Wind and Percussion Ensemble
01 · Historical Records
Through long development and change, Hailong guan chuiyue formed a distinctive artistic style and became an indispensable part of local folk activities. Its played repertoire comes from a wide range of sources: great suites of the Song and Yuan dynasties, folk tunes handed down from the Ming and Qing dynasties, yangge tunes of the Northeast, interlude music and commonly used opera tune patterns of Beijing opera and Pingju, folk songs and little ditties, and it may also use melodic outlines of popular music. Wind-and-percussion music can be traced back at least to the Han dynasty, and an excavated Eastern Han pictorial stone vividly depicts a scene of guan chuiyue performance. There are also scenes of guan chuiyue performance on the tomb murals of the Tang dynasty. By the middle of the Qing dynasty, guan chuiyue had already approached the present form of Northeast guan chuiyue, and folk guan chuiyue flourished.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Since the mid-19th century, following the "Chuangguandong" migration, some guan chuiyue musicians from inside the Shanhai Pass travelled through Liaoning to Shancheng Town and radiated from this centre to surrounding areas. While continually absorbing the music of Northeast ethnic minorities, they formed the Hailong guan chuiyue, which is bold and unrestrained yet not lacking grace and subtlety, integrating wind playing, percussion accompaniment, ka-xi, acrobatics and magic into one, and is highly performative. Hailong guan chuiyue uses various kinds of suona as the principal lead instrument, accompanied by wind instruments such as guan zi and koudi, the sheng, string instruments such as the banhu, and percussion instruments such as drums, gongs and cymbals. There may be as few as five or six performers, or as many as a dozen or more. Ka-xi is a performance form which uses suona, ox-horn, koudi and other instruments to imitate spoken dialogue and singing by the human voice, and it is suitable for festive occasions. Acrobatic performance includes such feats as "gourd bursting into full bloom", "suona balancing a dish" and "riding the clouds", in which several suona are blown at once with the mouth and nose. Hailong guan chuiyue absorbed the music of the Manchu and other Northeast ethnic minorities, especially melodies used to accompany Northeast er-ren-zhuan, and during performance improvised additions and subtractions can be made, with flexible and changeable modes. Adding "hua" makes the melody more ornate and flowing; subtracting characters can delete excessive ornamental notes and accelerate the melodic line towards its climax. With the great "Chuangguandong" movement, migrants flooding in from inside the Pass brought southwestern Shandong guan chui skills to the Northeast, where they gradually merged with local Northeast guan chuiyue skills, so that Hailong guan chuiyue gradually took shape and continued to develop. The tune patterns of Hailong guan chuiyue contain a large quantity of traditional folk tune patterns, and some melodies carry the long history of Chinese traditional music, giving them a certain value for the history of music. Hailong guan chuiyue has varied performance styles and is highly appealing, entertaining and moving. Traditional classic tune patterns such as "Meihua Diao" and "Erlong Duibai" are constantly reinterpreted. It is folk art that the local people love to hear and see, and an important vehicle of their spiritual life, with high artistic, social and cultural value.
Seated and processional performance
Hailong guan chuiyue is divided into "zuo yue" and "xing yue" according to the mode of performance.
Acrobatic suona feats
Acrobatic performance includes such feats as "gourd bursting into full bloom", "suona balancing a dish" and "riding the clouds", in which several suona are blown at once with the mouth and nose.
Ka-xi imitation
A performance form which uses suona, ox-horn, koudi and other instruments to imitate spoken dialogue and singing by the human voice, and it is suitable for festive occasions.
Improvised ornamentation and reduction
During performance, improvisational additions and subtractions can be made, with flexible and changeable modes; adding "hua" makes the melody more ornate and flowing, while subtracting characters can delete excessive ornamental notes and accelerate the melodic line towards its climax.
Diverse tune sources
Its played repertoire comes from a wide range of sources: great suites of the Song and Yuan dynasties, folk tunes handed down from the Ming and Qing dynasties, yangge tunes of the Northeast, interlude music and commonly used opera tune patterns of Beijing opera and Pingju, folk songs and little ditties, and it may also use melodic outlines of popular music.
Shancheng as the centre
Since the mid-19th century, following the "Chuangguandong" migration, some guan chuiyue musicians from inside the Shanhai Pass travelled through Liaoning to Shancheng Town and radiated from this centre to surrounding areas; Shancheng Town, Zhonghe Town, Hongmei Town, Xiaoyang Township, Jile Township, Shuidao Town, Shuguang Town, Heishantou Town and Jinhua Town of Meihekou City are the most representative.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Hailong guan chuiyue is a traditional folk form of music with strong local colour, distributed mainly in Meihekou City, Dongfeng County and Liuhe County of Tonghua City, Jilin Province, with Shancheng Town, Zhonghe Town, Hongmei Town, Xiaoyang Township, Jile Township, Shuidao Town, Shuguang Town, Heishantou Town and Jinhua Town of Meihekou City being the most representative. According to the mode of performance it is divided into "zuo yue" (seated music) and "xing yue" (processional music). The item has continued to the present day mainly through family transmission, and has become an important part of weddings, funerals and celebrations in the Meihekou, Dongfeng and Liuhe area. Hailong guan chuiyue is centred on Shancheng Town of Meihekou City and is transmitted across Meihekou City, Dongfeng County and Liuhe County of Tonghua City, Jilin Province. By mode of performance it is divided into "zuo yue" and "xing yue". Bands are mostly founded on family lines and taught from master to apprentice; at weddings, funerals and celebrations, pieces are chosen as the occasion requires, with "zuo yue" performed under a tent and "xing yue" played in procession along with the column.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Wind and Percussion Ensemble.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Hailong guan chuiyue is an indispensable part of local folk activities. Its tune patterns contain a large quantity of traditional folk tune patterns, and some melodies carry the long history of Chinese traditional music, giving them a certain value for the history of music; its varied performance styles make it highly appealing to watch, and it is a vivid testament to the intermingling and development of Central Plains and Northeast culture.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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