Hubei Daily all-media reporter Hai Bing, Xi student Wang Jiaqi, correspondent Zhang Ming
This year is the 45th anniversary of the unearthing of the bell of Zeng Hou Yi, and the Hubei Provincial Museum recently held the "Chinese Memory - Documentary Exhibition of the 45th Anniversary of the Unearthed Chime of Zeng Hou Yi", which exhibited for the first time the original archives such as documents, letters, manuscripts, notes, and diaries donated by many witnesses.
Hubei Provincial Museum issued donation certificates to a number of archaeological predecessors who participated in the excavation of the tomb of Marquis Yi (Photo by Hai Bing, an all-media reporter from Hubei Daily)
Over the past 45 years, several generations of Wenbo people have sought and passed on the torch, so that the "eternal ringing" Zeng Hou Yi chime has spread farther and farther. At the scene of the "45th Anniversary Document Exhibition of the Unearthed Chimes of Zeng Hou Yi", a number of witnesses gathered together to recall the past in combination with the original archives donated. Among them, as one of the witnesses, researchers, and disseminators of the discovery of Zeng Hou Yi's chime, Feng Guangsheng has formed an indissoluble bond with him for decades.
Feng Guangsheng visited the "Chinese Memory-Documentary Exhibition of the 45th Anniversary of the Excavation of Zeng Houyi's Chime" (Photo by Hai Bing, an all-media reporter from Hubei Daily)
On August 1, 1978, the original recital of Zeng Houyi's chimes (the first one on the left is Feng Guangsheng, and the old photo is donated by Feng Guangsheng)
I was brought into the world of music archaeology by my predecessors
"At that time, I decided to stay with the chimes for the rest of my life"
In 1978, the archaeological excavation of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Suizhou Drum Pier was presided over by Tan Weisi, then director of the Hubei Provincial Museum, and Guo Dewei, Yang Dingai, Liang Zhu and others participated in the excavation.
The water fell out of the bell, such a large-scale, majestic, and large number of bronze chimes gradually revealed, and after more than 2,400 years of standing, everyone present was shocked. Feng Guangsheng, president of the Chime Research Institute and research librarian of the World Art Center of the China Millennium Monument, recalls the scene that went down in history 45 years ago, and he still remembers it vividly.
The earth-shattering discovery attracted experts from all over the country in the fields of bronzes, ancient characters, and music to come and study. Feng Guangsheng, who was 24 years old at the time, was transferred from the grassroots cultural center to the front line of the excavation of the tomb of Marquis Zeng, and because of his music background, the archaeological team sent him to assist musicologists such as Huang Xiangpeng and Wang Xiang in surveying and mapping.
In July 1978, Feng Guangsheng followed Huang Xiangpeng, Wang Xiang and others to collect information on the unearthed chimes for the first time in the Suixian Exhibition Hall at that time. Feng Guangsheng pointed to the archival materials in the display case and introduced, "This 'measurement data of the Warring States bells unearthed in May 1978' is the earliest data record of the bells of Zeng Houyi. It was a couple of gentlemen who introduced me to the world of music archaeology, and I decided that I wanted to stay with the chimes for the rest of my life. ”
Feng Guangsheng also said, "Based on the results of on-site percussion and sound measurement, combined with the interpretation of the inscription of the bell chime by paleographers, several gentlemen confirmed the existence of a bell with two tones, and then solved many unresolved questions in the history of mainland music." ”
I was fortunate to participate in the first concert of the original chime of Zeng Hou Yi
The first section of "Dongfang Hong" was played
Huang Xiangpeng instructs Feng Guangsheng to play the chimes (Tan Weisi on the left, Huang Xiangpeng in the middle, Feng Guangsheng on the right) (file photo)
On August 1, 1978, the chimes of Zeng Hou Yi, which had only been unearthed for a few months, ushered in the first "performance". The "King of Ancient Musical Instruments", which has been dormant for more than 2,400 years, was played through time and space, shocking all audiences.
This unique concert features ancient and modern Chinese and foreign music, arranged and composed by Huang Xiangpeng and Wang Yuanping, in order to comprehensively examine and demonstrate the musical performance of this ancient set of chimes.
The concert began with "Dongfang Hong", Feng Guangsheng still remembers that exciting moment, "As one of the performers, I played the first section of "Dongfang Hong" with the treble bell of the first group in the middle level, the crisp and bright bell, long, ethereal, as pure as a drop of water. The concert also featured a new chime song "Chu Shang", as well as a set of Chinese and foreign modern music, including "The Sun That Never Rises on the Prairie", "The Internationale", and the interlude of the American movie "Soul Broken Blue Bridge". The chimes of different layers give full play to their own sound quality characteristics, with wonderful timbre and amazing charm, and the audience reciprocates with warm and long-term applause.
In 1979, in order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the original chimes of Zeng Houyi were played again in the capital Beijing, and the envoys of various countries in China were overwhelmed by it.
Chimes must be played in every prosperous age
The Hong Kong rehearsal site sent an urgent fax to this newspaper
Feng Guangsheng's fax to Hubei Daily in Hong Kong "A Brief Introduction to the Celebration of Hubei Chimes to Hong Kong" (donated by Feng Guangsheng) (Photo by Hai Bing, an all-media reporter from Hubei Daily)
In every prosperous era, the chimes must be played.
Before Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, the famous musician Tan Dun's team recorded the commemorative album "Symphony 1997: Heaven, Earth and Man" with the original chimes with special approval. This is the last time the original chime of Zeng Hou Yi was played.
starred in the Hong Kong handover celebration performance, using a replica of the bell of Zeng Hou Yi. To ensure that nothing went wrong, Hubei shipped two sets of replicas of the chimes to Hong Kong, one for pre-installation at the main venue and the other for rehearsals and other ancillary activities. At the rehearsal site, Feng Guangsheng couldn't suppress his excitement, made a cameo appearance as a special correspondent, and sent a fax to Hubei Daily, the content of which was "A Brief Overview of the Celebration of Hubei Chimes to Hong Kong".
Feng Guangsheng, then deputy director of the Hubei Provincial Museum, discussed with Tan Dun many times the preparations for the performance of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. He recalls that Tan Dun was a musician who dared to make bold attempts, for example, in addition to the usual striking parts of the chimes, he also tried to collect sound from other parts of the bell body for use in his works, which was very different from the previous exploration of chimes playing antiques. "This exploration combines the sonic elements of an ancient instrument with a modern aesthetic in an attempt to bring chimes to the modern stage from a new perspective. Later, he performed in the United Kingdom and the United States with great pomp, which shows that this exploration was a success. Feng Guangsheng said.
The chimes of Zeng Houyi were not only performed in major celebrations such as the return of Hong Kong, but also frequently appeared on the international stage, and visited more than 20 countries and regions, becoming the "golden business card" of cultural exchanges.
What impressed Feng Guangsheng the most was that in March 1992, the replica of Zeng Houyi's chimes went abroad for the first time to be displayed in Japan, "In 50 days, 150,000 people came to listen to the chime music. At its peak, there were 10,000 people a day, and the water was impassable. ”
Since participating in the excavation of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, for decades, even if there have been changes in work, Feng Guangsheng has spared no effort to devote himself to the research and dissemination of the chimes of Marquis Yi. He participated in the research on the reproduction of Zeng Hou Yi's chimes, which won the first prize of scientific and technological achievements of the Ministry of Culture, the research on the restoration of Zeng Hou Yi's compilation and pan, which won the third prize of scientific and technological achievements of the Ministry of Culture, the archaeological excavation report "The Tomb of Zeng Hou Yi", which won the second prize of Hubei Province Social Science Outstanding Achievements, and the "Zeng Hou Yi Chimes", a project funded by the National Publishing Fund as the executive editor, is the most comprehensive and detailed large-scale scientific research monograph in the field of Zeng Hou Yi's chime research.
The first public "list of personnel related to the excavation of the tomb of Marquis Zeng" (photo by Hai Bing, an all-media reporter from Hubei Daily)
"Measurement data of the Warring States bell unearthed in May 1978 from the 1# tomb of the drum pier in Suixian County, Hubei Province" (recorded and donated by Feng Guangsheng) (photo by Hai Bing, Hubei Daily)
Zeng Hou Yi compiled relevant literature on the restoration of chime (donated by Feng Guangsheng) (photo by Hai Bing, all-media reporter of Hubei Daily)
1997 Hong Kong Return Commemorative Album (donated by Fung Kwong Sang)