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MUSIC OF CHINA.

1.	Ancient Naxi Music.

The Naxi music comprises of the ; Dongba, Baisha Xi Yue, Dongjing and Huangjing.

This music originated in the 14th Century and since then, it is known to tie together Ancient Melodies, Ancient Musical instruments and Aged musician.

It is not a surprise that most of the players of this music are aged sixty years or older.

This music is famous among the Naxi people. The Naxi ethnic group live in Lijiang, Yunnan province. Lijiang is located in the joint of the Yun- Gui Plateau and Qinghai- Tibet Plateau.

The geographical state of the group, caused interactions between other groups such as Han and Tibetan therefore birthing the Naxi Music which is the merging of various kinds of music present in the diverse cultures of the people.

Naxi music is known to combine the Naxi style and the Taoist Dongjing music thelat had been introduced to Lijiang during the Ming Dynasty.

This people are known for their virtuosity in singing and dancing and for their love of nature.

This music has a wide audience and is performed in many different occasions. They are all weddings, funerals, ceremonies celebrating new houses, birthdays and many recreational activities, such as Archery and Ancient Chinese Sports.

Mode of learning Naxi Music.

The Chinese use the strict mode of learning.

In this mode, the master teaches the pupil and it is usually a father-son combination.

The piece of music is learnt through oral instruction of the Chinese Gongche Notation.

During the learning, the master sings the notation in pieces then the student recites in smaller sections.

The student practices individually until he can play it on his own fluently.

This method of learning has been handed down from one generation to the next.

Chinese Gongche Notation.

It is a Traditional Music Notation that is popular in ancient China.

This notation originated during the Wu Dai (907- 960) and became popular during Ming Dynasty (1368- 1644) and Qin Dynasty (1644-1912).

The notation uses Chinese characters to represent music notes. The sheet music written in this notation is still used for traditional Chinese music instrument and Chinese opera.

The different kinds of Naxi Music.

A.	Dongba Music

This is the music of Dongba people. The core of the Dongba religion is based on the belief that both man and nature are two half-brothers born of two mothers and the same father.

Therefore this music is an important part of their culture. The music sung softly and are usually accompanied by instrumental music. This include the Ban bell, a drum, gongs and cymbals.

Dongba means sage. This refers to the religious priests who were important figures among the people.

This priests served as artists, craftsmen and doctors for the people. The music sang was from the priest’s scripture readings. This music together with folk songs were sung during festivals.

This music has survived up to date due to oral tradition, scriptures and paintings.

At the religious ceremonies, the vocal and the instrumental create harmonies together with different rhythm and loud tones.

B.	Baisha Xi Yue.

The Baisha Xi Yue is an orchestral work which include choruses, clear storylines which have plots and music movement.

The music was left by the Mongolians when Kublai Khan was going to make a journey to Dali.

When he went to Lijiang he was welcomed by the leader of the Naxi group. This welcome made him leave some of his musicians and books as a gift.

In another anecdotes, this music was a requiem by the Naxi to honour the souls of the deceased soldiers.

Despite the differences in the tales, the music serves one same purpose of remembrance.

This music has three parts; dance music, instrumental music with singing, plotlines.

The plotlines are tragic sagas of intertribal wars that happened in the region.

C.	Cave Music.

Dongjing is a musical treasure that originated in the central plain of Lijiang.

This music was introduced to the Naxi people by the Han and the Bai people.

This music’s styles are a combination of styles of the Han and Naxi people. The tunes of the Han are retained while it posseses the energy and rhythm of the Naxi music forming own style.

This music is an integral part of both cultures although it was started by the Han people and assimilated by the Naxi.

This music is composed of different tunes and qusung verses.

Some of the pieces were thought to have been lost but they have been restored by Dongjing music, making music more significant.

This music has been passed down from generation to generation through oral instruction and written music. This has been made possible through the Traditional Chinese Gongcho Notation that has been used to record this music and other music like the Qupai of the Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties

Some of the stylistic features are;

Instrumentation- musical instruments used in this genre are the flute, reed-pipe, Pi-pa, oboe, cymbals and the bells. All this depends with the number of musicians playing.

Tone- the tones used are simple and graceful.

Rhythm – the rhythms are  smooth and purposeful.

This music is played in wedding ceremonies, funerals and birthdays.

2.	Folk songs on grassland.

The folk songs on grassland include; Mongolian Traditional Long Song, Mongolian Traditional Folk Short Song, Mongolian Khoomei.

The Mongolian ethnic group lives mainly in the inner Mongolia Region and the Xinjiang Uygur Region.

The Mongolian people are bold, optimistic and decisive in mind. The people enjoy dances distinguished for strong rhythms and dynamic movement.

a)	Mongolian Traditional Folk Long Song.

This long song belongs to the Nomadic people of Mongolia.

This music is known to have created its own brilliant civilization and unique culture.

The song represents the life of the nomad in the grassland.

This type of song contains praise of the grassland, adoration of the fine horses, expression of gratitude to parents and praises love.

An example of this song is Keerqin Folk Song Bayanchagan Grassland.

Some of the stylistic devices are;

Melody – The melody is lengthy in the middle which makes the music sound bold and unconstrained.

The use of embellishments such as trills are evident too.

Rhythm- Presence of free rhythm. The rhythm of the long song imitates the sound of the horse’s hooves.

Lyrics – they may be developed according to life experiences. They are highly improvised. They are also quite lengthy.

Tune- the tunes are fixed.

Form- the form of this music is well defined. The music may have one or several movements which first rise from undertone to high pitch and then fall back to undertone.

Use of dynamics – the song is loud and sonorous to communicate life led by nomads.

Instrumentation-the horse head qin stringed instrument is used. It is played solo, it is appreciated for a simple and adorned style with mellifluous notes.

Cultural and artistic value of the long song.

The beautiful pastoral setting; blooming flowers, riding in the beautiful land, sweeping breeze, grass stretching to the horizon, clouds drifting by and the herds of the animals grazing, encouraged the nomads to create music that created a connection from the inside out. This connection between man and nature has been referred to as “a perfect unison of soul and nature ” by musicians.

When a man leads this music, it os accompanied by bass voices of other men. This creates a majestic, solemn, and brilliant mood.

An overwhelming impression is created by the Horse head stringed instrument. The overwhelming majority of themes consists of horses, camels, herds of sheep, blue sky, white clouds, water and grass.

Their language and structure is very concise. The tone is passionate lending listeners the feeling of beautiful in which man and nature merge into one.

In the ancient sixty beauties, sixty images are seen in one movement piece. Some of the images are life grasslands and animals. This reminds listeners of past harmony between man and nature. Considering that the world today is being damaged by pollution.

Apart from nature,the theme of love is sang about. The nomads feel privileged to be living in a sparsely populated area since they consider it to be a blessing to enjoy the selfless patron of nature.

Some sadness is also expressed due to the hardship faced. Although majority of the tone is enthusiastic, bold, aggressive, resolute, selfconfident and vigorous.

b)	Mongolian Traditional Folk Short Song.

This music is popular where the Han and Mongolian live together.

Some songs like the Xibo Lama, Honeyed Wine, Twelve Zodiacs of the Elder brothers drawing camels.

Some of the stylistic devices;

Rhythm – it is written in rhyming couplets with a set rhythm.

Lyrics – the lyrics are often simple and repetitive unlike the long song where they are improvised.

c)	Mongolian Khoomei.

Koomei means throat. Therefore the art of throat singing. The music is an imitation of rivers and waterfall.

Tune – the tune is short but may be performed through long tune songs.

The songs are known to sing of the beauty of nature, mimic lovely manners of wild animals and others are songs praising fine horses and grasslands.