Gyrfalcon Seizing a Swan is a famous wu (martial) suite of Pipa. It is not only deemed as one of the oldest solo numbers of Pipa, but also the only non-war themed wu suite. Gyrfalcon, a kind of falcon with small body shape and excellent command of flying, is a bird of luck for Mongolians. It is said that ancient nobles domesticate gyrfalcons to battle with swans, who eat pearl oysters and hide the pearl in their crops, in order to obtain pearls. The song Gyrfalcon Seizing a Swan takes the battle between the birds as a subject to depict life of northern nomadic tribes in China, using distinct contrast of volume and timbre to showcase traits of different ethnic groups.

According to historical records, the song has been circulated since Yuan Dynasty. With its long history, its rather accomplished song structure and its unique, rich performance techniques, it became popular among court and people. Thus, sheet music of the song has passed down in three major schools of Pipa, Wuxi school, Ping school and Pudong school. In my research, I start from historical context and text records to conclude different arguments about the song, and then I analyze the song from multiple aspects including its background, structure, style, technique, special features etc., to reach a better understanding of the song.

Keywords: Gyrfalcone Seizing a Swan, Pudong School, Pipa performance, song analysis