The Inheritance and Evolution of ‟Diean Sixteen Rules for the Tones of Qin” from ‟Xishan Qin kwuan” (24 Epithets on Guqin Music)

Abstract

<p>明末清初以來的古琴曲譜中保留有兩篇重要的音樂美學著作，一是徐谼的〈谿山琴況〉（收錄於《大還閣琴譜》），乃中國古琴音樂美學的顛峰之作，其以二十四況論述彈琴的演奏技巧及美感意境論，通篇是儒、道、佛思想調和的作品，體現著琴以載道的教化精神。二是莊臻鳳的〈蝶庵琴聲十六法〉（收錄於《琴學心聲諧譜》），這兩篇論著皆是以「一字評」的方式作為品評琴樂之美的範疇，同為中國古琴音樂美學的並蒂之作。然而，〈蝶庵琴聲十六法〉的內容有不少篇幅與〈谿山琴況〉雷同，兩者之說究竟孰前孰後？因此，關於〈蝶庵琴聲十六法〉的作者與版本的考異也就成為一個值得探討的問題。前人或以為〈蝶庵琴聲十六法〉的作者是元末明初的冷謙，或以為是清初的莊臻鳳，頗有爭議，故本文先釐清其中的疑義，再看〈蝶庵琴聲十六法〉除了對〈谿山琴況〉有所承襲外，其不同於〈谿山琴況〉的觀點為何？由此來給予〈蝶庵琴聲十六法〉在琴學中的定位。</p> <p> </p><p>Two key works on the aesthetics of Chinese guqin music have been preserved in the Guqin tablatures of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. One work is ‟Xishan Qin kwuan”（24 Epithets on Guqin Music) collected in Dahuange Qinpu (Qin Handbook from the Chamber of Great Returning) written by Xu Hong. It is the pinnacle of Chinese Guqin musical aesthetics, discussing Guqin playing skills and aesthetic conception in twenty-four aspects. Although the details of the twenty-four aspects differ, the whole article is a harmonious amalgamation of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, which embodies the enlightenment spirit of Tao. The other work is ‟Diean Sixteen Rules for the Tones of Qin” collected in Qinxue Xinsheng Xiepu (Qin Studies Heartfelt Sounds Harmonious Tablature), written by Zhuang Zhenfeng. Both of these works are based on the “one-character review” as the criterion for appraising the beauty of Guqin music. However, there is a lot of overlap in the content of these two works, which raises the question of which one was written first. This paper discusses the ‟Sixteen Rules for the Tones of Qin” and its author, focusing on two key considerations: First, who is the real author of the ‟Sixteen Rules for the Tones of Qin” -- Leng Qian in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasty, or Zhuang Zhenfeng in the early Qing dynasty? Second, the research compares and contrasts ‟Sixteen Rules for the Tones of Qin” with ‟Xishan Qin kwuan” and reveals how the guqin aesthetics of the former were inherited and changed after the publication of the latter. Following on from this, the author discusses the true authorship of ‟Sixteen Rules for the Tones of Qin” and its inheritance and evolution from ‟Xishan Qin kwuan” (24 Epithets on Guqin Music).</p> <p> </p>