Polyphonic Folk Songs
01 · Historical Records
The Almail multi-part folk song took shape in the ancient warfare, hunting and farming life of the Tibetan forebears of Heishui county, Sichuan. Heishui lies in the middle of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, and its villages are mostly distributed on high mountains or high half-mountains, where land is scarce and disasters frequent, so that collective labour and mutual aid became the chief means of survival; the multi-part folk song arose in collective work and in sacrificial and military activity and has been transmitted orally from generation to generation.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
This heritage item circulates mainly in the Zhimulin, Zhawo and Qinglang townships of Heishui county in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, Sichuan. In ancient times the villages of Heishui had many kinds of multi-part folk song expressing meaning, the most distinctive of which was the song of setting out for battle. In antiquity the villages of Heishui were constantly at war, and to keep the peace the whole village would sing the song of setting out for battle when seeing off their kin, in order to express their inner feeling. There were besides work songs, such as “labour is hard, but for the sake of my family I will spare no toil, year after year, day after day, without complaint”; at weddings and funerals blessing songs were sung for kin, such as “my daughter, after you marry you must live happily, then father and mother will be happy”; and there were songs of diligence and bravery and of the hardship of labour, such as the song of carrying stones to build the tower-house: “on the slope the ancestors built houses, felling timber for the building and carrying up stone and mud for the walls, learning to build the tower-house”. The Almail multi-part folk song is mostly sung impromptu, its works taking as content what is seen, thought and known, and it includes chiefly “Kemu Nama” (the high-register long tune). Its means of expression are mostly exposition, comparison and performance; its tune is long, its vibrato plentiful, its range within an upper and lower fifth yet broad. One tune has two parts, one person leading and several answering: at the close of the leader's phrase the others join in, those joining singing the second part, and so it repeats in ceaseless cycle. Its musical structure is a single-section form of two or four phrases, upper and lower. Its vocal style is level at both ends and swelling in the middle, high and ringing and drawn out, closing with a long breathy vibrato, and its melody is fresh and flowing, rough and unrestrained, with a strong regional character. The Almail multi-part folk song was created by the labouring people of Heishui and reflects their daily production and life of hunting, setting out for battle and sacrifice; over the long course of history it has promoted mutual exchange and deepened feeling between people.
“Kemu Nama” (the High-Register Long Tune)
One of the chief types of works of the Almail multi-part folk song, sung as a high-register long tune.
The Song of Setting Out for Battle
In antiquity the villages of Heishui were constantly at war, and when the whole village saw off their kin they sang the song of setting out for battle to express their inner feeling.
The Song of Carrying Stones to Build the Tower-House
A work song reflecting the hardship of labour and celebrating diligence and bravery, its lyrics recounting the felling of timber, the carrying of stone and mud and the learning to build the tower-house.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Almail multi-part folk song is an ethnic music of markedly local character created by the people of the Heishui area in ancient warfare and in production, life and labour. Heishui county, Sichuan, lies in the middle of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture; the villages of Heishui are mostly distributed on high mountains or high half-mountains, where land is scarce, disasters frequent and dependence on nature strong, with agriculture as the chief mode of production and animal husbandry also occupying an important place.
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
This heritage item is transmitted collectively, with no fixed relation of master and apprentice. The Almail multi-part folk song is closely bound up with the history, environment, economy, culture, customs and religion of the Heishui area, profoundly reflecting the features of Heishui people's life in the different societies of hunting, nomadism and farming and their spiritual aspirations; it is a living fossil for the study of the history of the Heishui Tibetans and possesses relatively high historical, artistic, social and cultural value.
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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