Leting Dagu Drum Balladry
01 · Historical Records
Leting Dagu is traditionally said to have been founded by Wen Rong around 1850 in Leting County, Hebei Province. Together with Pingju opera and Tangshan shadow puppetry, it was long known as one of the “three blossoms of eastern Hebei folk art”. Besides Wen Rong, his successors Chen Jichang, Qi Zhen (also written Qi Zhen), Feng Fuchang, Wang Enhong, Wang Deyou, Qi Yongwu, Qi Wenfeng, Han Xiangpu, Jin Wenran, Zhang Yunxia, Jia Youran and Yao Shunyue were representative artists of different historical periods, among whom Han Xiangpu and Jin Wenran of the Republican period were the most famous; the art of each was honoured respectively as the “Han (Xiangpu) school” and the “Jin (Wenran) school”.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Leting Dagu is a comparatively representative northern quyi form of drum storytelling and drum ballad, widely circulated in eastern Hebei (Jidong), Beijing, Tianjin and in the northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. In performance one person stands and narrates and sings, striking the drum clappers by himself, while others accompany on instruments such as the sanxian. Since its formation it has produced one notable artist after another, spread widely, and built up a fairly deep popular base and cultural accumulation. More than three hundred traditional tunes (books) of Leting Dagu have been handed down from generation to generation, in long, medium and short forms alike; typical representatives include Dong Han, Sui Tang, San Xia Wu Yi, Hu Yanqing Da Lei, Jin Ling Fu, Xiao Shang Fen, Lan Qiao Hui, Gu Cheng Hui, Yu Tang Chun and Chang Sheng Dian. The music of its vocal style belongs to the banqiang system, and its tunes are rich and highly varied. Besides complete manban (slow ban), liushui ban (flowing ban), kuaiban (quick ban) and sanban (free ban) patterns, it also shifts back and forth between two different tonalities, the shangzi diao and the fanzi diao, so that its ban-pattern changes are highly flexible.
The Han school
The school of Han Xiangpu; his follower Wang Liyan inherited long works such as Swallowing the Cup and The Tongue-Twister.
The Jin school
The school of Jin Wenran; his follower Jia Youran, later head of the Tangshan troupe, was celebrated in the four-level tune.
Traditional repertoire
More than three hundred traditional pieces in all lengths, of which the Eastern Han, Sui-Tang and Three Heroes are typical.
Shang and fan modes
Its metrical system runs through slow, flowing, fast and free boards and alternates between two modal transpositions.
Short and excerpted pieces
Short and excerpted pieces whose sprightly, elegant verses give the genre a marked literary quality.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Leting Dagu was born in Leting County and, together with Pingju opera and Tangshan shadow puppetry, is known as one of the “three blossoms of eastern Hebei folk art”. Besides its founder Wen Rong, Chen Jichang, Qi Zhen, Feng Fuchang, Wang Enhong, Wang Deyou, Qi Yongwu, Qi Wenfeng, Han Xiangpu and Jin Wenran were representative artists of the various historical periods; among them Han Xiangpu and Jin Wenran of the Republican period were the most famous, and the art of the two was honoured respectively as the “Han (Xiangpu) school” and the “Jin (Wenran) school”. The Leting County Cultural Heritage Inheritance Centre shoulders the protection of the project. Wang Liyan gave up teaching for the performing arts in 1962 and studied “Han school” Leting Dagu under Han Xiangpu, joining the Leting County Quyi Troupe in the same year; in 2002 she formed the Leting County Xiangpu Art Troupe, and in her later years she taught more than twenty pupils.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Leting Dagu Drum Balladry.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The lyrics of Leting Dagu are for the most part nimble and refined, and are of high literary value. At present Leting Dagu has fallen into a serious decline in its development and is in urgent need of support and rescue. Wang Liyan (official archival record of the associated inheritor): In 1962 she gave up teaching for the performing arts and studied “Han school” Leting Dagu under Han Xiangpu, joining the Leting County Quyi Troupe in the same year. Her voice is broad, resonant and down-to-earth, her articulation is clear, and it carries with great penetrating power. Her performance unites form and spirit, is reserved and dignified, and is vividly lifelike. She is good at absorbing the strengths of many schools, draws widely on the essence of the vocal art of Pingju opera and shadow puppetry, and has fully inherited such traditional long works of Leting Dagu as Yan Bei Ji, Bian Da Lu Hua, Rao Kou Ling and He Bo Duan Qiao. In 2002 she formed the Leting County Xiangpu Art Troupe, and in her later years she taught more than twenty pupils. Female, of Han ethnicity, born in March 1935, died in August 2018, a native of Leting County, Hebei Province. Representative inheritor of Leting Dagu in the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects. Jia Youran (official archival record of the associated inheritor): A first-class actor, formerly director of the Tangshan City Quyi Troupe. In 1955 he studied “Jin school” Leting Dagu under Jin Wenran. His singing is mellow and far-ranging, pure in flavour, accurate in articulation and rounded in tone, his clapper work is strict and his sense of rhythm strong; his “Siping diao” is his most artistically appealing style. In 2001 his works, including Shan Dao Hui, Tian Shui Guan and Xiao Guniang, were published and released. Male, of Han ethnicity, born in November 1941, died in February 2018, a native of Luannan County, Hebei Province. Representative inheritor of Leting Dagu in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects. His representative works, including Er Nu Qing Jia, Song Zhen, Tu Wei Mei, Yi Sheng Qing and Qian Li Tan Qin Ren, have won prizes many times.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- He Jianchun 02-0719
- Zhang Jinping 02-0720
- Wang Liyan 03-1159
- Jia Youran 04-1703
- Jia Changfu
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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