The Da Song-Dong language is called "Gal Laox", "ga" is a song, and "Lao" has a grand and ancient meaning. Dong folk songs are mainly sung in the form of "all low and all high" and polyphonic multi-voice chorus. Dong's Daqu needs more than three singers (teams) to sing, and the more people participate in the singing, the better the effect. Almost every Dong village has a choir, and some Dong villages have as many as 10. Dui Ge and Sai Ge are generally held in Dong People's New Year Festival, Chinese New Year Festival, Spring Festival and other festivals. More interestingly, village-to-village and village-to-village duet competitions. At that time, young men and women kept peeking at each other with their eyes and making out with each other. They often fall in love by singing Daqu at first until they get married.
"Eating for health and singing for heart" is a common saying of Dong people, that is to say, they regard "singing" as important as "eating". Dong people regard songs as spiritual food, and cultivate their hearts and sentiments with songs. Dong people regard songs as treasures and think that songs are knowledge and culture. Whoever has many songs is a knowledgeable person. In the Dong area, singers are recognized by the society as the most knowledgeable and reasonable people, so they are deeply respected by the Dong people. Therefore, they all love songs, learn and sing from generation to generation, take songs as their pleasure, take pride in "being able to sing and sing many songs", express their feelings with songs, and pour out their joys and sorrows with songs. Songs are closely related to the social life of the Dong people, and various folk songs of the Dong people, especially the big songs of the Dong people, have become ancient songs that they have sung for a long time. As the most important part of Dong songs, Dong songs are closely related to the customs, habits, personality, psychology and living environment of Dong people, which is a true record of Dong history and a direct expression of Dong culture.
"Chinese character books pass books, Dong people have no words to sing, ancestors sing to their ancestors, and ancestors sing to their children and grandchildren." This Dong folk song clearly points out that the essence of Dong culture lies in Dong songs. Dong nationality is a nation without writing. From ancient times to the present, their narratives, biographies and lyricism are all passed down from mouth to mouth. Because of this, the Dong culture has experienced the ups and downs of history and the vicissitudes of the world, and has been preserved with its unique style, and gradually attracted the attention of the world.
Han people have words to pass on books, while Dong people have no words to pass on songs.
Dong nationality is a member of China's ethnic minorities, and it is said that it is the descendant of the Guyue people, with a history of more than 2,500 years. They mainly live in Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi and Hubei provinces, with a population of about 2.96 million (according to the data of the fifth census in 2000), and are mainly engaged in agricultural and forestry production. Liping County, Guizhou Province is the most populous county of Dong nationality in China, with a population of 350,000. Dong people are not only simple in folk customs, but also very creative. A folk proverb says, "Dong culture has three treasures: Drum Tower, Big Song and Flower Bridge". Among them, Daqu is invisible and intangible, and can only be captured and appreciated with ears and hearts.
Dong folk songs are commonly called "Ga Lao" in Dong language. "Ga" is a song, and "Lao" has a grand and ancient meaning. It is a kind of "superior" music, which must be sung by more than three people. Multi-voice, no conductor and no accompaniment are its main characteristics. Simulating the sounds of nature, such as birdsong, mountains and running water, is a major feature of the creation of big songs and a natural source of big songs. Its main content is to praise the friendship between nature, labor, love and human beings, which is a kind of harmony between man and nature and between people.
Dong people's big song "All Low and All High" and polyphonic multi-voice chorus are rare in Chinese and foreign folk music. The occasion of singing big songs is more particular. In addition to the usual training, big songs can only be sung in the Drum Tower, a landmark building in Dong villages, on major festivals, in collective exchanges or when receiving distinguished guests from afar. Therefore, Dong folk songs are also called "Drum Tower folk songs". Singers are too old to succeed.
Dong folk songs are one of the most distinctive national music arts in China, and also a rare bright pearl in the international national music art garden. Polyphony and multi-voice chorus in Dong people's big songs is rare in Chinese and foreign national music, which has very important academic value and appreciation value. Dong's big songs are not only a kind of music art, but also an important part of understanding Dong's social structure, marriage relationship, cultural inheritance and spiritual life, which has research value in social history, ideological history, educational history and marriage history.
Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, because the Dong people had no writing, they could only be handed down from generation to generation among the people, and little was known. Therefore, when talking about China's music, some foreign scholars make some presumptuous assertions, saying that "China's music has always been monophonic" (Supplement to China Music published in Leipzig, Germany 19 1 1, by Foyle; "There is no multi-part music in China, let alone harmony and chords" (The Music of Ulster China published by Shanghai Publishing House 1933). At that time, China musicians and intellectuals knew little or nothing about Dong folk songs and folk multi-part music of other ethnic minorities, so no one came out to refute them.
In fact, the formation of Dong folk songs has a history of nearly a thousand years. This unique China folk music is like a colorful flower and a string of beautiful pearls hidden in mountains and oceans, emitting charming fragrance and light day and night. It was not until the land reform was carried out in the whole country after liberation that it was discovered by Xiao Jiaju, an older generation musician, and musicians were organized to go deep into the Dong mountainous area of Liping County for collection, excavation and recording.
1959- 10, Liping County Dong Song Chorus organized a strong lineup to perform in Beijing, which brought people colorful and original Dong songs and sang them on the capital stage, breaking the long-term isolation of Dong songs and causing strong repercussions. At that time, the Chinese record club also recorded Dong songs. That is an important step for Dong people's big songs to go out of the mountains, to the whole country and to the world.
Since liberation, 35 young Dong men and women in Liping County have successively gone to France, Italy, Singapore and other countries and regions to sing "Dong Da Ge". 198610/On October 3rd, the government of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou Province organized 1 1 person to go abroad for the first time to participate in the Autumn Art Festival in Paris, France. Their performance in Paris's Charle Palace was very popular, with only 37 curtain calls. Markel Vito, the executive chairman of the film festival, said excitedly: "It's beautiful! How beautiful! It is rare in the world that a Dong nationality with a population of over one million in the East can create and spread such ancient, pure and shining art. ".
1994 Spring Festival Gala and 200 1 Spring Festival Gala, Dong folk songs such as "Song of Cicada" and "Cuckoo Birthday Spring" sung by Liping County Dong National Song Team made this wonderful folk art in Liping County famous at home and abroad.
However, with the gradual acceleration of human modernization and the in-depth implementation of China's reform and opening-up policy, Dong folk songs are facing an unprecedented all-round impact from modern culture, foreign culture and market economy. The economic foundation and cultural soil on which Dong folk songs depend for survival are being destroyed as never before, and Dong folk songs are facing the embarrassing situation that there is no successor and they are on the verge of extinction.
Protection and "Application for Heritage" of Dong's Big Songs
With the frequent appearance of Dong songs at home and abroad, Guizhou Dong songs have attracted more and more attention from experts and scholars at home and abroad. From 65438 to 0984, Rongjiang county carried out the experiment of "Dong people's big songs entering the classroom" in primary and secondary schools in the county, and its influence extended to Liping, Congjiang and Jinping, and radiated to the Dong areas such as Xianggui. "Dong songs into the classroom" has experienced 18 years of wind and rain, and achieved certain results. However, due to the lack of funds, system guarantee and teacher support, there are certain difficulties in practice. In Gaozeng, congjiang county, due to more and more people going out to work, there is a serious fault phenomenon among singers. Most people who can sing Dong songs are over 50 years old, but few young people learn to sing Dong songs.
Natural ecology needs to be protected, and so does human ecology. Rare "species" like Dong Daqu should be scientifically and effectively rescued and protected as human intangible cultural heritage. Only in this way can human beings live in a colorful, coordinated and progressive natural and social environment forever. Living in such a realistic situation and humanistic concept, Liping county put forward an action plan of "saving, protecting, inheriting and developing Dong people's big songs".
A pilot base for the protection of Dong folk songs was established in Yandong Town, Liping County, Guizhou Province, which is the main epidemic area of Dong folk songs, and a virtuous circle mechanism for the self-development of Dong folk songs culture was established through a series of activities. To study and formulate the reward and naming policies for Dong folk singers and singers; Incorporate Dong folk songs into the school music education system; Excavate, rescue, sort out the Daqu that is on the verge of being lost, make written records, make publications and so on.
"If you don't sing, your youth is like running water/people turn green leaves to yellow when they are over 30/life is short/your heart is full in spring and autumn/your strength is insufficient/time flies, and you and I will go our separate ways/we should always keep it in mind when we get together at this time"-this is the theme of a song in the Dong people's big song, which fully shows the Dong people's love for songs. May this melodious, mysterious and melodious Daqu last forever, and may this fantastic melody intoxicate the world together. The Dong nationality area has been divided into several "caves" in history, and each "cave" governs a large area (several villages). With the development of history, it is not clear which area some caves refer to, but "six caves", "nine caves" and "ten caves" have always been used. The "six caves" are centered on Zhaoxing Piling in Liping and Longtuguan Cave in Congjiang. The "Nine Cave" focuses on the development of Congjiang River and the trust in land. The "Ten Cave" is centered on Liping's caves and new caves. Chopping people by Dong people is mainly popular in the areas of "Six Holes", "Nine Holes" and "Ten Holes" and neighboring areas or villages. Miaolan, Zaidang and Jiasuo areas in Zhama Township, Rongjiang County belong to the "Nine Cave" in ancient times and are also one of the popular areas of big songs. Daqu can be divided into Drum Tower, Vocal Voice, Etiquette, Narration, Children's Songs, Opera and so on, due to the differences in singing places, performance forms and singers' gender and age. Or it can be divided into male songs, female songs and children's songs. Drum Tower Grand Song, called "Gadelou" in Dong language, is the main type of songs sung by male and female song teams in various villages in Drum Tower. Others are called by the central lizi dialect, including "sniffing the top" and "dry race", most of which are love songs. "Gansai" is the main theme of formal duet, and it is also the main body of "Galao". Male and female voices all over the country have their own voices, and most of them are named after popular areas, such as "Garan" (Miao Lan's song), "Gadi" (Cao Di Dong's song) and "Ga Dang Dang" (Dang Dang's song). The loud song called "al soh" in Dong language is not the main song of the Drum Tower duet, but a wonderful episode in the process of duet. Most of them sing at the request of the audience or to express their own voice, commonly known as "voice change" The lyrics of big vocal music are short, mainly expressing musical tunes, often imitating insects and birds. Several singers take turns to sing high notes when taking over the cavity, which is beautiful and beautiful, and can best play the overall singing level of chorus. From the musical point of view, loud singing is the essence of Dong multi-voice songs. Song titles often begin with the names of fish, insects, birds and animals or seasonal festivals, such as "Garunlang" (cicada song), "Gaye" (frog song) and "Ga March" (March song). The ballads in Dong language are called "al jenh" or "aI jebl". It is not only a kind of folk song, but also a kind of folk art. According to the genre of lyrics, it can be divided into two types: "Gajun" who sings stories and "Gaxiang" who makes sense; According to music singing, it can be divided into "Ga Jun" and "Ga Jin". Song titles are often named after the names of the main characters or the central content of the story, such as Beauty of Pearl, Beauty of Jin Han, Honor to Parents, Persuading Lazy People and so on. Ritual songs, called "Alex Sang" in Dong language, are the general names of multi-voice songs sung in various ceremonial occasions. Generally speaking, it can be divided into three types: "Road-blocking Song", "Wine Ritual Song" and "Treading Song", all of which are composed of lead singers and chorus. Children's big song, called "al lagx uns" in Dong language, is a multi-voice song sung by children when they concentrate on games and entertainment. The lyrics are short and the tune is cheerful, with chorus as the main part and chorus as the supplement. The title of the song depends on the content, such as Ant Song, Little Goat and Visiting Grandma. Drama song, called "Alva Geks" in Dong language, is a multi-voice song sung in the performance of Dong opera. It is usually used at the beginning or end of a drama, or in scenes where immortals and officials appear. The performers at the front desk and backstage sang together, and the atmosphere was warm. There is no fixed song title. Galao is called a big song because it is to be sung by the Dong folk chorus. Second, it has two parts; Third, its five-style singing method is to sing loudly in front of everyone in the Drum Tower; Fourth, the lyrics have grown up. It took Long song forty or fifty minutes to finish singing a song, which often gave people the feeling that "Long song closed his eyes".
Every village where Daqu is popular has Daqu teams. These DaSong teams are all folk amateur organizations. Men and women can freely combine, ranging from four or five people to more than ten people. Men's and women's singing teams are divided into: children's singing team, juvenile singing team, juvenile singing team, adult singing team, old singing team and so on. Children's choir
Under the guidance of a singer or brother, I received the enlightenment training of big songs, mainly learning to sing children's big songs and learning other big songs to cultivate my interest.
Juvenile song team
It is under the guidance of singers or brothers and sisters that comprehensive big song training is started. Girls' singing teams often practice while learning, spin and sew, and learn all kinds of songs to lay a good foundation for singing. If a visiting team enters the village to sing, they will dance and practice.
Youth singing team
However, under the guidance of the singer, he mastered a lot of Daqu and lyrics, and his singing skills were very high. He is the main force in the dialogue between the village and the visiting team, and sometimes he will take the initiative to visit other villages. Adult singing teams usually help singers train their younger brothers and sisters, be good staff members of the youth singing teams, and be the strong backing of the youth singing teams.
Senior choir
Mainly for the demonstration of the youth song team, but also need to have fun, mainly singing narrative songs. The most prestigious singers in the choir are the organizers and leaders of the choir, who are generally older and experienced. A singer should have the following conditions: first, he is an excellent singer who has been trained in singing for a long time; Second, proficient in all kinds of Daqu and singing; Third, master a large number of lyrics and be able to adapt improvisation; Fourth, the style is decent, be a model, and have the ability to organize and lead; The fifth is dedication. This singer is the one who knows the national culture best among the Dong people and is most respected and loved by people. In order to carry forward the excellent music culture of Dong people, the cultural department of Jiang Ge County introduced ethnic music into schools. And set up Jinchan Dong Children's Art Troupe in Chejiang Primary School, taking learning to sing Dong children's songs and other excellent folk songs as its own responsibility. Remarkable achievements have been made, and it has become a banner for Dong township to carry forward the excellent national culture. Dong folk songs are polyphonic chorus songs of Dong folk voices. Except for a few male singers who sang Drum Tower Daqu accompanied by three-stringed pipa, the rest were performed without accompaniment for ten days. The basic mode of Daqu belongs to the natural pentatonic feather type. But there are also cases of mode conversion. Common interval relationships are three degrees, five degrees, four degrees, seven degrees, two degrees, rarely six degrees, and no octave and other changing intervals. Among them, the third degree is the basic interval relationship in the polyphony of female songs, and the third degree is a harmonious interval regardless of its size. Dong people are also used to incomplete concordance or dissonance intervals such as fourth, seventh and second degrees. Daqu is basically two parts, mainly bass, and everyone sings together; All the high notes are derived, and one lead singer or many lead singers take turns, which is a feature of big songs and a creation of folk chorus by the Dong people. Especially when singing loud songs, several singers take turns to lead the singing, simulating insects and birds, one after another, which not only makes the singing continuous, but also obtains the contrast of sound quality, timbre and volume. And turn the bass into a long dominant low continuation, retreat to a subordinate position as the background, give the protagonist a loud impact and let him play freely. Dong Da Ge is a song that was first discovered in China, put on the stage, edited and published, performed all over the world and attracted the attention of the world music community. Such beautiful music really represents a level of our country. In the past, there was an international argument that China only had monophonic music, while China's music was a one-way thinking. In fact, our Chinese nation is rich in multi-voice music, and Dong folk songs are the best proof. Therefore, the existence and development of Dong folk songs are the pride of Dong people and the whole Chinese nation.