(b ?1895; d 1967). Chinese qin zither master. Born to an artistic family, Guan started to learn qin and painting from an early age, studying first with his father and (after his death when Guan Pinghu was 13) with his father’s friend Ye Shimeng. He became accomplished in both qin and painting. He went on to learn from the leaders of three different qin schools, Yang Zongji (1865–1933), Qin Heming, and Wujing Laoren. Synthesizing the strengths of the three schools, Guan forged a personal style distinguished by a controlled sense of rhythm and a grandeur of expression. In 1952 he was appointed a teacher and a researcher at the Central Conservatory of Music, where he taught a number of students and wrote several articles including a treatise on qin technique.
He was also at the forefront of the 1950s dapu movement to recreate qin pieces preserved in early notation. Through his interpretations ancient pieces such as Guangling san (also known as ‘Nie Zheng Assassinates King Han’), Youlan (‘Lone Orchid’) and Da hujia (‘Greater Barbarian Pipes’) have become core pieces in the repertory of modern qin players. Among Guan’s recordings, that of Liushui (‘Flowing Waters’) is a favourite.
See also Qin; China, §IV, 4(ii)(a).
Xu Jian: ‘Xuanshang wan'guyi, qingxin xiang liushui: guqinjia Guan Pinghu’ [Expressing ancient meanings with his strings, his pure heart followed the flowing waters: the qin player Guan Pinghu], Zhongguo jinxiandai yinyuejia zhuan [Biographies of modern Chinese musicians], ed. Xiang Yansheng (Shenyang, 1994), 320–28
Favourite Qin Pieces of Guan Pinghu, ROI Productions RB-951005-2C (1995)
JOSEPH S.C. LAM