Du Kui 杜夔

Du Kui, courtesy name Gongliang, was a man of Henan. Being well versed in music, he became Gentleman of Court Music, but in the 5th year of Zhongping (188) he left office because of illness. The province, the commandery and the Minister over the Masses summoned him with due courtesy, but as the world was in disorder he fled to Jing Province. Records, Wei 29 §31

Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province, had Du Kui put the court music in order for the Han emperor together with Meng Yao. When the court music was complete, Liu Biao wished to have it performed in his own courtyard to watch, but Du Kui remonstrated, 'General, you now say that you are putting the music in order for the Son of Heaven, yet you have it performed in your own courtyard; is that not improper?' Liu Biao accepted his words and desisted. Records, Wei 29 §31

Later, when Liu Biao's son Liu Cong surrendered to Taizu (Cao Cao), Taizu made Du Kui Libationer Military Strategist, had him take part in the affairs of the Grand Music and had him create court music anew. Records, Wei 29 §32

Du Kui excelled at bells and pitch pipes and was exceptionally intelligent, and there was none of the eight kinds of instruments, strings or winds, that he could not play; only singing and dancing were not his strength. At that time the Gentlemen-at-large Deng Jing and Yin Qi were skilled at chanting court music, the singing master Yin Hu could sing the songs of the ancestral temple and the suburban sacrifices, and the dancing masters Feng Su and Fu Yang knew the various dances of former ages. Du Kui led them all in thorough study, examining the classics in the distant past and gathering old precedents near at hand, had them taught and practiced, and made a full set of instruments. Chen Shou wrote that the continuation and revival of the ancient music of former ages all began with Du Kui. Records, Wei 29 §33

In the Huangchu era he became Prefect of the Grand Music and Commandant Harmonizing the Pitch Pipes. Shi Yu, a bell-caster of the Han, was skillful and ingenious and was known even to the nobles of the time. When Du Kui had Shi Yu cast bronze bells, their pitch and their clearness and turbidity were mostly not according to the standards, so he had them broken up and recast several times. Shi Yu grew very tired of this, said that Du Kui fixed the clear and turbid tones as he pleased, and resisted him considerably. When the two reported against each other to Taizu, Taizu took the bells that had been cast, mixed them up and tested them in turn, and only then knew that Du Kui was precise and Shi Yu was wrong; he punished Shi Yu and his sons and made them all grooms. Records, Wei 29 §34

Emperor Wen (Cao Pi) favored Shi Yu. He also once had Du Kui play the reed organ and the zither among the guests together with Zuo Yuan and others, and when Du Kui showed reluctance, the emperor was displeased. Later he had Du Kui imprisoned over another matter and sent Zuo Yuan and the others to go and learn from him. Du Kui, considering that what he had studied was court music and that his official career had a proper foundation, still remained discontented, and in the end he was dismissed and died thus. Chen Shou's main text does not record the year of his death. Records, Wei 29 §35

His disciples Shao Deng, Zhang Tai and Sang Fu of Henan each rose to Assistant of the Grand Music, and Chen Hang of Xiapi became General of the Household Overseeing Pitch. Chen Shou wrote that from Zuo Yannian on, although others were excellent in music, all were good at the music of Zheng, and in loving the ancient and preserving the correct, none came up to Du Kui. Records, Wei 29 §36

In his assessment Chen Shou said that Hua Tuo's medicine and diagnosis, Du Kui's music, Zhu Jianping's art of physiognomy, Zhou Xuan's dream interpretation and Guan Lu's divination were truly all subtle and singular skills and extraordinary feats of art. He added that Sima Qian of old had written the biographies of Bian Que, Cang Gong and the diviners in order to broaden knowledge of strange things and bring wonders to light, and that he was therefore preserving these records here. Records, Wei 29 §86