Changlun 唱論

Changlun 唱論 "On singing" is a classical treatise on traditional Chinese opera music. Its author, Yannan Zhi'an 燕南芝庵, is a figure about whom little is known - his real name and life details remain untraceable. He lived before the year 1341.

The Changlun is the earliest surviving Chinese work on vocal music. It summarises the practical knowledge of earlier singers and offers vital historical material for studying vocal art in the Song 宋 (960-1279) and Yuan 元 (1279-1368) periods. The work is organised into 27 sections, each providing concise explanations of the fundamentals of singing. It covers requirements for the voice and diction, artistic expression, the core tonal qualities of the seventeen modes (gongdiao 宮調), regional characteristics of melodies, aesthetic standards, and assessments of singers.

Many of its insights remain notably perceptive. For example, the book specifies that the vocal sound must be rounded and mature, and the tone full and resonant. The singer should avoid flaws such as being scattered, harsh, dry, or piercing. Singing must be powerful without becoming rustic and coarse, and light and graceful without appearing idle or base. Performers are also expected to master techniques such as proper rise and fall, rhythmic pauses, and smooth transitions, while avoiding faults like incorrect diction or poor phrasing.

These discussions significantly shaped the later development of vocal art in Chinese opera. However, the text is very concise and heavily uses the dialect and technical terminology of its era. Consequently, it is not easy for future generations to fully understand.

The sections bear no titles and are unnumbered. Although the text is very concise, it covers a broad range of topics, mentioning the names of several ancient musicians and singers, and highlighting differences in singing styles among Daoists, Buddhists, and Confucians. It compares singing and instrumental performance, stating that the human voice surpasses strings and bamboo instruments. The author emphasises key points in singing, such as the style of the song (ge zhi gediao 歌之格調), its rhythm (ge zhi jiezou 歌之節奏), and the four stages of the voice (sheng you si jie 聲有四節). He also describes various breathing methods. The Changlun mentions titles of major musical works (large-scale pieces) and different tunes sung in various regions. It lists categories of songs, like those based on emotion (quqing 曲情), scenic landscapes (jiangjing 江景), triumphal odes (kaige 凱歌), boat songs (zhaoge 棹歌), fishermen's songs (yuge 漁歌), funeral laments (wange 挽歌), Chu-style songs (Chuge 楚歌), and pounding-song chants (chuge 杵歌), and explains the relationship between lyrics and melody. It also considers individual aspects of singers. Not every person is suitable for all types of music. The modal system is described as based on six primary tonal systems (gongdiao) and eleven subsidiary ones (liugong shiyi diao 六宮十一調), making a total of seventeen modes.

There exists a printed edition from the Zhizheng reign-period 至正 (1341-1368/1370), appended at the beginning of the Yuefu xinbian yangchun baixue 樂府新編陽春白雪 compiled by Yang Chaoying 楊朝英. Later, it was also included or excerpted in Tao Zongyi's 陶宗儀 (1329-c. 1412) Chuogenglu 輟耕錄, Zhu Quan's 朱權 (1378-1448) Taihe zhengyin pu太和正音譜 (ch. Cilin xuzhi 詞林須知), Zang Maoxun's 臧懋循 (1550-1620) Yuanquxuan 元曲選, and Ren Ne's 任訥 (Ren Zhongmin 任中敏; 1897-1991) modern compilation Xinquyuan 新曲苑.

The text is also found in the series Gudian xiqu shengyue lunzhu congbian 古典戲曲聲樂論著叢編, edited by Fu Xihua 傅惜華 in 1957, and in the Zhongguo gudian xiqu lunzhu jicheng 中國古典戲曲論著集成, compiled by the Zhongguo Xiqu Yanjiu Yuan 中國戲曲研究院 in 1959.