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.⁵ 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 folios⁶); 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?]).⁷

The edition used in this volume⁸ is an original first edition long belonging to Wang Mengshu, printed in 1585 at the 富春堂 Fuchun Tang on Sanshan Street in Jinling (Nanjing).⁹ 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,¹⁰ 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 Shiwei¹¹ and Chen Shuzhen¹² dated 1585. 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.¹³

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

2. By 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).
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3. 查阜西 Zha Fuxi; edited by 吳釗 Wu Zhao. (Return)

5. Various editions may have differing names; see below. (Return)

6. Compare #22 Xinkan Zhengwen Duiyin Jieyao Qinpu Zhenchuan (1573) and other edition titles such as 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.
This version has contents very similar to the 1585 version, in the collection of the 中國科學院圖書館 Zhongguo Kexueyuan Tushuguan. It has been published in Siku Quanshu Cunmu Congshu, Vol. 子 73.
(Return)

7. The earliest use of the shortened title Chongxiu Zhenchuan Qinpu is unclear. (Return)

8. Wang Mengshu was a famous early 20th century book collector. (Return)

9. Publisher: 富春堂 Fuchun Tang?
For 富春堂 Fuchun Tang see IV/513. Earlier the book calls it 唐富春 Tang Fu Chun (see, e.g., IV/264). The 1573 edition also has Tang Fu Chun (see E45).
(Return)

10. 李御 Li Yu (Return)

11. 姚士畏 Yao Shiwei (Return)

12. 陳書箴 Chen Shuzhen (Return)

13. Various titles
See outline. Van Gulik, Lore, who calls it 琴譜合壁大全 Qinpu Hebi Daquan, has a number of mentions, especially pp. 76-78 and 185. Van Gulik, who calls this book Qinpu Hebi Daquan, translates one essay, 彈琴雜說 (pp. 76-78). (Return)

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