Zha Fuxi's Preface to Wusheng Qinpu

The original copy was in the collection of the Qu family⁴ of Changshu, but now it has been returned (sic) to the Beijing Library. It is a sister volume to a hand copy of Qinyuan Yaolu,⁵ in a collection dating from the Zheng De period (1506-22); not divided into folios. It was written by the Ming dynasty's Lan Xian (Lazy Immortal). At the front there is Lan Xian's own preface⁶ and his Qin Formulas for the Standard and Varied Five Tones,⁷ dated 1457, the first year of the Tian Shun era. The tablature has one piece in each of the five modes, altogether five melodies. It is not clear what the proper name of Lan Xian is. From looking at the names, modality and tablature style of the qin melodies one can infer that these were composed by Lan Xian himself, and so are an example of 15th century guqin melody composition.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 五聲琴譜
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2. 查阜西 Zha Fuxi, edited by 吳釗 Wu Zhao.
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3. 琴曲集成，第一冊，北京，中華書局出版社, 1981.
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4. 常熟瞿氏 . 瞿 could also be "Ju"; no further information.
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5. The endnote with the modern facsimile edition of Qinyuan Yaolu also mentions the Qu family and says it came from the Zhengde period.
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6. Almost all theory, nothing to identify him or his background.
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7. 懶仙五聲正變琴訣
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