Dongtian Charm: the history and inheritance of Maoshan Taoist music
2022-05-25
The history of Maoshan Taoist music Maoshan Taoist music is the music of Shangqing School of Taoism, which has a history of more than 1000 years. In the process of its formation and development, it absorbs and integrates the traditional folk music in different historical periods since the Wei, Jin, northern and Southern Dynasties. It can be called a living fossil in the history of Chinese music. In 2014, Maoshan Taoist music was included in the list of the fourth batch of representative projects of national intangible cultural heritage. Maoshan mountain in Jurong, Jiangsu Province is known as the "first blessed place and eighth cave heaven" of Taoism, and there are many high Taoism in history. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wei Huacun, the first generation master of Shangqing school, personally gave the Taoist Scripture Shangqing Scripture in Maoshan; In the Southern Dynasty, Lu Xiujing, the seventh generation master, created a large number of music tunes of Maoshan fasting ceremony. Tao Hongjing, the ninth generation master, devoted himself to Maoshan for more than 40 years and laid the foundation of Shangqing fasting ceremony and music. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Maoshan zhaijiao ceremony music was highly praised by Maoshan Taoists Wang Yuanzhi, pan Shizheng and Sima Chengzhen, who were respected by the royal family. By the song and Yuan Dynasties, Maoshan zhaijiao Keyi music was loved by the court. In the "Maoshan Chronicles" and "post Maoshan Chronicles" compiled during the orthodox and Jiajing years of the Ming Dynasty, there are records of Maoshan's "national Jiao" activities, classics and bands. "Wei Ling mantra", "Xiao Yong Zhu Ling mansion", "Sanmao Zhenjun Gao" and "Sanmao confession" are representative tracks of Maoshan Taoist music. According to the canon of the seal of Sanmao Zhenjun in the Taoist collection, in June of the ninth year of Chunyou in the Southern Song Dynasty (1249), "celebration ceremony and Jiaoyi" chanted the mantra of Wei Ling. It can be seen that this song has a long history. The annals of Maoshan recorded the division of labor of Maoshan Taoist priests when they were making fasting rituals: Twenty-one singers, four chimes, one Zhengyi, four confessions, one Qingdao, one reading, two confessions, two bows, two tripods, one bell, one drum and two attendants; There are fifteen musicians playing on the inner altar, one cloud Gong, four Sheng, two Guan, two flute, two Zha, two board and two drum; There were fifteen musicians playing on the outer altar, two Yunluo, three Sheng, two Guan, two flute, two Zha, two board and two drum. From these records, we can see the lineup and scale of Maoshan Taoist Music Orchestra in history. Chu Huanzhong, a scholar of the Yuan Dynasty, chanted the guard of honor of Maoshan fairy music after watching the ritual practice of fasting and sacrificial rites in Maoshan and listening to the Taoist music of Maoshan. There were sentences such as "the sky lamp is near in the sound of Yao, and it is known that it is the three truths paying homage to the emperor" and "Qing chanting is not through the golden bell, urging the midnight incense of the Yuan Dynasty". Folk music such as Jiangnan folk songs and local opera music spread around Maoshan has injected vitality into Maoshan Taoist music. In history, from the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month in the first year to the 18th day of the third lunar month in the same year, the traditional Maoshan incense period is. Believers from the surrounding places such as Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Huzhou, Hangzhou, Zhenjiang and Dantu flock to Maoshan from all directions to worship, repent and chant scriptures. These believers have their own gongs and drums, song and dance teams. They play and sing small songs, Kunqu and folk songs in the Taoist temple. Therefore, Maoshan Taoist music is affected, and has the elegant, fresh and lively style of Jiangnan music in tone and tune. "Sajing mantra" in Maoshan Taoist music imitates the tune of Jiangnan folk song "Jasmine". Although Maoshan belongs to southern Jiangsu, its Taoist music is different from that of neighboring Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou. In terms of tonality, it uses all five tunes, and does not prefer feather and horn tunes; High pitched and powerful in the line, focusing on the ups and downs of large lines, less use of small turns of tunes and decorative sounds, and the lyrics use the voice of Nanjing Mandarin, so the tune is rigid. Maoshan Taoist music includes instrumental music and vocal music. The commonly used playing instruments include bamboo flute, Sheng, Xiao, suona, etc., the plucking instruments include pipa, Ruan, guzheng, erhu, Zhonghu and Yangqin, and the percussion instruments include hand drum, wooden fish, large and small Weng cymbals, cymbals, Tanggong, Jinzhong, etc. The performance methods are divided into "sitting and playing" and "music". Vocal music is a Taoist Scripture rhyme. In the complete set of scientific instruments such as Maoshan early Dynasty, noon watch, sending saints and repentance, the scripture rhyme includes various forms such as "praise", "ode", "verse", "Gao", "mantra" and "Fu". Inheritance of Maoshan Taoist music He Chunsheng, 60, is the inheritor of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative project of Maoshan Taoist music. In 1983, he Chunsheng went to Maoshan Taoist school to study fasting ceremony and music. He Chunsheng said that at that time, masters passed on Scripture confessions, scientific instruments and gongchi scores from mouth to mouth. "I loved music since I was a child. At the age of 11, I would make simple bamboo flute and erhu, play and entertain myself. At first, I liked Maoshan Taoist music by listening to Sanmao Sutra and Sanmao watch." He Chunsheng still remembers that when he first arrived at Maoshan in the early 1980s, there was no electricity, water or road, and the conditions were very difficult. Some musical instrument parts also needed to be made by himself. "At that time, the whistle of Suona was made of reeds. We cut the reeds ourselves and wrap the reed whistle tightly with fine copper wire. When blowing, soak it in water to make it soft, otherwise it will crack and the timbre is difficult to blow out." In June 1987, Maoshan Taoist temple held the first Taoist Sutra repentance music training class. The Taoist leaders recited the "three Mao Sutra" to learn the gongchi score, one sentence at a time. The music training of kezhai students should start with the charm of kezhai music, so as to find a better performance between kezhai music training and kezhai music training. A few years later, he Chunsheng was able to accurately express the connotation of Maoshan zhaijiao Keyi music with the performance of long flute, erhu and Sheng. In 1992, at the initiative of he Chunsheng, Maoshan Taoist Academy established the classics orchestra. Previously, the inheritance of Maoshan Taoist music mainly used ancient music, but the new generation of Taoist leaders changed the past tradition and accepted simplified music and staff. "This is easy to understand, fast to learn, and convenient for the collection and sorting of music cards. Only by keeping pace with the times can we better inherit and develop." He Chunsheng said. Maoshan Taoist academy has held Taoist music training courses for many times and hired teachers from Nanjing Academy of art and old Taoist masters from Xuanmiao temple in Suzhou to give lectures. In 1994, he Chunsheng and five other Taoist masters of jingle Orchestra went to Wuhan Conservatory of music to study, expecting more professional development of jingle orchestra. At ordinary times, rain or shine, the jingle Orchestra conducts group rehearsals three to four times a week. He Chunsheng said: "industry is more diligent than play. We are still training young members of the jingle orchestra." During the Maoshan incense Festival, seven members of the jingle orchestra were assigned to jiuxiao Wanfu palace, Wanning palace of Yuanfu, Chongxi Wanshou Palace and Deyou temple in Maoshan to perform the music of fasting ceremony and scientific instrument. He has been invited to perform in Malaysia, Macao and other countries since the Taoist Music Festival in 2008. However, during the performance, the members found that some professional fasting ceremony music was difficult to get a warm response from the audience. "Then we adapted and polished some tunes to make them more appreciative." He Chunsheng said. Since 2008, he Chunsheng has actively organized the intangible cultural heritage declaration of Maoshan Taoist music. At the 9th China Taoist music festival held in 2009, the "xikequan" performed by the orchestra won warm applause from the audience. In 2014, Maoshan Taoist music was included in the list of representative projects of national intangible cultural heritage. Since then, Maoshan Taoist academy has carried out data collection, field investigation and site construction around the inheritance and development of Maoshan Taoist music. At present, the orchestra has sorted out more than 160 tracks and published "Research on Maoshan Taoist music" and "Chinese Maoshan Taoist music". In 2016, Maoshan Taoist Music Research Institute was established to strengthen the research of Taoist music and cultivate performance talents, promote the protection and inheritance of Maoshan Taoist music, and display the fruitful Taoist cultural achievements of Maoshan. At the first Maoshan Taoist culture and music festival in 2017, the intangible cultural heritage repertoire "Wei Ling mantra", "Ode to Maoshan" and "Daoqing" performed by the orchestra made the audience feel the charm of Taoist music "great music has the faintest notes". One audience member said, "the most beautiful music should be heard not only with the ears, but also with the mind." In recent years, the jingle orchestra has gone out of the Taoist temple, into the community and into the campus for many times. "If we want to enjoy the music of jingle Orchestra, no matter how good the music is, it is also a fish without water." He Chunsheng believes that Taoist music must move from the temple to the society, not limited to the scope of fasting and sacrificial ceremony music, but should be provided to the public as an elegant art. This is the best way to inherit and develop Maoshan Taoist music. (outlook new era)
Edit：Yuanqi Tang Responsible editor：Xiao Yu
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