In the southwest of Hubei Province, there is a place called "Jinjianshi"-Jianshi County. It has been the "throat of Chu and Shu" since ancient times, and it is the only place for Jingchu to reach Bashu by dry road. It has a history of nearly two thousand years since Jinjian County. According to the county annals of Tongzhi five years in Qing Dynasty, "the mountains are thick and overlapping, and the mountains are abrupt and majestic", which is a poor place with "the roots of the valley are in the stone and the soil of the stone field is as gold".

However, due to the open-minded attitude of the working people of all ethnic groups living here, the industrious and simple nature, the generous mind of absorbing foreign cultures, and the unique geographical environment in which Jianshi was located, Jingchu culture, Bashu culture and local culture are widely gathered and seamlessly integrated here. It has created extremely colorful and colorful Han folk culture and art, such as vast folk songs, interesting Han folk stories, passionate flower drum lanterns, cheerful flower drums, ancient and strong funeral dances with different styles, etc. , like a blossoming mountain flower, is in full bloom in Jianshi Shan Ye and the countryside. Jianshi Sixian Gong and Drum is one of them.

Investigation, collection and protection of "Sixian gongs and drums" since the founding of New China.

After the founding of New China, the people's government attached great importance to the protection of "Jianshi Sixian gongs and drums". During 1957, Hubei People's Art Theatre and Hubei Song and Dance Theatre sent experts to Jianshi to interview Sixian gongs and drums. From the early 1960s to the Cultural Revolution, the County Song and Dance Troupe specially hired the famous artist Professor Yin to "stringed gongs and drums" for nearly two years. During this period, Enshi Song and Dance Troupe often hired Professor Yin to play gongs and drums. Hubei Song and Dance Troupe even sent classes to Jianshi to learn "Jianshi Sixian gongs and drums".

During the Cultural Revolution, gongs and drums masters were regarded as "ghosts" and drums were forbidden for more than ten years. However, gongs and drums are sometimes played in remote villages.

198 1 year "Ten Integrations" was launched, which systematically and comprehensively excavated, collected and sorted out Jianshi Sixian gongs and drums. The county cultural center sent music professionals to the countryside to learn from teachers. On the basis of the general survey, all the tunes mastered by the folk artist Xiao Maorong were recorded and recorded one by one. This work started at 198 1 and ended at 1984. 1985, the county people's Committee spent 5,000 yuan, and Wuhan Conservatory of Music printed the information booklet "Jianshi Folk Percussion Music, Sixian Gong and Drum".

65438-0997 Professor Mao Jizeng from Minzu University of China personally went to Jianshi to interview Sixian gongs and drums. At the beginning of 2000, Enshi Ethnic Affairs Committee formulated the Outline of Enshi Ethnic Culture Research for Ten Years (2000-20 10) and edited and published the series of Enshi Ethnic Studies, which is a long-term plan to implement the Outline. Because of this, on the basis of the original Jianshi folk percussion music "Sixian gongs and drums", some qupai were corrected and revised, and the book "Jianshi Sixian gongs and drums" was published by the international cultural publishing company in 20001year. The name "Sixian gongs and drums" seems unreasonable at first glance, but after we understand its causes, it is not difficult to understand this established name.

It is not difficult to see that the so-called "stringed gongs and drums" actually include the following contents and forms.

First, there is "restraint in haste, and no rhythm in haste" (Wang Qi's "Three Talents Meeting"). Pure gong and drum music is commonly known as "dry card" or "small card". The so-called "dry" corresponds to "wet" and "dry" refers to pure noise percussion. "Wet" refers to melodious music tunes; "Small" is the antonym of "big". All "dry brands" are mostly short and rarely exceed two phrases. The so-called "big" is the longer and more complete drum music in Sixian gongs and drums.

The second is the Qupai drum music that flowed into Jianshi in the early years, including the drum music that was constantly blown and a large number of suona solo music cards (commonly known as "hall card" or "sitting hall card", and "hall" means "room").

The third is the so-called "silk string". "In the later period of the development of traditional Chinese opera music, that is, from the end of Ming Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty, new tunes and new plays emerged one after another, with Yiyang tune, Bangzi and (Yang's Draft of China Ancient Music History) having the greatest influence. Among the above three kinds of vocals, Pihuang and Bangzi were adopted by folk artists at the beginning of their creation. They call "Xipi" "getting off the road". This is because Xipi flows into the east of Jianshi, who called people in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River "Xiajiang people", and the word "Xialu" here takes its meaning. " On the Road, also known as Chuanbangzi, flows into the north of Jianshi, so it is also called North Road. South Road flows in from the south of Jianshi, which is related to Jing Hexi, Hunan. Therefore, "Sixian" is also called "Three Roads" among the people. Sixian "is actually" suona blowing opera " Because of sheng, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute, bamboo flute

Among the above four kinds of qupai, the first three can be integrated into the ensemble of qupai, while the "Sixian" is played alone. It is often heard that artists say such a sentence in actual performances: "Let's have a gong and drum" or "Let's have a stringed instrument". This sentence is enough to show that "Sixian" and "gongs and drums" are two different things. Then why did the convention custom become the name of "Sixian gongs and drums"? That's because artists often teach both "gongs and drums" and "Sixian" when teaching. Most artists have both skills. The society thinks that they are "stringed gongs and drums" artists and calls them "people who play stringed gongs and drums". Therefore, the different types of Qupai they play are generally called "Sixian gongs and drums".