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Chen Zhuo
- Qin Shi #137 |
陳拙 1
琴史 #137 2 |
| Chen Zhuo's Fingering Explanations?3 |
Chen Zhuo, literary name Daqiao and Yongzhuo, was a famous qin player and commentator at and after the end of the Tang dynasty (early 10th century). He held high office in military bureaus but his biography below mentions none of that. It lists melodies he learned, passed on and/or transcribed, but it does not specify that he created any of them himself. And although they exist on ancient lists and some titles have surviving versions, there is no reliable way to connect the surviving versions with the content of the ancient titles.
As for his writings, Qinshu Cunmu credits him with four books:
- 琴籍，九卷 Qin Ji (Qin Record, 9 volumes)
- 大唐正聲新扯琴譜，十卷 Datang Zhengsheng Xinche Qinpu (Tablature with New Comments on Correct Sounds of the Great Tang, 10 volumes)
- 補新徵音，一卷 Buxin Zhiyin (Revised zhi mode [pieces? theory?], one volume)
- 琴法數勾剔譜 Qin Fa Shu Gouti Pu (Qin techniques: symbols for stroke techniques)
However, his surviving writings (details 4) are to be found only in later compendia. Thus the surviving works are (in all or in part),
- Qin Ji (Qin Record, just listed above); a collection of explanations and commentary on playing qin
Included in several places within the Ming dynasty compendium Qinqu Jicheng, but especially Folio 8 (V/162-175; the image at right shows the beginning) - Qinpu Zongshuo (General Comments on Qin-related Material); two brief excerpts,
Qin Commentary, by Military Official Chen Zhuo
(text) and
Confucius' Household Sayings, plus
several illustrations.
Included in the Song dynasty compendium called Shilin Guangji
There are a few details of Chen's life in the essay below. Those details are also outlined in Xu Jian's Outline History of the Qin, Chapter 5. A; p.57 (中文). There it says he worked in the "京兆戸曹 Jingzhao Hucao" - the Revenue Department of Chang'an - but he is also referred to as 陳拙參軍 Chen Zhuo Canjun. "Canjun" should mean he was an administrator in a military district (Kroll).
Xu Jian's Outline History, pp.57-58 also comments briefly on the particular importance of Chen Zhuo's explanations of finger techniques. He then comments on them further in Chapter 5. C. (pp.76-7), though see in particular this footnote.
The fingering explanations are also mentioned by Wang Shixiang in his essay on Guangling San.
The biography of Chen's qin teacher Sun Xiyu says Sun refused to teach Guangling San to Chen, burning the tablature so Chen couldn't learn it himself. Could that be related to Chen having been a military official (comment)?
The original text from Qin Shi is almost identical to that of the Chen Zhuo entry in Qinshu Daquan (QQJC IV/332), as follows,
This was translated by Luca Pisano here. The biography begins by saying Zhuo was from Chang'an, then it lists five pieces he learned from Sun Xiyu as well as one each from Zhang Luan and Mei Fuyuan. It then suggests he was responsible for preserving two of these melodies. It attributes to him a writing called New Basis of Rectified Sound, then says something about his playing style. He reports hen as having said teachers rewarding their students made the students work harder, so Chen himself worked hard and eventually got a government position.
The essay sheds no light on Chen Zhuo's own ideas about the material that is ascribed to him on this page.
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a
separate page)
3.
Chen Zhuo's Fingering Explanations
Chen Zhuo's Fingering Explanations can be found in Qinshu Daquan (1590),
Folio 8 (QQJC, Vol.V/162-179;
pdf (earlier edition, pp.160-177).
The part of Chen's writings that deal with rhythm have been put into an Appendix.
(Return)
| 4. Chen Zhuo's surviving writings | English ToC for Qin Treatise, an Exigesis (中文) |
The following book, the content of which is outlined in the ToC at right, is a presentation and analysis of Chen Zhuo's Qin Ji, but it also has a fairly detailed biography on page 17 and then a chapter (pp. 35-40) entitled "Tang, Song and Yuan dynasty citations of Chen Zhuo".
In addition to these publications we have surviving from Ming dynasty a number of finger technique explanations credited to qin masters of the late Tang and early Song dynasties. Much of this is outlined on this website (e.g., here) but I have not made many careful comparisons. It does seem likely that if a useful list does get published it is then copied and perhaps edited by others. This can be particularly confusing when two players have very similar names. This seems to be the case with Chen Zhuo and Chen Kangshi. Thus the early compendium Taiyin Daquanji has finger techniques (especially shorthand forms?) attributed to "陳居士 Chen Jushi": Master Chen, apparently referring to Chen Kangshi, not Chen Zhuo.
Getting back to Professor Yang's book, it has a number of explanatory essays (all in Chinese) plus nine facsimile copies of texts attributed to Chen Zhuo. These are basically from the two sources listed above. Thus it has two versions of the most important work, 琴籍 Qin Ji (Qin Record). One is from 大明永樂琴書集成 Da Ming Yongle Qinshu Jicheng, the other from 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng.
One focus of the commentary is trying to put Qin Ji in the order in which it might originally have been published. Because Qinshu Daquan apparently arranged its entries so as to fit in with other items in that collection (see Qinqu Jicheng, Volume 5, Table of Contents), the order is different. So the following is put here to compare the order in Yang's edition with the page numbers from Volume V of Qinqu Jicheng:
| Yang p# | QQJC V/p# ; T=top, B=bottom; L=left, R=right | ||
| Facs. 2: | |||
| 221-2 | 103T （陳拙琴書曰：斲制者....） | ||
| 223-4 | 119TL, BR （張越琴....陳拙琴書曰：斲琴者蜀有雷....） | ||
| 225-6 | 131T （明徽暗徽法，陳拙琴籍） | ||
| 227-8 | 145TL-BR （陳拙絃論：五弦者始自神農....） | ||
| 229 | 147TL （唐陳拙合絃法：禹貢云厥篚檿....） | ||
| 230-280 | 162B-175TR（唐陳拙指法.... ?: missing from "彈琴用指" to p. 179 top?） | ||
| 281-2 | 332B （陳拙：陳拙字大巧....） | ||
| Facs. 3: | |||
| 285-7 | 96BL-97T (琴制); | ||
| " " | 132TL (琴暉: see 樂書 near middle); not 琴勢? ("古者手勢....") |
Facsimiles four to nine all have material as in Shilin Guangji. For three examples compare the following:
| Yang p# | QQJC I/17 ; T=top, B=bottom; L=left, R=right | ||
| Facs. 4: | |||
| 291 家語云.... | 17 (家語云....) | ||
| 292 陳拙參軍琴說.... | 17TR ( 陳拙參軍琴說 ....) | ||
| Facs. 6: | |||
| 299-300 家語云.... | 17TL (see image) |
Two titles are mentioned that sound as though they could be separate works, 樂書 Yue Shu and 琴說 Qin Shuo. Is Yue Shu part of an edition of 琴籍 Qin Ji that I have not yet seen, or might it have been an independent book? Does the Chen Zhuo material in Shilin Guangji come from a longer work by Chen Zhuo called 琴說 Qin Shuo? This seems unlikely, as neither title is found in Qinshu Cunmu list. Could the latter have been part of one of the other works listed there?
(Return)
Return to the top.
Chen Zhuo's article called Rhythm (節奏 Jiezou) is in QQJC V/173; in Yang Yuanzheng this is on pp.209-211). Yao Bingyan apparently cited this essay in his justification for using triple rhythm for the melody Jiu Kuang.
My understanding of the content of this essay is uncertain. For example, the definition of rhythm as the arrangement of sounds and silences in time, causing a melody seemingly to move fits in nicely with what is described here. The tricky part in "meter", defined as "a regular pattern of strong and weak beats within a measure". Rhythm may have meter but it does not require it. A 節 jie (node) is said here to refer to a slight pause in the melody and thus 節奏 jiezou literally means something like "proceeding through the nodes". However, when I play qin melodies I feel regular rhythms, though they may be interpreted freely. How does that relate to what is written here? Nothing is said about freedom and nothing about repeated patterns. And so, especially not having seen any examples given of how the structures mentioned here might be applied, although I have a general understanding of what this essay says, I have not figured out how it might help, for example, in reconstructing a melody,
Here, then, is a tentative translation of this essay. Below that is a punctuated version of the original with footnotes added from Yang Yuanzheng pp.110-112).
Rhythm is the sequencing of phrases and meanings. There are rhythms of one-character, two-character, three-character, four-character, and five-character phrases. Each phrase forms a single "measure" (節 jie), where the sound momentarily pauses. "Play" (奏 zou) means the sound resumes again. Sometimes, two or three measures combine to form one phrase; thus, rhythm and phrasing are intertwined.
The slower-paced phrases should not be sluggish; the fast ones should not be chaotic; the connected ones should not become hurried. With every measure, one should evoke an idea and play it, holding the upper idea while drawing forth the next. In former times, Master 伊 Yi instructed, "To know rises and falls, and to understand rhythm and phrasing, this is the most crucial thing."
The Dai Ji (小戴禮記 Xiao Dai Li Ji) says, "Rhythm is the alternation of playing and pausing. When playing, one performs it; when pausing, one marks the measure". When rhythm and phrasing are unified, they form a pattern; the sound gives shape to that pattern — this is what is called "music." It is like five colors intermingled, forming a pattern without disorder, arranged to create a composition.
Two-Character Phrase Rhythms (二字句節奏)
Three-Character Phrase Rhythms (三字句節奏)
There are five kinds:
Four-Character Phrase Rhythms (四字句節奏)
Five-Character Phrase Rhythms (五字句節奏)
In tablature there are short phrases (短句), medium phrases (仲句), and long phrases (長句). One to five characters form a short phrase; five to seven characters form a medium phrase; anything beyond seven characters forms a long phrase. When applying rhythm to medium and long phrases, one generally follows the rhythmic structures of short phrases, linking them accordingly. (Note: the character "續" was originally written as "須".)
節奏 三字句節奏有五。
四字句節奏有七
五字句節奏有五
譜中有短、仲、長句。一字至五字為短句，五字至七字為仲句，七字已上為長句。如使仲句、長句節奏，頗依短句節奏相續用之。(? 續 was written 須。)
Return to QSCB,
or to the Guqin ToC.
Appendix
Rhythm in Chen Zhuo's Fingering Explanations
Both notes played slowly.
Both notes played connectedly (legato).
Both notes played quickly.
First note slow, followed by two connected.
First two notes connected, followed by one slow.
All three notes played quickly.
All three notes played slowly.
All three notes played in unison (合聲)^5.
First note slow, followed by three connected.
First three notes quick, followed by one slow.
First two notes connected, followed by two slow.
First two notes slow, followed by two quick.
Four notes evenly slow.
Four notes evenly quick.
Four notes played in unison.
First three notes slow, followed by two connected.
First note slow, followed by four connected.
First three notes slow, followed by two slow.
Five notes evenly played.
Five notes played in unison.
夫節奏者，句意節次也，有一字成、二字、三字、四字、五字，各分一節，聲暫少息。奏者，聲再發也。或二、三節合成一句，用節奏而成。其句意徐者不至於怠，疾者不至於亂，連者不至於急。每節旋起意而撫，存上意而取下意。昔伊師中諭曰「知起伏，明節奏，最為樞要也。」
《載經》云「謂或作或止，作用奏之，止則節之。」節奏合而成文，聲成其文，方謂之音。如五色相雜，成文而不亂，分布得成文章也。
有兩聲慢作、有兩聲連作、有兩聲急作。
先慢一後連二、先連二後慢一、有三聲急作、有三聲慢作、有使合聲作
先慢一後連三、先急三後慢一、先連二後慢二、先慢二後急二、有四聲匀慢作、有四聲匀急作、有便合聲作。
先慢三後連二、先慢一後連四、先慢三後慢二、有五聲匀作、有使合聲作。