Then let me give you some essay materials on folk songs
Analysis of local color of folk songs
1. What is local color?
The local color of Chinese folk songs is an important feature of folk song style, and it also involves the basic style of Chinese music. It has gradually become a popular topic in musicology teaching and research.
The so-called color is a term borrowed from painting to express the overall experience of the aesthetic characteristics of music through the method of synaesthesia. The local color of folk songs means the unique musical personality of folk songs in a specific region. Folk songs in various places have different personalities and constitute different aesthetic effects, thus forming widely varying "local colors".
The formation of local color is closely related to various cultural factors. China is a vast country, with great disparities in physical geography and uneven economic and cultural development levels. As a result, different regions have different characteristics in terms of language, customs, aesthetic psychology, and literary traditions. These cultural factors have a comprehensive impact on the aesthetic taste and taste of people in various regions. The form of folk songs has formed a diversified and multi-level color difference.
The formation of the color of folk songs has a long history. As early as the pre-Qin, Han and Wei dynasties, Chinese folk songs had the distinction between southern sounds, north sounds, east sounds, and west sounds. Later, there were differences between Chu sounds, Cantonese songs, Wu songs, and Qin sounds. This phenomenon still exists today. Much like China's dialect culture, folk songs from various places also have their own unique "musical dialects" to show their local color.
The richness and beauty of local colors of Chinese folk songs are difficult for other countries in the world to emulate. It is the artistic expression of China’s profound historical and cultural accumulation. It is an important attribute of folk music and one of the important reasons why it is loved by the people. one.
It is not difficult for people who know a little bit about music to vaguely feel the color differences of folk songs in different places through hearing, but generally they can only stay in the state of watching flowers from the other side and the moon in the fog. If you want to make detailed distinctions and accurate identifications, and be able to state some basis and reasons to achieve a rational grasp, even scholars who are professional researchers find it difficult. The reason is that people have not yet conducted a more specialized and detailed exploration into the specific formal representation of the color of folk songs, and lack the means and methods of rational analysis.
This article intends to make some preliminary theoretical analysis around this topic, in the hope that the color characteristics of folk songs can be understood and explained, both what they are and why they are, and to deepen our understanding of the essence of folk music. .
As an art form that uses music as the medium, our aesthetic experience of folk song can first be concretely grasped through the comprehensive effect of some formal elements. Therefore, if we want to unlock the mystery of local color, we must first analyze the formal representation of folk song color in detail.
2. Formal representation of the color of folk songs
Folk songs are a comprehensive art of music and literature. The aesthetic experience and local color of folk songs are mainly reflected in the specific characteristics of the musical form elements, while the lyrics characteristics can usually be used as auxiliary analysis factors. In terms of musical form, it mainly involves the characteristics of elements such as scale, structure, tone, melody, and melody. In terms of lyrics, it mainly involves the characteristics of elements such as dialect vocabulary, lining words, and rhymes. The characteristics of any one of the above elements in the form of lyrics and music, or the combined effect of multiple elements and characteristics, can constitute the personality and changes of the color of folk songs. These elements are also the rational basis for analyzing the local color of folk songs. The following takes the analysis of two folk songs as an example to understand the specific expression of the local color of folk songs and the basic methods of analysis.
1. Shanxi Zuoquan’s folk song "Cherry Tasting Trees Are Hard to Plant". This song is a work that embodies the color of "Northern Sound". Its specific form is characterized by: a six-tone scale with a changing palace, and a wide-feather rhyme. The pitch structure 623, the upper and lower sentence structure of the corresponding nature, the melody contains a big jump of six degrees, the final characteristic of "kai" in dialect singing is e, not ai, etc.;
2. Sichuan folk songs "Kangding Love Song". This song is a work that embodies the color of Nanyin. The specific form is characterized by: pentatonic scale, four-line structure, the tonal structure of narrow feather rhyme 612, 356, mainly progressive melody, and the unique Sichuan dialect liner word "horse racing" etc. application.
These two folk songs respectively reflect the local color and personality of China’s northern and southern sounds. In terms of aesthetic experience, the northern song has a distant and lofty beauty, while the southern song has a soft and melodious beauty. As can be seen from the above brief analysis, The difference in aesthetic color between northern and southern folk music is not mysterious and elusive. It is specifically and clearly achieved by the comprehensive effect of various elements such as scale, structure, tonal melody and dialect rhyme and lining words. It is entirely possible for us to make a rational analysis and grasp of it from the detailed analysis of the formal elements and characteristics of lyrics and music.
When talking about local color, it is inseparable from the parameters of geographical characteristics and regional scope. The local color of folk songs is always linked to a specific region. Folk songs in different regions have different concentrations of color expression, and the formal parameters that make up the colors also have corresponding complex changes. From this point of view, the specific expression of folk song color is multi-layered and diverse, which requires specific analysis based on local conditions and cannot be simply generalized. In the comprehensive participation of these complex factors, there are still certain rules to follow.
3. Regionality of local color of folk songs
There is a well-known old saying in China that "the local accent is hard to change". There is a folk saying: "Ten miles have different winds, and five miles have different sounds." There are sayings such as "Gongs and drums do not go out of the country, each has its own tune." It can be seen that even among different towns, their dialects and folk songs have different colors. This is certainly an extreme example, but it also shows that the color of folk songs is combined with the region and is universal and diverse. For the convenience of explanation, this article only intends to make some theoretical analysis and discussion from a wide range of aspects. Depending on the geographical area, the color of folk songs can be divided into multiple levels of color areas for recognition. The general rule is that the larger the area, the more distinct the individual colors of folk songs and the more obvious the differences; conversely, the more blurred the individual colors and the more subtle the differences. Therefore, the area of ??the area is inversely proportional to the color concentration. Correspondingly, when analyzing the color of folk songs in different regions, the analysis parameters used will change. The basic principle is that the area of ??the color area is inversely proportional to the analysis parameters, that is, the larger the area of ??the color area, the more prominent the color of the folk song, the fewer formal parameters used in the analysis, and the rougher the analysis method; conversely, the increase and refinement of the analysis parameters .
For example, if you look at the color of northern and southern Chinese folk songs from a macro level, you only need to consider the three factors of scale, structure, and tone to clearly identify them. Most of the Northern Songs have six- or seven-tone scales, a relatively standard structure of upper and lower sentences, and the tones mostly use large and wide rhymes (135, 512). From the mesoscopic level, looking at the differences between the provinces in the north and the south, since they all use the same scale, tone and structure, it is necessary to add more and more detailed formal parameters such as melodies, tunes, etc. to make deeper divisions. , to find out the color difference between them. And so on.
The following combines specific examples of folk song color areas to recognize its specific formal expression elements, and proposes some preliminary analysis techniques and methods.
(1) Color differences between north and south (macro level)
From a macro level, Chinese folk songs can be divided into three major color areas: north, south and central. The colors of each area are obviously different. The differences are embodied in the comprehensive effect of some formal elements.
Tune Example 3 "Sansanlipu" by Xintianyou in Northern Shaanxi Province is a typical tune with the color of Beiyin. Its formal characteristics are: the corresponding three-up and one-down four-line style (a variation of the two-line style), A hexaphonic scale with FA partial tone, a wide phonological structure of 512, and a fifth-degree jump in the convolution method. The dialect pronunciation of "I" in the lyrics is E, and the mood of the song is desolate and desolate.
It is also a song by Xintianyou that embodies the color of Beiyin, "The Red Army Brother is Back". Its morphological representation is similar to that of "Sansanlipu": upper and lower sentence styles, with two partial tones of FA and SI. The sound scale is Kuan Shang Rhyme 623, with many jumps, and the seventh-degree jump is mostly used in the convolution method. Dialect vocabulary includes "jiwazi, gouwazi", etc.; words such as "LA, Lai, Biao" have the pronunciation characteristics of dialect rhyme. For example, the word "bite" is pronounced as "NIO", and the word "lai" is pronounced as "LE". The music is open and generous. etc.
If you pick up some Nanyin folk songs at random, their style, charm and formal representation are completely different. For example, the Jiangnan minor tune "Wuxi Scene" is a typical Nanyin color. Its formal elements are characterized by: pentatonic scale, comprehensive use of narrow rhyme 561, 653 and minor rhyme 123.
The melody is mainly progressive, the four-line structure of continuous development and gradual downward movement, the melody decoration is delicate and gorgeous, and the style of music is soft and charming.
The "Dock Diao" is also a Jiangnan minor tune. Its color beauty and morphological characteristics are slightly the same as the above song, so I won't go into details.
In Jingchu Hubei, the intermediate zone between the north and the south, the color of folk songs has another meaning. Hubei is located at the junction of the north and the south of China. Its culture and music have a neutral tone of neither south nor north, and both south and north, thus forming its unique personality. The Mai song "Cui Dong Cui" from Qianjiang County in the Jianghan Plain is a typical example of alto color music. The whole song is performed in Dagong Shengyun 135 three-tone tune and various inversions and order changes. The style of the music is clear Lively, compatible with both strength and softness. The folk song "Up to the Tea Mountain" from Yichang, Hubei also has a mezzo-soprano color. The melody and tone are similar to the previous song, adding a fresh mountain and wild charm.
(2) Color differences in different provinces and regions in the South (meso level)
The difference in the color of folk songs in northern and southern China is obvious. So, the folk songs in the south or between provinces in the north , and what about no color difference? Of course, as a sub-level manifestation of the color of folk songs, although the differences in the color of folk songs in various places have become slightly weaker, there is still a clear and distinguishable rationale. Now we will take Sichuan and Yunnan provinces as examples for a brief analysis.
The two provinces are geographically close and have many unique musical cultures. Folk songs all have the most basic characteristics of Nanyin, such as the pentatonic scale, Yuxiao rhyme 613 as the core tone, and the typical structure of the four-line style. wait. However, the folk songs of the two provinces have different preferences for specific melodies, resulting in color differences. Sichuan folk songs often use zigzag and jump-type melodies, so they have a bit of a spicy mood. For example, the nationally popular Sichuan Yibin rural ditty "Xiuhebao" adopts the zigzag melodies of Xiaoyu's voice and rhyme. 631, Lehui mostly follows the trend of dialects. Such as "satin" etc. The extensive use of dialect lining words "Yi'er Yaeryo, Zhuerga, Jingang Suoluomei" further enhances the local color of Sichuan. Yunnan folk songs, on the other hand, prefer the descending scale progression method, which makes them more charming and soft. Combined with the characteristics of other musical forms and lyrical dialects, the color differences remain clearly discernible. For example, "Fangma Folk Song" adopts the typical descending scale melody of Yu Xiao's voice, 3216, which appears constantly at the end of the phrase, giving people a strong impression.
(3) Color differences within provinces (micro level).
The local color of folk songs is not only reflected in different provinces in the north and south of China, but even within the same province, there will be subtle color differences due to differences in geography, dialects and traditional aesthetic habits. Here we take Hubei Province as an example to analyze and illustrate. If we travel around Hubei and listen to local music, we can feel that it is rich in color, with southern charm, northern flavor, southwest Bashu color, or Jiangdong Wu rhythm. As the environment changes, the music is also different. interest. It's really colorful and gorgeous. According to research by Professor Yang Kuangmin, an expert on Hubei folk songs, Hubei folk songs can be divided into five color areas:
1. In the color area of ??southeastern Hubei, which is now Xianning, the narrow rhyme tones [SOL LA DO] and [LA DO RE] are most widely distributed, and the spin method often jumps into minor sixths and pure fourths. 2． [Northeast Hubei]: Today's Huanggang and Xiaogan areas are mostly low hills, with a Jiangnan scenery. Influenced more by Jiangnan culture, the music style tends to be graceful and graceful. The tone is mainly "SOL LA RE" with "Kuan Zheng" rhyme. It is only separated from southeastern Hubei by a river, but the tones and melodies of folk songs are obviously different. 3. Central and southern Hubei: The present-day Jingzhou area is known as the Jianghan Plain, a land of rich fish and rice. Geographically, it is close to Xiangyang in the north and Dongting Lake in the south. The tone is mainly "Da Gong Sheng Yun". The voice is gorgeous and beautiful. 4. There are two regions in southwestern Hubei today: Yichang and Enshi. The whole area has overlapping mountains, criss-crossing canyons, dangerous terrain, inconvenient transportation, and a unified language. It belongs to the southwest Mandarin area, which is no different from the Sichuan Dongfang dialect. The melody of "narrow feather" rhyme [LA DO RE] is a typical pattern. 5. The present-day Xiangyang and Yunyang areas in northwest Hubei are located slightly south of the intersection line between the north and south of my country. The natural features have both north and south scenery. The local people's lives and customs also have both north and south characteristics. The music style is slightly more focused on the Central Plains on the basis of inclusiveness. For the flavor of the north, the ancients said that the local people have "more Qin music and more Chu songs".
The melody of folk songs emphasizes the fourth jump, and the style of the song is more lively and cheerful, with a northern flavor. The ditty "Ten embroidered purses" is popular in five regions of Hubei. The lyrics are the same in each place. However, due to the influence of different local cultures, the melody form, such as mode, spin and tone, etc. have formed different styles accordingly
, embodying the local colors of the five districts, it is really a mixture of sounds and colors.
The local color of folk songs is a very complex musical phenomenon and field of discussion. A more in-depth study will involve many factors of music and culture. If the preliminary discussion in this article can deepen people's understanding of the characteristics of folk songs, It would be a great blessing if it leads to more sophisticated research.
For reference only, please learn from it yourself.
Hope this helps.