Ming Bu Ke Ming
Taoist music is the religious music used in Taoist fasts and offerings (zhaijiao) and other liturgies. At its core are vocal chanting (called yunqiang, “chant melodies”) and instrumental performance (called qupai, “labeled tunes”), uniting the expression of faith, ritual function, and artistic beauty. A living fossil of classical Chinese music, it uses traditional instruments such as the sheng mouth organ, the dizi flute, drums, and the yunluo gong chime to create a solemn and sacred ritual atmosphere, and it is at once religious and artistic. More than a thousand pieces of Taoist music survive, covering themes such as exorcising evil, praying for blessings, and hymns of praise, and in 2006 it was included in the first list of China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
1. The Origins and Historical Development of Taoist Music
The embryonic form of Taoist music can be traced back to the Eastern Han. The sacrificial rites of the Way of Great Peace and the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice already featured musical forms such as “drumming and dancing” and “chanted invocations and songs,” combining the ecstatic quality of ancient shamanic dance with the popular appeal of folk music and dance.
In the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, the system of Taoist music gradually took shape. In the Northern Wei, Kou Qianzhi reformed the Way of the Celestial Masters and standardized liturgical music; in the Southern Dynasties, Lu Xiujing organized the Scriptures of the Three Caverns and incorporated music into the fasts and offerings of the Lingbao school (Numinous Treasure), laying the foundation for the tradition of “song, dance, and music” as a trinity.
Like Taoist mural painting, Taoist music flourished in the Tang, when reverence for Taoism was widespread; because Taoism was promoted by the emperors, Taoist music too received great attention. According to records, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang ordered court musicians to compose Taoist tunes especially, and Emperor Xuanzong not only commanded Taoist priests and ministers to compose Taoist music widely, but personally taught Taoist priests the “melodies of pacing the void” at the ritual altar in the palace.
Tang Taoist music actively absorbed the folk music of the time, the music of the Western Regions, and Buddhist music, and grew and developed on that basis. Through more than a thousand years of practice in fasts, offerings, and liturgies, and long nourishment from folk music, Taoist music became ever richer: there are not only hymns praising the immortals, but also sounds of the immortals floating and flying as they answer the summons, solemn and majestic tunes for subduing malign forces and driving out evil, and festive, joyful music for the immortals arriving in the immortal realm or celebrating a work accomplished.
The Tang was the golden age of Taoist music. The imperial house honored Laozi as its ancestor, Taoist liturgy was elevated to a “state rite,” and court musicians worked with Taoist priests to create Taoist music. Emperor Xuanzong himself composed court Taoist music such as the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Garment and the Purple Tenuity Eight Trigrams Dance, and issued the New Score of the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Garment, pushing Taoist music toward systematization and artistry.
The Song continued this tradition. The Jade Sounds of Ritual Services (Yuyin Fashi) collects more than fifty Taoist pieces of the Tang and Song, recording the vocal lines in a curve notation, and is the earliest surviving document of Taoist music.
In the Ming and Qing, Taoist music became further differentiated: the northern Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) school excelled in instrumental music and incorporated elements of Buddhist chant, while the southern Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) school emphasized chanting and preserved the ancient sounds of Wu and Yue. The Ming Imperially Composed Music of the Mysterious Teaching of the Great Ming standardized the uses of the labeled tunes (for example, Welcoming the Wind Carriage to welcome the gods and Drunken Immortals’ Joy to feast them).
In the Qing, folk Taoist music blended with opera and storytelling arts, forming regional traditions (such as the daoqing ballads of Shaanxi and the Lashan music of Shandong).
In modern times, although Taoist music has suffered war and breaks in transmission, through intangible heritage protection and scholarly work it is now entering contemporary cultural life in ever richer forms.
2. Categories and Styles of Taoist Music
1. Classification by Function and Use
Taoist music takes two forms: “vocal music,” chanted by the human voice, and “instrumental music,” played on musical instruments and ritual implements. Because of differences in the occasions of use and the intended audiences, the vocal music is divided into “yin chants” and “yang chants,” and the instrumental music into “main tunes” and “lighter tunes.”
2. Yin Chants and Yang Chants
(1) Yin chants (outer-altar music): Used for liturgies such as relief of hungry ghosts and ritual deliverance of the dead, held outdoors or in the home of the sponsor, and addressed to believers and ordinary people. The melodies are accessible and moving, such as Lament, sung for the deliverance of the souls of the dead.
(2) Yang chants (inner-altar music): Used for ceremonies of worship inside the halls, addressed to the gods and to practicing Taoist priests. The style is solemn and dignified, as in Willows Holding Mist and White Crane Flying, which praise the immortals.
3. Main Tunes and Lighter Tunes
(1) Main tunes: These run through the core segments of inner-altar liturgy, such as circling the altar and welcoming the gods. The music is rigorous and regulated, as in Incantation of Universal Peace and Welcoming the Immortal Guests.
(2) Lighter tunes: Played before and after the liturgy, they absorb folk melodies and are entertaining, such as Song of Linqing, adapted from a northern Shaanxi folk song.
3. Classification by Taoist School and Regional Style
1. The Quanzhen and Zhengyi Schools
(1) The Quanzhen school (north): Mainly instrumental, plain and solemn in style, often using the sheng, the guanzi pipe, drums, and other percussion, as in A Single Lamp and Incantation of Universal Peace from the Taoist music of Mount Heng.
(2) The Zhengyi school (south): Vocal music (chanting) and instrumental music are equally important; the melodies are graceful and ornate, incorporating Jiangnan silk-and-bamboo music, as in Incantation of the Guardian Spirits and Proclamation of the Three Mao True Lords from the Taoist music of Mount Mao.
2. Regional Traditions of Taoist Music
(1) Lashan Taoist music (Shandong): Characterized by the “great paulownia pipe,” with a powerful, stirring style; representative pieces are The Minor Call at the Door and Willows of the Qing River, close to folk life.
(2) Baiyunshan Taoist music (Shaanxi): Blends court ritual music with northern Shaanxi folk songs and is divided into scripture chanting, sheng-and-pipe music, and percussion; representative pieces are Divine Resonance of the White Clouds and Yellow Dragon Breathing Green, both solemn and full of the boldness of the Loess Plateau.
(3) Maoshan Taoist music (Jiangsu): Absorbs the essence of traditional court music and of Quanzhen and Zhengyi music, with the added flavor of Jiangnan silk-and-bamboo; representative pieces are Incantation of the Guardian Spirits, Chanting of the Zhuling Palace, and Proclamation of the Three Mao True Lords, combining religious solemnity with the vigorous character of Jiangnan music.
4. Classic Pieces of Taoist Music
Taoist music, also called ritual-service music or ritual-altar music, is mostly used in Taoist ritual services. It is generally used in Taoist fasts and offerings, accompanying the ritual master in services such as invoking the gods and praying for blessings, subduing demons and driving out evil, and delivering the souls of the dead. It is an indispensable part of Taoist ritual, because it heightens the religious atmosphere and strengthens believers’ longing for the world of the immortals and their reverence for the immortals.
1. Incantation of the Guardian Spirits (Maoshan Taoist Music)
Tradition attributes it to Lu Xiujing, the Lingbao master of the Liu Song in the Southern Dynasties. It was first used in court offering rituals in the ninth year of the Chunyou era of the Southern Song (1249) and is now a core piece of Maoshan Taoist liturgy.
The main instruments are the bamboo flute, sheng, erhu, and drum. The melody is high-pitched and vigorous, the vocal line has few ornaments, and all five modes are used, in sharp contrast to the music of southern Jiangsu.
It is used in fasts and offerings for exorcising evil and subduing malign forces, such as rites of deliverance or altar-guarding ceremonies. It is now listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage and is often performed at international Taoist cultural exchanges.
2. Divine Resonance of the White Clouds (Taoist Music of Mount Baiyun, Jia County)
It was brought from the White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan) in Beijing in the thirty-sixth year of the Wanli era of the Ming (1608), blending court ritual music with northern Shaanxi folk song; in the Kangxi era of the Qing it absorbed the style of Jiangnan silk-and-bamboo music, earning the name “Immortal Music of the Holy Realm.”
Its core instruments are the tin guanzi pipe, the haidi (a small suona), and the sheng, with a bright, rugged timbre; the percussion uses cymbals and small gongs, and the melody combines solemnity with the boldness of the Loess Plateau.
It is used at the temple fair of Mount Baiyun in sacrifices to the Perfected Warrior, Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven (Zhenwu), and is now presented as a cultural tourism performance that draws visitors, as well as at the ritual assembly held to pray for blessings.
3. Willows of the Qing River (Lashan Taoist Music)
Composed in the twentieth century by Master Du Yongkui, inspired by the scenery of Dongping Lake, and close to folk life. In 1986 it was recorded by the Mount Tai Taoist Association and included in the Anthology of Chinese Ethnic and Folk Music: Shandong Volume.
The lead instrument is the “great paulownia pipe” (its body made of paulownia wood and its reed of rush), supported by the tin pipe and yunluo gong chime. The melody is fresh and lively, with the flavor of the ancient Dongyi culture.
It is played during pauses in ritual services or during temple fairs, serving both a religious ritual function and folk entertainment, and has now been included among the performances of the Dongping Lake scenic area.
4. Lament (Taiping Taoist Music of Guangzong)
It evolved from the rituals of the Way of Great Peace of the Eastern Han and has preserved an ancient flavor in its transmission. Its score is passed down orally in a dialect notation called “longge notation,” and its style is rugged and impassioned.
It uses traditional instruments such as the guanzi pipe, sheng, and cymbals. Performance is divided into “still music” (played seated) and “moving music” (processional dancing), with a lively rhythm, blending elements of Buddhist chant and Jin opera.
It is used in yin-chant liturgies for the deliverance of the souls of the dead, and is now spread through video platforms and is being tried in intangible-heritage education in schools.
5. The Minor Call at the Door (Lashan Taoist Music)
The tune was composed in the Zhengde era of the Ming by Yang Qingrong of the Xianglong Abbey, and is played on the great paulownia pipe. It was recorded and promoted by Du Yongkui in 1986.
The great pipe has a powerful, stirring timbre, accompanied by the tin pipe, sheng, and cloud drum; the melody rises and falls dramatically, close to folk work songs.
It is the lead piece at the Qingming temple fair, drawing believers to pray for blessings, and is now a standing program of the Lashan Tourism and Culture Festival.
6. The Moon Reflected in the Second Spring (Suzhou Taoist Music)
Originally composed by Abing (Hua Yanjun), a Taoist priest of the Leizun Hall in Wuxi, it was later played on the gutiqin fiddle by the Taoist priests of the Xuanmiao Temple in Suzhou, incorporating the musical character of the Zhengyi school’s “civil ensemble.”
The gutiqin has a bleak, desolate timbre; accompanied by the xiao flute and yunluo gong chime, the melody seems to weep and plead, combining the religious quality of Taoist music with the grace of Jiangnan silk-and-bamboo.
It is now a classic of Taoist music concerts and has been performed in Britain, Singapore, and elsewhere, showing the artistry of Taoist music.
7. Immortal Music of the Holy Realm (Baiyunshan Taoist Music)
The Qing Taoist priest Miao Tairen blended Jiangnan Taoist music with northern Shaanxi folk song. The melody is ethereal and airy, and the modes are chiefly gong and zhi.
The sheng and pipes play together, the haidi leads, and percussion is interspersed; the style combines courtly elegance with folk liveliness.
It is used in celebrations of the birthday of Zhenwu and is now the core performance piece of the Baiyunshan Taoist Culture Festival.
8. Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank
This piece begins with the melodious sound of the qin, as if carrying us to a vast, boundless sandbar where formations of wild geese fly south, now wheeling low, now calling high and far; their grandeur and sorrow all reveal a deep longing for home. The piece not only depicts a natural scene but also embodies the Taoist philosophy of seeking natural harmony and following the Way of Heaven.
9. High Mountains and Flowing Water
Famous as a solo for the guqin, this piece imitates the natural sounds of high mountains and flowing water to show both the grandeur and the delicate gentleness of nature. It is not only a pinnacle of music but also a symbol of friendship, carrying the profound lesson that a true kindred spirit is hard to find and that we should cherish those before us.
10. Guangling San
With its impassioned melody and profound meaning, Guangling San has become another classic of Taoist music. Tradition attributes it to the ancient qin master Ji Kang. Through complex fingering and changing rhythms it expresses deep reflection on life, society, and the cosmos. It is not only an artistic display of music but also a profound exploration of human nature, freedom, and fate.
11. Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute
With its tragic and heroic melody and heartfelt performance, it has touched countless hearts. It is a famous Chinese guqin piece, traditionally attributed to Cai Yan (courtesy name Wenji), and is one of the Ten Great Ancient Melodies of China. It is also representative of the qin song lyrics of the ancient Music Bureau tradition; each section is one “beat,” eighteen sections in all—hence its name—and its theme is “Wenji Returning to Han.” It expresses the protagonist’s deep longing for her homeland and her endless sorrow. The piece is not only an outpouring of personal feeling but also reflects Taoism’s concern and regard for love of family and country, showing the unique power of Taoist music to express complex emotions.
Other fairly classic Taoist songs and pieces include Traces of the Tao, Model of Feeling, Affinity with the Tao, The Heart of the Tao, I Would Be That Lotus of the Heavenly Worthy, The Rootless Tree, Wind in the Pines, Melody of Pacing the Void, Spring in Four Seasons, The Sublime Realm of the Three Pure Ones, Nanqing Palace, and Immortal Melody of Penglai: Divine Incantation for Purifying Heaven and Earth …