Chen Jiani. “Linking the World of Performative Texts: The
Interplay between Popular Songs and Dramas in Late Ming Qu Anthologies.” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore
225 (2024.9): 153-90.
陳佳妮。〈鏈接表演文本的世界：晚明曲選中時曲小調與戲曲的互動〉。《民俗曲藝》225 (2024.9): 153-90。
Abstract
Popular songs, which flourished in late Ming China, were often
selected and juxtaposed with play excerpts in multi-register qu
anthologies. Their pages were divided into two or three horizontal panels (i.e.,
registers), each filled with different content and genres, a practice that
cultivated innovative modes of editing, printing, and reading. The association
of popular songs with the broader dramatic tradition is highlighted not only
through their shared tune titles and anthological space, but also via textual
circulation and performative discourse. Popular songs represented theatrical
plotlines or figures through multiple forms and perspectives, shedding new light
on the original plays. Their varied interpretations often corresponded with
changing social realities and ethical values that can also be observed in
historical records and prescriptive writings throughout the Ming dynasty.
Popular songs recapitulating dramatic scenes are often arranged into groups.
Their wide circulation in different qu anthologies called for creative
editorial strategies such as applying unified structures that belonged to a
long-established oral tradition. Framing devices included, but were not limited
to, organizing a group of songs on a fixed chronological topic, such as the
“five watches of the night” or the changing position of the moon outside the
gauze window over the night. The group of songs, focusing on different dramatic
moments and being framed within a unified framework, formed an independent song
sequence that transmitted theatrical knowledge and evoked association and
discourse among songs sharing similar concerns. The final type of popular song
discussed in this article concerns the performers of the plays, most of whom
were also singers of popular songs. The tune of Shuahai’er often likened
courtesans from different regions to heroines of various plays, exemplifying
diverse regional dramatic tastes. The mix of ornate dramatic language with
vernacular and even vulgar dictions created an effect of improvised performance
in private settings that evoked the aesthetical experience of enjoying
theatrical performances and elicited intimate interaction with female
performers. The interplay between songs and dramas creates a world of
knowledge, entertainment, and connoisseurship that transcends the boundaries of
literary composition and oral improvisation, originals and reproductions, as
well as performativity and genuineness.
明代分欄式曲類選本將晚明流行的時曲小調與戲曲選文同頁並置，頁面分為橫向二或三欄，每一欄內容不一、體裁各異。這一編排樣式催生了全新的選輯、印刷及閱讀模式。時曲小調和戲曲傳統之間通過共用的曲牌名與選本空間、相似的文本傳播與表演話語相互聯繫。詠劇時曲以多種角度和方式再現戲曲情節、人物，其多樣的演繹呼應社會現實和倫理觀念的歷史變遷。它們往往成套出現，內容相似，流傳廣泛，並從歷史悠久的講唱文學傳統中汲取養分以革新編輯策略，如以「五更天」、「紗窗外」為結構框架將歌詠多部戲曲的時曲串聯成套，既可系統地傳播戲曲知識，亦可引發不同詠劇時曲之間的關聯與對話。明代詠劇時曲的歌者多精通戲曲表演，調寄【耍孩兒】的時曲常將各地歌妓與不同戲曲主角相比。比較對象的選擇體現了戲曲品味的地域性。詠劇時曲融合了優美雋永的戲曲唱詞與鄙俚淫猥的方言俗語，營造出私密場合即興表演的氛圍，既喚醒了觀者戲曲觀演的審美體驗，又激發了他們在當下環境中與時曲歌妓的親密互動。時曲小調與戲曲之間的互動創造了一個富含知識、娛樂和品鑒的世界，並以此超越了文學創作與即興表演、原創與改編、表演性與真實性的固化界限。