Temple Music of North Wudang Temple

Ningxia
🎧  Listen to Introduction

Beiwudang Temple is located at Jiuquankou, Helan Mountain, about 5 kilometers northwest of Dawukou District, Shizuishan City. It is also known as Shoufo Temple. The monks belong to the Linji Sect. It is the largest temple in Ningxia where descendants live permanently. Its temple music has a deep connection with the Buddhist music of Tanzhi Temple in Beijing. The temple music of Beiwudang Temple has a strong musical feature due to the integration of folk songs and minor tunes, the polishing of court music, and the mutual penetration of the singing styles of northern and southern Buddhism. The singing scores of the temple music of Wudang Temple are recorded in the ancient Chinese "Gongche notation" method; and the martial music is also recorded in an ancient Chinese vertical notation method for percussion instruments, also known as "Zha Zha Zi", which is the most valuable part of the Buddhist music of Beiwudang Temple. It has been passed down to the present day through the singing and recitation of successive monks such as Master Li Yi in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the old monk Xin Xi in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the high monk Ji Nian in the late Qing Dynasty, and the old monk Xu Zao. It has been passed down through oral transmission and spread throughout Ningxia, Dengkou in Inner Mongolia, Pingliang in Gansu, and western Shaanxi. The Shoufo Temple in the Northern Wudang Temple originally had more than 800 Buddhist music gongche scores and more than 300 "Zha Zha Zi" scores. Now there are only dozens of commonly used scores passed down by teachers and students. President Xu Jianye of the Pingluo County Buddhist Association is one of the few inheritors of "Zha Zha Zi" today. "Zha Zha Zi" is on the verge of extinction. If it is not rescued and protected, it will disappear with the death of its master. "Zha Zha Zi" is a notation method other than the ancient "Gong Che Notation" in my country. It is a special recording method used to record the rhythm, notes, and types of instruments of music. Unlike the simple notation and five-line notation, it uses vertical notation and uses different symbols to represent different instruments. The length of the time value is indicated by the distance between the symbols. "Zha Zha Zi" combined with Gongche notation is close to the current simplified notation or five-line notation. It has both scales and notes, and can form a basic musical score. When playing, one person usually has a ritual instrument, combined with singing, flute and other instruments, and the monks play and chant together. It is mainly used in consecration rituals and large-scale activities (such as welcoming the master, VIPs, etc.). The survival of the Buddhist music "Zha Zha Zi" proves that the ancient Chinese Buddhist music (percussion) notation method has not disappeared. With its unique and self-contained notation method, it proves and records the Buddhist music of Shoufo Temple in Beiwudang Temple, and has high academic research value and historical and cultural value for the study of Buddhist music.

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