Historic guqin songs brought back to life

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Gao Peifen’s Rhythmic Notation of Ancient Guqin Songs (by Zhonghua Book Company) breaks new ground in the realm of guqin, the seven-stringed instrument with a history of some 4,000 years but only 100 or so tunes can be played (due to the lack of proper rhythms in the uniquely written guqin tablatures, some 3,000 musical pieces remain unheard).

Gao, a guqin master and fifth-generation representative inheritor of the Zhucheng School - one of China's best-known guqin schools, has spent decades combing through voluminous material to retrieve 15 ancient songs, some of which haven't been heard or played for a 1,000 years.

With properly marked tempo, style, artistic conception and inner spirit, Gao has revived the once-lost melodies with a book and two CDs. This is the first monograph published ever of its kind. "I've tried my best to resurrect the art form as it is," Gao says. "Now I feel they're getting back to the way they should be."