The True Transmission of Musical Scores

Author: Huang Xian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: "Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua" with the Qin (Guqin) as the foremost, have become an outstanding representative of traditional Chinese culture. The Guqin was listed by UNESCO in 2003 as "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity," attracting attention both domestically and internationally. The ancient art of the Guqin has ushered in a new spring. The True Transmission of the Qin was published in the 26th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1547). It was initially compiled by Huang Xian, originally including 42 Guqin pieces. Fifteen years later, the Xumen Guqin scholar Yang Jiasen added 29 more pieces, bringing the total to 71, and named it The True Transmission of the Qin. It is one of the earliest surviving Xumen Guqin anthologies, alongside The Wugang Qinpu.
Below each piece in The True Transmission of the Qin, there are notes on their origins. For example, under the piece Qiao Ge (The Miner's Song), it is noted: "Created by Min Zhong, also known as Gui Qiao. Revised by the twenty-old Xiu Shan and Xiao Shan in the (revised edition)." Under Yu Ge (The Fisherman's Song), it is noted: "Also known as Shanshui Lüe (Green of Mountains and Waters). Revised by Mei Xue Wo in the 9th month of the Gengxu year (1370)." From these annotations, it can be seen that the Guqin pieces collected by Huang Xian were indeed continuously revised and refined over several generations of the Xu family.
The content includes upper-string posture, holding-the-qin posture, hand-position diagrams, general fingerings, detailed and precise fingerings, and essential guidelines for playing the Guqin, as well as introductory methods and playing techniques. The hand-position diagrams for playing the Guqin are vivid and lifelike, making The True Transmission of the Qin an early Ming Dynasty Guqin manual that is comprehensive in its scholarship and systematic in its teaching approach.