The three major music and dances of the Tang Dynasty include the "Seven Virtues Dance", "Nine Gong Dance" and "Shangyuan Dance". The following is a detailed introduction to these three music and dances:
1. "Dance of Seven Virtues":
The original name was "King Qin Breaking Array Music". It was created in the third year of Tang Wude (620) by the order of Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and was originally created to commemorate his victory in the pacification of Liu Wuzhou. This music and dance was originally a triumphant military music, and the soldiers danced to the music, forming a unique form of military dance. There are as many as one hundred and twenty-eight dancers, all of whom are wearing armor and holding halberds, as if on the battlefield, and the armor is decorated with silver ornaments, which is dazzling. After watching it, the viewers were all enthusiastic, as if they were about to charge into battle. This piece of music and dance was extremely famous in the Tang Dynasty, but sadly, it has now been lost.
It is worth mentioning that the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi also wrote a poem called "Dance of the Seven Virtues", which is a narrative epic that praises Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, detailing Li Shimin's founding of the Tang Dynasty and the good governance he implemented after his accession to the throne.
2. "Nine Gong Dance":
Formerly known as "Success Celebration and Happiness". In the sixth year of Zhenguan (632), Taizong of Tang Dynasty hosted a banquet for his ministers in Qingshan Palace and wrote ten poems to celebrate his achievements. Later, these poems were composed and performed by Yuefu to form "Success Celebration and Good Music". There are 64 dancing children, who wear a crown, purple trousers, long sleeves and high lacquer buns, and perform with slow and solemn movements, symbolizing the harmony of culture and virtue and the peace of the world. Later, this music and dance was cultivated into the Yale and became a cultural dance during the festival.
3. "Kamimoto Mai":
It is said to have been created by Tang Gaozong. On November 3, the third year of Shangyuan (676), Gaozong ordered a new "Shangyuan Dance". This music and dance is regarded as a masterpiece of Yale in the Tang Dynasty, and is mainly used to worship heaven and earth and ancestors. Because the tone of the previous "Qingshan Music" was too soft and not suitable for séance to exorcise evil spirits, and the rhythm of "Breaking the Array Music" did not meet the requirements of Yale, Gaozong specially composed "Shangyuan Dance" as a special dance music for sacrifices.
These three music and dance works all enjoyed a high reputation in the Tang Dynasty, which not only reflected the prosperity of the society at that time and the development of culture and art, but also demonstrated the unique charm and profound connotation of the music and dance art of the Tang Dynasty. Although these dances are difficult to reproduce today, their influence and status in the history of music and dance cannot be ignored.