The decline of guqin music

Qin, also known as guqin and lyre, is one of the oldest musical instruments in China. It is called the legend of Fuxi and Shennong, which was very popular in the Zhou Dynasty more than 3000 years ago. The Book of Songs mentioned many times: "My Fair Lady is a friend of harps and harps", "I have a guest, and harps and drums" and "My harps and harps are in the imperial court, so I am quiet". Qin played a very important role in China ancient music. The ancients thought: "the pianist is the unity of joy." The word "Le" written by Oracle Bone Inscriptions is a hieroglyph strung on a tree with a rope, which actually refers to musical instruments such as lyre and harp. Moreover, since Confucius, Qin has been strongly advocated as a compulsory course for scholars, and there is even a saying that "scholars do not take back Qin and musical instruments without reason." In addition, people think that piano can improve moral cultivation and music cultivation, and its main function is also in music cultivation. The so-called "Qin is forbidden, and evil is forbidden", and "Qin is a thing, which is the voice of saints ruling the world and the thing that gentlemen cultivate". In ancient times, emperors, officials, sages, scholars, literati, monks and Taoists were many people who were good at drumming, such as Confucius, Ji Kang, Wang Wei, Su Shi and Ouyang Xiu. After more than 3,000 years' development, Guqin music has formed a complete and scientific system in theory, creation, performance and appreciation, and has become the most important part of China traditional music, which has exerted great influence on all aspects of China music. Guqin music theory is developed on the basis of Zhou Qin music theory. The aesthetic realm it pursues is "beauty is quiet, harmony is far away", "beauty is not gorgeous, sadness is not hurt", and it not only has the entertainment function of "pass the parcel entertaining himself" (Zhuangzi Qin Wang Pian), but also has the social function of "understanding morality, ghosts and gods and scenery" (Qin Shuo by Han Liuxiang). Tang Xue Jianyi summarized guqin music as "you can observe the wind and teaching, you can capture the soul, you can distinguish emotions, you can enjoy your feelings, you can meditate, you can be brave, you can be vulgar, you can be a ghost." "People with lofty ideals play it, and both sound and rhyme are taken. Ji Kang wrote Fu Qin in Wei and Jin Dynasties, praising the wonderful music of Guqin. "If it is beautiful, it is infinite. ""you never know, it's a long way and it's extremely difficult! "In the following 1000 years, although the aesthetic theory of Guqin music is still developing and enriching, and there are many specific discussions on performing arts and creative ideas, it has not surpassed in principle. In creation, Guqin music is extremely rich, and its theme almost involves all aspects of social life. There are more than 50 kinds of piano books and music scores in the past dynasties/kloc-0. The total number of piano pieces with different titles exceeds 700, and if piano pieces with the same title but different versions are included, the total number exceeds 3000. What a rich cultural heritage this is. Among them are Guangling San, Su Wu Fourth Army and Song Zhengqi, which praised heroic struggle and national integrity. There is "Xiaoxiang Water Cloud" full of patriotic enthusiasm; There are "Song of Mountain Living", "Song of Logging" and "Song of Fishing", which describe Shan Ye's resistance to foreign aggression and seclusion. There are cynical and pretentious "Drunk Life and Dream Death", "Ode to Taoyuan" and "Going Home"; There are also sympathy or praise for outstanding women in ancient times, such as Zhao Jun's Embankment, Autumn Moon in Han Palace and Eighteen Beats of Hu Jia. There are "Mountains and Rivers", "Pingsha Wild Goose" and "Chun Xue" which praise the great rivers and mountains of the motherland. These piano pieces are of great significance to our study of ancient music, literature, history, philosophy and social life.

Since the Tang Dynasty, Guqin music has been gradually ignored. On the surface, it seems endless, but in fact it has retired to the feudal literati circle and become an art in the "ivory tower". From some Tang poems, we can see that Qin Le art at that time was far from other popular folk instrumental music. "If there is no coincidence, it sounds like a rumor of Zheng Wei" ("Qin Shi"), "If the piano sounds like a pipa, buy it early" ("Qin Song"). The reason for this phenomenon is, first of all, that some piano players are obsessed with incompleteness, ignorant of the past, "only piano players are still passing on the old songs of Chu and Han" (New Tang Book Rites and Music), addicted to ancient songs and refusing to accept new things. "Singing the old favorite songs, no one cares" (Liu Changqing's "Listening to Qin Qu") and "The old sound is tasteless, which is not called today's human feelings", resulting in the phenomenon that "the jade emblem loses its luster and Zhu Xian is born in the soil". Not only that, some literati even separated and opposed piano music from ordinary music, so as to flaunt their "lofty" and the "ignorance" of ordinary people, and "what they play is not new, and ordinary people like to listen" (Simacha's Piano Playing). Secondly, after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, in order to improve the status of the guqin, and further separate it from the people, the feudal literati retrogressed under the banner of respecting the ancients, and created some works praising the rulers and promoting feudal ethics, such as Taiping Pian, Jing, Confucius Bible, Xiao Jing, Unity of Daming, Harmony Song and Zongyacao. Thirdly, I don't respect the artistic rules of Guqin music itself, and I have compiled some essays that are not suitable for singing, such as Before, After, Chen Qingbiao, University Chapters, My Humble Room, etc., into piano music and piano music. All these have greatly hindered the development of Guqin art.