“Song of Wang-yi” was originally a ceremonial song sung by Taoist priestesses in Southern Fujian. This is the most complete version of “Song of Wang-yi”, a series of Taoist music, “In Front of the Altar of the Disciples” preserved in Nanguan. The series is divided into three movements. The name of t...Read more
“Song of Wang-yi” was originally a ceremonial song sung by Taoist priestesses in Southern Fujian. This is the most complete version of “Song of Wang-yi”, a series of Taoist music, “In Front of the Altar of the Disciples” preserved in Nanguan. The series is divided into three movements. The name of the tune of the first movement, “In Front of the Altar of the Disciples” is entitled as “Song of Wang-yi.” The name of the tune of the second movement, “Inviting the Moon Fairy,” is also called “Song of Wang-yi.” The name of the tune of the third movement, “Entering the Garden,” is entitled “Wang-yi-die,” meaning overlapping beats, indicating that the pace is doubled. This is a most completely preserved folk religious piece of Nanguan music.
“Entering the Garden” describes in a private ceremony of “Sending for Wang-yi,” the illusory garden that participants will see on their way to the Nether Regions through the guidance of a medium. It is said that there is a pavilion in the garden halfway along the path to the Nether Regions, and the hexagonal pavilion symbolizes an individual participant’s fortune. For example, if the pavilion looks old and decayed, the participant will soon be overcome by a disaster. When ordinary women send for “Wang-yi,” they like to “visit the flower” to predict the sex of their babies. Wang-yi enters the garden to see the flower: if she sees a white flower, it means the woman will have a son, and if she sees a red flower, that means the woman will have a daughter. Wang-yi will also tell her the number of red flowers and white flowers in a tree to show how many boys and girls a woman will have in her life.
Category | Music |
Type | Nanguan |
Chinese Title | 直入花園 |
Group | Taipei Hua-sheng Nanguan Music Club |
Creative staff | Taipei Hua-sheng Nanguan Music Club |
Premiere | 2011 |
Venue | TNUA Concert Hall ,Taipei |
Duration | 3min |
Image Source | Taipei Hua-sheng Nanguan Music Club |
Other Works | A Melody on the River Raising the Golden Cup |