Chaozhou is located in the east of Lingdong, facing the South China Sea. Han Yu once established schools and taught here, and it was also the place where "ten ministers lived" in history. Humanity has always been at its peak, and it is known as "a famous country with mountains and seas".
While working and producing, Chaozhou people also created their own culture - Chaozhou folk songs. It is like the "national style" in the Book of Songs, a valuable "tide style".
Chaozhou folk songs (hereinafter referred to as "Chaozhou songs") are the artistic crystallization of Chaozhou people's creation in Chaozhou dialect. The Shege, Yangge and Gezai that were circulated in the past all belong to this category. In the past, some people mistakenly thought that She songs were only songs of the She people. In fact, that was not true. She songs were sung by the working people when they were working in She. Qu Dajun's "Guangdong New Language. Cantonese Song" records: "The lyrics are in Chaozhou sounds, with or without their own words, and only rely on vocal support. Cao Haozhi's new tune is also called She song." It is clearly pointed out here that "using "Sung by Chaoyin" is, of course, the song of Chaozhou itself. As for the She people, they have been influenced by Han culture for a long time and have also learned to sing in Chaoyin. Judging from the content, this is indeed the case.
As for Yangge, as Qu said: "Every spring, farmers, dozens of women, go to the fields to plant rice. An old woman beats a big drum, and the drums sound loud, and the crowd competes to sing. It's called Yangge." It and She song are both songs sung during work, but the specific location is different.
With the development of society, "Chaoge" has moved from the mountains and fields to the alley halls and singing circles. It has been passed down as a folk song. Judging from the content, some capture local customs; some touch on family ethics; some include childlike quotes; some show the changes of the times, flowers, birds, and animals, and many contain human philosophy. Drama materials often express realistic feelings. However, although the world is vast, the "motif of folk songs" - love songs, is rarely seen. This is because under the constraints of feudal ethics, men and women in Chaozhou in the old era were increasingly lacking opportunities to communicate and fall in love. This is the characteristic and weakness of "Tide Song".
Most of the "tide songs" run through two main lines of thought -
praising the motherland and hometown; pursuing truth and happiness; praising hard work, frugality, bravery and enthusiasm people.
Satire on some of people's shortcomings, such as greed, cowardice, laziness, jealousy, or lash out at despicable, treacherous, and cruel enemies.
One praise and one criticism reflect the clear love and hatred of the people. "Tide Song" can truly be called the echo of the times and the showcase of history.
Let’s explore from the perspective of artistic characteristics.
First of all, in terms of artistic techniques, "Chaoge" makes extensive use of "Fu", "Bi" and "Xing".
"Fu, to state the matter and speak directly." If the Fu method is used appropriately, the writing will be plain and simple, and the image will be full. For example: "Charcoal Song", in which a charcoal-burning man directly expresses his bitter feelings, and "Baojun Sitting on the Bedside", a song in which a wife confides her heart to her husband, are far better than flashy rhetoric or empty preaching because they directly present the facts. "The Sound of Drums and Ding Dongs" describes a private meeting between a young girl and a salesman. There are details, dialogues, and psychological activities. For example, she answered her mother's cross-examination at dawn: "Last night, the paparazzi burst open the door of the room, and the floral gauze tent was blown down by the wind; the hair on the temples was scattered, and the buttons on the chest were untied." How vivid, humorous and interesting, To put it bluntly, it is more contagious than the "Death in the Wild" in the Book of Songs.
"Compare, compare this thing with that thing." Just think about it, using the half-floating and half-sinking tangerine in the well to compare the inseparable lover's heart. ("Mandarin Falls in the Heart of the Ancient Well") How vivid and vivid is the comparison of "no good land to grow ginger" to "no good husband to delay the mother"! There is another category, such as "Tianwuwu", in which frogs, crabs, fish and shrimps make guest appearances, which is lively and interesting. That "personification" technique is also derived from the "comparison" method.
"Xing, mention other things first to trigger the words to be chanted." For example, singing from "May pomegranates are full of flowers" to "Brother does not need to use a matchmaker to get married", both evoke nature and exaggerate their respective specific atmospheres. Other sentences such as "Cizaihua", "Tianwuwu" and "Moonlight and sparse flowers" also have their own sentiments.
Of course, "Fu", "Bi" and "Xing" are not divided mechanically. There are two or three techniques used in one article, and there are also two techniques used in one sentence.
Secondly, let’s talk about chapter structure. Generally speaking, the following three forms are common:
"National style" style. It repeats over and over again and sings over and over again, with only a few words or sentences changed in the middle, making it easy to memorize. The levels of meaning are either parallel or progressive. For the former, see "White Rain Falling on the East Bank" and "The Spring Rice Hurts the Waist"; for the latter, see "Holding Paper Letters" and "The East Wind Whists into the Sea Gate".
Singing style. Lyrical narratives are as smooth as water flowing through clouds, or euphemistic (see, for example, "A Pair of Chopsticks Falling into the River"), or ups and downs (see, for example, "Better than Good Silver for Good Gold"). Chapters such as "Thinking of My Husband" and "Song of Lychee" are also sincere and touching.
quatrain style. Each article is limited to four sentences, either straightforward or subtle, elegant and alert. You can refer to articles such as "Being Fitted with a Red Robe in Shangguan Hall", "Being a Human Being", "You Can't Be a Human Being Without Salt and Brine", etc.
In addition, various forms such as Jinci, Ling, Qu, Yuefu, Wu Sheng, etc. are also occasionally present.
Let’s talk about language and rhyme.
"Chaoge" mostly uses spoken language that is full of life flavor and local characteristics. The sentence structure is informal. Seven-character and five-character songs are the most common. There are also many two- to nine-character sentences that can be flexibly constructed into the text. . The syntax is varied and changeable, making it easier to express your ideas vividly and heartily.
Chaozhou dialect retains many ancient Chinese words. Words like "ya" (beautiful), "xing" (walking), "yan" (night), "shi" (eat), "muzhi" (tears), etc. are still easy to understand, but, like " "Everyone" (mother-in-law), "big step" (man), "kizhi" (playing), etc. are too archaic; as for "begging" (giving), " " (marrying a wife), "色水" (magnitude) ) and other uncommon dialect words can only be understood by Chaozhou people.
The rhyme used in "Chaoge" generally rhymes with the last words of even sentences, one rhyme to the end, and two or four sentences that change into one rhyme. It is catchy and has musical beauty.
In general, the main style of "Chaoge" is easy and natural, smooth and euphemistic, and full of humor; vigorous and unrestrained is insufficient. After all, "Chaoge" is not produced by the famous singers of "The Horse in Autumn Wind", it ultimately belongs to the ordinary singers of "The Mandarin Spring in Lingnan".
Nothing is static, but is constantly changing and developing, and "Tide Song" is no exception. As the times progress, it also adds new chapters and new luster. The purpose of writing this article is to draw from the best and integrate the past into the present, so that readers can have a glimpse of the various stages of the development of "Chaoge".
We referred to various relevant books and periodicals published before and after liberation, and reviewed a large number of records of our own collection of styles over the years. We selected 320 songs from them and divided them into nine categories according to their content (not absolute, some songs Both can be used). In this way, the representative works of "chaoge" that have been circulated for a long time have been generally selected, and works from different eras, contents and styles have been generally eclectic.
Old "Tide Songs" are often passed down orally, and there are often errors. Occasionally recorded records also have many defects such as emphasis on pronunciation and neglect of meaning, and the creation of words. In view of this, we have carefully selected the dialect words used in the book. Strive to emphasize both sound and meaning and avoid fabrication. Some unfamiliar words and phrases are briefly explained accordingly.
Some chapters in the book may have traces of certain eras. Readers should analyze them carefully based on the characteristics of the specific era in which they appeared, so as not to use today's standards to hold the predecessors accountable.