Gelao Folk Songs
01 · Historical Records
The Gelao are an ethnic group indigenous to Guizhou, and Shiqian County is one of their important settlements. Local Gelao folk songs originated in mountain farming and fishing and hunting life, and as migrants and traders came and went they continually absorbed musical elements from the neighbouring Han, Miao and Tujia peoples, gradually forming a system of tunes centred on the zhi mode and a lyric format of four lines of seven characters.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Shiqian lies deep in the mountainous hinterland of northeastern Guizhou, where 19 ethnic minorities including the Gelao, Miao, Dong and Tujia live. Gelao folk songs take courtship and love as their main subject, and their varied melodic styles record the social development, religious beliefs, folk customs, production and life, ethnic feeling and military warfare of the Gelao people. They fall mainly into lyrical types (including love songs and daily-life songs), narrative types (including songs on current affairs and ceremonial songs) and work-chant types (including playful songs, stonecutters' chants and boatmen's chants). Love songs are collectively called "mountain songs" in the county, represented by "Qingjie Xihe Xiyishang". They are mostly sung in the mountains and fields, and reflect the courtship life of Gelao youth. Daily-life songs are represented by "Wanglang Ge", are often skilful in the manner of folk tunes, are humorous and witty, and have an extremely rich and varied repertoire of melodic styles. Narrative folk songs generally alternate between singing and recitation. Songs on current affairs reflect the political, military and economic activities of a particular era. Ceremonial songs include filial songs, crying-marriage songs, wine songs and children's songs. Filial songs have circulated among the people for a very long time, and works such as "Yusang Ge" are still handed down today. Crying-marriage songs were a form of daughter's farewell song popular in former times, in which a crying vocal style is accompanied by several passages of weeping words. Wine songs are ceremonial songs used by the people to entertain guests and add to the festive mood. Children's songs generally go with simple gestures, as in "Shishen Ge". Playful songs among the work-chant types follow the special singing form of "haocao luogu". Stonecutters' chants are usually sung while levering up large stones, and boatmen's chants are shouted while hauling boats on the waterways. These folk songs are all closely related to production and life, and enjoy a broad popular base. Gelao folk songs are mainly in the pentatonic zhi mode, with six-tone and seven-tone modes also occurring, and make frequent use of modulation within the same gong system. Their lyrics are mainly four lines of seven characters, and the language is concise. Singing forms include solo, antiphonal singing by men and women, and group singing, expressing the rich emotions of the Gelao people.
Love songs
Love songs are collectively called "mountain songs" in the county, represented by "Qingjie Xihe Xiyishang". They are mostly sung in the mountains and fields, and reflect the courtship life of Gelao youth.
Life songs
Daily-life songs are represented by "Wanglang Ge", are often skilful in the manner of folk tunes, are humorous and witty, and have an extremely rich and varied repertoire of melodic styles.
Ceremonial songs
Ceremonial songs include filial songs, crying-marriage songs, wine songs and children's songs. Filial songs have circulated among the people for a very long time, and works such as "Yusang Ge" are still handed down today. Crying-marriage songs were a form of daughter's farewell song popular in former times, in which a crying vocal style is accompanied by several passages of weeping words. Wine songs are ceremonial songs used by the people to entertain guests and add to the festive mood. Children's songs generally go with simple gestures, as in "Shishen Ge".
Weeding-drum songs
The playful songs among the work-chant types follow the special singing form of "haocao luogu".
Stonecutters' and boatmen's chants
Stonecutters' chants are usually sung while levering up large stones, and boatmen's chants are shouted while hauling boats on the waterways.
Recitative narrative songs
Narrative folk songs, including songs on current affairs and ceremonial songs, generally alternate between singing and recitation; songs on current affairs reflect the political, military and economic activities of a particular era.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Gelao folk songs are a form of folk art distilled by the Gelao people through long social practice, distributed mainly in Huaqiao Town, Pingdichang Township, Qingyang Township, Wude Town, Jufeng Township, Longjing Township, Longtang Town and Baisha Town of Shiqian County, Tongren City, Guizhou Province. The Gelao are an ethnic group indigenous to Guizhou, and their population accounts for one third of the local total population. Shiqian Gelao folk songs are a vivid testimony to the course of Gelao social development and to local folk customs, containing cultural information on many aspects and embodying the Gelao people's beautiful longing for labour, life and love, giving them high social, cultural and aesthetic value.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Over its long course of historical development, Shiqian Gelao folk songs have been transmitted to the present day mainly through family succession and group transmission, and are welcomed and enjoyed by the local people. Protecting and transmitting this cultural heritage plays a positive role in promoting social harmony and ethnic unity and in carrying forward fine traditional culture.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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