Called dirge.
The dirge refers to the sad music specially used for funeral or memorial ceremonies. Different countries, different ethnic groups, and different historical periods, the content of the dirge and the way it is played and sung are different. There are three kinds of dirge music used in China now.
The origin of China's dirge is in 1936, Comrade Liu Zhidan by the instructions of the Party Central Committee to lead the team on the Eastern Expedition, the unfortunate sacrifice of the town of Sanjiao, Zhongyang County, Shanxi Province.1942, the Party Central Committee decided to relocate the casket of Liu Zhidan to his hometown of ---- Bao'an County (today's Zhidan County).
In order to make this moving ceremony more grand, "LUYI" band took on the task of moving the music, and by Marco, Anbo and other five music workers composed of mourning music composition group. They were widely circulated in the Jin-Shaan area according to the folk funeral and other tunes, adapted into a formal dirge. This dirge with our national style has been used until now.
Expanded Information
Little is known is that China's common use of funeral ceremonies on the "Lamentation", is Liu Chih and others adapted from the north of Shaanxi Province folk music suona played by the "wind wind Ling" evolved, the music in September 1949 by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the **** review, was formally approved as a ceremony with the music.
Liu Chih (1921-1998): a composer of drum music from the folk. Mention of the film "Shang Gan Ling" will immediately remind people of the vast "my motherland", mention "heroes and children" also can not help but sing "Beacon Rolling Singing Heroes", more than these stirring songs, the movie "Flowers of the Motherland" interlude will surely let the audience who were once youthful and youthful thumping, "Let us swing both oars, the small boat pushed away the waves ". And it was Liu Chieh who composed the music for these songs.
Shaanxi people are straightforward, great joy and great sorrow are not manifested in the form! Joy than the "big swing team", mournful and moving non-"Pink Lotus" is none other than. Today, we use in the formal occasions of mourning music is also derived from the folk music of northern Shaanxi.
In the spring of 1942, the Yan'an Lu Xun Art Institute of music workers Liu Chih, Zhang Lu with the River Defense Generals visiting delegation to the Mili, heard the suona artist Chang Wenqing played the "Pink Lotus" honey sad, especially moving.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Mourning Music