Kam Grand Choirs (standard English translation: Kam Grand Choirs) is a multi-part, non-conductor, unaccompanied, natural harmony folk choral music sung by folk choruses in the Dong area of ??China. Dong folk songs are mainly popular in the second dialect area of ??the southern dialect of the Dong language. Its central area is in the south of Liping County and the north of Congjiang County bordering it. Including present-day Liping County Yandong, Koujiang, Shuangjiang, Yongcong, Zhaoxing, Shuikou, Long'e and Congjiang County Xiangdong, Guping, Gaozeng, Guandong, Luoxiang and other towns. Folk custom calls these areas "six holes" and "nine holes". The representative repertoire of Dong folk songs include "Yelao Song", "Ga Gaosheng", "Ga Yin Ye", "Ga Opera", etc.
Big song - called "Gal Laox" (Gal Laox) in Dong language, "Ga" means song, and "Lao" means grand and ancient. Dong's big songs are mainly performed in a polyphonic multi-part chorus with "all are low but only one is high". Dong big songs require a singing troupe (team) of more than three people to sing. The more people who participate in the singing, the better the effect. Almost every Dong village has a singing group, and some Dong villages have as many as 10 singing groups. Antiphonal songs and competition songs are usually performed on festivals such as the "Dong New Year Festival", "Eating New Year Festival", and "Spring Festival". What is even more interesting is the antiphonal singing competition held between villages and villages. At that time, young men and women kept peeking at each other and expressing affection for each other. They often first met and fell in love through singing big songs until they formed a good relationship.
"Food nourishes the body, and song nourishes the heart." This is a saying that the Dong people often say. In other words, they regard "song" as being as important as "food". The Dong people regard songs as spiritual food and use them to cultivate their souls and sentiments. Dong people regard songs as treasures and believe that songs are knowledge and culture. Whoever masters more songs is a knowledgeable person. In the Dong area, singers are recognized by society as the most knowledgeable and reasonable people, and are therefore highly respected by the Dong people. Therefore, they have loved, learned and sang songs for generations, taking singing as a pleasure and taking pride in "being able to sing and singing a lot". They use songs to express their emotions and express their joys, anger, sorrows and joys in songs. Songs are closely related to the social life of the Dong people and are inseparable. Various folk songs of the Dong people, especially the Dong folk songs, have become an ancient song that they have sung for a long time. As the most essential part of Dong songs, Dong folk songs are closely related to Dong people’s customs, personality, psychology and living environment in their singing content and expression form. They are a true record of Dong people’s history and a direct expression of Dong culture. .
“Chinese characters are passed down from book to book, but songs from the Dong family are passed down without words. Sings are passed down from ancestors to fathers, and from fathers to children and grandchildren.” This Dong folk song clearly indicates that the essence of Dong culture lies in Dong songs. The Dong people are a nation without writing. From ancient times to the present, their narration, history, and lyricism have been taught through oral transmission and heart-to-heart communication. It is precisely because of this that, despite the ups and downs of history and the vicissitudes of the human world, the Dong culture has still survived uniquely and has gradually attracted the attention of the world.
The Han people have written books to pass down songs, while the Dong people have no words to pass down their songs
The Dong people are one of the ethnic minorities in China. They are said to be descendants of the ancient Yue people and have a history of more than 2,500 years. . They are mainly concentrated in the four provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi, and Hubei in China, with a population of about 2.96 million (data from the fifth census in 2000). They are mainly engaged in agricultural and forestry production. Liping County in Guizhou Province is the county with the largest concentration of Dong people in the country. , with a Dong population of 350,000. The Dong people not only have simple folk customs, but are also very creative. A folk proverb says: "The three treasures of Dong people's culture: drum tower, big song and flower bridge." The big songs among them are the unique folk music of the Dong people that cannot be seen or touched, and can only be captured and appreciated with the ears and heart.
The Dong song is commonly known as "Ga Lao" in the Dong language. "Ga" means song, and "Lao" means grand and ancient. It is a kind of music where "all are low but one is high" and must be sung by more than three people. Polyphony, no conductor, and no accompaniment are its main features. Simulating the sounds of nature such as the chirping of birds, the chirping of insects, mountains and flowing water, is a major feature of the creation of big songs, and is the natural source of the sound of big songs. Its main content is to sing about nature, labor, love and human friendship. It is a kind of harmony between man and nature and between man and man.
The Dong song's "all low but one high" and polyphonic multi-part chorus are rare in Chinese and foreign folk music. The occasion for singing Da Ge is quite particular. In addition to daily training, Da Ge can only be sung in the Drum Tower, the landmark building of Dong villages, during major festivals, collective exchanges or when receiving distinguished guests from afar. Therefore, Dong Da Ge is also called "Drum Tower Song". The singers are more than seventy years old, but there are few successors to the great songs
The Dong great songs are one of the most distinctive Chinese folk music arts and a rare shining pearl in the international folk music art garden. The polyphonic multi-part chorus in Dong songs is rare in Chinese and foreign folk music and has very important academic and appreciation value. The Dong song is not only a kind of musical art, but also an important part of understanding the social structure, marriage and love relationships, cultural inheritance and spiritual life of the Dong people. It has research value in social history, ideological history, education history, marriage history and other aspects. .
Before the founding of New China, because the Dong people did not have writing, they could only be passed down among the people through oral transmission and heart-to-heart teaching for a long time. It was passed down from generation to generation and was rarely known.
Therefore, some foreign scholars make arrogant assertions when discussing Chinese music, saying that "Chinese music has always been monophonic" ("Chinese Music Supplement" published in Leipzig, Germany, in 1911, written by Feiwuer; "Chinese music does not have multiple voices at all". Progress, not to mention harmony and chords" (Alster's "Chinese Music" published by Shanghai Publishing House in 1933). Chinese musicians and cultural figures at that time also had little or no understanding of Dong songs. and other ethnic minority folk polyphonic music, so no one came out to refute it.
In fact, the formation of Dong folk songs has a history of nearly a thousand years, and this unique Chinese national music seems to have been hidden. Clusters of brightly colored exotic flowers and strings of beautiful pearls in the mountains, forests and oceans exude a charming fragrance day and night, shining brightly until the land reform was carried out across the country after liberation. , Guo Keyu and others discovered it, and organized music workers to go deep into the Dong mountainous areas of Liping County to collect, excavate, record and organize.
In October 1959, the Liping County Dong Folk Chorus organized a strong lineup to perform in Beijing for people. It brought the vivid and original Dong songs to the capital stage, breaking the long-term isolation of the Dong songs from the outside world and arousing strong repercussions. At that time, the China Record Company also recorded the Dong songs. That was an important step for the Dong people’s singing to go out of the mountains, to the whole country, and to the world.
Since liberation, 35 young Dong men and women from Liping County’s Dong choir have visited France and Italy. On October 3, 1986, the government of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province organized a Dong choir of 11 people to go abroad to Paris, France for the first time to participate in the Autumn Art Festival. Their performance at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris was very popular, with 37 curtain calls alone. The executive director of the festival, Mark Kelvindo, said excitedly after watching it: "It's beautiful! It's beautiful! There are only more than 100 people in the East. It is rare in the world that the Dong people with a population of 10,000 can create and spread such ancient, pure and shining art."
The Spring Festival Gala in 1994 and the Spring Festival Gala in 2001, Liping County Dong Nationality Song Dong folk songs such as "Cicada's Song" and "Cuckoo Prompts Spring" sung by the team made this wonderful folk art hidden in the mountains of Liping County famous at home and abroad.
However, subsequently. With the gradual acceleration of human modernization and the in-depth implementation of China's reform and opening up policy, the Dong people's songs are facing an unprecedented comprehensive impact from modern culture, foreign culture and market economy. Due to unprecedented destruction, Dong songs are facing the embarrassing situation of having no successors and on the verge of being lost.
The protection and application of Dong songs as world heritage
With the development of Dong songs. It has appeared frequently at home and abroad, and relevant experts and scholars inside and outside Guizhou Province have paid more attention to it. In 1984, Rongjiang County launched the "Dong Song into Classroom" experiment in primary and secondary schools in the county, and its influence extended to Liping, Chongqing and other places. Jiang, Jinping, and radiated to Hunan, Guangxi and other Dong areas. "Dong Songs in the Classroom" has gone through 18 years of ups and downs and achieved certain results. However, there are certain difficulties in practice due to the lack of funding sources, institutional guarantees, and teacher support. In Gaozeng Township, Congjiang County, due to the increase in the number of people going out to work, there is a serious gap in singers. Most of the people who can sing Dong songs are elderly people over 50 years old, and there are very few young people who learn to sing Dong songs.
The natural ecology needs to be protected, and the human ecology also needs to be protected. Rare "species" like Dong folk songs should become human intangible cultural heritage and be rescued and protected scientifically and effectively. Only in this way can human beings forever live in a rich, coordinated and progressive natural and social environment. Based on such a realistic situation and humanistic concept, Liping County put forward an action plan to "rescue, protect, inherit and develop the Dong song".
A pilot base for the protection of Dong folk songs has been established in Yandong Town, Liping County, Guizhou Province, the main popular area of ??Dong folk songs. Through a series of activities, a virtuous cycle mechanism for the self-development of Dong folk songs has been established; research and development of Dong folk songs have been carried out Reward and naming policies for singers and singers; incorporate Dong folk songs into the school’s music education system; discover, rescue and sort out the folk songs that are on the verge of being lost, carry out written records, produce publications, etc.
“If you don’t sing, youth seems to be flowing by. When you pass thirty, it’s like the green leaves turn yellow. Life is so short. You have more than enough time to spend the spring and autumn period. However, you don’t have enough energy. Time flies and you and I go our separate ways. "When times come together, we should always remember it in our hearts" - this is the general theme of the lyrics of a song of the Dong people, which fully illustrates the Dong people's love for songs. May this melodious, mysterious, and sweet song like the sound of nature last forever, and may this dreamlike melody intoxicate the world. The Dong area was historically divided into several "holes", and each "hole" governed a large area (several villages). With the development of history, it is no longer clear which area some holes generally refer to, but "six holes", "nine holes" and "ten holes" have always been used. The "six holes" are centered on Zhaoxing Pilin in Liping and the Longtu Guan Cave in Congjiang; the "nine holes" are centered on Zengchong and Xindi in Congjiang; and the "ten holes" are centered on the rock caves and Xindong in Liping. center. The Dong people's beheading is mainly popular in the "Liu Dong", "Nine Dong", "Ten Dong" areas and the adjacent areas or villages.
The Miaolan, Zaidang, and Jiasuo areas in Zaima Township, Rongjiang County, belonged to the "Nine Cave" area in ancient times and were also one of the popular areas for big songs. Due to differences in singing venues, performance forms, and gender and age of singers, big songs can be divided into "drum tower big songs", "vocal big songs", "ceremony big songs", "narrative big songs", "children's big songs", and "big songs for children". "opera songs"; or divided into "male songs", "female songs", "children's songs", etc. The Drum Tower Song is called "Gadelou" in Dong language. It is the main song type sung by male and female choruses in different villages in antiphonal style in the Drum Tower. Others are called by the central lining words, including "Xiu Haoding" and "Qian Sai". The content is mostly love songs. "Qiansai" is the main melody of the formal antiphonal song and the main body of "Ga Lao". Male and female voices in various places have their own vocal tunes, which are mostly named after popular areas, such as "Ga Lan" (Miao Lan's song), "Ga Lao" "Dip" (Cao Didong's song), "Gazaidang" (Zaidang's song), etc. Songs with loud voices are called "al soh" (al soh) in Dong language. It is not the main type of antiphonal song in Drum Tower, but a wonderful interlude in the antiphonal singing process. Most of them are performed at the request of the audience or to show off their own voices, which is commonly known as "changing the voice". Songs with loud voices and short lyrics mainly showcase musical tunes, often imitating the chirping of insects and birds. Several singers take turns singing high notes during the singing, one after another, which is beautiful and pleasant, and can best bring out the overall singing ability of the chorus. From a musical perspective, vocal songs are the essence of the multi-vocal songs of the Dong ethnic group. Song titles are often named after fish, insects, birds, animals or seasonal events, such as "Ga Lun Lang" (Cicada Song), "Ga Ye" (Frog Song), "Ga San San" (March Song), etc. The narrative song is called "Al jenh" (Al jenh) or "Al jebl" (Al jebl) in Dong language. It is not only a kind of folk song, but also a kind of folk art. According to the genre of lyrics, it can be divided into two types: "Gajun" which sings stories and "Gaxiang" which sings principles; according to the music singing style, it can be divided into two types: "Gajun" and "Gajin". Song titles are often named after the names of the main characters or the central content of the story, such as "The Beauty of the Pearl", "The Beauty of the Golden Han Dynasty", "Filial Piety to Parents", "Persuading Lazy People", etc. Etiquette songs, called "al liix xangh" (al liix xangh) in Dong language, are the general name for multi-vocal songs sung on various etiquette and customs occasions. It is generally divided into three types: "Road-blocking Song", "Drinking Ceremony Song" and "Talking Song", all of which consist of lead singing and chorus. Children's big song is called "Al Lagx Uns" (al lagx uns) in Dong language. It is a multi-vocal song sung by children during games and entertainment. The lyrics are short and the melody is cheerful, mainly singing in unison and supplemented by chorus. The names of the songs are mostly based on the content, such as "Ant Song", "Little Goat", "Visiting Grandma", etc. The opera song, called "al wagx" in Dong language, is a multi-vocal song sung during Dong opera performances. It is often used at the opening or closing of a play, or when immortals or officials appear. It is sung by the actors and actresses at the front and backstage, creating a lively atmosphere. There is no fixed song title. The reason why "Ga Lao" is called a big song is that, firstly, it is sung by the Dong folk chorus; secondly, it has two parts; thirdly, its five-style singing is performed in the Drum Tower in front of everyone; fourthly, the lyrics Growing up, it took 40 to 50 minutes to finish a long song, which often gave people the feeling of "singing with eyes closed for a long time".
Every village in the area where big songs are popular has big singing groups, and these big singing groups are all amateur amateur organizations. Men and women are freely combined, ranging from four or five people to more than ten people. The male and female choruses are divided according to age: children's chorus, juvenile chorus, youth chorus, adult chorus, senior chorus, etc. Children's chorus
Under the guidance of singers or singing brothers and sisters, children receive enlightenment training in big songs. They mainly learn to sing big songs with children's voices, but also learn other big songs to cultivate their interest.
Youth Chorus
Under the guidance of singers or singing brothers and sisters, they begin comprehensive singing training. Girls’ chorus often sings while spinning and doing needlework. Learn and practice singing, and learn all kinds of songs to lay a solid foundation for antiphonal singing. If a visiting team comes to the village to sing a duet, they will stand by and practice.
Youth Chorus
Under the guidance of singers, they have mastered a large number of tunes and lyrics of big songs, and have high singing skills. They are the best choice for singing duets between the village and the visiting team. The main force sometimes takes the initiative to visit other villages. The adult chorus usually assists the singers in training the younger singers and sisters, and serves as a good adviser to the youth chorus, which is a strong backing for the youth chorus.
The Senior Chorus
Mainly serves as a demonstration for the youth chorus, which is also a need for the elderly to have fun. It mainly sings narrative songs. The most famous among the chorus are the singers. They are the organizers and leaders of the chorus. They are generally older and have richer experience. Singers should meet the following conditions: first, they are originally excellent singers and have been trained in singing for a long time; second, they are proficient in various big songs and singing methods; third, they have mastered a large number of lyrics and can adapt and improvise; fourth, they have a decent style. , be a role model and have organizational leadership skills; fifth, have a spirit of dedication. Singers are the people with the most knowledge of national culture among the Dong people, and are the most respected and loved by people. In order to promote the excellent music culture of the Dong people, the Gejiang County Cultural Department introduced ethnic music into schools. The Jinchan Dong Children's Art Troupe was established in Chejiang Primary School, with the mission of learning and singing Dong children's songs and other excellent folk songs. It has achieved remarkable results and has become a banner for Dong Township to promote the excellent national culture. Dong Grand Songs are folk polyphonic chorus songs of the Dong ethnic group. Except for the male voices in a few areas who use the three-stringed pipa to accompany the Drum Tower Grand Songs, the rest are unaccompanied ten-day conductor choruses. The basic mode of Da Ge is the natural pentatonic feather-discussing mode. But there are also cases of modal conversion.
Common intervals are thirds, fifths, fourths, sevenths, seconds, and rarely sixths. Octaves and other changing intervals are not used. Among them, the third degree is the basic interval relationship in the polyphony of the singer's voice, and the third degree is a consonant interval regardless of the size. The Dong people are also very accustomed to the appearance of incomplete consonant or dissonant intervals such as fourths, sevenths, and second degrees. Big songs are basically two voices. The bass part is the main part and is sung by everyone; the high notes are derivative and are led by one person or multiple people take turns to sing. This is a characteristic of big songs and also the Dong people's response to folk choruses. a creation. Especially when singing loud songs, several singers take turns to lead the singing, simulating the chirping of insects and birds, one after another, which not only makes the singing continuous, but also achieves the contrast of sound quality, timbre and volume. The bass is transferred to a long main bass continuation, retreating to a subordinate position as the background, leaving the protagonist to the impact of the high sound, allowing it to play freely. "Dong Big Song" is one of the earliest songs discovered in China, the first to be put on the stage, the first to be edited and published, the first to be performed in the world, and has attracted the attention of the world's music industry. Such a beautiful music really represents an aspect of our country. There used to be such an argument in the world: China only has monophonic music, and Chinese music is based on monophonic thinking. In fact, our Chinese nation has rich polyphonic music, and the Dong song is the best proof. Therefore, the existence and development of Dong folk songs are the pride of the Dong people and the pride of the entire Chinese nation.