Preface (QQJC VIII/1)
By Zha Fuxi; edited by Wu Zhao.³

This book in the collection of the 中國藝術研究院音樂研究所 Music Research Institute of the Chinese Art Research Academy, printed in the 46th year of the Wanli emperor (1618), in four folios, was edited and compiled by Zhang Tingyu (style name Ruxian)⁴ from Guanzhong (the central Shaanxi plain). Before the tablature there are,

• Prefatory words (引言) by Zhang Tingyu,
• Tuning strings method for 5 (plus 7 and 9) string qin,
• Discourse about changing gong on the seven strings,
• Discourse about three qins from beginning to end,
• Five tones and 12 modes as they correspond to strings,
• Fingering methods
• Table of Contents for the qin melodies in this handbook

The handbook has 72 melodies in all.

Many public and private collections include this handbook, but almost all of them are missing some pieces, though all the missing ones are different. After spending many years visiting these, the present volume was able to reproduce an adequate number (presumably all the melodies).

This is a qin tablature collection with special characteristics. Zhang Tingyu was a Ming dynasty metropolitan graduate (jinshi). He himself attached lyrics and created melodies, and also remade the qin into a five string qin and a nine string qin, as well using many non-standard tunings (those with non-standard tuning methods). He was from the central Shaanxi plain but often traveled to Zhejiang as an official. He never wrote about the source of his (qin) learning, but looking at the fact that the melodies in his handbook customarily had lyrics and were newly made, perhaps his learning came from Xu Nanshan, also being formed by receiving influence from the Nanjing school.⁵

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Lixing Yuanya
See further.
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3. Editing by Wu Zhao
See further comment.
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4. 張廷玉 Zhang Tingyu
Zhang Tingyu (bio/xxx) 字汝先 style name Ruxian.
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5. Source of the music
Xu Shiqi, style name Zhongnanshan or perhaps Nanshan, may also have had connection with Shaanxi. On the other hand, I have not found the commonality in their music, other than that it is often newly revised or created.
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Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.