Sui and Tang · Official and Musician

Zu Xiaosun 祖孝孫

Attested AD 626 - AD 649

Passages
17
Chapters
4
Histories
3

Overview

Zu Xiaosun was an official and Musician.

IdentityHistorical · Male

Life and dates

Death

Attested activity

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Key source chapters

  1. New Book of Tang, Chapter 21 Volume 21 Treatises 11: Rites and Music 11 7 passages
  2. Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 145 Volume 145: Treatises 7 Music 2 5 passages
  3. Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 144 Volume 144: Treatises 6 Music 1 4 passages
  4. Old Book of Tang, Chapter 85 Volume 81 Biographies 31: Cui Dunli, Lu Chengqin, Liu Xiangdao, Li Jingxuan, Li Yiyan, Sun Chuyue, Le Yanwei, Zhao Renben 1 passage

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Learning and skills

Works and attributed material

Events and relationships

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Source notes

References in the histories

17 passages

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 85Volume 81 Biographies 31: Cui Dunli, Lu Chengqin, Liu Xiangdao, Li Jingxuan, Li Yiyan, Sun Chuyue, Le Yanwei, Zhao Renben · 1 passage
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Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 144Volume 144: Treatises 6 Music 1 · 4 passages
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前朝行用年深，不可遽廢，俟國家偃伯靈臺，即別召工師，更其節奏，今改其名，具書如左：祖孝孫所定二舞名，文舞曰《治康之舞》，請改《治安之舞》； The former dynasty's usage has run deep over many years and cannot be abruptly abolished. When the state rests its weapons and the Spirit Terrace is at peace, skilled craftsmen will be summoned separately to revise their rhythms. For now their names are changed, fully recorded as follows: the two dances fixed by Zu Xiaosun—the civil dance called "Dance of Governing Tranquility"—please change to "Dance of Governing Peace";
其賓祭常用，別有《九夏之樂》，即《肆夏》、《皇夏》等是也，梁武帝善音樂，改《九夏》為《十二雅》，前朝祖孝孫改雅為和，示不相沿也。 For guest rites and sacrifices in common use there were separately the "Nine Summers Pieces," such as "Free Summer" and "August Summer." Emperor Wu of Liang was skilled in music and changed the "Nine Summers" to the "Twelve Elegances." In the previous dynasty Zu Xiaosun changed elegance to harmony, showing that one should not simply follow precedent.
Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 145Volume 145: Treatises 7 Music 2 · 5 passages
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周廣順元年，太祖初即大位，惟新庶政，時太常卿邊蔚上疏請改舞名，其略云：「前朝改祖孝孫所定二舞名，文舞曰《治安之舞》，武舞曰《振德之舞》，今請改《治安》為《政和之舞》，《振德》為《善勝之舞》。 In the first year of Later Zhou's Guangshun reign, when Taizu first ascended the throne and set about renewing government, Director of Imperial Sacrifices Bian Wei memorialized the throne to rename certain court dances. In brief he wrote: "The previous dynasty had altered the two dances that Zu Xiaosun had established—the civil dance Pacifying the Realm and the martial dance Stirring Virtue. We ask that Pacifying the Realm be renamed Harmonious Governance and Stirring Virtue be renamed Good Victory.
唐太宗復古道，乃用祖孝孫、張文收考正雅樂，而旋宮八十四調復見於時，在懸之器，方無啞者，安、史之亂，京都為墟，器之與工，十不存一，所用歌奏，漸多紕繆。 Emperor Taizong of Tang restored the ancient tradition and had Zu Xiaosun and Zhang Wenshou revise the court music, so that the eighty-four circulatory modes reappeared and no instrument in the bell-chime ensemble remained mute. The An and Shi rebellion left the capital in ruins; scarcely one instrument or craftsman in ten survived, and the music performed grew ever more corrupt.
樞密使王樸，采京房之準法，練梁武之通音，考鄭譯、寶常之七均，校孝孫、文收之九變，積黍累以審其度，聽聲詩以測其情，依權衡嘉量之前文，得備數和聲之大旨，施於鐘虡，足洽《簫韶》。 Privy Council Commissioner Wang Pu drew on Jing Fang's pitch standard, mastered Emperor Wu of Liang's universal tones, studied the seven keys of Zheng Yi and Wan Baochang and the nine transformations of Zu Xiaosun and Zhang Wenshou, calibrated measures with millet grains, tested pitches against the Sound Poems, followed ancient standards of weight and measure, recovered the principle of numbered harmony, and applied it to bells and stands until it matched the legendary Xiao-Shao music.
New Book of Tang, Chapter 21Volume 21 Treatises 11: Rites and Music 11 · 7 passages
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初，祖孝孫已定樂，乃曰大樂與天地同和者也，製十二和，以法天之成數，號大唐雅樂：一曰豫和，二曰順和，三曰永和，四曰肅和，五曰雍和，六曰壽和，七曰太和，八曰舒和，九曰昭和，十曰休和，十一曰正和，十二曰承和。 Zu Xiaosun, having set the music, declared great music one with Heaven and Earth and fashioned twelve harmonies after Heaven's complete number, calling them Great Tang Elegant Music: Yuhe, Shunhe, Yonghe (Eternal Harmony), Suhe, Yonghe (Concordant Harmony), Shouhe, Taihe, Shuhe, Zhaohe, Xiuhe, Zhenghe, and Chenghe.