In the past two or three years, many well-known Chinese national music theorists have often referred to Guqin music in their discussions on "Review and Reflection on the Development Path of Chinese Music in the 20th Century" and related treatises. Among them, the views on the survival and development of guqin music are fiercely opposed to the level of tit-for-tat. Some say that the guqin is bound to "decline" and will "reduce itself to a museum art"; some say that "it can be injected with new life so that it can survive in the new era." Therefore, "the guqin will not decline and should not enter the museum. "The two viewpoints involve a substantive question, that is, what kind of social orientation should Guqin music have in the actual survival and development process? Should it be positioned in a certain "decline" and should be made into a "museum art"; or should it be positioned in "injecting new life so that it can survive in the new era." Let it develop!

Within the scope of guqin music, almost no guqin players and guqin music lovers agree with the view that it is bound to "decline" and "reduced to museum art". However, there is not only the same view on the meaning of the actual social positioning of guqin music. The first is that according to the characteristics of the historical transmission of Guqin music, the instrument itself and its content, the Guqin music should maintain the traditional form of the elegant collection of the study, advocating elegance and tranquility. And think that it is not suitable for the stage of the large-scale concert hall, but also disapprove of the distorted sound caused by the electro-acoustic amplification. One is that the guqin is a representative instrument in Chinese national music, and its content belongs to the category of music. Since 1500, there are more than 3,000 musical scores and theoretical chapters left by predecessors, many of which are part of the excellent traditional culture. "Excellent traditional culture" should seek "confidantes" for the public to carry forward. The former is more based on the subjective aesthetic level, while the latter is based on the historical perspective of objective development. The difference lies in whether it is positioned as "a small-scale study and elegant collection" or "large-scale development". The two are not sharp contradictions, and a small-scale elegant gathering with elegant taste is still the need of today's people's social and cultural life. However, as the determination of social positioning, there are still differences between the two in the connotation and location of coordinates.

It can be seen that whether musicologists, music theorists or guqinists are involved in the same question, that is, what kind of social position has guqin music been and should have been in social life, whether in the past or in the present? Today, when more emphasis is placed on theoretical research and the need for theoretical guidance in practice, it is necessary to summarize the practice and discuss it theoretically.

The specific social orientation of an art form is the conscious thinking behavior of the competent social department and the people (including professionals and amateurs) engaged in the art form. That is, relevant groups of people, according to the objective laws of the development of art forms, establish their proper and appropriate social positioning, and use them as theoretical basis to guide and promote the healthy development of an art form. Or, scientifically and truthfully summarize the reasons why it is unnecessary to invest more energy in this art form to promote its development. For example, if we position an art form as inevitable "decline" or "decline" and only suitable for existence as "museum art", then we do not need to make further development efforts, and make due efforts in a responsible attitude towards history. To sum up, make it "end of life" naturally and exit the stage, load it into "Arts and Literature" and "Local Chronicles", and make it "museum art". However, if a sufficient analysis of the history and reality of an art form has been carried out, it does have a basis for development and can serve real cultural life, then society and related groups of people should try their best to develop it. It can be seen that determining the social orientation of an art form is a serious and important thinking activity with guidance.

Any kind of culture and art, because it wants to survive and develop in the social and cultural life in which it is located, will inevitably have an inextricable relationship with this social life. Over time, it has formed a relatively fixed form in social life, which can also be said to be the social status of this art form. This social status is determined by its own social function in the long-term social practice of an art form, which in turn is affirmed by society. The social status of an art form and the size of its social influence are determined by the social positioning that conforms to objective laws, not by the subjective will of people. Therefore, if an art form with development potential and acceptable to real life is determined to "decline" and become "museum art"; on the other hand, individual art forms no longer have any survival meaning in the real society, and indeed have no The necessity of survival is just because it is the hobby of some people, and it will be useless to save what should not be saved but also try to save it. It is precisely because of the objective laws that, even though "human effort can prolong its lifespan, it is impossible to restore its demise." (Cai Zhongde, "History of Chinese Music Aesthetics," p. 751) For this reason, we might as well trace the history and review it. Looking at the current situation in the past half century, let's take a look at the social positioning of Guqin music, and then discuss what kind of social positioning it should be in today's real society.

In the long feudal society, the people of small farmers worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, self-cultivation and self-sufficiency. Traffic is poor, information is sluggish, and social development is slow. The ruling class and some upper-class literati, who account for a very small proportion of the population, live a leisurely and comfortable life because of the economic security provided by the social system. The quiet and elegant study courtyard, the confidantes of friends and writers, a cup of tea and a pillar of fragrance. Although Liu Yuxi described the "shabby house", he also "the moss marks are green on the steps, and the grass is green in the curtains. There are great scholars in chatting and laughing, and there is no white ding in the exchanges. You can tune the plain qin and read the golden scriptures..." In this way, the sound of the qin is lingering, The fragrance of tea is overflowing, and the life of friends talking about poetry and painting is conceivable. In this relatively stereotyped living environment and cultural atmosphere, the guqin music with deep connotation, calming spirit, and endless reverberation, naturally became a very appropriate composition in the social and cultural life of that era. part. "Fisherman's Song", "Pingsha Falling Wild Goose", "Mountain House Song" and many other qin songs, their content is not based on a specific character story or a historical event, and there is no dramatic conflict or exaggeration, but mostly emotional world events. Passionate about landscapes, shedding fame and fortune, and neutralizing the taste of tranquility. For example, "Wen Jun's "Gulu Water" makes my heart peaceful. If I want to know the meaning of slow flow, I want to listen to the sparse sound. Under the shade of bamboo at the west window, there is more than clearness in the sun." (Bai Juyi "Listening to the Ancient Lushui") " The Shu monk hugged Lvqi and went down to Mount Emei in the west. Wave his hand for me, as if listening to Wanhe pine. He was washing the flowing water, and the lingering sound of the frost bell. I didn't realize that the Bishan was twilight, and the autumn clouds were dark." (Li Bai's "Listening Shu monk plays the qin") and other leisurely poetic artistic conceptions. , indeed many generations of literati longed for. This type of aesthetic taste, which is rich in poetry and picturesque, is called "slightly far away" by qinists. In ancient Chinese culture, there are a large number of excellent works in both painting and poetry. It should be said that this aspect of life in feudal society has been fully displayed on the specific carrier of the guqin. This is also the explanation of the objective law that any art must be a reflection of real life.

However, the actual life of the feudal society is not a single "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the Nanshan." "The lonely sail is far away in the blue sky, and only the Yangtze River can be seen in the sky." And "Man Jianghong"'s "Angry hair rushed to the crown... Zhuang Hua is fierce...". Regarding the aesthetic standards of qin music, the ancients not only recorded "the qin player is forbidden" and "slightly far away", but also had "the qin player's heart" and "Xishan Qin Condition" containing "beautiful and smooth".... Guqin music relatively comprehensively reflects the life content of these ancient societies. In addition to the aforementioned "Fisherman's Song", "Pingsha Falling Wild Goose", "Mountain Residence Song" and many other qin songs, there is also "Jie Shi Diao·You Lan" composed more than 1,400 years ago, which shows Confucius' deep philosophical thinking image; Li Sao" and "Zepan Yin" describe Qu Yuan's grand vision of worrying about the country and the people; "Guangling San" reproduces the historical theme of slaves' resistance to the oppression of slave owners with a huge structure and magnificent momentum; how many "Hu Jia" and "Hu Jia" Eighteen Beats", "Big Hujia" and "Small Hujia" eloquently describe the unfortunate life experience of the heroine Cai Wenji two thousand years ago, and many poets of the Tang and Song Dynasties were deeply moved and left a series of masterpieces; expressing the Southern Song Dynasty When the late imperial court was on the verge of collapse, the famous song "Xiaoxiang Shuiyun", which people loved and praised for the mountains and rivers of the motherland, was praised by descendants in the past six or seven hundred years. The "Manjianghong" (also known as "Jing Zhong Ci") directly expresses the national spirit of the Chinese nation, which is majestic, indomitable, loyal and patriotic; Become a parting swan song for more than a thousand years.... The subject matter of this type of qin music is serious and upright, and the content is profound and serious. They reflect the major themes in history in a realistic way, and reflect the thoughts and emotions of the people of the time and their likes and dislikes. These pieces of music are closely related to the social life of the times, and affect people's thoughts and feelings extensively and profoundly. They are not only representative pieces in Guqin music, but also representative pieces in the history of ancient Chinese music. In addition, there are relatively easy-to-understand "Flowing Water", "Drinking Crazy" and "Three Lanes of Plum Blossoms", as well as "Changmen Resentment", "Feng Qiuhuang" and "Autumn Wind", which describe lovesickness. Carrying a flower drum and carrying a gong, the husband and wife are in love with each other, and the scale never leaves the weight. . Ju Tian Qin Score"). The content of these pieces is the objective existence of history, and reflects the proper function of Guqin music as an art form. They are combined with the "Slightly Danyuan" qin pieces to form the whole of Chinese guqin music and become a treasure in ancient Chinese music. It not only attracted many emperors, generals, literati, and writers, but also attracted a large number of ordinary people who were "white peddlers" (the preface to Zhuquan's "Magic Secret Pu" in 1425). They are not playing and making qin, but also chanting and Tibetan qin. Even the scholars in "Xiwen" go to Beijing to take the exam. The burden of the book boy is a box of books and an umbrella at one end, and a guqin at the other end. So that the young lady in the ancient "legendary" novels and the ancient martial arts in today's literary works can also play the piano. The guqin has indeed become "a tool that is always used by gentlemen for scholars", to the extent that "a gentleman does not withdraw the piano without any reason". Guqin music is integrated with chess, calligraphy and painting. In the long feudal society, it has almost become a compulsory subject for ancient literati, a symbol of literati self-cultivation, and is valued by society. These facts illustrate the popularity and vitality of guqin music in the cultural life of feudal society, and it had a huge impact on the cultural life of the people of all dynasties.

As an instrument, the guqin has always been cherished by people, and its musical content has extensive communication with most literati and even the public at the bottom of society. People can pour out and express their emotions and express their likes and dislikes on the guqin. Guqin music has become a content and a "need" in people's cultural life. Guqin, which is often called "unpopular" today, was so "hot" in ancient times. The reason should be self-evident.

Historical facts show that ancient qin masters set the social orientation of guqin music on the coordinates that reflect real life and express the thoughts and feelings of people in that era. For more than 2,000 years, Guqin music has followed the development of feudal society, complied with the needs of social development, widely reflected social reality, and actively participated in social life. Played the role of educating the public and entertaining the public. This is precisely because ancient qin artists followed the law of artistic development and gave guqin music a correct social orientation. As a result, Guqin music has gained a solid social foundation and space for survival and development.

In the 20th century, which has become history, fundamental changes have taken place in the world's social production relations, production methods, productive forces and the way of thinking of human beings. This change and development permeates all areas of human beings. As far as the field of culture and art is concerned, literature, Chinese painting, film and television, and music have all undergone tremendous changes. All art forms still develop themselves according to the social orientation of changing and developing following the changes and development of society, reflecting the real society and expressing people's thoughts and feelings. For half a century, Guqin music has also developed with the development of society in accordance with this artistic law.

In the early 1950s, guqin music was supported and valued by government departments when it was dying. The senior pianists headed by Mr. Zha Fuxi have made arduous efforts and great contributions in introducing Guqin music, sorting out Guqin heritage, and teaching the art of Guqin. The documents of millions of words compiled and stacked together have promoted the theoretical study of Guqin music. The reverberation of a large number of ancient qin pieces such as "Jie Shi Tiao · You Lan", "Guang Ling San" and "Wine Crazy" during the three notation conferences made the lesser-known guqin music attract the attention of the world. Since 1956, several music academies such as "Central" and "Shanghai" have set up Guqin majors and trained nearly 20 Guqin majors. These later generations of Guqin players have played a role in the inheritance and development of Guqin music. The mass guqin clubs and organizations in various places spontaneously and actively carry out activities, unite qin players, teach qin skills, and widely spread guqin music in the society. In the long preface of more than 20,000 words in "Qinqu Collection", Mr. Lv Ji scientifically and comprehensively discussed the guqin music with a long history and rich heritage from the viewpoint of historical materialism. It puts forward the viewpoint of eliminating the rubbish and keeping the essence, criticizing inheritance and promoting the development of guqin music, which plays a guiding role in the inheritance and development of guqin music.