Guan Pinghu (4 March 1897 – 28 March 1967), was a leading player of the ''

guqin The ''guqin'' (; ) is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and Scholar-bureaucrats, literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinemen ...

'' (), a Chinese 7-string bridgeless zither. Born in Suzhou,

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

, Guan came from an artistic family, and started to learn the ''guqin'' from his father, Guan Nianci. After the death of his father when he was thirteen, Guan continued with his father's friend Ye Shimeng and Zhang Xiangtao. He also studied with the leading players of three different schools; Yang Zongji (1865–1933), the leading player in Beijing, the Daoist Qin Heming, and the Buddhist monk Wucheng. Before 1949, Guan did some teaching at the

Yenching University Yenching University (), was a university in Beijing, China, that was formed out of the merger of four Christian colleges between the years 1915 and 1920. The term "Yenching" comes from an alternative name for old Beijing, derived from its status ...

, but had most of his meager income from selling paintings and repairing old musical instruments and furniture. In 1952, he became a teacher and assistant researcher at the ''Zhongyang Yinyue Xueyuan'' (Central Conservatory of Music) and a leading force at the ''Beijing Guqin Yanjiuhui'' (Beijing Guqin Research Institute), both in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. He also recreated and performed many pieces, including ''Guangling San'' (), ''

Youlan Youlan may refer to: * Youlan is a Chinese name, usually used for females. Youlan may refer to: * Youlan (noble) (幼蘭), mother of China's last emperor Puyi and princess consort of Zaifeng, Prince Chun * Jieshi Diao Youlan (碣石調幽蘭), ancie ...

'' (《碣石調幽蘭》- Secluded Orchid), and '' Hujia Shiba Pai'' (《胡笳十八拍》 – Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute), that only existed as notation through a process known as ''dapu'' ().Dapu
/ref> These pieces have become part of the core repertory of ''guqin'' music. Though he trained few prominent students, Guan's numerous recordings – notable for their austerity, subtlety, and bold presentation – have exerted wide and continuing influence. In 1977, a recording of "Liu Shui" (流水; Stream), as performed by Guan, was chosen to be included in the

Voyager Golden Record The Voyager Golden Records are two phonograph records that were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. The records contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for ...

, a gold-plated LP recording containing music from around the world, which was sent into outer space by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

on the

Voyager 1 ''Voyager 1'' is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program to study the outer Solar System and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. Launched 16 days after its twin ''Voyager 2'', ''Voya ...

and

Voyager 2 ''Voyager 2'' is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977, to study the outer planets and interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. As a part of the Voyager program, it was launched 16 days before its twin, '' Voyager 1'', o ...

spacecraft. It is the second-longest excerpt included on the disc (lasting seven minutes and 37 seconds) and the only excerpt of Chinese music.

References

*''New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London, 2001). 1897 births 1967 deaths 20th-century Chinese painters Artists from Suzhou Deaths from cirrhosis Guqin players Musicians from Suzhou People's Republic of China musicians Republic of China musicians Republic of China painters Yenching University faculty Educators from Suzhou {{china-musician-stub

See also

References