論《萬壑清音》之南北合腔

An Analysis of Southern-Northern Integrated Modes in Wan-huo Voices

輯成於明天啟四年（1624）的《萬壑清音》，專收北調散齣。編者止雲居士以丘壑間蒼松翠柏濤音崩湃形容「北音」。選輯講究「音韻清雅，詞藻鮮妍」，其中多勁切雄壯、清雅柔遠之選。除賓白、曲文完整，亦講究曲唱，強調名家訂定校正點板，彰顯明人不亞於蒙元的北曲創作才華。《萬壑清音》共選68種元、明雜劇、南戲傳奇之北調齣目。明代戲曲經南北交化，北調不再只是元雜劇北曲聯套的複刻，而是有各種南北曲合流交融後的變化。此書所選南北合腔齣目不少，共有18種劇作，29齣劇目，已近總齣數之半。《萬壑清音》因刻意精選北調散齣為集，無意間凸顯了明代戲曲優秀散齣南北合腔之用的頻繁。《萬壑清音》之南北合腔如何組織？是否具有類型性？本文除了詳細分析《萬壑清音》的南北合腔小全本《千金記》，亦總析其他17種劇作選齣之南北合腔特色與類型，將之歸納為三大類，第一類為南曲引結型，以北套為主，南曲點綴於套數前後；第二類為南北曲交織型，一齣中南曲與北曲分量相當，自由交錯；第三類為北曲點綴型，以南套為主，北曲分量極少，作為南套的點綴。南曲融入北套有活化套數作用，除作為人物上場引曲，透過排場分析，亦可見南北合腔與折子戲情節轉換密切關聯。而其補充曲譜之遺，南曲北唱或北曲南唱，更有特殊文獻價值。

Compiled in the fourth year of the Tianqi reign of the Ming dynasty (1624), Wan-huo Voices is a specialized anthology of beidiao (Northern-mode) individual excerpts. Its compiler, the recluse Zhiyun, likened the“Northern sound”to the surging of waves amid verdant pines and cypresses in the valleys and ravines. The selection is characterized by“a pure and elegant tonal quality and refined, vivid diction,”featuring many pieces noted for their vigor and grandeur as well as their delicate and graceful charm. In addition to preserving the complete binbai (monolog) and song texts, the anthology also emphasizes performance practice, underscoring the role of eminent masters in establishing and revising dianban (metrical and rhythmic markings), thereby demonstrating that Ming playwrights’creative achievements in Northern qu were in no way inferior to those of the Yuan dynasty.
Wan-huo Voices contains a total of 68 Northern-mode excerpts drawn from Yuan and Ming zaju as well as Southern chuanqi plays. During the Ming period, theatrical traditions underwent significant interaction between Northern and Southern forms, so that Northern-mode pieces were no longer mere replicas of the linked suites characteristic of Yuan zaju, but rather products of diverse patterns of fusion and integration between Northern and Southern qu. Among the selections, a considerable portion, 18 plays comprising 29 excerpts, nearly half of the total, features Southern-Northern integrated modes.
By deliberately curating an anthology of Northern-mode individual excerpts, Wan-huo Voices inadvertently brings to light the frequency with which such Southern-Northern integrated modes were employed in outstanding individual excerpts of Ming drama. How are the Southern-Northern integrations in Wan-huo Voices organized? Do they exhibit typological categories? This article presents a detailed analysis of the Southern-Northern integrated modes in the short complete play (xiao quanben), Qianjin ji (The Story of a Thousand Gold Pieces), and, in addition, offers a general examination of the characteristics and typology of such integrations in the other 17 plays included in the anthology.
These are categorized into three major types: (1) Southernintro/ ending type, a primarily Northern suite framed or embellished with Southern qu at the beginning and/or end; (2) Interwoven Southern- Northern type, a single excerpt in which Southern and Northern qu appear in roughly equal proportion and freely alternate; and (3) Northern-ornamented type, a primarily Southern suite with minimal Northern qu serving as embellishment.
The incorporation of Southern qu into Northern suites serves to enliven the suite structure, functioning not only as introductory songs for character entrances but also, as staging analysis shows, in close connection with plot transitions in zhezi plays. Furthermore, such integration supplements missing qu scores, with the phenomenon of Southern qu sung to Northern melodies or Northern qu sung to Southern melodies carrying particular value as a historical document.