Xia Bian, the Treatise on Musical Instrumentation of the Qing Era Palace Ceremonies during the 18th Century

The author of the article aims to introduce a historical source of the early 18th century, Xia Bian, into scientific circulation of Russian musicology. It is the second volume of the great treatise of the Qing emperors, Yu Zhi Lü Lü Zheng Yi. Dedicated to the description of court musical instruments, Xia Bian, on the one hand, positions the Manchu rulers as strict followers of the previous dynasties and continuers of the Han traditions of court musical art. On the other hand, it clearly outlines a range of priorities limited to 13 instruments; moreover, it focuses on the physical characteristics that determine the standard sound, and touches on a number of morphological changes in the instruments and their decor. The illustrations with outline images of certain instruments, full face or in section, which allow us to obtain reliable information about the features of their designs, are a valuable contribution. In the treatise, the absence of information on the change or radical modernisation of musical instruments and the authors’ numerous references to the most ancient Chinese philosophical works on music confirm the idea that Emperor Kangxi not only did not seek to reform the musical part of the palace ceremonies but, on the contrary, was actively inclined to maintain the established Ming traditions. Despite the rigour and consistency of the presentation, the text of the treatise includes poetic turns and comparisons characteristic of the spatial-­figurative thinking of a resident of China in the 18th century.