美人舞如蓮花旋，世人有眼應未見。
高堂滿地紅氍毹，試舞一曲天下無。
此曲胡人傳入漢，諸客見之驚且歎。
曼臉嬌娥纖復穠，輕羅金縷花蔥蘢。
回裾轉袖若飛雪，左旋右旋生旋風。
琵琶橫笛和未匝，花門山頭黃雲合。
忽作出塞入塞聲，白草胡沙寒颯颯。
翻身入破如有神，前見後見回回新。
始知諸曲不可比，「採蓮」、「落梅」徒聒耳。
世人學舞只是舞，姿態豈能得如此。
~岑參《田使君美人如蓮花舞北鋋歌》
張萱繪「虢國夫人游春圖」（摹本）
Spring Outing of the Tang Court, by Zhang Xuan (713-755)
宴樂舞是唐朝在宮廷演出的音樂及舞蹈，分為大曲、中曲及小曲，用以歌頌皇帝，在規模上等同於今日的交響樂，每一曲所需要的演奏長度大約在兩小時以上。
這種宮廷樂舞，是源自於北魏時代不斷吸收外來文化的結果，包括回教、佛教、薩滿教、道教於長安，經過三個世紀的激盪及融匯，最後以儒家的舞蹈美學呈現在大唐盛世玄宗的時代。
劉鳳學說，這些樂舞創作幾乎完全出自於唐人之手，因襲外人的時期已經結束。當時宮廷內已擁有上萬名的樂舞工作者，在長安及洛陽各設有左、右教坊，並有宜春院、梨園等樂舞教育及演出機構，再加上太常寺的雅樂、鼓吹樂，便呈現出雅俗並存的樂舞教育、樂舞演出及樂舞管理制度。
劉鳳學說，這些樂舞創作幾乎完全出自於唐人之手，因襲外人的時期已經結束。當時宮廷內已擁有上萬名的樂舞工作者，在長安及洛陽各設有左、右教坊，並有宜春院、梨園等樂舞教育及演出機構，再加上太常寺的雅樂、鼓吹樂，便呈現出雅俗並存的樂舞教育、樂舞演出及樂舞管理制度。
可惜安史之亂以後，這些樂舞文化遺產逐漸流失，所幸當時日本由於仰慕中國文化，曾經先後派遣留學生來中國學習唐朝文化，因此，至今日本及韓國仍然保存大量唐代樂舞的文獻及演出。 {文獻參考: 大紀元}
Tang dynasty court performance (618-907 A. D.) incorporated the influences of Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. During the time of Emperor Tang Hsuen Tsung (712-755 A. D.), there were over 300 pieces of court music and dances for regular performance and over 10,000 practitioners training and performing. Despite its abundant activity, the music and dance of the Tang court, as well as the complete system of education, evaluation and administrative management were lost during the rebellion of An Lu-Shan (安祿山) from 755 to 763 A.D. and the subsequent anti-foreigner and old-literary style revival movements lead by Han Yu (768-824 A.D.). {via}
Tang dynasty court performance (618-907 A. D.) incorporated the influences of Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. During the time of Emperor Tang Hsuen Tsung (712-755 A. D.), there were over 300 pieces of court music and dances for regular performance and over 10,000 practitioners training and performing. Despite its abundant activity, the music and dance of the Tang court, as well as the complete system of education, evaluation and administrative management were lost during the rebellion of An Lu-Shan (安祿山) from 755 to 763 A.D. and the subsequent anti-foreigner and old-literary style revival movements lead by Han Yu (768-824 A.D.). {via}
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Dr. Liu Feng-Shueh's reconstruction of Tang music and dance
{**images & text references via}
“In 'Tang Court Music and Dance,' ... Dr. Liu combined her experience as a modern-dance choreographer with her extensive knowledge as a dance scholar and notation expert. Highly distilled and formal, they speak of power or order with philosophical concepts implied through codified movements and spatial harmony."
~Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times, (2002)
“It’s very grand, but very slow... of the pieces presented are Tang court music, these slow moving pieces go for a kind of pure aesthetic... This is a rare opportunity to see what Chinese music might have been like one thousand years ago, one that makes very few concessions to modern sensibilities.”
~Taipei Times (2002)
春鶯囀（大曲）/ The Singing of Spring Orioles (Grand Piece)
舞蹈音樂結構：1.遊聲 2.序 3.颯踏 4.入破 5.鳥聲 6.急聲舞。
The Singing of Spring Orioles is one of the grandest pieces of Tang (618~907 A.D.) court music. According to a description in the Yuefushiji (The Collection of Songs and Poems): “Tang Kao Tsung, the third Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, knew music and rhythm well. When hearing the wind blow and birds sing, he could dance with their rhythms. When he was sitting in the morning, he heard the orioles sing. The musician Bai Ming Da was then assigned to write The Singing of Spring Orioles. The music was later used for dance.” There was also a full description in the Jiaofanglu (the register of the institution for the training of musicians, singers and dancers in Tang Dynasty) describing the use of musical instruments in this piece. The name of the piece was also altered to Mei Hwa Chun Ying Chuan (The Plum Tree Blossoms and the Singing of Spring Orioles), or Tien Chan Bao Shou Yueh after being brought to Japan.
The music and dance notation was also registered in Japanese literature in the 9th, 12th and 13th centuries. The music and dance of this piece have been reconstructed by Dr. Liu, Feng-shueh, whose work was based on the inscriptions at Tunhwang, the ancient Japanese documents and the research and studies of Dr. Picken.
蘇合香（大曲）/ Liquidambar (Grand Piece)
《蘇合香》原係印度樂舞；因印度阿育王服食蘇合香草藥而病癒，作此樂舞以示感恩。傳至中國後，被納入「教坊」曲目，係軟舞型式，由日本遣唐舞生和邇部傳至日本。
舞蹈音樂結構：1.序 2.破 3.急
The Grand Piece, Liquidambar, was originated in India. Indian King Ashoka commissioned this grand piece of dance and music in order to express his gratitude after the herbal medicine Liquidambar helped cure him of his illness. It was later brought to China and introduced into Jiaofanglu (registry of the conservatoire for dance and music in Tang Dynasty). Japanese dancer Manibeno Simatsuko learned this Grand Piece in Tang China and afterwards brought it back to Japan.
唐代的紫檀五弦琵琶「螺鈿紫檀五絃琵琶」，日本奈良正倉院收藏。A five-stringed pipa (wuxian), or biwa, from the Tang Dynasty. {images via}
唐代彩陶婦女像 / Tang figurine of a lady - coloured pottery
A terracotta figurine of a woman, 7th~8th century; during the Tang era, female hosts prepared feasts, tea parties, and played drinking games with their guests.
團亂旋（大曲）/ Whirl Around (Grand Piece)
《團亂旋》又名《團圞旋》，唐教坊曲目之一。應屬軟舞類，據說唐睿宗（684，710~712 A.D.）時代，韋鏗曾隨睿宗巡視承天門，遇大風，韋鏗迎風而倒，邵景乃作詩調侃矮且肥的韋鏗：「飄風忽起團圞旋，倒地還如著腳鎚，莫怪殿上空行事，卻為元非五品才」。傳入日本後名為《團蘭傳》、《后帝樂》、《后帝團亂旋》，劉鳳學係根據1263年日本古文獻而重建。該舞有＜序＞一、二帖，＜颯踏＞一、二帖，＜破＞一、二帖，＜急＞一至七帖。因過長僅演出＜序＞、＜破＞、＜急＞各一帖。
舞蹈音樂結構：1.序 2.破 3.颯踏 4.急
During the reign of Tang Rei Tsung (684~704 A.D.), Wei Keng, an officer of the fifth rank was dizzy and fell down because of the strong wind at Cheng Tien Gate. He was such a short and fat man that Shao Jing wrote a satirical poem to tease him: “The wind suddenly gave rise and made him whirl around.” The name of the piece was altered to Tuan Luan Hsuan, Hou Ti Yueh (The Music of Empress), or Hou Ti Tuan Luan Hsuan (Whirling Around of Empress) after being brought to Japan. Dr. Feng-shueh Liu reconstructed this work according to the ancient Japanese notation dated 1263 A.D.
Figurine of a Woman Playing Polo, Tang coloured pottery.
唐太宗 溫泉銘（局部）/ Fountain Memory, calligraphy of Emperor Taizong on a Tang stele.
皇帝破陣樂（大曲）/ The Emperor Destroys the Formations (Grand Piece)
唐大曲《皇帝破陣樂》又名《秦王破陣樂》、《破陣樂》、《破陣子》、《七德舞》、《神功破陣樂》、《小破陣樂》。該樂舞係唐太宗李世民作秦王時，於西元620年大敗劉武周，士兵們在獲勝歡呼時所展現之樂舞。貞觀元年(627A.D.)正月初三，唐太宗歡宴群臣，首次於宮廷表演該樂，七年後太宗親製舞圖：「左圓右方，先偏後伍，魚麗鵝鸛，箕張翼舒，交錯屈伸，首尾回互，以象戰陣之形」。由起居郎呂才(？-665A.D.)、教樂工120人，執戟而舞。並由魏徵(580-643A.D.)、虞世南(558-638A.D.)、褚亮、李百藥(565-648A.D.)改制歌詞。之後，每逢大慶典時必演出該樂。651年並曾用於祭祀。當十部樂制建立時，太常寺太樂屬協律郎張文收(約627-683A.D.)將該樂舞納入第一部讌樂；由四名舞者不執武器而舞。二部樂制建立時，120名持武器而舞之破陣樂屬立部伎，而徒手之四人舞之破陣樂被置於坐部伎。
可惜，此一具有唐朝代表性之破陣樂樂舞譜在國內均已失傳，所幸該時，日本朝野基於仰慕中華文化，先後派遣19次文化使節團來中國，研習律法、建築及樂舞等，其中有外交官、音樂家及舞蹈家粟田真人(？-719A.D.)、吉備真備(693-775A.D.)、尾張連賓主(733-848A.D.)、藤原貞敏(807-867A.D.)等至唐朝學習樂舞。又有天竺僧菩提、林邑僧哲佛，將部分唐樂舞攜至日本，並大力推廣。因此日本至今仍保有唐樂計有96首，含壹越調、平調、雙調、黃鐘調、盤涉調、太食調，分大曲、中曲、小曲三種。有龍笛、笛、箏、琵琶、篳篥、笙、鼓等分譜（該譜均用唐代樂譜符號書寫），及舞譜66首。
破陣樂於西元701年傳入日本，當時日本文武天皇 (697 - 707 A.D.) 依大寶令，在治部省設雅樂寮，保存演出該樂，並將該舞稱為《皇帝破陣舞》。
劉鳳學於1965及1966年在日本宮內廳獲得該舞譜，1983年始得知該樂舞譜已由英國劍橋大學唐樂研究中心譯成五線譜，此舞即係根據上項樂舞譜文獻而重建。
舞蹈結構：1.遊聲 2.序 3.入破一至六帖
The Emperor Destroys the Formations was not the original title of this ancient dance composed to celebrate the victory of the second Tang Emperor, Tang Tai Tsung, (Li Shih-Min) over his rival, Liu Wu-Chou, in 620 A.D. The Chinese title of the piece conveys lines of troops drawn up in battle against the Emperor, and is referred to in English by several other names including The King of Chin Destroys the Formations, the King of Chin being Li Shih-Min’s title before he became the Emperor.
The notation for this piece was unfortunately lost in China, but was preserved in Japan. During the Tang Dynasty, Japanese took great interest in Chinese culture and 19 missions were sent to the Tang court. Students, as well as ambassadors Awatta no Mahito and musician Fugiwara no Sadatoshi, studied the dance. In addition, two Chinese Buddhist priests took several pieces of music and dance to Japan in order to promote Chinese culture, and included this specific one in their collection. In 701, the Japanese Emperor Mommei placed the work in the Gagaku notsukase, the Department of Chinese Music, further preserving it for performance. It was performed several times in the Japanese Imperial Court during the ninth century. The emperor also altered its name to “The Emperor Destroys the Formations.” Thus, 96 sections of the musical notation and 66 sections of the dance notation still remain in the library of the Royal Palace in Japan.
In 1965, Dr. Liu was able to obtain the notation of this dance from Japan and in 1983, the dance she found was reconstructed using staff notation by the Research Center for Tang Music at Cambridge University. The musical notation has been published by the Cambridge Press. This dance is reconstructed according to the above music and dance notation.
周昉 簪花仕女图 / Beauties Wearing Flowers, by Zhou Fang, 8th century, China.
[addendum:] In October 2011, I had the pleasure of enjoying one of the most beautiful and mesmerising performances I have ever attended－the concluding performance of Dr. Liu, Feng-Shueh's reconstruction of Tang dance and music, performed by Neo-Classic Dance Company (where I learned ballet as a child!). The highly stylised, formalistic and exceptionally elegant dance movements are expressed/executed in a slowed manner with such poise and grace. Combined with exquisite live music (all re-constructed and faithful to how it was originally performed in Tang dynasty), the whole experience was meditative yet at the same time intoxicating...♥ I cannot wait for the DVD to come out.
*Links to some wonderful websites on the art, literature and culture of the Tang Dynasty:
The Tang Dynasty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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