Tang Shengshi: Ren Bantang Collection (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Ren Bantang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: This book is the result of Ren Bantang's long-term research on Tang Dynasty literature and art. It primarily studies Tang Dynasty five-, six-, and seven-character regulated verse, along with a few of its variations, focusing on the creation and performance of music and dance. It also covers various forms of singing regulated verse, such as Bianwen (a type of narrative song) and later Southern opera "gunchang" (rolling singing), as well as Tanqu "kaipian" (opening pieces). The upper part of the book elaborates on theory, extensively commenting on the strengths and weaknesses of various views on "voice poetry" from ancient and modern China and abroad, raising multiple questions from the perspectives of literature and art history. The lower part presents 134 tunes and 155 formats of monorhymed verse from the Tang and Five Dynasties periods that were set to music and dance, with well-known tunes and transmitted lyrics, providing detailed research on aspects such as lyrics, music, singing, dancing, and miscellaneous notes. The fields covered and the achievements of this book hold pioneering significance and high academic value.