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| Qin bios / 許健，琴史初編，楊瓚 | 古琴目錄 |
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Yang Zuan
- Qin Shi Xu #20 |
楊纘 1
琴史續 #20 2 |
Xu Jian's History 6a3 and Rao Zongyi's Historical Account of the Qin (see especially Section 5 and Section 6) both have quite a few details on the qin work of Yang Zuan, whom Xu Jian calls Yang Zan.3 Yang Zuan/Zan was apparently born in the early 1200s, about 50 years after the other most important collector of qin tablature, Zhang Yan. He attained high official rank, specifically Chief Minister of Imperial Granaries (Sinong), and had particularly good official connections through a daughter who became a concubine of Zhao Qi (1222 - 1274), the Duzong emperor (r. 1265 - 1274). The Yang family was perhaps from Hezhou in Anhui, not far from Nanjing, but they traced their roots to a family surnamed Hong, from Poyang in northern Jiangxi.4
James Watt, in The Qin and the Chinese Literati, writes that "Yang Zuan was well known to writers on artistic matters including Zhou Mi (1232 - 1298),5 his younger contemporary, who wrote of him in admiration and with affection. It was mainly through Zhou Mi's writings that the legend of Yang Zuan's supreme musical talent has survived." To this Watt adds that Zhao Mengfu "criticised Yang Zuan for regarding the third string in the standard tuning of the qin as the fundamental of the scale (thus depriving the first string of its rightful place). The same criticism was voiced by Song Lian."
To this Rao Zongyi (op. cit.) adds that Zhao apparently ridiculed Yang for stressing only the expression of melodies without paying attention to rhythm, with the result that he had nothing on which to base the composition of the tablature. However, Rao adds that Yuan Jue, a student of 戴表元 Dai Biaoyuan and previously of Xu Tianmin, knew that Yang's tablature was based on that of Zhang Yan and Guo Mian; in his essay 琴述 Qin Narration Yuan Jue cleared Yang from such accusations.
Yang Zuan is said to have collected qin tablature and included it in a Zixiadong Qinpu. The only information there is is that it was listed in the 千頃堂書目 Qianqingtang Shumu.6 Elsewhere it is said that his house guests Xu Tianmin and Mao Minzhong did the work.
His biography in Qinshi Xu begins,7
More to be added. 8
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a
separate page)
1.
楊瓚 Yang Zan or 楊纘 Yang Zuan
No explanation is given for the differences in writing his given name. The Qinshi Xu biography lists his names as Yang Zuan, style name 嗣翁 Siweng, nickname 守齋 Shouzhai and 紫霞 Zixia, and adds that he was originally from the 洪 Hong family of 鄱陽 Poyang.
Bio/859 has 楊纘 Yang Zuan. It says he was 開封人 from Kaifeng, a grandson of 楊次山 Yang Cishan (no bio); the rest of the entry is basically the same as above.
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3.
楊瓚 Yang Zan; see footnote above: Xu Jian uses this as the main writing.
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4.
The Qinshi Xu biography gives as a reference 直隸和州 Zhili Hezhou. 23685.203 直隸 Zhili says it means 直屬 "directly subordinate to" as well as being an ancient name for Hebei province. It is a long entry, but it does not mention any connection with the Hezhou in Anhui. Another source says the family was from Kaifeng.
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5.
周密 Zhou Mi
Zhou Mi (1232 - 1298; Bio/1527), style name 公謹 Gongjin, nickname 早窗 Zaochuang, was "poet, chronicler, calligrapher and lover of antiques." (ICTCL, p.325) from a prominent family of Jinan (Shandong). In his adult life he lived in Hangzhou. Tong Kin-woon's Qin Fu, pp.1696-9, has selections from two writings by Zhou Mi:
Although both discuss qins and qin matters, they do not seem to include Zhou Mi's praise of Yang Zuan, or the account of a qin of Jin emperor Zhanzong being buried with him, then dug up 18 years later undamaged.
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6.
Book Index of the 1000 Qing Hall (千頃堂書目 Qianqingtang Shumu)
See details.
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7. Original Chinese text
自製琴曲二百操，皆平淡清越。灝然《太古遺音》復改正古曲百餘。而異時官譜諸曲黜削殆盡。曰此皆繁聲所謂鄭、衛之音也。嘗謂琴：一絃可以盡曲中諸調。當廣坐合奏，一字之誤。纘必顧之，與其客三衢毛敏仲，嚴陵徐天民著《紫霞洞譜》十三卷。有何巨濟者受業於徐，而鄭瀛又受業於何、瀛。浦江人亦著有琴譜。
Sources given are: 直隸和州志，齊東野語，佩楚軒客談，千頃堂書目，蒓湖漫錄
Translation incomplete.
Return to QSCB,
or to the Guqin ToC.
The original Chinese is as follows:
楊纘，字嗣翁，號守齋，又號紫霞。本鄱陽洪氏，嗣於楊，遂為和州人，仕至司農卿。浙東師，以女選進淑妃贈少帥。纘洞曉律呂，知音妙天下，而琴尤精，為端湻間薦紳四絕之一。
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