Preface
by Zha Fuxi³
from Qinqu Jicheng, Vol. 4
Beijing, Zhonghua Shuju Chuban Faxing, 1982

This is a rather widely-circulated qin handbook printed in the Ming dynasty.⁴ In 10 folios, it was compiled by (Ming) Yang Biaozheng. Somewhat earlier than this Yang had already compiled and printed a Zhengwen Duiyin Jieyao Qinpu in six folios⁵); the present volume is a later revised edition. Thus its complete title is Chongxiu Zhengwen Duiyin Jieyao Zhenchuan Qinpu Daquan (Revised Complete Qin Handbook of the Authentic Tradition, with Correct Text Paired to Music [Clever-Essential?]).⁶)

The edition used in this volume is an original first edition long belonging to Wang Mengshu, printed in 1609 at the Fuchun Tang on Sanshan St., Jinling (Nanjing).⁷ The first folio has Yang Biaozheng's own preface, an anonymous "Preface Inscribing Taigu Yiyin" (no date) and a "Preface Inscribing Qinpu Zhenchuan" by Liu Yu,⁸ dated 1585. After the prefaces there is a likeness of Mr. Yang, a portrait eulogy and so forth. At the end of the folios are afterwords by Yao Shiwei⁹ and Chen Shuzhen¹⁰ dated 1609. The first two folios discuss the qin; the third to the 10th are qin tablature, with 105 qin melodies. Like Xielin Taigu Yiyin, each melody has lyrics lined up alongside. Qin players refer to this handbook simply as Chongxiu Zhenchuan Qinpu or Xifeng Qinpu.¹¹

The qin differentiated between the Jiang(su) school and Zhe(jiang) school; this originated at the end of the Song dynasty. The Ming dynasty representative handbooks of the Zhe school, Wugang (Qinpu) and Xiao Luan (Xingzhuang Taiyin Buyi), both had derogatory comments on the Jiang school. But the Jiang school in fact achieved its own form and style. Whether or not there was accompanying text was one of the important concrete elements differentiating the two styles. At the beginning of the Wanli period (1573-1620) Yang Biaozheng emphasized the confrontation between "pairing text with music" and the Zhe school's "doing away with text in order to preserve fluency of play." Moreover, by adding text to a lot of qin melodies and making bold creations he had the effect of preserving the Jiang school.

Impartial qin players often say, the Zhe school especially viewed guqin (music) as instrumental music, and so they could certainly make better use of such techniques as light and heavy, fast and slow, yin and rou, zhuo and zhu; but factoring in the custom people in the Ming dynasty had of emphasizing the relationship, when singing, between the melody and the text, and matching the simplicity of the Jiang school's qin sounds with melodies for singing, (and the fact that) they could bring about agile use of open string sounds and harmonics (open string sounds and harmonics were sounds which the Zhe school also could not ornament), (one must say the Jiang school) also had its own beauty.

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 An earlier version was Xinkan Zhenwen Duiyin Jieyao Qinpu Zhenchuan> (新刊正文對音捷要琴譜真傳) (Return)

2 楊表正 Yang Biaozheng (See further details
Yang Biaozheng (15488.270), style name 西峰 Xifeng, was from 永安 Yong'an, in the 延平 Yanping district of central Fujian province). (Return)

3 查阜西 Zha Fuxi; edited by 吳鉊 Wu Zhao (Return)

4 Various editions may have differning names; see below. (Return)

5 Compare #22 Xinkan Zhengwen Duiyin Jieyao Qinpu Zhenchuan (1573) and 琴譜合璧大全 Qinpu Hebi Daquan. (Return)

6 Chongxiu Zhengwen Duiyin Jieyao Zhenchuan Qinpu Daquan 重修正文對音捷要真傳琴譜大全. (Return)

7 One essay, 彈琴雜說, is translated in Van Gulik, pp. 76-78 (Return)

8 李御 Li Yu (Return)

9 姚士畏 Yao Shiwei (Return)

10 陳書箴 Chen Shuzhen (Return)

11 Also 琴譜合壁 Qinpu Hebi? See Van Gulik, Lore, p. 185, 琴譜合壁大全 Qinpu Hebi Daquan. (Return)

Return to the Chongxiu Zhenchuan Qinpu intro, to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.