Bouyei Leiyou
01 · Historical Records
The leyou is the instrument by which Bouyei young men and women convey their feelings during the social practice of “langshao”; its tone is clear and nasal and carries far, so it is called “the little trumpet that awakens a lover”. In the early days the leyou was mostly made and used by the men themselves, using local insect cocoons for the reed and a wooden tube for the body; the craft of making and playing it was handed down within families and music bands, and together with the yueqin, the niutuiqin and other instruments it formed the instrumental basis of the Bouyei eight-tone seated singing.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Bouyei leyou is a wooden double-reed end-blown instrument, current in the Bouyei settlements of Xingyi City, Qianxinan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, and along the banks of the Nanbei and Pan rivers. “Leyou” is a transliteration of a Bouyei word, meaning “the little trumpet that signals to a lover” or “the little trumpet that awakens a lover”. This instrument has existed since ancient times. A Brief History of the Bouyei records: “In the Qianlong reign of the Qing, Baji beside Puan Prefecture (present-day Xingyi City, Guizhou Province) began to compose and perform Bouyei opera.” The leyou arose roughly after Bouyei opera, and has a history of more than two hundred years to this day. After the leyou appeared it was taken up by the Bouyei eight-tone seated-singing bands and became an important performing instrument. The body of the leyou is about forty centimetres long and consists of five parts: the resonator, the body, the brass ring, the plug and the insect-cocoon reed; its compass is a–a1. In performance it mainly uses natural breathing and circular breathing; its techniques are rich, its tone sweet, and its artistic style round and smooth, beautiful and pleasing; it is good at expressing emotion. The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works. In the playing of the leyou only the beginning and the end show some regularity; the rest is comparatively free, and the player may improvise as he pleases on a fixed core phrase or performing motive, so that the same tune varies greatly each time it is played.
Leyou Diao (The Leyou Tune)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
Si Nian Diao (The Longing Tune)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
Han Mei Diao (The Calling-the-Girl Tune)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
Lang Shao Diao (The Langshao Tune)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
Leyou de Sinian (Leyou's Longing)
The tunes played on the leyou are called the Leyou Diao and are often given names such as Si Nian Diao, Han Mei Diao and Lang Shao Diao. They fall into two kinds: instrumental pieces played on the leyou, of which Han Mei Diao is a representative work; and vocal pieces sung with words set to the leyou tunes, of which Lang Shao Diao and Leyou de Sinian are representative works.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The leyou takes its name from its use in the “langshao”, the antiphonal singing by which Bouyei young men and women get to know each other; it is played mostly on the hillsides, the paddy flats and the riverbanks beside the villages. Its melody shows regularity only at the beginning and the end, the rest being comparatively free, and the player may improvise as he pleases on a fixed core phrase or performing motive, so that the same tune varies greatly each time. Bands around Zhenfeng commonly pair the leyou with the yueqin, the niutuiqin, the bamboo flute and other instruments for Bouyei eight-tone seated singing.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Bouyei Leiyou · Bouyei Leiyou.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The art of playing the Bouyei leyou is a distinctive form of ethnic music created by the Bouyei people of the Panjiang River basin in the course of their long production and life; it embodies their outlook on life and their artistic talent, and is an important point of reference in the study of musicology, folklore and related fields. At present, under the impact of the market economy and popular culture, the number of leyou players is steadily declining; this precious folk ethnic art has no successors and urgently needs protection.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Wu Tianping 05-2146
- Wangjianli
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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