Quick Answer: What Is Three Variations on Plum Blossom?
Three Variations on Plum Blossom (Mei Hua San Nong, 梅花三弄, Méihuā Sānnòng) is a traditional guqin (古琴, gǔqín) piece. A passage played in harmonics (泛音, fànyīn) returns three times and gives the work its title.[1][2]
- Early source: The Shenqi Mipu preserves a qin score from 1425.[1]
- Tradition: The flute story associates the tune with Huan Yi (桓伊, Huán Yī) of the Eastern Jin.[3]
- Listening: Hong Kong’s Music Office marks three entries in John Yiu Shek-on’s video.[2]
Hear the open strings first and compare them with the lighter ringing sound of the recurring theme.
Listen for a bell-like ring when the harmonics enter. In this piece, that change in tone helps you recognize a recurring passage even as its register changes.
The Early Score and the Flute Tradition
Hong Kong’s Education Bureau identifies the 1425 Shenqi Mipu as the earliest surviving notation and traces the piece through later qin handbooks. The traditional account links the work to an earlier flute piece associated with Huan Yi. The printed qin source gives a firmer date for the music as it appears in tablature.[1][3]
The same early collection preserves Drunken Ecstasy. Compare how the two works use the plucked sound of the guqin to suggest different moods.
Where to Hear the Three Statements
The Hong Kong Music Office video credits Tsar Teh-yun’s transmission and John Yiu Shek-on on silk-string guqin. Its opening uses open strings, and the returns occur in sections two, four and six. Use these times for that specific video.[2]
| Statement | Time in the Hong Kong Music Office video |
|---|---|
| 一品 | 1:16 |
| 二品 | 2:10 |
| 三品 | 3:51 |
Compare the pitch range and color of the three statements with the opening, then follow the next change in tone. The whole piece contains more music than the three recurring passages.
Compare Solo Qin and a Flute Pairing
Tsinghua University lists Yang Lining’s qin rendition as track 6 at 6:01. The same disc contains a separate performance of Three Variations on Yangguan.[4]
In the Smithsonian’s Han Tang Ensemble concert, a qin and bamboo-flute arrangement occupies 26:04 to 30:05. In that recording, hear how the sustained flute tone overlaps with the plucked qin, as it can in performances of Moon over the Mountain Pass.[5]
The Plum Blossom in Sound and Art
The plum flower blooms in cold weather and is associated with endurance. It also appears with pine and bamboo as one of the 歳寒三友. The guide to plum blossom symbolism puts those associations in their broader context.[5]
FAQs About Three Variations on Plum Blossom
Why does the title say three variations?
The title refers to three statements of a recurring harmonic passage in the guqin piece.[1][2]
Who wrote Three Variations on Plum Blossom?
Tradition associates an earlier flute piece with Huan Yi. The documented guqin score appears in the 1425 Shenqi Mipu.[1][3]
Where can I hear the three statements?
In the Hong Kong Music Office demonstration, they start at 1:16, 2:10 and 3:51.[2]
出典
[1] Hong Kong Education Bureau. Listening to Chinese Music
[2] Hong Kong Music Office. A Rendezvous with the Guqin
[3] Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Guqin Recital Programme Notes
[4] Tsinghua University Library. Three Variations on Plum Blossom CD
[5] Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. Traditional Chinese Music: The Han Tang Ensemble