Chapter 55 Dunren/The first drama musician to be seen in the literature

The musicians who accompany opera are not of high status, but there are a few descendants who enjoy great names, such as Xu Lanyuan who played the piano for Tan Xinpei and Mei Lanfang, and Li Muliang who played the piano for Ma Lianliang for a long time.But in ancient times, the status of an artist was not high, let alone a luthier, but Dunren was an exception. Dun Ren was a Nanjing Jiaofang opera teacher during the Zhengde reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty (1506-1521). He was familiar with Beiqu and had learned more than 50 sets of Beiqu in Beijing.Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty toured the south, and Dun Ren accompanied him to the south.At that time, Nanqu was popular, and there were not many people who liked Beiqu, so Dunren felt that his talents were not met.Later, he met the composer He Liangjun (Yuen Long), who had a voice prostitute in his family, so he left Dunren at home and asked him to teach Beiqu. More than 50 sets of Beiqu were sung by the excellent men of He Liangjun's family. They are all taught by Dunren.

Dunren is well-trained in the singing and accompaniment of Beiqu. He Liangjun said that he "didn't play "Central Plains Rhyme" and "Qiong Lin Yayun" all year round, so he opened his mouth, closed his mouth, and the four tones of yin and yang. .Dunren has a deep understanding of the difference between the North and the South. He said: "The South Qu Xiaoguan is called the tune. If you don't put the strings in it, you can't put it in the music." Huahe, Dahe and samarium strings are all custom-made; if the Nanjiugong is not fixed, you can rely on it, and the flute and pipe are slightly longer and shorter, and the sound can be played; (欹) is board." (See "Gu Qu Miscellaneous Words")