Every traditional national festival, wedding day, or night when a new house is built, many ethnic groups have the tradition of singing narrative songs. Most of the singing forms of narrative songs are solo, and some are in harmony with others. The tunes of narrative songs are generally short, which are single sentences or single passages composed of two phrases. The ups and downs are not too big, the range is not too wide, the words and songs are closely combined, and the tunes are intoned in coordination with the tone of the language. Long song's lyrics are long, ranging from more than ten paragraphs to hundreds of thousands of lines. Because it takes a long time to finish singing, most of them sing in a natural voice.
Narrative songs can be divided into two categories: historical poems and legendary songs, and historical poems include creation poems and heroic poems. Legendary songs are mostly based on the historical facts of ethnic migration, the achievements of heroes in history and the tragedy of love. Narrative songs mainly tell vivid and tortuous stories, create vivid characters and express profound social themes. Narrative songs far exceed the significance of artistic appreciation for ethnic minorities who have no words or have words but are not popular. Through narrative songs, the hardships of ancestors' pioneering work and their great achievements are vividly displayed in front of future generations, which makes the moral concepts, customs and psychological consciousness formed in the long-term historical evolution of the nation passed down from generation to generation, and subtly cultivates the love and confidence of future generations for the nation and their hometown. Many narrative songs have actually become a link to safeguard the national spirit.
Historical poetry can be divided into two types: mythological poetry and heroic poetry. Poetry of mythical history, which originated in human childhood, is a naive explanation of the incomprehensible natural phenomena by the ancestors of all ethnic groups, and also a symbol of their desire and strength to conquer the mysterious natural forces. Most of its contents are about how to create the world, the formation of mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon and the stars, storms, thunder and lightning, animals and plants, the origin of human beings and nations, the marriage and reproduction of brothers and sisters after the flood disaster, and the story of the struggle between human ancestors and monsters. At present, myths and historical poems are popular in southwest China, and the representative works are Mei Ge and A Xi Xian Ji by the Yi people, Milotuo by the Yao people, Ancient Poems by the Miao people, Osemi by the Hani people, Mupamipa by the Lahu people and Zapama and Zamima by the Achang people. Heroes' history poetry, also known as Warriors' Song, focuses on heroes, recounts their combat achievements, and is full of fantasy and myth. Warrior song was formed much later than myth history poetry. It is generally believed that it came into being in an era when the clan system was on the verge of disintegration and tribal alliances or countries had emerged. At that time, people were no longer imagining the creation of the world, how nature and people were created, but more concerned about the survival and development of their own clan and tribe. It can be said that the emergence of the warrior song is a sign that mankind has entered the civilized era from the barbaric era. Warrior songs are popular in northern China at present, and the representative works are King Gesar of Tibetan, Jianger of Mongolian and Manas of Kirgiz. The Tibetan biography of King Gesar is the longest and grandest heroic history poem in the world at present. According to incomplete statistics, there are about 3 volumes, 1 million lines and more than 1 million words. It is not only magnificent in volume, magnificent in scene, colorful and vivid in image, but also rich in social and historical content, with strong national style and artistic characteristics. It can be called the treasure of the Chinese nation, and it is also a shining pearl in the music treasure house of all nationalities in the world.
The lyrics of legendary songs in narrative songs are generally longer, but what they reflect is people's thoughts and life after entering the class society. The generation of legendary songs is closely related to the singing activities of outstanding singers, because it has a fixed plot, complex structure and relatively stable characters, so only some outstanding singers can save and sing. Although the legendary songs of ethnic minorities in China reflect a wide range of social life, they can be summed up in three aspects: (1) They reflect the struggle between beauty and ugliness, and between good and evil, such as Kai Nuo and Kaigang and Calling Tree Tun by the Dai people. (2) Praise pure love and reflect the struggle against feudal tyranny and oppression for freedom of love and marriage autonomy. Such as Ashima by Yi and Sani people, Ma Wu and Gadou by Hui people, etc. (3) Praise the glorious achievements of heroes in history and tell the history of the nation concerned. Such as Gadamerin by Mongolians, Xizhi Hazhi by Yugur and Song of Zhang Xiumei by Miao people.
Love songs are the most popular part of folk songs of ethnic minorities. Because of the different customs, the ways of singing love songs of different ethnic groups are not exactly the same, but they can be generally divided into two types: one is sung in grasslands, forests, Shan Ye or in labor, and most of them are improvised one-part lyric short songs, including duets and solos. The content of expression is generally the yearning and pursuit of love, the love and yearning for lovers, etc. This type is common among ethnic minorities in northern China, because the marital status of northern ethnic groups was arranged by their parents in the old days, and young men and women were not free to socialize before marriage. The other kind is sung in the moonlight, by the fire pond, in public houses, or at festivals and song parties dedicated to singing love songs. Most of them are duets by men and women, which are long in length and vividly express the temptation of love, the lingering of lovesickness, the sadness of parting and all kinds of complicated feelings in the process of love. This kind of love songs, involving a wide range of knowledge, often not only sing love, but also show the singer's wisdom and talent. In addition to single-part folk songs, there are many multi-part works. This kind of love song is quite common in southwest China, because the customs of most ethnic minorities there allow young men and women to engage in extensive and free social activities before marriage, which creates conditions for the generation and preservation of this kind of love song.
The "Quzi" of the Yi and Nisu people is the representative of the second type of love songs. Quzi is composed of three parts: constructing a cavity, correcting a tune and living in vain, and each part includes many small parts, which has become a lengthy divertimento form in musical form. The singing forms of "Qule" are diverse, with solo and chorus alternating, and the combination of tune and solo. In the singing method, true and false voices are used alternately, forming a very unique style. The melody of "Quzi" has both lyrical tone and narrative part, which has strong expressive force.
Labor songs are folk songs that are directly accompanied by labor, and they are sung in collective labor and individual labor. Labor songs sung in collective labor are mostly sung in harmony or in unison, with short structure, regular and powerful rhythm, narrow range and sonorous tunes. In labor, it not only plays an organizational role in unifying labor actions, but also plays a role in regulating spirit, inspiring enthusiasm and relieving fatigue. This kind of labor songs are common among the ethnic groups engaged in agriculture in the south, such as "Beating Wheat Song" by Tibetans, "Lamu Song" by Yao people, "Dumping Rice Song" by Jingpo people and so on. Labor songs sung in individual labor, because they generally do not cooperate with labor movements, have a large fluctuation in melody, a wide range and a slightly free rhythm. This kind of labor songs are mainly popular among the ethnic minorities who are engaged in nomadic and fishing hunting in the north, such as Yugur's Song of Milk Young Livestock and Dongxiang's Song of Driving Donkeys.
Children's songs are divided into two types, one is lullaby and the other is children's game songs. In the old days, there were no schools and no cultural and educational facilities in ethnic minority areas. Children listened to lullabies when they were young, and then learned nursery rhymes in games when they were older. They learned things and knowledge from these nursery rhymes. The melody of children's songs is generally simple, catchy and easy to remember, and the content has children's characteristics, so it can be passed down from generation to generation. Hypnotic songs are sung for babies, which are slow, soft and pleasant, and generally have strong national characteristics and are relatively old, such as "Lullaby" by Manchu and "Mi, baram" by Uygur. The rhythm of children's game songs is relatively neat, and they often match the movements of the game. The tunes are lively and healthy, such as Little Frog of Xibo nationality, Deer of Tibetan nationality, and Bird Flying of Wa nationality.
Ritual songs are a special genre of folk songs of various ethnic minorities. They are songs with fixed patterns and contents when holding ceremonies such as sacrifices, celebrations, weddings and funerals. Ritual songs are closely related to the religious activities and customs of ethnic minorities, and can be divided into two categories: sacrificial songs and ritual songs.
in ancient times, the ancestors of all ethnic groups had a period of believing in "animism" and experienced many historical stages of worship of gods. In order to beg for the gift of nature and develop production, people have appealed, cursed and prayed to nature, and the songs sung in coordination with these activities are the earliest sacrificial songs. With the gradual formation and fixation of these activities, sacrificial songs have been shaped and handed down from generation to generation, and they have been inextricably linked with primitive religions from the beginning. Due to different religions, different ghosts and gods are worshipped, and the religious sacrifice songs of ethnic minorities are also very rich, including not only the songs to worship the ghosts and gods of heaven and earth and the souls of ancestors, but also the songs to worship mountains, rivers, trees, roads, ships, fish, livestock, crops and production tools. From the perspective of human historical development, sacrificial songs record a certain aspect of national historical development from its unique angle, and are important materials for studying the ideological development, religious concepts, moral psychology and music culture of all ethnic groups. With the development of economy and the improvement of scientific and cultural level, sacrificial songs will undoubtedly gradually lose its past significance and be preserved as the spiritual and cultural wealth of all ethnic groups.
Songs that are closely related to customs and etiquette in daily life are called etiquette songs. This part of folk songs reflects the folk customs and etiquette of all ethnic groups, entrusts people with their wishes for a better life and curses of unreasonable things, and is a precious material for studying people's thoughts, social habits and family development history. The content of secular etiquette songs of ethnic minorities is very extensive, including "Happy Birthday Song", "Adult Song", "Wedding Song", "Funeral Song", "Welcome to New House Song", "Wine Song" and "Tea Song". It can be said that wherever there are manners and customs, it is almost impossible to have no songs. Here we focus on "wedding songs", "funeral songs" and "wine songs".
"Wedding songs" are the most colorful among the etiquette songs of all ethnic groups, and their contents and forms of expression are different in different regions and ethnic groups. If there are similarities in content, that is, the bride's family should express reluctant parting, and ask the girl to be diligent and filial to her in-laws after getting married; The husband-in-law congratulates the newlyweds on their harmonious coexistence and happy life. Wedding songs of all ethnic groups are complete sets. For example, Tibetan brides sing "marriage songs" to bid farewell to their parents, brothers, sisters and sisters when they leave their families. The man greeted the woman's farewell guests and sang "welcome song" to welcome the bride and her relatives and friends. Next, both men and women sang "Lebin Song" to show their warm welcome to the guests attending the wedding. When the woman sent her husband back to her mother's house, the man sang "Song of Sending Guests" to express his farewell. Kazak wedding songs are generally composed of eight songs. First, a singer sings "Wedding Opening Song" to announce the wedding procedure and the arrangement of entertainment activities, and congratulates the host on behalf of the guests. Then, the best man sings "Bride-taking tune" to explain the reason why female students should get married. The boys who took the bride by the man sang "Gal, Gal" with the girls and daughters-in-law of the woman. The man described the beauty of married life to the bride, while the woman told her more about the pain of leaving home. Before leaving home, the bride sang a "crying wedding song" in front of her parents, strongly accusing the sin of buying and selling marriage and singing her personal sadness. After singing the "Weeping Wedding Song", the bride sang the "Farewell Song" and bid farewell to the family members and villagers one by one. As an answer to the "farewell song", a male elder usually sings the "marriage persuasion song". When the bride arrives at her in-laws' house, she will hold a ceremony to unveil the veil. At this time, the singer will sing the "Unveiling Song" to persuade the bride how to abide by women's morality, and introduce the relatives and friends of her in-laws and the ancestral rules of the tribe. The "Bride Song" is a song that the bride introduces herself in her husband's house, and then sings after the "Unveiled Song".
Funeral songs are ritual songs related to funerals. The contents include mourning for the dead, comforting relatives, and guiding the dead to return to the place where their ancestors lived to rest in peace. Due to the different customs of different ethnic groups, the contents and forms of funeral songs are also different. Generally speaking, they can be divided into three types: funeral songs, condolence songs and elegies. The funeral song is a song sung to the relatives and friends of the deceased or the neighbors. Many ethnic groups have the habit of not telling the story directly when mourning, but making it clear euphemistically and implicitly, so that the listener will not feel suddenly. Implicit language, euphemism and apt metaphor are the important features of this kind of songs. The funeral songs have a strong rap nature in tune, supplemented by the downward sad tone. The condolence song is associated with the funeral song, and the purpose of singing is to express condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased. Elegy is mainly sung when mourning the dead, which can be divided into two types: leader elegy and family elegy. Elegy of leaders is used to mourn tribal leaders and other people with status and respect. Songs often describe the achievements of the deceased's life and mourn the losses caused by his death to the tribe or village. Most of these elegies are sung by the whole village and all the people who have fallen behind. The elegies of family members are mostly sung by the families of the deceased, and the speed is generally very slow, expressing the grief of losing their loved ones.
"Wine Song" is a song sung when drinking and toasting at a festive banquet. Many ethnic minorities have special wine songs, which are generally filled with joyful atmosphere and reveal the simple and sincere feelings between relatives and friends. In many ethnic groups, the toast songs vary according to the identities of the toaster and the toaster, thus forming a wide variety and rich tunes.
different ethnic folk songs have different genres, and the criteria for genre classification are also different. For example, Russians and some ethnic minorities in the south divide folk songs into two categories: multi-voice and single-voice according to the number of voices; Mongolian folk songs are divided into long tunes with scattered boards and short tunes with boards according to the beat form; Yugur folk songs are divided into "Yale" and "non-Yale" according to whether the lyrics have rhyme or not; Kazakh folk songs are divided into "Moon Lun" and "An" according to the nature of tunes. According to the geographical environment in which each folk song originated, the Korean people can be divided into three categories: "West Road", "South Road" and "Middle Road". At the same time, almost every nation has more than two genre classification methods. For example, Mongolian folk songs can be classified into two categories: "Tulin Road" and "Yulin Road" according to the occasion of singing. "Tulin Road" is a wine song and a religious ceremony song sung on solemn occasions. "Yulin Road" includes allegorical songs, love songs and other daily folk songs. Yugur folk songs can also be divided into pastoral songs, love songs, wine songs, labor songs and other different categories according to the occasion of singing. Korean folk songs can be divided into labor folk songs, lyric folk songs, narrative folk songs and custom folk songs according to the original environment.