从张掖大佛寺[永乐佛曲]看河西走廊佛教音乐的传播特点与历史变迁

Transmission Patterns and Historical Evolution of Buddhist Music along the Hexi Corridor: Perspectives from Yongle Buddhist Chants at Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple

This study examines the Ming-dynasty Yongle Buddhist Chants preserved at Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple through textual analysis and ethnomusicological approaches, revealing its transmission trajectory and historical evolution along the Hexi Corridor. The research identifies a tripartite transmission mechanism: Sacralization of Court Ritual Music →Secularization of Religious Music →Ethnomusical Co-evolution. Functioning as an acoustic bridge for cultural integration between imperial centers and frontier regions, the chants served Ming imperial strategies of cultural frontier consolidation as ideological symbols. Local monasteries appropriated central musical frameworks to bolster religious authority, while communities engaged in cultural appropriation (“new wine in old bottles”) by adapting existing musical traditions. Exemplified by the Shanpo Yang folk tune, its metamorphosis—from secular song to Buddhist chant to instrumental piece—demonstrates functional transformation across sacred/secular contexts. Melodic and lyrical hybridization with Tibetan and Mongolian elements forged Sino-Tibetan syncretism and Mongol-Han resonance, catalyzing a multi-ethnic sound community. The study further reveals how Buddhist musical transmission propelled institutional state-ization of local music structures, with enduring impacts manifested in living traditions like Hexi Baojuan narrative singing and Ganzhou ancient music.

本文以张掖大佛寺藏明代[永乐佛曲]为研究对象，运用文献考证与音乐人类学方法，剖析其在河西走廊的传播路径与历史变迁。研究发现，该佛曲通过“宫廷雅乐宗教化—宗教音乐世俗化—多民族音乐共生化”三重逻辑，成为中央与边疆文化整合的音声纽带：明廷以“文化戍边”为政治目标，将佛曲作为意识形态符号植入边疆；地方寺院借中央乐调巩固宗教权威；民间依托既有音乐传统实现“旧瓶装新酒”的在地化传播。以[山坡羊]为例，其历经民歌、佛曲、器乐曲的形态演变，在歌词、旋律、功能上完成从世俗到宗教再到多元民俗场景的转化，并与藏、蒙古等民族音乐元素融合，形成“藏汉合璧”“蒙汉共振”的多民族音乐共生格局。研究还揭示，佛曲传播推动河西走廊构建多民族“音声共同体”，促进地方音乐制度“王朝化”转型，其影响延续至今，在河西宝卷、甘州古乐等非遗项目中实现活态传承。