Ma Zhiyuan

Ma Zhiyuan

Ma Zhiyuan (from about 1250 to the autumn of 1321 to 1324), who was named Dongli, was born in Dadu (today's Beijing, there was an objection), and was a writer of Yuan opera. Together with Guan Hanqing, Zheng Guangzu and Bai Pu, they are called "four masters of Yuan Opera".

Ma Zhiyuan was born in a rich and educated family. When he was young, he was keen to seek fame. He seemed to have offered poems to the crown prince, Bo erzhijin Zhenjin, and thus became an official. Later, he left Beijing to serve as an administrative officer of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, probably due to the death of Bo erzhijin Zhenjin. Later, he attended the "Yuanzhen book fair" during the reign of Yuanzhen (early 1295-early 1297). In his later years, he seemed to live in seclusion in Hangzhou and finally fell ill He died in the autumn from the first year of Zhizhi (1321) to the first year of TAIDING (1324).

In the aspect of opera creation, Ma Zhiyuan has experienced the transformation from Confucianism to Taoism in his musical thought. In the creation of Sanqu, he has the characteristics of rich and profound ideological content and superb artistic skills. In the creation of zaju, he has the tendency of Sanqu and the beauty of virtual reality.

(overview photo source: Hebei News)

Life of the characters

A poem to the Dragon Tower

Around the fifth year of Mongol dingzong (1250), Ma Zhiyuan should have been born in a rich and educated family as described in qingxingzi wumi, and he should have been born in jiuchongtian, a famous poet and drinker in the past They all spent about 20 years as teenagers.

Later, around 1270, Ma Zhiyuan began his "20-year wandering career" < I > (green apricot · wumi) < / I >. In 1273, bo'erzhijin and Zhenjin were made the crown prince, just as in the divertimento "female Guanzi: wasted leisure and sorrow" written in < I > ("and nianyi was born when he was young, and wrote poems to the Dragon Tower") < / I >, Ma Zhiyuan, who was eager to pursue fame, seemed to have offered poems to bo'erzhijin and had been an official because of the relationship between bo'erzhijin and Zhenjin.

In the 22nd year of Zhiyuan (1285), Bo erzhijin Zhenjin died. After that, Ma Zhiyuan left Beijing to be the provincial affairs officer of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, probably because of the death of Bo erzhijin Zhenjin.

Late Festival Garden

During the reign of Yuanzhen (early 1295-early 1297), as Jia Zhongming wrote in Li Shizhong's Ling Bo Xian, Ma Zhiyuan, Hua LiLang, and the scarlet letter Gong, together twirled a dream of Huangliang by Li Shizhong, the artist Hua LiLang, and the scarlet letter Li Er, Ma Zhiyuan participated in the Yuanzhen book club and created a dream of Huangliang by Li Shizhong, the artist Hua LiLang, and the scarlet letter Li Er 》He and Wang Bocheng became good friends.

During the period of Dade (1297-1307), Ma Zhiyuan, after half a life's delay, probably understood that "the best secluded dwelling in the West Village" < I > (shaobian · half a life's play) < / I >, so it was the same as that in four pieces of jade · tiantui. The scenery of my hometown is still there, with three hectares of farmland and five acres of house, returning home. "< / I > I began to live in seclusion in my old age, probably in Hangzhou. During his seclusion, Ma Zhiyuan had contacts with Lu Zhi.

In 1313, Emperor Renzong resumed the imperial examination. Probably because of this, Ma Zhiyuan wrote a set of songs about the first year of Zhizhi (1321) to express his favor for yuanrenzong. Shortly after the completion of this set, Ma Zhiyuan died, just before the autumn of 1324, the first year of TAIDING.

Main impact

Music thought

overview

Ma Zhiyuan received Confucian education since childhood, read poetry and books, studied six arts diligently, followed rites and music, and had a special preference for Guqin art. Confucian rites and music thought played a major role in his early music life. After middle age, with the change of his political career, Ma Zhiyuan's music thought experienced the transformation from Confucianism to Taoism. At that time, Ma Zhiyuan was specialized in the creation of Zaju and Sanqu, which showed obvious Taoist seclusion thoughts, whether it was the lyric and lamenting Sanqu or the immortal and Taoist zaju.

Confucian thought of rites and music

In feudal society, scholars and Confucians learned six arts from childhood, and paid attention to the shaping of people by rites and music, that is, to "prosper in poetry, stand in rites, and achieve success and happiness" (Analects of Confucius · Taibo), so as to cultivate morality and cultivate temperament, so as to prepare for "learning martial arts, goods and emperors" (Pang Juan walks along Maling road at night). Like many ancient scholars, Ma Zhiyuan received Confucian education since childhood, strictly abided by Confucian rites and music culture, respected his teacher during his early days and nights, and had a deep understanding of poetry, rites and Tao Qing (Xi Chun Lai · six arts · rites). However, he had his own understanding of some problems in Confucian rites and music culture. In terms of the times, these understandings have certain progressive significance

① As for the influence of "Qin music" on people, "Zuo Zhuan" and "Bai Hu Tong" and other documents start from the fact that the art of Guqin can regulate people's mind. They think that "Qin music" can enlighten people's mind, correct their morality, and endow the Qin with the function of enlightenment, but it restricts the artistic aesthetic function of Guqin. As a traditional literati, Ma Zhiyuan respected and loved Guqin. At the same time, he thought that music had the function of edifying sentiment, adjusting mood, relieving depression and forgetting excellence. Compared with Confucianism, his understanding of Guqin was more comprehensive and more in line with the characteristics of "guqin music" art.

② As far as the influence of music on politics is concerned, there is a saying of "voice of national subjugation" as early as ancient times. However, Ma Zhiyuan realized that music itself was not the cause of national subjugation, but because the emperor was addicted to music and ignored the government, he would delay the political affairs and lead to the destruction of the country. That is to say, the rise and fall of the feudal dynasty mainly depended on the personnel, not on the music itself.

Taoist thought of seclusion

Like many literati, Ma Zhiyuan went to the road of birth when he was full of scriptures. He specialized in opera creation, and expressed his feelings and aspirations with drunkenness and tuning the piano. His poems expressing his feelings and sighing for the world and his dramas of immortality and Taoism showed obvious Taoist hermit thoughts, and he was indifferent to Confucianism. The main manifestations are as follows

① In the suite six arts of Xi Chun Lai, Ma Zhiyuan thinks that since he has not been able to achieve the desired success and fame by following the etiquette, it is better to break away from the world's honor, disgrace, fame and wealth, even if he can only get "Lang Ming". At the same time, Ma Zhiyuan redefines the role of "Li" and thinks that "Shen Qian Shi Li" can cultivate emotion and cultivate nature, and yearn for pengying and Zui The life of wine.

② In the suite four pieces of jade: sighing for the world, Ma Zhiyuan describes his disappointment in the world and his desire to escape from the hustle and bustle of the world, revealing his views on life and music after middle age, which are full of fame and wealth: "stay away from the dust, but have a big time to be happy", and "it's crazy to fight for fame and wealth, and get rich", and "there's no time in life to just ask for, and live and rest at any time." ”。 At the same time, after disillusionment again and again, Ma Zhiyuan became interested in seclusion and Immortality in his middle and late years, and thus created many immortal dramas. Due to the influence of Quanzhen religion, his immortal and Taoist dramas often show his determination to convert to religion and his idea of music creation.

Sanqu creation

The thought content is rich and profound

Ma Zhiyuan's Sanqu thoughts are rich in content, involving the themes of history chanting, world sighing, seclusion, boudoir love and narration in Yuan Sanqu, and each has its own achievements, which expands the range of Sanqu themes. The main manifestations are as follows

① In his works of history and nostalgia, Ma Zhiyuan expressed his views on life, reality and history by evaluating the merits and demerits of the ancients. He put his mind on it, paid more attention to the value of life and returned to nature.

② About half of Ma Zhiyuan's existing Sanqu are works of lamenting the world and returning to seclusion. These works are a collection of Ma Zhiyuan's loneliness and indignation, his sadness and indifference. They are full of generous feelings and deeply reflect the social reality at that time.

③ Most of Ma Zhiyuan's boudoir songs are about the love between men and women, the bitterness of missing and parting, the heartfelt feelings of missing and resenting women, the sincere feelings of missing women and lovers, and the good wishes of pursuing happiness. They are deep, detailed, vivid, vivid and vivid, and they are not vulgar and frivolous. For example: "since I left, I've never heard from you, and I've always been unfaithful to you. Every one sees one because he says, "if I don't believe you, my ear is not hot." It is no longer the sad and lament of being submissive. It reflects the hero's bold desire for love, gives people a feeling of joy, and shows the pursuit of love and loyalty.

④ In the creation of narrative long set, Ma Zhiyuan takes the prose as the music, and introduces the grand structure of prose into the music. For example, the Yangtze River is flowing for thousands of miles. There are many excellent works of narrative long set, such as "playing a child, borrowing a horse", "shaobian, Zhang Yuyan's cursive script", "a flower, chanting Zhuang Zong's music" and "jixianbin, missing". In these works, Ma Zhiyuan either outlines the character characteristics of the characters, or describes the mood and situation of the characters, and creates a very vivid image of the characters: the horse owner who loves the horse like his life, Zhang Yuyan who is open-minded, Zhuangzong of the late Tang Dynasty who only knows how to govern Liyuan, and Su Xiaoqing who inscribes the wall of Jinshan Temple.

Excellent artistic skills

Ma Zhiyuan is skilled in music making, good at psychological depiction, and good at using various rhetorical devices to reach a very high artistic level. His Sanqu language is pure and beautiful, the characters are vivid, and full of painting. His style is elegant, unrestrained, spicy and meaningful, and his artistic conception is excellent, which improves the artistic conception of Sanqu. The main manifestations are as follows

① There are pictures in the song. Ma Zhiyuan gives full play to the richness and freedom of Sanqu language

Chinese PinYin : Ma Zhi Yuan