you say it’s vulgar, then there are no elegant songs.”
Zhang Jing spoke up for Huang Guolun, “This lyric, when paired with a good melody, will definitely have a profound artistic conception. Teacher Huang, I see that the tune you’ve composed is a three-part round singing, with a free and easy ending that flows naturally. Once well-practiced, it should become a very stylistically refined choral piece.”
Sun Yanran smiled and praised, “Zhang Jing is indeed insightful. People who have studied music are different.”
Zhang Jing, being a reserved and classical girl, said shyly, “No, it’s just that I feel the tune Teacher Huang composed has a lot of charm.”
Huang Guolun seized the opportunity to ask Zhang Jing, “Can you read the score? Zhang Jing, how about you trying to sing it for the students?”
Zhang Jing hurriedly replied, “No, no, my level at reading scores is average. You sing it for them, Teacher Huang.”
Seeing Zhang Jing hesitate, Huang Guolun didn’t force the issue and said, “Alright then, I’ll sing it for everyone first. You all listen and learn.”
Huang Guolun walked to the guzheng that Zhang Jing had brought and sat down. He tuned the instrument with flair and plucked a few notes.
With just a few strokes, he spread a traditional, lingering ancient melody throughout the entire music classroom.
Several girls’ eyes sparkled as they watched Huang Guolun play the guzheng. They never imagined that this teacher, once misunderstood as only reading those small yellow books, could play guzheng so skillfully!
An expert’s hand reveals its master. Huang Guolun’s few notes on the guzheng impressed Zhang Jing the most.
Zhang Jing could tell that Huang Guolun’s guzheng playing was of a high level.
Huang Guolun had always had a hobby of collecting instruments.
He didn’t just buy them to hoard them.
After purchasing, he would play and practice them himself to enjoy the music.
Before attaining his superhuman hearing, Huang Guolun was already at a versatile level, able to play several instruments with ease.
After gaining his super hearing, his skill in playing instruments jumped several levels; whatever he played, it was done with outstanding flair.
At this moment, as he played the guzheng and felt the ancient melody’s resonance, a sense of returning to antiquity stirred within him. He gave the students a simple and concise explanation of the background of this “Su Zhou Jiang Yin”:
“You should all know that this lyric was written by Su Shi when he disagreed with Wang Anshi and other reformers in power over their reforms, seeking an official post away from the capital. He served in various places. At the time, he had requested a transfer to a location nearer to his younger brother Su Zhe, to meet more often. However, upon arriving in Mizhou, this wish could never be fulfilled. This Mid-Autumn Festival, the bright moon hung high, silver light flooding the ground, separated from his younger brother Su Zhe for seven years without reunion. Just as the wine was flowing and the poetic mood was high, this immortal work was born. The tune I composed for this lyric is the ‘I wish you a long life, and we share the same beauty under the moon’ from my heart.”
By saying this, Huang Guolun was informing the students that his composed tune would definitely differ from the ancient musical score of the lyric.
This tune was a collection of his personal emotions and inspirations, hoping to pay tribute to the ancients and this great lyric through it.
No more talk needed.
After a simple introduction, Huang Guolun caressed the ancient tune in his heart upon the instrument.
Accompanied by the leisurely moonlit setting, the highly ancient lyrical piece soared forth:
“When will the bright moon rise?
I raise my wine to ask the clear sky.
I know not what year the heavenly palace is—
This or that of old?
I wish to ride the wind and return to the immortal realm,
Fearing only the jade towers and pearl palaces.
The height is too cold to bear;
I dance, playing with the clear shadow.
How can it compare to being in the human world…”
Su Shi’s “Su Zhou Jiang Yin” originated from Li Bai’s immortal heart, full of extraordinary and逸笔. Sung by Huang Guolun, it was solitary, lofty, vast, ethereal, and profound.
With just these few lines, many students’ hearts were stirred, and they rose in respect!
The few boys who had previously shown little interest in “Su Zhou Jiang Yin” were moved by Huang Guolun’s retro song.
They hadn’t expected Huang Guolun to sing so beautifully, nor that the tune he composed for this lyric would be so enduringly pleasing!
Sun Yanran had heard Huang Guolun sing “Du Shang Xi Lou” before, and she thought that Huang Guolun already had a master’s demeanor in singing such ancient songs.
Yet she never imagined that the “When Will the Bright Moon Rise?” sung by Huang Guolun today with the guzheng accompaniment was even more free-spirited and heroic, extraordinary and peerless!
“This uncle is getting more and more handsome!”
Sun Yanran thought excitedly to herself.
She believed that Huang Guolun’s “Su Zhou Jiang Yin” would surely conquer all the students under her, including that troublesome Dongfang Liang.
Leaning against the doorframe, Dongfang Liang listened with great interest to Huang Guolun playing and singing ancient songs. His left eye, which had always been unable to open fully, now widened, though still smaller than the right eye. Yet his expression already revealed that he was captivated by this ancient song.
“This Teacher Huang is indeed awesome! The tune he matched for Su Lao is superb!”
As Dongfang Liang listened on, he grew even more respectfully admiring of Huang Guolun’s creation than the others.
Huang Guolun caressed the instrument and continued singing:
“Passing by the vermilion pavilion, lowering the carved doors,
Illuminating the sleeplessness.
There should be no resentment, yet why always round at parting time?
People have sorrow and joy, separation and reunion;
The moon has yin and yang, round and missing.
This matter is hard to be perfect in ancient times.
I wish that people live long, and we share the same beauty over a thousand li.”
Upon these golden sentences being uttered, everyone sighed with emotion.
Su Dongpo’s this lyric was a work of viewing the moon at Mid-Autumn and missing loved ones, expressing infinite longing for his younger brother Su Zhe.
Huang Guolun had grasped the essence of this lyric, infusing his own “divine inspiration” musical inspiration into it. With both emotion and artistic conception, he transformed this autumnal lament of feelings into something that touched everywhere with spring, giving listeners a sense of looking high and distant, inspiring the upward, like warm wine warming the heart and intoxicating.
In the second rendition, Huang unfolded his emotions and sentiments. After “Yet why always round at parting time?”, he added another “round at parting” yongtan, elevating the artistic conception of the lyric and tune to a higher level, and adding an even more lingering and affectionate flavor.
This affection, needless to say, was for Chen Jia’s deep entanglement.
The aftersound of the guzheng lingered on.
The students in the room, along with Sun Yanran, were carried by Huang Guolun’s singing to a thousand miles away, with profound thoughts and reverie, far surpassing the dimensions they had before when learning this lyric.
Music can expand a person’s imagination. Huang Guolun’s version of “Su Zhou Jiang Yin” made everyone have a more profound understanding and comprehension of this thousand-year-old famous piece.
Almost everyone found that after Huang sang, this famous piece became even more beautiful and moving.
After Huang finished singing, Sun Yanran was the first to praise Huang Guolun: “You can sing ancient songs so beautifully, Teacher Huang. You are truly too talented.”
The students all nodded in agreement.
Huang Guolun truly wanted to say to these people, “These inspirations were already here; I just accidentally stumbled upon them.”
But afraid that everyone would say he was arrogant, he refrained from saying such blunt words.
At the door, Dongfang Liang couldn’t help but praise, “Good lyric, good tune, wonderful to listen to!”
Sun Yanran impatiently waved Dongfang Liang away, “You’ve listened enough, you should go now. Don’t disturb everyone’s practice.”
Dongfang Liang was made quite embarrassed by Sun Yanran’s words.
Honestly, after listening to this ancient song, he really wanted to join in the chorus rehearsal of this song. He wanted to see how Huang Guolun’s talent could transform the Western-style piano accompaniment and integrate it into such a Chinese classical work.
But being so abruptly dismissed by Sun Yanran, he was too lazy to join the fun.
His left eye half-closed again, Dongfang Liang left dejectedly.
Huang Guolun did not call out to Dongfang Liang. Although in his original design, the guzheng and piano should complement each other, with the piano accompaniment taking a larger share to create the atmosphere of the chorus.
But after understanding how “peculiar” Dongfang Liang was, Huang Guolun understood why Sun Yanran didn’t want this kid to participate in the chorus.
This guy was probably a fly in the ointment that would ruin their fresh soup.
So, he simply adapted a version of the choral piece with pure guzheng accompaniment for these students.
Moved by Huang Guolun’s talent and charm, those boys no longer yearned for the so-called more exciting music. Under the background of mediocre talent, they seriously learned this moving “Su Zhou Jiang Yin” with Huang Guolun.
Sun Yanran was very grateful to Huang Guolun for sacrificing his personal time to give special training to their class chorus.
After this evening’s class dismissal, Sun Yanran insisted on inviting Huang Guolun to dinner to express her thanks.
It was said that she had discovered a very magical restaurant.
In this restaurant, there was a candlelight stage where guests could voluntarily go up to sing. If they sang well, they would receive applause from all the guests in the hall, and the shop owner would waive the bill for that table.