First, the theme and classification of Shanxi folk songs
To sum up, the theme of Shanxi folk songs can be roughly divided into the following four aspects:
1. A song that reflects the miserable life of farmers and their dissatisfaction and resistance to their tragic fate.
This kind of songs plays an important role in Shanxi folk songs. Most of Shanxi is a barren mountain area with nine droughts in ten years. In the long-term feudal society, due to poor natural and working conditions, productivity was extremely low. Under extremely difficult conditions, they traveled all over Dai Yue and worked hard all year round. Some of them even live far away from their relatives. The folk song "Going West" is a moving scene that shows a newly married couple, forced by life, the husband decides to go out to make a living, and the wife says goodbye.
2. Songs reflecting the love between young men and women and related marriage problems
This kind of folk songs reflect the working people's good wishes for freedom and happiness, and show their disgust and resistance to feudal ethics and unreasonable marriage system. For example, Zuo Quan: "Take your time" and "Acacia"; Hequ: I don't regret cutting my head with a grass knife, and so on.
3. Sing songs about historical figures and legends.
Most of these folk songs are about heroes in history, or historical stories that arouse * * * in the thoughts and feelings of working people. Such as the tune of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Sheng's play Yingying, and Su San's interpretation. These folk songs have been circulated among the people for a long time and are deeply loved by the broad masses of the people.
4. Songs reflecting the people's revolutionary struggle
This kind of songs occupies a special position in Shanxi folk songs. During the period of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, people in various base areas used a large number of new folk songs created by themselves to eulogize their lives. For example, the Huangyan Cave in Zuoquan County won a great victory, the plane was hit in Daixian County, Puge Village was besieged in Xinxian County, the eagle team was played in Dingxiang County, and Wuxiang County played well.
Second, the genre classification of Shanxi folk songs
There are many kinds and forms of Shanxi folk songs. It can be roughly divided into five schools:
1. Folk songs Folk songs refer to short songs that are suitable for working people to sing at any time in Shan Ye or cliffs or yards. The general characteristics are: (1) is short in form, and it is generally a two-sentence paragraph structure. (2) The freedom of words and forms is convenient for singers to express their feelings. (3) Lyrics are generally improvised by singers according to their own labor or their own thoughts and feelings. (4) You can sing with your mouth open at any time and place without accompaniment or a certain rising tone. Shanxi folk songs include "folk songs", "coloratura" and "rolling mats", and the names vary from place to place.
2. Chant is the labor chant, which is a song that people sing in order to unify command, coordinate actions and cheer up when they are engaged in heavy work. Although this kind of labor chant also has tunes, it mainly emphasizes rhythm and makes people work with a unified and regular rhythm. Therefore, it has the characteristics of clear and powerful rhythm, simple and smooth timbre and optimistic mood.
3. minor minor refers to those ditties that can be hummed at any time when they are suitable for indoor or outdoor work that is not too heavy. Minor is the largest and most widely distributed folk song in Shanxi, which is popular all over the province, whether in rural areas or towns.
The genre forms of Shanxi minor are rich and colorful, including beautiful lyric songs, vulgar minor that expresses daily family life, narrative songs that recite characters' stories, enthusiastic and cheerful entertainment songs, humorous songs and so on. Such as embroidered purse, sister-in-law picking vegetables, Chou-heung crying for her mother-in-law, Lantern Festival, a bone on a high mountain, catching fleas and so on. The structure of minor is generally regular, taking the paragraph structure of two sentences and four sentences as the basic form, which embodies the law of "connecting the past with the future", and the changes of this paragraph structure are various.
4. Yangko There are many kinds of yangko in Shanxi, and they are also widely distributed. Among them, Qitai Yangko, Qinyuan Yangko, Qixian Crossing the Street Yangko, Yuanping Phoenix Yangko and Linxian Umbrella Yangko are the most distinctive and influential. There are also many "native yangko" in Shanxi. Such as "Fenyang Yangko" and "Quwo Yangko" and other folk song and dance forms, such as "Flower Basket Lantern" and "Nine Lotus Lantern" in southeastern Shanxi, "Flower Drum" and "Hua Gun" in southern Shanxi. These folk song and dance forms are performed in the form of dance, supplemented by songs.
5. divertimento In Shanxi folk songs, there are also some folk vocal divertimento with strong narrative and large forms. Most of the tunes of these divertimentos are also based on the folk songs or local tunes of Ming and Qing Dynasties, and have been developed and changed according to the needs of the content. Their structures are relatively compact, and their combination patterns have certain rules. Most of the content is to praise historical figures or historical legends.
Third, the characteristics of Shanxi folk songs in artistic style
There are not only many folk songs in Shanxi, but also very distinctive local colors. The artistic styles of folk songs vary greatly from place to place in Shanxi. This is due to the differences in geographical conditions, living customs and historical conditions. Such as Hequ, Baode, Pianguan and other places, are characterized by high-pitched and big-leap-forward tones, so they sound like the vast and magnificent feeling of being bordered by the plateau. They are lyrical, straightforward, pungent, simple, lively and unrestrained, and full of humorous and touching beauty.
Zuo Quan folk songs come down in one continuous line, and their styles are quite different from any other region in Shanxi. On the whole, it looks fresh and gentle. There are many "three beats" love songs in Zuo Quan folk songs, which are not found in other folk songs.
Folk songs in Qixian and Taigu, as well as folk songs in Shouyang and Taiyuan, are more flexible, free and diverse in content and form because of their superior geographical conditions, developed transportation, prosperous economy and culture and the popularity of businessmen in modern society.
The folk songs in Huguan, Jincheng, Yangcheng and Qinshui in the southeast of Shanxi are old-fashioned and have a strong local flavor.
Shanxi folk songs have their own unique artistic style and distinctive local characteristics. The differences in environment, economy, culture, language and style and habits in different places determine that they have a wide range of subjects and rich contents, which reflect the life and history of Shanxi people like a mirror. In the future, it will continue to develop with the progress of history, and release more brilliant brilliance with the ever-changing new life of the people.