Daqu of Tang Dynasty

The form of Daqu which developed during the Tang Dynasty, combining instrumental music, singing and dancing, was a comparatively sophisticated artistic achievement which was clearly inseparably linked to musical exchanges with other nationalities, and was certainly not a result of the natural development of Han and Wei Daqu. The structure of Tang Daqu was extensive, consisting of 20, 30 or even 50 sections.

The classic form of this Daqu was divided into three major parts, and each part consisted of a certain number of sections. The first part was the sanxu, which utilized a rhythm of free accented beats. Xu means sequence. The arrangement of this section was in random accented beats, and so it was known as sanxu, or random sequence. Sanxu was purely instrumental, either solo, alternating or ensemble. The next part, zhongxu (middle sequence), had a fixed rhythm which could be dictated by clappers, and so it was also called paixu, or "clapper sequence". It was also known as the first song, as singing (sometimes accompanied by dancing) was the centerpiece of this part. Most of the middle sequence consisted of slow accented beats. The final part was the po, or "breakup". The centerpiece of this was dancing (sometimes accompanied by singing), and it was also called wubian, or "dance piece". The rhythm got steadily faster in this part, until it reached a crescendo. Because of its extensive structure, Daqu music took a long time to perform. For instance, the famous Daqu melody Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers must have taken over one hour to perform, as a famous poet of the time comments, "Our boat traveled 15 li from the city, accompanied all that way by the strains of 'Raiment'". The names of some 40 or 50 Tang Daqu works are known; besides Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers, other famous ones include Liangzhou, Yizhou and The King of Qin Breaks Through the Battle Line.

Welcome to China2Go, the talking Chinese phrase book for Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Palm OS. Featuring crystal clear voice recorded by a real person, this product is a great travel companion and an ideal tool to learn Chinese! With our cutting edge voice compression technology, this product includes more than 1000 phrases, their Chinese translation, and the voice in only a few megabytes. Supports all Windows Mobile Pocket PCs. H&H China2Go Talking Phrase Book for Windows Mobile