Zheng was widely spread in the Warring States period, especially in the State of Qin, so it was also called Zheng.

Zheng is one of the oldest plucked instruments in China. It has a history of more than two thousand years. It is not only good at expressing beautiful and lyrical tunes, but also able to express magnificent movements. The ancients described the performance art of guzheng as a state of relaxation with vivid poems such as "the piano and instrument are brave and easy to escape, the new voice is charming" and "all the guests are silent, and the geese mourn for thirteen times".

Zheng, usually also known as Zheng. This is probably related to its ancient historical origin, rich national characteristics, and the quaint and elegant taste left by the rich traditional Zheng music. In ancient times, Zheng was also called "Zheng", "Zheng", "Zheng" and "Su Zheng".

There are always different opinions about Zheng's naming in historical materials. Some people say that the Zheng is named after the sound effect of the instrument itself; It is said that it was named after the two men competed for the word "struggle"; Some people say that it is because of "the strangeness, the number is Zheng"; There is also a saying that "Meng Tian (will) score; Let everyone take half, because Qin Zheng's name runs. " (Da Le Lingbi Ji by Liu Zuo of Tang Dynasty). These statements, named after the characteristics of sound effects, are more reasonable. Historically, China has the habit of naming musical instruments after their sound effects. Such as Qing, named after the "clang, clang" made by objects hitting stones; Musical instruments make rich and soft sounds of "musical instruments, musical instruments".

Liu Xi's book Ming Shi in the Eastern Han Dynasty explained: "Zheng, the string is high and urgent, and it is natural." It can be seen that the Zheng is named after its own "Zheng, Zheng" sound.

Zheng has an ancient history in China. As early as the Warring States Period in the 4th century BC, Zheng was popular in Qin, Qi, Zhao and other countries. Among them, Qin is the most popular, so it is called "the real Qin Zhisheng" and "Qin Zheng".

There are different opinions about the origin of Zheng, and there are three main viewpoints:

The first view: Zheng originated from rustling. Tang's "Ci Lu" said: "The zither, the flow, but also the piano. The ancient musical instrument had fifty strings. Since the Yellow Emperor ordered Motome to beat drums, the emperor was very sad and broke it, and it changed from the later musical instrument to twenty-five strings. Qin people beat the drum and harp, and the brothers fought and broke into two pieces. Zheng's name has been circulated since then.

"Ji Yun" in the Song Dynasty said: "Qin people are poor in righteousness, and their father and son contend, hence the name. The twelve strings of the Zheng were broken by the twenty-five strings. "

In the Collection of Music and Taoism written by Okan, a Japanese court musician in the 17th century, it is recorded: "... or the cloud: Qin is meaningless. A musical instrument, two women preach, two women argue. Finally, there are two musical instruments, so it is called Zheng. "

There is no conclusive evidence that two people compete for musical instruments and the competition produces a "Zheng". This is just a legend.

The second view is that this kind of zither was made by Meng Tian, a famous pianist, or changed by Meng Tian. In 237 BC (the tenth year of the first emperor), Prime Minister Li Si wrote to advise Qin Shihuang to withdraw the marching order for his guests, and there were two references to Zheng, namely "playing the Zheng for a long time" and "withdrawing the Zheng to avoid disaster". This is earlier than the beginning of Meng Tian's prosperity 16 years. Therefore, the view that Meng Tian made A Zheng is unreliable. In the old Tang book. Music records,&; 127; He also has a negative attitude towards kite-making in Meng Tian. It can be said that Meng Tian reformed Zheng.

In the Qing Dynasty, Zhu recorded in Shuo Wen Tong Xun: "The five strings of guzheng were applied to bamboo as a building, and Qin changed them to twelve strings, which were deformed like a piano, and bamboo was changed into wood, and thirteen strings were added after the Tang Dynasty." This passage describes that Meng Tian once reformed Zheng.

The third view is that the early Zheng was a five-stringed bamboo Zheng, which was built with a stringed instrument. For example, Ying Shao's "Pass" in the Eastern Han Dynasty said: "The five strings of the Zheng are built while playing." In Xu Shen's Shuo Wen Jie Zi in the Eastern Han Dynasty (revised edition of Xu Xuan in the Song Dynasty), it is recorded that "Zheng, drum string and bamboo body are also happy, and from bamboo, they compete for sound."

According to historical data, the early Zheng was more like Zhu: all were Zhu, all were made of bamboo, and all were five strings.

In a word, the Zheng probably comes from a simple musical instrument made of five or less big bamboo tubes. S when in the Spring and Autumn Warring States or before the Spring and Autumn Warring States, it is impossible to be in the Qin Dynasty after Qin Shihuang unified China. The relationship among Zheng, Zhu and Se is neither the division of Zheng nor the evolution from Zhu to Zheng, but it is likely that Zheng and Zhu are of the same origin and Zheng and Se coexist. The five-stringed bamboo zither evolved into a twelve-stringed wooden zither, and the tubular structure evolved into a long box structure, which may be based on the structure of the zither.

Zheng is a musical instrument deeply loved by the people. Just like the Warring States policy. &; 127; A passage in Qi Ce says: "Linzi is even real. All of its people can play flute, drum, harp, percussion and guzheng." Another example is Sang Hongyang's theory of salt and iron in the Western Han Dynasty. 127; As mentioned in the article, "... in the past, folk reception had its own party customs, playing the piano and drumming." & amp 127; "Visible zheng is popular. The development of Zheng in Han Dynasty has long been out of tune. Hou Jin's "Fu Zheng" records: "So I rushed to the propaganda column and changed the tone. "This is to move the zither column to change the tone. Three-stringed Zheng was popular in Sui Dynasty, and its use was first seen in Wendi Yayue. In the performance of the Zheng in the Sui Dynasty, the methods of shifting the column and transferring the tone were also used, such as "Promoting the Column to Transfer the Tone" and "Adjusting the Palace Merchants to Promote the Column to Transfer the Tone".

Zheng was widely used in the music of Tang Dynasty, such as in the ritual music of elegant music.

Zheng was also very popular in the Song Dynasty. Le Shu by Song Zhenyang. Song history. "Music" records: "The thirteen-stringed harp of this dynasty is not elegant music."

The performance art of Zheng was further improved, and fifteen-string Zheng was used in Ming Dynasty. According to "Dunhuang Records of the Ming Dynasty", "Boyi, a disciple seeking faith, is good at playing the zither, and sad songs can make people cry; Changing the tune can make relatives dance. This time is called Yongmen Week. "

The Zheng in Qing Dynasty had a new development. It is worth noting that the fourteen-stringed Zheng of the Qing Dynasty has used seven tones. "Law and Lu Zhengyi" recorded that "the Zheng is as small as a piano and has fourteen strings. ...& amp 127; In the Sui Palace, the columns and chords are arranged harmoniously, the whole body is painted with lacquer wood gold, the four sides are painted with golden dragons, the beams and the tail edges are decorated with red sandalwood, and the string holes are decorated with ivory ... Today, the fourteen strings of the Zheng are changed from five tones to two to seven tones, which is fourteen times. " Here, "the five tones are changed from two to seven and multiplied by fourteen" refers to the tuning of seven tones. According to another record, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in Qing Dynasty, four musical instruments, such as Zheng, were used to play Pingsha Wild Goose, which was adapted by Emperor Kangxi according to piano music. At that time, there were people who used guzheng solo to tune "Moon Wind".

In the long-term historical development, Zheng has gradually spread to all parts of the country, forming different playing styles and local schools, such as Henan Zheng, Shandong Zheng, Chaozhou Zheng and Hakka Zheng. In Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, the guzheng evolved into a Ga 'aiqin. Zheng also spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other countries.

According to records, the traditional Zheng music includes Great Harmony in the World, Swimming in Western jackdaw in the West, Running Water in the Mountains, Lotus Out of the Water and Flowers in Flowers, etc. The folk "Twenty-four Scores of Zheng Music" is recorded in a manuscript, but there has been no officially published "Zheng Score". It was not until 1930 that Zhun Zheng Pu edited by Mr. Liang Zaiping was published.

Zheng is not only used for solo, but also plays an important role in traditional national instrumental ensemble and local opera accompaniment. For example, there are guzheng in the traditional ensemble of Chaozhou music in Guangdong, such as thirteen sets of chords and Henan Bantou music. Zheng is one of the indispensable main musical instruments in Henan Quju. Shaanxi's Yulin ditty is also accompanied by A Zheng.

In recent years, the performance art of Zheng has made great progress. Various experiments have also been carried out on the reform of guzheng, resulting in various high-quality exquisite guzheng (such as Sichuan Guzheng, Shanghai Guzheng and Suzhou Guzheng); The modes of guzheng have also been tried in many ways, and many modes have been reformed (such as Yingkou tense mode guzheng, Shenyang Conservatory of Music shift mode guzheng, Suzhou string-cutting mode guzheng, and Shanghai Conservatory of Music butterfly-changing guzheng), which has expanded the manifestations of guzheng and made it easier for guzheng to participate in ensemble and accompaniment.

Ten famous guzheng songs

The first song "Fishing Boat Singing Late" is a famous traditional guzheng solo. There are two theories about the origin of this song. For many years, people have always believed that Lou Shuhua developed in the 1930s according to the ancient song "Return to Come". In recent years, some people think that this piece of music was adapted by Jin Zhuonan, a close friend, according to the traditional Shandong Zheng music "Double Skin", "Sunset on the Third Ring Road" and "Running Water Drills the Stone". The first half of Lou Shuhua's widely circulated version is the same as Jin Zhuonan's version, and the second half is unique to Lou Shuhua's version. The title of the song is taken from Wang Bo's famous poem "Preface to Tengyu Pavilion" in the Tang Dynasty: "Fishing boats sing late, making the coast of Peng Li poor." The whole piece of music is very poetic, with smooth melody, first slow and then fast, first loose and then tight, and full of layered feelings, vividly depicting the pleasant realm of lakes and mountains, fishing boats fighting for their return and fishermen singing together in the sunset. This piece of music is not only one of the representative works of Zheng music, but also transplanted into solos of western instruments such as violin, piano and flute.

The second "Water Lotus" is a Hakka Zheng Song in Chaozhou, Guangdong. Someone explained this song and said, "The first performance of music is symbolized by the emergence of red lotus, symbolizing elegance and gentleness." With its melodious melody and the special charm of "emphasizing six tones", the song is pure and clear, and it places people's praise on the noble sentiment of lotus "emerging from the mud without staining, lingering without demon"

Pan Miaoxing, a guzheng player, played the above two songs. 1940 was born and studied plucked instruments since childhood. /kloc-was admitted to Shanghai National Orchestra at the age of 0/5. Since 1959, he has been engaged in guzheng performance, and studied under Guo Ying, Cao Zheng, Zhao Jinshan, Luo Jiuxiang and Su Wenxian successively. 196 1 At the second Shanghai Spring Concert, the talent of guzheng solo was revealed with skillful skills. For decades, it has widely absorbed the styles of China North and South Guzheng schools, and is famous for its comprehensive skills and superb performance.

The third "Mountain Flowing Water" is one of the top ten ancient songs in China and the representative work of Zhejiang Zheng School. Although the Zheng song "Mountain Flowing Water" has been circulated all over the country, there are great differences, and the Zhejiang school's "Mountain Flowing Water" has been studied and played the most. This song was first seen in the earliest piano music collection in China, The Magic Secret. The title of the book reads: "There is only one section of the mountain stream, which was divided into two sections in the Tang Dynasty, regardless of paragraphs. The Song Dynasty was divided into four sections: mountains and flowing water. " The theme of the music is China's famous ancient music story "Bo Ya's broken piano holds a bosom friend", which presents a state of "majestic mountain, magnificent river and sea". The whole song consists of two parts: mountains and running water. The first half uses the "big pinch" separated by two octaves, and its rich and beautiful timbre depicts the grandeur of the mountain. In the second half of the music, while sliding, a lot of upward and downward scraping techniques are used continuously, and the different forms of running water are described in detail, from trickle to slow turn until they converge into a river. "Mountain Flowing Water" is a freehand work with melodious and smooth melody, elegant and fresh style, simple and elegant rhyme and far-reaching artistic conception.

William Wang, a young guzheng player, 1966, was born in Suichang, Zhejiang. 1978 entered the middle school attached to Shanghai Conservatory of Music, 1984 was promoted to the undergraduate course of our college, studied under Associate Professor He Baoquan and Associate Professor Sun, 1988 graduated with honors and stayed in the hospital to teach. 1986 won the performance award of new works in the first China Record Works Grand Prix; 1989 won the performance prize of "Shancheng Cup" TV Instrumental Grand Prix and the third prize of Guzheng Professional Group of "Art Cup" China Musical Instrument International Competition; 199 1 won the performance award of "Shanghai Spring". He has performed in Hongkong and Taiwan Province, Singapore, Japan, Yugoslavia, Romania and other countries. William Wang's playing skills are comprehensive, delicate and graceful, with strong charm and unrestrained passion. The eighth and tenth songs in this film are also William Wang's masterpieces.

The fourth song "Lin Chong Running at Night" is 1962, which was adapted and developed by Lu Xiutang and Wang Yizhi according to the theme of Kunqu Opera "Sword Running at Night" and the melody of the tune "New Water Order", showing the story that Lin Chong, the leopard head in the water margin, fled to Liangshan after being persecuted by the government on a snowy night. This music is like "the pipa in the traditional repertoire"

It is Zhu Xiaomeng who plays this song and the ninth song. 1984 graduated from the folk music department of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and 1985 won the first prize of Shanghai Youth Concert Guzheng. 1990 In March, Shanghai Musicians Association and Shanghai Film Orchestra jointly held a guzheng solo concert for her. In the same year 10, a Zhu Xiaomeng guzheng solo concert attended by consulates in Shanghai was held in Shanghai Garden Hotel.

The fifth Dong Dance Music shows the customs of Dong villages and expresses the happy mood of Dong children who love a better life. The whole song * * * is divided into four sections: first, the medium speed is slightly faster, the song of Dong Village; The second is a slightly faster, rough and enthusiastic Lusheng dance; Third, slow, moonlight Dong Zhai's pipa is affectionate; Fourth, the medium speed is slightly faster, praising Dongxiang. The melody of the music alternately uses "rising tone" and "falling tone", which shows the special style of Dong music. In the second paragraph, the author uses a special stress technique to set off a rough and warm atmosphere.

This song is played by China Guzheng Master, Zheng Composer and Jiao Jinhai, a member of China Music Association. 1939 was born in Anyang, Henan province, and graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in 1963. He worked as a guzheng soloist in the Central Broadcasting National Orchestra and Hunan Radio and Television Art Troupe, and is now a professor of guzheng in the Music Department of Xiamen University. Because of his efforts, he has made outstanding achievements in guzheng performance, guzheng music creation and guzheng theory description, and enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad. Jiao, with his unique playing style, rich creative music, well-developed playing methods and theoretical practice, has been paid attention to and studied by overseas guzheng circles again and again. In addition to being called "Jiao Pai Zheng", he is also known as a master of guzheng who can "learn from the past, modernize traditional guzheng music and closely connect it with the pulse of the times".

The sixth song "Autumn Moon in Han Palace" is also one of the top ten ancient songs in China. There are two popular forms of performance. One is erhu music, which was recorded by Mr. Liu Tianhua around 1929 and played by erhu. According to the examination, Autumn Moon (also known as "San Tan Yin Yue") originated from the first paragraph of the pipa with the same name; The other is Qu Zheng. It is a common situation that folk instrumental music has evolved from a musical score to a different score, and it has been recreated by its own artistic means to shape different musical images. The whole song is intended to show the bitterness and crying of the oppressed maids in ancient times for the melancholy of the moon and arouse people's sympathy for their unfortunate experiences. The performance of Zheng music uses a variety of techniques such as kneading, singing, sliding and pressing, with simple style and full charm. It is one of the representatives of Shandong Zheng music.

The seventh "Playing in the Water in Western Western jackdaw" is a masterpiece in Hakka Qu Zheng. "Hakka" refers to the Central Plains people who moved to Chaozhou and Meixian in Guangdong Province in order to escape the war at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, so "Hakka Qu Zheng" is also called "Zhongzhou Ancient Tune" and spread in Chaozhou. The music is played with the unique "heavy six tones" of Chaozhou music, which makes it have a special local color. The melody of guzheng is fresh and lively, and coconut trees with low timbre are interspersed among them, which comes at the right time and brings out the best in each other. It sounds interesting. It vividly depicts the western Western jackdaw (Osprey) playing in the water one by one. In this recording, the gentleman accompanying the coconut tree is a famous figure of Chaozhou Opera Zheng School. 1953 recorded the guzheng solo "Swimming in the Western Western jackdaw" for the first time in Shanghai, which was famous and very popular. Forty years later, although he is 80 years old, I heard that disciple Guo recorded "Swimming in the Western Western jackdaw" again, and he took coconut trees as a companion with great interest, which added icing on the cake for this famous song to show its elegance again.

The famous guzheng player Guo, 1942, was born in Shanghai. At the age of thirteen, he studied under Guo Ying, a famous Chaozhou Zheng School, and later under Wang Yizhi, a famous Zhejiang Zheng School, and successively under Cao Zheng, Lin Maogen and Xu Shoucheng. 1965 graduated with honors from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and now teaches at Shanghai Conservatory of Music. On the basis of learning traditional Zheng schools from all over the world, Guo deliberately strives for novelty and forms his own delicate and subtle playing style, which gives people a aftertaste. Her guzheng performance is solid and lyrical, and she often plays solo in various concerts and radio and television.

The eighth song "Fishing Songs in the East China Sea" was written by Zhang Yan in the 1970s. Music shows the happy and tense working life of fishermen in the East China Sea, as well as their love and yearning for a new life. Music depicts the waves of the sea, the scene of labor and the broad and passionate singing theme with the tone of horn, and depicts the temperament and enthusiasm of contemporary fishermen from different aspects.

The ninth song "Shooting Drum in Xiangshan" was written in 1980, and 1983 won the Excellent Music Works Award in the 6th Asian Music Forum. This song is based on the music of the same name in Xi 'an Drum Music and the ancient pipa Song Yue No.2 High School. The author used the skills of Qin Zheng in Shaanxi for reference, absorbed the charm of Shaanxi local opera, and made the music full of strong local flavor. The music shows the empty Sanskrit, ethereal artistic conception, and the lively scene when people hold incense parties in the mountains.

The tenth "War Typhoon" was written in the mid-1960s, and the author Wang Changyuan was moved by the indomitable spirit of Shanghai dockers in fighting against typhoons. The music consists of five parts: the first part depicts the warm and jubilant labor scene on the dock; The second part simulates the roaring and rushing of the wind with special playing techniques; The third part vividly depicts the scene of the workers fighting against the typhoon with the gradually formed tense and strong musical effect; The fourth part of the melody is broad and stretched, expressing the joy of workers after defeating the typhoon; Finally, the reappearance of the first part, the music is magnificent and vivid, leaving a deep impression on the audience.