Quick Answer: What Is Memories of an Old Friend?
Memories of an Old Friend (Yi Gu Ren, 忆故人, Yì Gùrén) is a guqin (古琴, gǔqín) piece associated with a family score passed down to Peng Zhiqing (彭祉卿, Péng Zhǐqīng). The 1937 Jinyu Qin Journal published a score for the piece.[1]
- Recording: Tsinghua University catalogs Wu Jinglue’s (吴景略, Wú Jǐnglüè) rendition at 6:57.[2]
- Comparison: The Chinese Music Archive gives 9:03 for a 1993 Cheng Gongliang rendition.[1]
- Sound: A concert note describes harmonics and freely timed phrases at the beginning and end.[3]
Use the performer and score credits to find a specific recording.
Listen to how a phrase ends. A plucked sound may ring by itself, or the player may shift a finger after the note has already begun. A few seconds of playing can suggest the act of recalling someone without putting the feeling into words.
Peng’s Family Score and the 1937 Print
The Chinese Music Archive traces the version now widely played to Peng’s family score, known as the Liqinxuan Qin Score. Peng taught the piece to Zhang Ziqian. Zhang’s copy, printed in 1937, sets finger tablature beside traditional pitch notation.[1]
The two kinds of notation give a reader different information. One directs the hands on the guqin. The other supplies pitches. Compare the role of a score credit in Guangling San, another qin work heard through individual realizations.
What Similar Titles Can Tell You
A score study compares Yi Gu Ren with earlier qin titles that refer to remembering a friend in the mountains. It describes differences in length and in whether a source includes words. Some related sources attribute a piece to Cai Yong. Use a similar title to locate another score, then compare the notation before drawing a connection.[4][6]
The idea of remembering a friend also recurs in Chinese friendship and farewell poems. Repetition and silence give the music room to evoke a person or place.
Two Recordings and Their Credits
Tsinghua catalogs Wu’s Yi Gu Ren as track 4 on disc one of High Mountains and Flowing Water. The score field names the Jinyu Qin Journal. The disc also includes a separate performance of Flowing Water by Guan Pinghu.[2]
The Chinese Music Archive identifies the Liqinxuan source in Cheng Gongliang’s 1993 credit. The archive also lists other versions with their own performers and score fields. Read the track and performer fields before assuming the title refers to High Mountains.[1][5]
Listen to the Edges of a Phrase
Start with the light ringing notes at the beginning. Listen again for where a sound continues after the pluck. Compare the space the player leaves before beginning the next phrase, then return to the end and listen for a return of that lighter sound.[3]
FAQs About Memories of an Old Friend
Who composed Yi Gu Ren?
The modern score is documented through Peng Zhiqing’s family transmission and the 1937 publication. Sources record older attributions with varying titles, so the original composer remains uncertain.[1][4][6]
How long is Wu Jinglue’s cataloged recording?
Tsinghua University’s track listing gives 6 minutes and 57 seconds for Wu Jinglue’s version.[2]
What should I listen for at the beginning and end?
Listen for light, ringing harmonics and for the space the performer gives the freely timed notes.[3]
Источники
[1] Chinese Music Archive. Guqin Programme Notes: Memories of an Old Friend
[2] Tsinghua University Library. High Mountains and Flowing Water, Disc 1
[3] Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra. Memories of an Old Friend for Solo Guqin
[4] Huain. Study of Score Sources for Yi Gu Ren
[5] Chinese Music Archive. Guqin Audio Music Archive
[6] Silkqin. Historical Qin Recordings: English and Chinese Notes