Wu Ye Wu Qiu Feng was composed by Qing dynasty musician Zhuang Zhenfeng, and transmitted by Liu Shaochun. The piece unfolds in seven sections.
The music depicts the wutong leaf in autumn — falling, drifting, then caught again by the wind and set dancing. The overall character is serene and unadorned, the tone pure and unhurried.
The Jiao An Qin Pu describes its quality in a passage that has never been improved upon: “The wonder of this piece lies in the withered paulownia and the sprouting moss — it is the autumn sound of heaven and earth. Its air is desolate, moving the listener to quiet feeling. Yet its essential meaning is ancient and plain, containing within it a subtle and mysterious principle… the coolness of fingers on the cool strings, a leaf falling still on the steps before the door, the moonlight carrying the sound of the washing-stone.”
Recorded by Mei Yueqiang. Part of the ongoing series presenting his complete surviving recordings.
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