江苏省中国古琴史记（六）：唐朝

唐代是中国历史上文化极为辉煌的时期，然而在歌舞燕乐的繁盛之下，古琴音乐却显得有些落寞。白居易在《废琴诗》中感叹道：“丝桐合为琴，中有太古声。古声淡无味，不称今人情。玉徽光彩灭，朱弦尘土生。废弃来已久，遗音尚泠泠。不辞为君弹，纵弹人不听。何物使之然？羌笛与秦筝。”这反映出古琴音乐在唐代并不被当时大众所重视。

尽管如此，古琴在文人士大夫中依然拥有广泛的知音。许多文人与琴人交往甚深，甚至不少著名文人如王绩、王维、李白、顾况、白居易、温庭筠等本身也弹奏古琴并参与琴曲创作。他们对琴曲有较深层次的理解，其诗篇中的生动描绘和精辟论述，对于理解琴曲内涵和了解当时琴乐发展状况具有重要意义。唐诗唐文中保存的关于琴曲、琴家、演奏、欣赏等方面的评论，是研究唐代古琴音乐的珍贵资料。通过这些诗文，后人得以领略董庭兰、蜀僧睿、陆僧辩、李山人、蜀道士等人的精妙演奏，以及古琴音乐在当时文化生活中的重要地位。

唐代古琴音乐的另一个重要特点是涌现出大批技艺精湛的专业琴家，如赵耶利、董庭兰、薛易简、陈康士、陈拙、颖师等。他们不仅以高超的演奏技术获得尊重，还在搜集、整理、加工传统曲目方面成就突出。初唐琴家赵耶利（563—639年），曹州济阴人（今山东曹县），他“所正错谬五十余弄，削俗归雅，传之谱录”，被时人称为“赵师”。盛唐开元、天宝年间的著名琴家董庭兰（约695—765年）与高适、李颀、房琯等文人交情深厚，《神奇秘谱》中的《颐真》一曲相传为他所作。天宝年间的翰林院古琴待诏薛易简著有《琴诀》一卷，主张弹琴“声韵皆有所主”，强调演奏时要“定神绝虑，情意专注”，并指出古琴演奏的“七病”，这些琴论被后世沿用。

唐代琴家在继承传统琴曲的基础上，还创作了许多新作品。晚唐琴家陈康士根据屈原同名长诗创作的《离骚》流传至今。陈拙与陈康士大致同时，撰有《大唐正声新徵琴谱》十卷、《琴籍》九卷和《琴法数勾剔谱》等，可惜均已失传。随着传统琴曲的整理、新琴曲的创作传世，以及琴曲谱集的刊传和编纂，唐代古琴记谱方法有了进一步变化与发展。一般认为，古琴由文字谱到减字谱的划时代变革是由中唐琴家曹柔完成的。

唐代琴曲艺术的提高也推动了造琴工艺的发展。从文献记载和传世实物来看，隋唐时期古琴的斫制工艺已达到相当高度。唐代最著名的斫琴家是四川雷氏家族，他们所制之琴被称为“雷琴”“雷公琴”“雷氏琴”。雷家世代造琴，有名琴匠包括雷威、雷俨、雷绍、雷会、雷珏、雷文、雷迅、雷霄等。故宫博物院所藏的“九霄环佩”“大圣遗音”“飞泉”以及中国艺术研究院所藏的“枯木龙吟”等唐琴，经专家考证均为雷琴。其他有名的唐代斫琴名家还有郭谅、沈镣、张越、冯昭等。

The Tang Dynasty was an exceptionally splendid period in Chinese history in terms of culture. However, amidst the flourishing of song and dance music, guqin music appeared somewhat neglected. Bai Juyi lamented in his poem "The Abandoned Guqin": "Silk and wood are combined to create the guqin, which holds the sound of ancient times. Yet this ancient sound is bland and tasteless, failing to match the sentiments of people today. The jade inlays have lost their luster, and the red strings are covered in dust. It has been abandoned for so long, yet its lingering sound still rings coldly. I do not refuse to play for you, even if no one listens. What has caused this? The Qiang flute and the Qin zither." This reflects the fact that guqin music was not highly regarded by the general public in the Tang Dynasty.

Nevertheless, guqin still enjoyed a wide following among the literati and scholar-officials. Many literati had deep interactions with guqin players, and quite a few renowned literati, such as Wang Ji, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Gu Kuang, Bai Juyi, and Wen Tingyun, played the guqin themselves and were involved in the creation of guqin pieces. Their profound understanding of guqin music is reflected in their vivid descriptions and insightful discussions in their poetry. These writings are significant for understanding the inner meanings of guqin pieces and for learning about the development of guqin music at that time. The comments preserved in Tang poetry and prose regarding guqin pieces, players, performances, and appreciation are invaluable resources for the study of Tang Dynasty guqin music. Through these literary works, later generations have been able to appreciate the exquisite performances of figures such as Dong Tinglan, Monk Rui of Shu, Monk Bian of Lu, Li the Hermit, and the Taoist of Shu, as well as the important place of guqin music in the cultural life of that era.

Another important feature of Tang Dynasty guqin music was the emergence of a large number of professional guqin players with superb skills, such as Zhao Yeli, Dong Tinglan, Xue Yijian, Chen Kangshi, Chen Zhuo, and Ying Shi. These players not only earned the respect of their contemporaries with their exceptional playing techniques but also achieved remarkable success in collecting, organizing, and refining traditional pieces. Zhao Yeli (563–639), from Caozhou Jinyin (today's Cao County, Shandong), corrected over fifty erroneous pieces, removed vulgar elements, and restored elegance, transmitting them through musical scores. He was known as "Master Zhao" for his guqin skills. Dong Tinglan (c. 695–765), a renowned guqin player during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods of the Tang Dynasty, had deep friendships with many Tang literati, such as Gao Shi, Li Qi, and Fang Guan. The piece "Yizhen" in the "Mysterious and Secret Scores" is said to be composed by him. Xue Yijian, a guqin attendant at the Hanlin Academy during the Tianbao period, authored a volume titled "The Essentials of Guqin," advocating that playing the guqin should have a clear purpose for both sound and rhythm. He emphasized the need to focus the mind and concentrate while playing and pointed out the "seven flaws" in guqin performance, such as not looking around or moving the body unnecessarily. These theories on guqin playing were adopted by later generations.

Building on traditional guqin pieces, Tang Dynasty guqin players also created many new works. Chen Kangshi, a guqin player from the late Tang Dynasty, adapted the classic poem "Li Sao" by Qu Yuan into a guqin piece that has been passed down to this day. Chen Zhuo, who lived around the same time as Chen Kangshi, compiled several works, including the ten-volume "New Collection of Tang Dynasty's Correct Guqin Sounds," the nine-volume "Guqin Records," and "Guqin Techniques and Fingering Scores." Unfortunately, these works no longer exist. With the organization of traditional pieces, the creation and dissemination of new pieces, and the publication and compilation of guqin scores, the notation system of the guqin underwent further development and transformation. It is generally believed that the revolutionary change from textual notation to simplified notation was accomplished by the mid-Tang Dynasty guqin player Cao Rou.

The improvement of guqin music art in the Tang Dynasty also propelled the development of guqin-making craftsmanship. According to historical records and extant artifacts, the craftsmanship of guqin-making had reached a considerable level during the Sui and Tang periods. The most famous guqin makers of the Tang Dynasty were the Lei family from Sichuan, whose instruments were respectfully referred to as "Lei Qin," "Lei Gong Qin," or "Lei Family Qin." The Lei family had been making guqins for generations, with notable craftsmen including Lei Wei, Lei Yan, Lei Shao, Lei Hui, Lei Jue, Lei Wen, Lei Xun, and Lei Xiao. The Tang Dynasty guqins "Jiuxiao Huanpei," "Dasheng Yiyin," and "Feiquan" housed in the Palace Museum, as well as the "Kumu Longyin" in the China National Academy of Arts, have been authenticated by experts as products of the Lei family. Other well-known guqin makers of the Tang Dynasty included Guo Liang, Shen Liao, Zhang Yue, and Feng Zhao.