Musiking for Print? The Development of Qin Zither Handbooks in Late Imperial China

Résumé En

Since the Ming dynasty and until the beginning of the 20th century, over a hundred different qinpu 琴譜(handbooks for qin zither) have been published and preserved in China. Part of this collection is still actively in use today among the heirs of this living musical tradition. This paper studies the historical development of qin zither handbooks as a genre. Indeed, the content of the qinpu has remained homogeneous throughout the centuries. It is structured on the one hand by a repertoire of more than 650 monodies overall, sometimes paired with lyrics, and transcribed with a unique system of tablatures that uses abbreviated sinograms　 (jianzi pu 減字譜). On the other hand, it provides a guide into this art with coherent notes including musical treatises, notices on fingering imagery, illustrations of instruments, lists of famous composers, etc.More specifically, paratextual writings such as prefaces or verse endorsements are frequently attached. Written by the authors themselves or by renowned acquaintances, they reflect the social context behind the publishing of these commentaries along with the rest of the handbook. Such information can include the publication date, place, and process, or the relationship between the paratextual writer and its author, as well as critical discourses on music. From this perspective, this research aims to produce a preliminary framework to explore the geographic evolution of the qinpu. It questions the social shifts in the authorship of this literature that has played an essential role in literati culture and the transmission of musical knowledge.