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Fengxuan Xuanpin
Profound Airs Spread Like the Wind 1		 風宣玄品
1539  
  Fengxuan Xuanpin: Burning incense and playing the qin2   
This handbook has 101 melodies, 34 with lyrics,3 67 without. It was compiled by 徽藩 朱厚爝 Zhu Houjue, (Prince of the) Hui Region,4 central Henan province. In his preface Zhu mentions his collecting his melodies from various schools.5 For further information see:

So far I have reconstructed (made recordings and trancriptions) of all eight of the Fengxuan Xuanpin melodies that do not survive from earlier handbooks, plus seven originally thought to be the earliest surviving versions,6 as follows:

There is also further information on the 1539 version of the other four melodies earlier thought to survive first from here. All have lyrics, but (or therefore) for each of these, although I have written out transcriptions, the melodies I actually learned to play are the 1525 versions, which do not.10

Mention should also be made of two further new melodies not yet transcribed or otherwise reconstructed. Both are songs with previous settings of the same lyrics and having the same title:

For the qin songs in particular, although I have written out transcriptions and made recordings for many of them, I will not consider the rhythms finalized until I have played them with a singer.11

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Profound Airs Spread Like the Wind (風宣玄品 Fengxuan Xuanpin [or Feng Xuan Xuan Pin])
44734.148 風宣 Fengxuan: spread like the wind; 玄品 xuanpin: 21288.xxx

This handbook is an important source of early qin music. As printed in Qinqu Jicheng Volume II, the book can be divided into three parts:

  1. Pages 1 - 20: Essays, the content of which seems largely to come from material that elsewhere survives in the works alternatively titled Taigu Yiyin and Taiyin Daquanji (see in ToC).
  2. Pages 20-59: Illustrations also largely from the same source but, at least as published in QQJC, often seem to be of better quality, and with some added images (outlined in the ToC).
  3. Pages 60-382: Music tablature for 101 melodies. All but perhaps eight of them also survive in earlier handbooks. My introductions to many of these melodies makes brief comment on how the version here is related, but to my knowledge no systematic study has been done of the sources for the music actually included here.

There is biographical information below about the compiler, Zhu Houjue (or Zhu Houjiao). However, I have found no further information about Zhang Kun, other than the information included on his signature (see below).
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2. Illustration: Burning incense and playing the qin Explanation of suoling in 1539 (compare earlier?)      
 Did the image above, from Fengxuan Xuanpin Folio One, p. 23 (QQJC III/19), depict Zhu Houjue himself? His students? As for the use of incense this is discussed further here.

As for the "hand movement illustration" shown at right, from Folio One, p. 47, these illustrations generally consist of two images: one showing the hand in movement, the other a poetic representations of the same. My translation of the image here is with the one in what is generally said to be the earliest such collection, dated to the Song dynasty but surviving only in copies published during the Ming. One of these is said to have been edited by Zhu Quan.

Regarding use of the term "folio", this is explained here.
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3. "Qin songs" reconstructed from 1539
Some of the melodies with lyrics are clearly songs, others seem to be instrumental pieces to which lyrics have been added. Regarding those that I have so far reconstructed, all could arguably have been sung; for those that did not seem to be singable I generally went to other handbooks to find ones without lyrics.
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4. 朱厚爝 Zhu Houjue (or: Zhu Houjiao; Bio/567; 1506 - 1550), Prince of the Hui Region
Zhu Houjue was one of several Ming dynasty princes known to have published qin handbooks. He was a third generation descendent of the Yingzong emperor (1436-54) but was apparently the illegitimate son of 朱祐枱 Zhu Youtai, who was in turn a son of 朱見沛 Zhu Jianpei (Bio/xxx), ninth son of the Yingzong emperor.

According to Ming Shi 119, in 1467 朱見沛 Zhu Jianpei was declared Prince Zhuang of Hui (徽莊王 10503.xxx), and in this capacity was in 1482 sent down to an area centered on 鈞州 Junzhou, the modern 禹州 Yuzhou, 70 km south of the Yellow River in central Henan, and 75 km southeast of 嵩山 Songshan, one of China's "Five Sacred Peaks. This then became 徽藩 Huifan (10505.xxx), the Hui Commandery or Hui Frontier (no apparent connection with 安徽 Anhui).

As for Zhu Houjue, he was originally enfeoffed as 安邑王 Prince of Anyi (in southwest 山西 Shanxi but only about 100 miles WNW of Luoyang in Henan). In 1526 his enfeoffment was moved to 鈞州 Junzhou, perhaps 100 miles ESE of Luoyang), where he was named heir apparent then later the same year became 徽王 Prince of Hui; he remained here until his death in 1550, at which time he was given the posthumous title 徽恭王 Prince Gong of Hui. As just mentioned, his grandfather Zhu Jianpei had also been a Prince of Hui (徽王 Hui Wang) and it is not clear who, if anyone, was Prince of Hui betwen Zhu Jianpei and Zhu Houjue. Hucker, Official Titles, p.71, says that during the Ming dynasty "the nobility in general was an ornament on the Ming social scene, not a factor in government", suggesting Zhu was not intended to have any particular power. Zhu Houjue apparently was particularly noted for being a Daoist (Wang, p.53). Nevertheless, in this position he is said to have "usurped authority", surviving perhaps because he was said to have been particularly favored by the Jiajing emperor (r. 1521 to 1567).

Ming Shi 119 relates two stories about Zhu Houjue while he was responsible for Junzhou, from 1526 to 1550. First, he defended an unnamed qin maker criticized by officials -- the Jiajing emperor had the officials punished, causing "some observers to think badly of Zhu Houjue." Second, he made friends with 陶仲文 Tao Zhongwen (Bio/2055; d. 1560; from Hubei but serving in the palace), a Taoist master highly regarded by the Jiajing emperor, 朱厚熜 Zhu Houzong. As a result the Jiajing emperor gave Zhu Houjue the Taoist title 太清輔元宣化真人 Taiqing Fuyuan Xuanhua Zhenren.

(Zhu Houzong was the adopted son of his paternal second cousin 朱厚照 Zhu Houzhao, the Zhengde Emperor, 1506-22. In the same period Qinshi Xu lists 朱厚燆 Zhu Houqiao, Prince of 衡 Heng, as having ordered a qin called Taigu Yiyin; and it lists 朱厚炫 Zhu Houxuan, Prince of 益 Yi, as a "good qin player". Van Gulik mentions the two princes briefly in Lore, pp. 214ff).

In his own preface to Fengxuan Xuanpin, Zhu Houjue says there were two types of qin melodies at that time, the 浙操徐門 Zhe melodies of the Xu tradition, and the 江操劉門 Jiang melodies of the Liu tradition. The Xu tradition is discussed in various places. See, for example, Xu Shen. For Liu see a discussion of the Jiang tradition.

It is said that Feng Xuan Xuan Pin was rarely seen after its initial printing. Only one copy survives today and apparently the version printed here is "從明刻本手抄，抄寫精細。 a meticulously handwritten transcription from the Ming edition".
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5. Prefaces in Fengxuan Xuanpin
There are two. The beginning of each is as follows (see original):

  1. By Zhu Houjue himself

    風宣玄品序
    予觀夫琴，乃正樂也。聖君、賢相、高人、良士，侂此寫孤懷，寄憂悒。雖一時之見， 風俗之淳漓、人心之美惡，於斯可知。其中和之音，足以感天地、格鬼神，可以禁邪心、養德性。 琴之用大矣哉！世傳操有二，曰浙操、徐門江操劉門....因題曰：風宣玄品__。

    Profound Airs Spread Like the Wind, Preface
    I have observed that the qin is the embodiment of proper music. Sagely gentlemen, worthy ministers, talented people and recluses have used it to express solitary emotions and to entrust their sorrows. Though it reflects the outlook of its time, through it the purity or decay of customs and the virtue or depravity of people's hearts can thereby be discerned. Its harmonious sounds are enough to move heaven and earth, influence spirits and deities, restrain wicked thoughts, and cultivate moral character. Truly, a qin's function is of great significance.

    The traditions of qin playing passed down through generations are of two main styles: the Zhe school and the Xumen Jiang school of the Liu tradition....

  2. By Zhang Kun

    風宣玄品序刻
    風宣玄品者：琴譜之玅選也。嗟乎！嘗聞大樂興，天地同和向琴備之。是故太史公曰........ 嘉靖巳亥歲，仲秋上漧吉旦，賜進士，出身前（使部考切）即山西右布政使，臣張鯤謹序

    Profound Airs Spread Like the Wind Preface to the engraved edition (?)
    Profound Airs Spread Like the Wind is a marvelous selection of qin scores. Alas! I have heard that when grand music ...., Heaven and Earth resonate ... qin. Thus, the Grand Historian said…"

    (Signed) In the sihai year of the Jiajing era (1939), mid-autumn on an auspicious morning of shangjian, having been conferred the jinshi degree and originally from the Ministry of Rites (as my examination record attests), and now serving as a Right Common Government Commissioner in Shanxi (near Henan?), I, Zhang Kun, humbly submit this preface."

A number of the characters in both prefaces are unclear.

6. Melodies learned from Fengxuan Xuanpin
By "learned" I mean completed my dapu (reconstruction), including working out my interpretation of the notes and note values, writing this out as transcriptions into staff notation, learning to play them from memory, then recording them. See recordings.
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7. Sung melodies reconstructed from 1539
Of the 34 melodies in Fengxuan Xuanpin with lyrics, six are the earliest versions of these melodies and five others were originally thought to be the earliest. Although I have transcribed into staff notation and recorded all eleven of these sung melodies, I will not be satisfied with the note values until I have been able to perform them with a singer.
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8. Instrumental melodies reconstructed from 1539
Of the 67 melodies in Fengxuan Xuanpin with lyrics, two are the earliest versions of these melodies and six others were originally thought to be the earliest. Those I have reconstructed (and recorded) comprise both of the former, five of the latter, pls two further melodies.
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9. Ten melodies earlier thought to survive first from 1539
Of the four not reconstructed all have lyrics, but mostly seem to be melodies that were not really intended to be sung.
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10. 1539 versions with lyrics
At present the transcriptions of Yi Qiao Jin Lü and Li Ling Si Han are only handwritten, not in my computer program (Encore).
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11. See comment above.
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