Tiaosangu · Chinese Craft Stories

01 · Historical Records

Tiao san gu is a form of quyi popular in Shishou city, Gong'an County, Jiangling County and Songzi city in central and southern Hubei Province, and in Huarong County, Anxiang County, Nan County and other counties and cities of Hunan Province. Its original name was “tiao sanggu” (“leaping funeral drum”), and it is an evolution of the “zuo sanggu” (“seated funeral drum”, that is, the drum-on-basin song). The characteristic movements that accompany the singing and narration are: “chopsticks in the right hand and cymbals in the left, the upper body leaning against the shoulder and the feet in a T-shape, three and a half steps shuffling forward, neither hand leaving the corners of the table, backs to backs and bodies brushing past one another...”.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Because the “seated funeral drum” had no performed content and was comparatively monotonous, some places developed it into the “leaping funeral drum”, sung by several performers, sung and danced at the same time, and accompanied by a comparatively rich ensemble. The Shishou Gazetteer records: “At a funeral there is a funeral rite; relatives and friends come one after another to pay their respects and keep vigil beside the coffin, beating the funeral drum all night to accompany the spirit.” The traditional tiao san gu activities are divided by performance occasion into leaping the funeral, leaping the longevity celebration and leaping the wedding celebration, that is the “three leapes”; in addition, the performance is by three people, is accompanied by three instruments, and begins with a three-line opening. Taking the homophones of “sang” (funeral) and “san” (three), the name “tiao sanggu” was changed to “tiao san gu” in the 1950s of the twentieth century. The filial-piety songs include Ten Months of Pregnancy and Zilu Carrying Rice; the longevity songs include Three Celebrations of Longevity and The Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity; the wedding songs include Wedding Joy Song and The Song of the Character “Ai”. The performance procedure includes the opening remarks, the words of blessing, the main text, “guiyuan” and “yaotai”. The vocal styles of tiao san gu are of five kinds: “ka qizi ju” (clamped seven-syllable lines), “yang hehe” (raised hehe), “huan diao” (joyful tune), “sanjuban” (three and a half lines) and “shizi diao” (ten-syllable tune). Each vocal style begins differently, but the note on which it settles is basically unchanging. This musical structure follows the words in shaping the vocal line and uses the voice to colour the sound, so that the emotions of the characters are fully expressed. The lyrics are divided into a first three lines and a following four lines; the former is called the “three-line opening” and the latter the “four-line close”: “three lines begin, four lines close, seven lines joined make a tiao san gu song”. The performers summarise the rhyme endings of the lyrics in a twelve-character formula: “tan, jiang, yi, lun, ping, shuo, kua, biao, shui, cai, yue, pu”, that is, talk, speak, discuss, debate, judge, say, praise, recount, sleep, guess, say and score. The lines are neatly balanced, the diction is carefully chosen and a single rhyme runs right through, giving the performed content a programmatic character. The accompanying instruments consist of a drum, cymbals and chopsticks; on the cymbals is a “white ring” about 1 metre long and about 25 centimetres wide, which is used to respond to the performer’s dance movements. In its transmission and development, tiao san gu not only combines entertainment performance with folkloric functions, but also absorbs and adapts artistic elements of local music and dance; it embodies the traditional qualities of a culture of ritual propriety and filial piety, and has played a good part in promoting cultural identity among the public and in keeping the humanistic environment harmonious.