Polyphonic Folk Songs
01 · Historical Records
The Yao butterfly song, of long history, is the signature folk song of the Yao of Fuchuan; it took shape roughly in the Ming dynasty and circulates mainly in the Basha, Lianshan, Liujia and Gucheng townships of Fuchuan Yao autonomous county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Multi-part folk song refers to folk songs whose texture and structure take a multi-part form; China's multi-part folk songs are concentrated chiefly among the dozen or so minority nationalities of the Zhuang, Dong, Bouyei, Gaoshan, Maonan, Qiang, Miao and Yi, most of them adopting the two-part form and a small number being three-part and four-part art. This song is sung in the form of a two-part duet by two men or two women in the same voice, beginning and ending together. The butterfly song is in pentatonic modes, among which the gong, zhi, shang and yu modes are common; padding words occur frequently in the vocal line, the word “de” being used above all, almost after every word, which makes the song seem warm and lively—something very rare among the folk songs of the Chinese Yao. Its harmonic intervals have the features peculiar to the music of the Fuchuan Yao, being mainly major and minor thirds but often including a long-valued major second which then resolves to the unison. There are many representative works, chiefly My Sweetheart Goes to Sea and I Go to Sea and Glad Songs of Flowing Water Greet the Guests.
My Sweetheart Goes to Sea and I Go to Sea
One of the chief representative works of the Yao butterfly song.
Glad Songs of Flowing Water Greet the Guests
One of the chief representative works of the Yao butterfly song.
The Short Butterfly Song and the Long Butterfly Song
The short butterfly song generally has four lines; the long butterfly song, also called the “song mother”, allows the third line to be lengthened at will into a long stacked line and is also called the “two-flying butterfly song”.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The butterfly song is sung in the local Chinese dialect known as “Wuzhou speech”, and its content is mainly love songs; because the words “hu de die” (“butterfly”) often occur among its padding characters, it is named the butterfly song. It is divided into the short butterfly song and the long butterfly song: the short one generally has four lines, the first, second and fourth of seven characters each with the last character rhyming, and the third line often expanded with padding words and phrases; the long butterfly song, also called the “song mother”, is used by folk singers to train breath, tongue and parts, and developed out of the short butterfly song, the third line of each song being lengthened at the singer's will to form a long stacked line, and it is also called the “two-flying butterfly song”.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Hanizuduoshengbu Folk Songs · Polyphonic Folk Songs · Polyphonic Folk Songs · Polyphonic Folk Songs · Polyphonic Folk Songs · Polyphonic Folk Songs · Polyphonic Folk Songs · Polyphonic Folk Songs · Polyphonic Folk Songs.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Yao butterfly song is rigorous in part structure and cheerful and beautiful in tune; its appearance marks the development of China's ethnic folk multi-part music to a considerable level, and it has important value for artistic appreciation and research. It may be said that the butterfly song is a symbol of the plural origins of Yao culture and possesses precious historical and cultural value. At present, with the fading of the traditional folk festival culture the occasions for singing the butterfly song grow fewer, and some excellent folk singers are advanced in years, so that the Yao butterfly song has no successors and stands in urgent need of protection and transmission.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Che Ge 02-0258
- Chen Xiniang 02-0259
- Manglai 03-0829
- Wen Guiyuan 03-0830
- Lang Jiamu 03-0831
- Suyilatu 05-2052
- Fang Shaobao 05-2053
- Mo Huamei
- Ou Yumei
- Jiancheya
- Zeyingjun
- Yang Kaiyuan
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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