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Yao Bingyan

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Biography

Yao Bingyan (Chinese: 姚丙炎;1921-1983), school/base Zhe, was an eminent guqin master from Shanghai.

His sons are guqin players Yao Gongbai (Chinese: 姚公白; born 1948) and Yao Gongjing (Chinese: 姚公敬; born 1955).

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The classic guqin piece "Jiu Kuang" (literally "Alcohol Mad", or Drunk Madman) had disappeared from the orally transmitted repertory until Yao Bingyan reconstituted it from a 15th-century handbook. His interpretation features a 3/4 beat rhythm, which is almost absent in guqin music. In his version the rhythm expresses a drunken man lurching. At the end of the piece, an ascending glissando humorously represents the sound of vomiting. (During, Levin 2001)

Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.