Qinpu Zhengchuan

Qinpu Zhengchuan
Qin Handbook of the Correct Tradition ¹

琴譜正傳
1547 / 1561 ²
Is that Yang Jiasen on the left? ³

Preface
by Zha Fuxi⁴
from Qinqu Jicheng, Vol. 2
Beijing, Zhonghua Shuju Chuban Faxing, 1980
See also Wugang Qinpu

(This qin handbook is) in the collection of the Music Research Department of the Art Research Institute in the Bureau of Culture;⁵ printed during the Ming dynasty in six folios. It is a specialized collection of qin tablature compiled by the Ming dynasty's Yang Jiasen.⁶ At the front is a preface by He Qian⁷ dated 1561 followed by discourses on miscellaneous qin subjects. At the end is printed the 1561 afterword Huang Xian wrote for Wugang Qinpu⁸ (there dated 1546). In the tablature section, at the beginning of each folio, several poetic texts are recorded,⁹ with the tablature following these texts; (three of) the texts have lyrics added. Altogether there are 71 pieces.¹⁰ (Two have lyrics.¹¹)

Before this book had returned to the public, the original possessor, seeing the afterword in grass writing by Huang Xian, thought the whole book had been revised and expanded by Huang Xian.¹² However, He Qian's preface makes it clear that it is a collection by Yang Pei'an¹³ of tablatures in the schools of Huang Xian and Song Shi.¹⁴ Furthermore, pieces like Mei Hua (and) He Ming,¹⁵ all have two versions, from very different origins. All this can prove that this book was not (simply) Huang Xian's own tablature.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 21570.xxx ; Qinqu Jicheng, Vol. II (Return)

2. In Section 7 of his Guide, Zha Fuxi assigned this handbook the date 1547 rather than 1561 (see footnote below), but his comments here indicate clearly that the book was not published before 1561. The dating to 1547 date is perhaps due to its connection to Wugang Qinpu (1546), which Zha Fuxi had not seen when he first compiled his Guide. The 42 melodies of Wugang Qinpu are said to come from the Xumen Family Tradition. The 71 melodies in Qinpu Zhengchuan include all of these 42, then 29 more (see list). However, none of the 42 is also included in or identical to the versions in Taiyin Xupu (1559), whereas 10 of the remaining 29 are identical to the versions in 1559 (most of the other 19 are identical to the versions published in 1557). This might indicate that these 29 should be dated 1561 (referring to publication, not origination). Zha Fuxi's commentary suggests that the 29 melodies are those of 宋仕 the Song family (?). Thus perhaps Taiyin Xupu also includes melodies of the Song family. However, Zha Fuxi's introduction there only mentions the Cao and Bao families. (Return)

3. See QQJC II/382 (Return)

4. 查阜西 Zha Fuxi; edited by 吳釗 Wu Zhao (Return)

5. 文化部文學藝術研究院音樂研究所; still there? (Return)

6. 楊嘉森 Yang Jiasen
Yang Jiasen (15489.xxx; Bio/xxx) is not mentioned in He Qian's preface (unless he is the same person as Yang Pei'an), and I have found no further mention of him. Yang Jiasen is identified as the editor at the beginning of Folio I (QQJC II/402), where it says:

無錫響泉宋仕校正 Corrected by Mr. Song of Xiangquan in Wuxi
逸夫健陽楊嘉森編 Edited by the gentleman-at-leisure Yang Jiasen of Jianyang
南雍一樂堂後泉刊行 Printed at the "Back spring of the One Pleasure Hall" (? 1.3088xxx; 10332.xxx)
of Nanyong (2798.578 the Directorate of Education in Nanjing)

(The Jian of Jianyang was written 彳建, which HYDCD says = 健 . However, 860. has no 健陽 Jianyang. If 建陽, 9786.98 has places of this name in Shandong, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangsu and Hubei. A net search for "一樂堂後泉" gives several references to another book published at this "書舍 book cottage", presumably in Nanjing.) (Return)

7. 何遷 He Qian (1501 - 1574)
He Qian (Bio/1079; 489.351), style name 益之 Yizhi, nickname 吉陽 Jiyang, was from 湖廣德安 De An in Huguang. A Confucian scholar who attained his jinshi in 1541, He Qian had various official positions and wrote a 吉陽集 Jiyang Ji and 友問 You Wen. (Return)

8. See preface to Wugang Qinpu. Huang Xian was an imperial eunuch from Guangxi, but presumably living in Beijing. (Return)

9. By folio -- 1:2 (two in the first); 2:7; 3:1; 4:2; 5:1; 6:1. (Return)

10. The 71 include 42 from Wugang Qinpu; of the extra 29 (see footnote above), seven have the same title as melodies in Wugang Qinpu, leaving 22 new titles (see footnote below). (Return)

11. Gui Qu Lai Ci, which is a famous song, and one of its two versions of He Ming Jiu Gao. In addition, there are some lyrics included next to melodies of the same name. The lyrics are taken from earlier handbooks, but do not seem to fit the melodies here. (Return)

12. It is probably for this reason that in his Guide Zha Fuxi assigned this the date 1547 rather than 1561, which would accord with the prefaces. (Return)

13. 楊培庵 Yang Pei'an
Zha Fuxi's preface uses the character 輯 ji ("compiled") for both Yang Pei'an (15489.xxx; Bio/xxx) and Yang Jiasen (see above). Are they the same person? He Qian's preface also seems to mention a 楊子喜 Yang Zixi (unless 樣子喜曰 means "Master Yang happily said...."; also not in ZWDCD). (Return)

14. 宋仕 Song Shi (7230.xxx)
"Song the Official"? Officials from Song (dynasty or river? See Liu Hong for the 松江 Songjiang tradition.) He Qian's preface mentions 宋君七曲 7 melodies of Mr. Song. Perhaps Wugang Qinpu concentrated on one of these two "schools", but so far I have not been able to note any stylistic differences between those in Wugang Qinpu and those not. (Return)

15. In all, seven have two versions: Meihua Yin/Meihua Sannong, He Ming Jiugao, [Shenpin] Zhi Yi, Qingdu Yin (Guanghan You), Wen Wang Cao, Guan Ju and Xiao Xiang Shui Yun. (Return)

Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.