Meihua Sannong is one of the earliest
and most famous pieces of Chinese ancient music. Its origin went back to as early
as Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), in which period lived a famous general and musician
named Huan Yi. One day, General Huan met a young man named Wang Huizhi, who humbly
invited Huan to play one piece of Dizi (bamboo flute) music. Huan accepted with
no hesitation. What he played was Meihua Sannong, the most popular melody in that
period. Meihua means plum blossom, but the meaning of the latter Sannong is confusing.
Generally speaking, Sannong means repeating the main melody three times. Meihua
Sannong is composed mainly of a number of different melodies, each of which consists
of a string of connected musical phrases. Contrasting tempos and the restraining
influence of synchronism serve to produce effects of scattering and tightening,
which represent plum blossom's pure and noble peacefulness and fearlessness to the
severe cold. This melody expresses the loneliness and extraordinary self-admiration
of ancient Chinese scholars. With time passing by, Meihua Sannong is fairly common
with other kinds of musical instruments and this elegant melody now is one of the
repertoires of Guqin music.
Previous Next