Shifan Music
01 · Historical Records
Hainan bayin already showed its embryonic form in the Tang and Song dynasties, and by the Ming dynasty it had developed to great maturity. In the Ming dynasty Wang Haoran, a musician of Qiongshan County in Hainan, became famous in the capital for his mastery of bayin; during the Chenghua era he and his son were both selected as court musicians, and he left behind for posterity three volumes of the Pipe and Zither Score and two volumes of A Summary of Bayin. From the Qing dynasty through the Republican period and until the founding of the People's Republic of China, this instrumental form flourished for a long time in Hainan. At present more than five hundred traditional pieces of Hainan bayin instrumental music have been collected, together with three hand-copied scores in the gongzi notation left over from around the thirteenth year of the Republic (1924).
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Shifan music is also called "ten classes" or "five pairs", taking its name from the ten instruments played, which are made of silk, bamboo, leather, wood and metal. This music is light and lively, strongly rhythmic, harmonious in pitch and pleasing to the ear, and it is widely circulated in Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other parts of China. Most shifan melodies come from folk minor tunes and huapa (suona pieces); they have also drawn much nourishment from opera, quyi storytelling and song tunes. Their performing forms are divided into seated performance, marching performance and dancing performance, and the player in charge of the clapper boards normally acts as the conductor. Hainan bayin instrumental music is the principal variety of Hainan instrumental music, taking its name from the eight categories of instrument used: strings, qin, flutes, pipes, xiao, gongs, drums and nao. Locally, what is colloquially called bayin in Hainan includes not only the instruments and the pieces but also the ensemble. It is circulated over the whole of Hainan island and has followed the footsteps of Hainan emigrants to the countries of Southeast Asia. The great blowing and beating (dacuidai) uses double suona to play magnificent pieces such as Da Kai Men and Xiao Kai Men together with large percussion instruments; gong-and-drum clear-sounding music (luogu qingyin) is divided into two kinds, the first taking the small suona as its leading instrument to play pieces such as Qing Feng Shou, the second taking the large suona as its leading instrument to play pieces such as Nao Jun Po. Clear-sounding music (qingyin) uses the "wen pai" of strings, qin, flutes and pipes to play such pieces as Nong Shou Hua and Song Gu, whose melodies are light and skipping, flowing and bright; drama drums (xigu) substitute the suona for an actor's singing, playing the "linked suites" such as Qiong Hua Nu Fang and Pu Tian Tong Qing formed by linking together the vocal styles of Hainan local opera, with the other instruments accompanying. It is rooted in the folk and full of rustic flavour, and is welcomed and enjoyed by the broad masses of the people.
Da Kai Men
A great-blowing-and-beating piece of Hainan bayin, played with double suona together with large percussion instruments, magnificent in momentum.
Xiao Kai Men
A great-blowing-and-beating piece of Hainan bayin, belonging together with Da Kai Men to the famous suona blowing-and-beating pieces.
Qing Feng Shou
A gong-and-drum clear-sounding-music piece of Hainan bayin, played with the small suona as the leading instrument.
Nao Jun Po
A gong-and-drum clear-sounding-music piece of Hainan bayin, played with the large suona as the leading instrument and associated with the Hainan junpo festival folk custom.
Nong Shou Hua
A clear-sounding-music piece of Hainan bayin, played with the "wen pai" of strings, qin, flutes and pipes, its melody light and skipping.
Song Gu
A clear-sounding-music piece of Hainan bayin, flowing and bright, used mainly at folk occasions such as seeing off a bride.
Qiong Hua Nu Fang
One of the drama-drum "linked suites" of Hainan bayin, using the suona in place of an actor to sing the vocal styles of Hainan local opera.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The pieces of Hainan bayin are extraordinarily rich, and by custom its performance is divided into four categories: great blowing and beating, gong-and-drum clear-sounding music, clear-sounding music and drama drums. Hainan bayin instrumental music is circulated over the whole of Hainan island and has followed the footsteps of Hainan emigrants to the countries of Southeast Asia; the Haikou and Qiongshan area is its main region of transmission. The genre takes its name from the eight categories of instrument used — strings, qin, flutes, pipes, xiao, gongs, drums and nao — and what is locally called "bayin" includes not only instruments and pieces but also ensembles. Performance is customarily divided into four categories, great blowing and beating, gong-and-drum clear-sounding music, clear-sounding music and drama drums, each with its own ensemble disposition and its own repertoire, and each full of rustic flavour.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music · Shifan Music.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
From the point of view of music history, Hainan bayin instrumental music has very high research value. Struck by modern entertainment, the Hainan bayin ranks now show a gap between the old and the young and risk dying out, and urgent rescue and protection are needed.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chen Yingmu 02-0286
- Louzhengshou 03-0843
- Wang Rongtang 04-1524
- Li Zhenyu 04-1525
- Fang Yuanwang 04-1526
- He Hanpei 05-2076
- Liu Guangrong
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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