The Origin of Yunnan Folk Songs

Yunnan is the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities in China, including Yi, Bai, Dai, Hani, Zhuang, Miao, Lisu, Wa, Hui, Naxi, Lahu, Jingpo, Yao, Tibetan, Brown, Achang, Mongolian, Benglong, Dulong, Pumi and other ethnic groups. In the life of people of all ethnic groups, folk singing activities occupy a particularly important position, penetrating into almost every field of life. They sing to confide in the mutual love between men and women, to sing to stimulate the labor enthusiasm in the production struggle, to sing to express the mourning of the dead, the blessing of marriage, to sing to express the joy of the harvest and the joy of the festival ...... Especially those who do not have the written word of the ethnic groups, it is often rely on those who have a wide range of knowledge, rich in experience of old singers, to the lengthy Narrative songs, to the national masses and young people to teach historical knowledge, production knowledge, life knowledge and etiquette knowledge. It is said that before the liberation of the Lisu people "lawsuit" is also singing, the plaintiff, the defendant to sing to complain about their respective reasons, the settlement of the people also sing to make a decision. Therefore, in many ethnic groups, the children are still learning to speak, but also follow the adults to learn to sing. And a skillful folk singer often gets special respect from the people in his own nation.

Yunnan folk songs of various ethnic groups are very rich in content, whether it is a major event in the history of the nation, the life of the wedding and funeral rites and customs, and almost everything that can be touched in life, are vividly reflected in the folk songs.

Yunnan folk songs are not only the core and foundation of Yunnan folk music, but also of special significance to the development of national literature and art. She is not only an important part of the national song and dance music, but also the embryo of the development of national music, she not only nurtured the formation of ethnic minority opera and song music, but also provided rich nutrients for the further development of the art of opera and rap. In all kinds of ethnic music and opera and rap music such as Huadeng, Bai Opera, Zhuang Opera, Dai Opera, Yangqin, Dabenqu, etc., a large number of tunes have so far retained their ethnic originality or variants close to folk songs. In particular, it should not be ignored that the lyrics of folk songs of various ethnic groups are themselves extremely colorful folk poetry. The lyrics can be changed, usually by the musicians who see the scene, and improvise the lyrics as they feel.

Yunnan's Han people have had long and wide-ranging exchanges with many ethnic minority people in many aspects, including culture and music. As a result, the Han Chinese mountain songs in Yunnan are more earthy with the mountains and more colorful in their tunes than those of Sichuan, Guizhou and Sichuan. In addition to the influence of ethnic minorities, historically there were a large number of Jiangnan people migrated to Yunnan, so Yunnan folk songs have a mixture of Jiangnan style and southwest style.

Yunnan Han folk songs can be summarized into four categories: mountain songs, ditties, labor songs and dance songs. Han folk songs in some areas called "tune" or "tune", also called "cavity", mountain songs that is the so-called "song of the mountain field "Therefore, these folk songs are mainly sung in the mountains and fields. Due to the singing environment, most of these folk songs are relatively free, stretching, high and unrestrained. These folk songs are mostly sung in the form of duets, and can also be sung solo. When singing in pairs, because the other party maintains a certain distance, in order to arouse the attention of the other party and stimulate the other party's emotional response, it is often the beginning of the first sing a long introductory accent, and then sing the main content. This kind of folk song is the most distinctive part of the local characteristics of the Yunnan Han folk songs, and there are different styles, and most of them do not have fixed lyrics, mostly improvisational singing, so it is most able to show the singer's artistic talent. Yunnan Han folk songs unique style, melodious, in the country has a greater impact, such as "play the mountain tune", "catching the horse tune", "the river flows", "Maidu mountain song", "the river rises Shalangsha" and so on has long been popular.

Yunnan Han folk songs in the ditty can be called life song, the number of larger, the content of the subject matter is also more extensive. The source of these folk songs is more complex, not only small Ming, Qing Xiaoqu, but also many Han folk songs from all over the country, most of them have a more fixed traditional lyrics. Their style is relatively less unique than that of Yunnan's mountain songs, but they still have a certain local color.

Labor songs include three types. One type is accompanied by specific labor production singing songs; another type is in the collective labor process, to inspire the mood, reduce fatigue, coordinate the role of the action of the labor horn, usually a song of the crowd, and there is a distinctive labor rhythms and a strong labor atmosphere; and another type is a full-time singers in the field along with the process of improvisation of the form of labor, singing tunes by the local mountain songs, ditties and become.

Dance songs usually have a distinctive dance rhythm, lantern songs and dances in the tunes belong to such. Among them, especially "Ten Big Sisters" has long enjoyed a good reputation in China.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Huang Hong, a famous folk singer, has made a great contribution to the introduction and dissemination of Yunnan Han folk songs and the improvement of the art of singing. She sang "Guess the Tune", "The River Runs Through It", "Embroidered Lotus Bags", "Juggling Mountain Tune" and other Yunnan folk songs, won the praise of the domestic music world. 30 years, she has been with a variety of art groups, has visited the former Soviet Union, Poland, Romania, the former German Democracy **** and the country, North Korea, Japan, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and other countries, to her superb and unique colorful folk songs singing art, for the Yunnan folk music. She has drawn a strong stroke for Yunnan folk music.