海鹽腔的前世今生

王英

一

海鹽腔作為一種地方戲曲，因形成于浙江嘉興海鹽縣而得名，是明代南戲四大聲腔（余姚腔、弋陽腔、昆山腔）之一，曾風靡全國，可惜后來被昆曲（昆山腔、昆腔）所替代，這在當今已經鮮為人知。

曾經，京劇被國人稱之為“國劇”，而在三百年前徽班進京之前，是昆曲主導著舞臺。如果要問昆曲之前是什么戲劇活躍于大江南北的舞臺上？那就是海鹽腔。明嘉靖年間（1522—1566），戲曲家魏良輔從海鹽腔中吸取了大量優美的曲調，并加以改造，創制出膾炙人口的昆山腔。如今，昆曲作為中國“百戲之祖”，已被聯合國科教文組織列為“人類口述和非物質遺產代表作”。按此溯源推論，海鹽腔堪稱是“百戲之祖”的先聲。

海鹽腔的創始者為元代戲曲家、海鹽澉浦人楊梓（康惠）。楊氏家族亦官亦商，富甲宋、元、明三代，這為海鹽腔的創制奠定了物質基礎。

元代，北方雜劇與南方南曲戲文（南戲）并存，中葉以后，南戲逐漸流傳至當時經濟、文化仍然活躍的故都臨安（杭州）。楊梓時在杭州路任總管，與散曲名家貫云石交好。貫云石寄寓西湖，所制樂府、散套，俊逸為當世之冠。本來就酷愛戲曲、且擅音律的楊梓經貫云石指點，便有意識地揣摩“新聲”。之后，楊梓辭官返鄉醉心創作。據傳，行前，貫云石將自己所創的曲調都授予了楊梓。

在澉浦，楊梓組建起自己的家樂班子，并建起梳妝樓，安置姬妾、童仆學習演唱南北歌調，并排演他的新劇本。這在當時聞名一方。據王國維考證，楊梓有《豫讓吞炭》《霍光鬼諫》《敬德不伏老》三種雜劇存世。

楊梓的家樂班子每日鶯歌燕舞，演唱完畢，卸妝水傾入梳妝樓旁的水池，染得五光十色，人稱“胭脂湖”。明詩人朱樸《題楊宣慰妝樓》云：“羅綺香消鏡匣收，碧山空對晚妝樓。樓前昨夜新秋月，猶學蛾眉翠黛愁。”

楊氏家童擅長“南北歌調”，“由是州人往往得其家法”（元姚桐壽《樂郊私語》）。所謂“家法”，也就是楊梓研制的“新聲”。這種吸取了地方特色的全新聲腔，原本只是楊梓“家樂班”加以演唱，沒有多少年便在海鹽流傳開來，惹得周邊的地區也紛紛效仿，可見普及程度。楊梓“家法”唱腔，柔美婉折，人們將它稱為“海鹽腔”，而演唱這種海鹽腔的藝人，被稱為“海鹽子弟”，聞名于兩浙。明代時，海鹽腔與弋陽腔、余姚腔、昆山腔“四大聲腔”，形成南戲最主要的地方流派。

二

明成化至萬歷年間（1465-1620），海鹽腔進入全盛時期，“士大夫宴集，多用海鹽戲文娛賓。間或用昆山腔，多屬小唱，若用弋陽、余姚，則為不敬”（清張牧《笠澤隨筆》）。海鹽腔不僅在南方稱雄，在北方也頗受上層社會歡迎。反映明代廣闊社會生活的小說《金瓶梅詞話》多達六回記載有海鹽子弟演出六個劇目的盛況，可以旁證。

海鹽腔鼎盛的重要標志是，明戲曲家湯顯祖用海鹽腔創作了“臨川四夢”：《牡丹亭》《南柯記》《邯鄲記》《紫釵記》。

據戲曲史料記載，海鹽腔于嘉靖年間（1522-1565）由在浙江統兵抗倭的名將譚綸帶到江西宜黃。譚綸酷愛戲曲，尤喜海鹽腔，他命藝人在當地傳授，還親臨排演現場，并將弋陽腔融入其中，形成宜黃腔。

湯顯祖的戲曲創作，為海鹽腔的繁榮作出了巨大的貢獻。海鹽腔屬于定律型曲牌腔，即詞有定律、腔有定格的南戲“正聲”。湯顯祖從浙江遂昌知縣任上辭官回到臨川（江西撫州），依曲譜按定律填寫詩句曲詞作“四夢”，并親自指導宜黃班海鹽腔藝人排練《牡丹亭》等。其代表作《牡丹亭》于萬歷二十七年春（1599）在新居玉茗堂首次演出，而《南柯記》《邯鄲記》也在這里試演。

“四夢”影響深廣且遠，當年就有戲劇家沈璟等人將海鹽腔《牡丹亭》改唱昆山腔。湯顯祖得知后說：“彼惡知曲意哉，余意所至，不妨拗折天下人嗓子。”在湯顯祖看來，沈璟等人“志趣不同如此”，豈能讓昆山腔來演唱自己的作品呢？但當時的“吳江派”曲家，竟然用昆山腔的標準來衡量湯顯祖的劇本，認為它不合音律。對此，在戲曲創作方面，反對擬古和拘泥于格律的湯顯祖很是氣憤，堅決反對別人將他的劇本改唱昆山腔。

當代的戲曲研究學者戴不凡、肖洪、葉長海等認為：湯顯祖歸臨川后，所制劇本“為情作使，劬于伎劇”，常“游于伶黨之中”。這“伶黨”即“宜伶”，宜伶所演唱的腔調，一不是弋陽腔，二不是宜黃腔，也不是昆山腔，而是海鹽腔。湯顯祖《宜黃縣戲神清源師廟記》中說：譚綸以浙人歸教其子弟，能為海鹽聲，如今得其技者千余人，風行天下。

因了湯顯祖及其《牡丹亭》，海鹽腔發展很快，并且繁盛一時。當時，南昌有很多明朝宗室，他們每提到宴集演戲，除了王府戲班而外，自然也少不了宜黃班的參加。

有史料載，唱海鹽腔的宜伶名角王有信曾在滕王閣公演《牡丹亭》，轟動全城，觀眾如堵。湯顯祖也親臨觀看，并欣然寫下《滕王閣王有信演牡丹亭二首》詩，以示祝賀。

此外，由于湯顯祖私人交情的關系，宜黃班海鹽腔藝人受湯顯祖的委托，也常到江西、安徽各地以及南京等地演出。

三

明萬歷以后，海鹽腔開始衰落，昆山腔異軍突起。昆山腔博采眾長，尤其是吸收了海鹽腔的長處，不斷改進，建立了一種更適合南方人欣賞的優雅體系。海鹽腔不僅在詞調、腔調上與傳奇舊腔、昆山腔之間存在著承上啟下的密切關系，而且在伴奏方面也同樣具有重要的影響。因而海鹽腔《牡丹亭》竟成為昆曲的代表劇目。

海鹽腔吃老本，唱法單調;雅，比不上同時代的昆山腔，土，又無法與弋陽諸腔抗衡，所以衰落也是必然的，但沒有死亡。endprint

2000年6月，第一屆“海鹽腔學術研討會”在楊梓故鄉澉浦南北湖舉行。2002年5月，在“中國·海鹽南北湖旅游節”期間，江西撫州的湯顯祖藝術實驗團應海鹽縣人民政府的邀請作專場表演。

演出地點在澉浦鎮吳越王廟。當原汁原味的海鹽腔《牡丹亭·游園》在古戲臺上唱響時，那清柔婉折、明麗嫵媚的古老神韻，那夾雜著清唱、夾白、幫腔特色的優美曲調，以及曼妙的舞姿，恍惚讓人回到了七百年前的夢境。當天下著雨，可長廊下、臺階上，樹叢旁、花卉間，千余名觀眾沒有一人離場。

江西戲曲家肖洪回憶：“多年前，廣昌旴河劇團還存在時，我們就曾用孟戲高腔中的海鹽腔編寫過一些劇目的音樂和唱腔進行演出。”這次演出用的唱腔就是肖洪采用孟戲高腔中的海鹽腔曲牌編的曲。

2015年5月的一個夜晚，我坐在肖洪家的書房里，從電腦上看劉家孟戲的錄像。劉家孟戲，是20世紀80年代初期被一個叫流沙的戲曲研究者發現，經過專家考證認定，海鹽腔就遺存于其中，是海鹽腔譜系的源頭之一。后來，流沙和浙江戲劇家錢貴成主編了一種《論江西海鹽腔音樂》的專著，引起了整個戲曲界的轟動。

熒屏上播放出劉家孟戲《王母謫星》，笛聲悠揚，如行云流水般曲藝動人。金星、玉女妝容俊美，時而長袖善舞、時而輾轉纏綿。它不同于昆曲，不同于宜黃腔，當年曾聽過這出戲的戲曲家們共同吐露心聲：雅！

“里面最好聽的要數海鹽腔曲牌‘紅衲襖了。”隨著一出出折子戲的播放，肖洪與我談起海鹽腔，說，真是優雅婉轉，令人陶醉！

我又與撫州采茶舞劇團團長、杜麗娘的飾演者吳嵐談，她說，2016年10月，為紀念湯顯祖與莎士比亞逝世400周年，以海鹽腔為主調的新版“臨川四夢”在撫州和北京兩地演出，中央電視臺進行錄制。

在國家級非遺劉家孟戲中發現海鹽腔，引起了有識人士的極大關注，浙江、江西兩地對海鹽腔的發掘、交流與研究積極配合，結出了豐碩成果。

近年來，從浙江省到海鹽縣，對海鹽腔的搶救保護工作已取得了極大進展。海鹽縣成立了海鹽腔藝術館籌備組，政協編寫了《海鹽腔的興衰》等書，文聯組織成立了海鹽腔研究會及海鹽腔民間藝術團。

（除署名外，本文圖片由作者拍攝、提供）

Haiyan Melody is a regional opera named after Haiyan， a county in northern Zhejiang. It was one of the four major regional operas in the south of China during the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. The other three were Yuyao Melody， Yiyang Melody and Kunshan Melody.

Before some troupes from Anhui came to Beijing three hundred years ago to take the fancy of the imperial house and gave birth to what is now known as Beijing Opera， Kunqu Opera used to be the favor of the imperial house of the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）. Then what enjoyed national fame before Kunqu？ The answer is Haiyangqiang or Haiyan Melody.

Kunqu came into being during the years from 1522 to 1566 when Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty ruled. It was created by Wei Liangfu， a drama specialist who drew inspiration from Haiyan Melody. Today， Kunqu is one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2001. If Kunqu is widely considered the ancestor that spawned a hundred of regional operas across the country， then Haiyan Melody can be considered the ancestor of Kunqu Opera.

Haiyan Melody， a kind of opera， was created by Yang Zi， a dramatist of the Yuan Dynasty （1279-1368）. Yang was a native of Haiyan. His family members pursued both government careers and business. The family flourished for hundreds of years spanning the dynasties of the Song （960-1279）， the Yuan and the Ming. The fortune accumulated over centuries was the material foundation of the genesis.endprint

During the Yuan， operas in the north and in the south at first existed side by side. Then in the middle decades of the dynasty， operas in the south spread to Hangzhou， which had housed the imperial house of the Southern Song （1127-1279）. Yang Zi was a local governor in Hangzhou and was a friend with Guan Yunshi， a dramatist and composer who lived in Hangzhou. Guan was probably the best known composer of the time. The tunes he composed enjoyed great popularity. Under the guidance of the composer， Yang began to explore the possibilities of new music. He became so obsessed with his new ambition and passion that he resigned from the government position. It is said that Guan Yunshi gave Yang all the music sheets as a goodbye gift before Yang went home.

Yang Zi founded a family troupe and built a small theater on the family compound. He trained performers and wrote scripts. The troupe rehearsed and performed. Wang Guowei （1877-1927）， a native of Haining and famed scholar of national renown， wrote in a research report that three scripts by Yang Zi had come down in history.

The tunes composed by Yang Zi featured Haiyan musical characteristics. Over years， the tunes spread fast in Haiyan and troupes in neighboring regions performed. The plays got the name of Haiyan Melody. During the Ming Dynasty， Haiyan Melody was one of the most famous major four regional opera genres.

Haiyan Melody climaxed from 1465 to 1620. Zhang Mu， a scholar of the Qing Dynasty， wrote in an essay that in entertaining important guests， the plays of Haiyan were first choice. Kunshan Melody was occasionally performed， and that Yiyang Melody and Yuyao Melody were considered inferior and inappropriate to honor guests. Haiyan Melody also spread to the north. ， a novel written in the Ming Dynasty and one of the greatest ancient novels of China， mentions six plays performed by Haiyan Melody artists in six separate chapters.

Tan Lun， a general who once fought Japanese pirates in Zhejiang， brought Haiyan Melody back to him home in Yihuang in neighboring Jiangxi Province. The general with a passion for Haiyan Melody asked artists from Haiyan to teach dramatists in Yihuang. He added some elements of Yiyang Melody to the tunes. What formed under his guidance is known as Yihuang Melody.

Tang Xianzu， who wrote “four dreams” scripts， made great contribution to the fame of Haiyan Melody. It is said that Tang wrote scripts for his plays to the tunes of Haiyan Melody and directed rehearsals of . History records that was performed at Tangs home in 1599.endprint

Tangs scripts were so famous that was adapted to Kunshan Melody. After learning about the adaptation， Tang Xianzu expressed his objection seriously. His objection is understandable. A dramatist criticized the innovative touches Tang Xianzu brought to the tunes and lyrics.

Thanks to Tangs support， Haiyan Melody boomed. Troupes that performed Tang Xianzus plays were often invited to entertain noble families living in Nanchang during the Ming Dynasty. History records that was performed at Prince Tengs Pavilion in Nanchang. The performance caused a huge sensation in the city and Tang attended the show and later wrote two poems in commemoration of the sensational success. Haiyan Melody troupes from Yihuang traveled and performed in Jiangxi and Anhui provinces as well as Nanjing.

During the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming， Haiyan Melody spiraled downwards， eclipsed by Kunshan Melody. When Haiyan Melody was all the rage in this part of the country， Kunshan Melody was fast evolving， taking Haiyan Melody as its model. It absorbed strengths from Haiyan Melody and other sources and grew into a regional opera that better appealed to the high-end theatergoers. The lyrics and tunes， which also had evolved， became very attractive. became the hallmark of what is now known as Kunqu Opera.

Haiyan Melody stopped evolving， which spelled its downfall. But it is not dead. In June 2000， a seminar was held in Kanpu， the hometown of Yang Zi， who created Haiyan Melody. Tang Xianzu Experimental Troupe from Fuzhou， Tangs birthplace in neighboring Jiangxi Province， staged a highlight of . For the first time， audiences of today in Haiyan heard the ancient Haiyan Melody. The music was composed by Xiao Hong， a dramatist based in Jiangxi. Haiyan Melody， which was brought to Jiangxi by general Tan Lun centuries ago， has spread through Jiangxi and exists in various regional operas across the province. In the 1980s， a scholar named Liu Sha traced Haiyan Melody to a local opera. Liu Sha later wrote a book on Haiyan Melody in Jiangxi in collaboration with Qian Guicheng， a theater scholar of Zhejiang. The book caused a big stir among the circle of theater scholars across the country.

Since Haiyan Melody was rediscovered， the Haiyan County Government has spared no efforts to preserve the valuable cultural heritage. Joint research work has been conducted on Haiyan Melody. A preparatory office is now in place to start a Haiyan Melody Museum. The CPPCC Haiyan Congress has had a book written on the rise and fall of Haiyan Melody. The countys Federation of Literature and Art Circles set up Haiyan Melody Research Institute and a Haiyan Melody troupe.endprint