Miao Songs in Twelve Poems

Guizhou
🎧  Listen to Introduction

The twelve-poetry Miao song is also called poetry. It is mainly spread in Hekou Township, Guben Township, Liping and Jianhe areas of Jinping County, Guizhou Province. It is a form of cultural communication and emotional expression for the Miao people living in Qingshanjie. The singing method is mainly chorus. The lyrics are mostly seven-character sentences, four sentences in one song. The lyrics include love songs for young men and women to communicate, labor songs, entertainment songs sung in leisure time, etiquette songs for communication with the outside world, antithetical songs at singing competitions, wedding songs, etc. The lyrics are short and concise, and the words are connected with the Miao and Chinese fusion. It is beautiful and melodious. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, the Yuhe Miao family entered Liangsi, Jinping County, Guizhou Province from Taihe County, Jiangxi Province via Hunan and lived in Yuhe area of Qingshanjie. At that time, the Miao people sang a Miao song called "Four Flowers". Its tunes were complex and varied, rich in changes, and had the characteristics of combining rap. In the early Qing Dynasty, due to the prosperity of forest business culture, the influx of the Ming Han people (the Miao people called Hakka) people came to do business and engage in handicrafts. Because the local songs were very moving, outsiders also showed great interest, and the Miao song "Four Flowers" became their channel and method of communication. With the entry of outsiders, the Miao village has also achieved certain development, and since then, it has deepened its understanding of outsiders and enhanced its feelings. Due to language barriers, in order to allow outsiders to understand the local Miao songs and understand the feelings of the locals towards the guests, they mixed the lyrics with simple Chinese to express. So it became a poetry tune with Miao language as the main language and Chinese mixed in. By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, a large number of Han people settled down, and the population of the Han nationality increased. In the inheritance of poetry tunes, many Miao languages and Chinese gradually merged. Many lining words were added to the singing, which was as catchy as reciting poems. The "Four Flowers" degenerated and evolved into twelve poetry tunes. Twelve poetry tunes are the kind with the most lining words in folk songs. Some songs use more than 280 lining words in just four lines of lyrics. The lining words are mixed with Miao and Chinese, but the tone is coherent and smooth. The lining words can also be expanded and reduced according to the content and emotions of the lyrics. The range is not wide, and the melody does not fluctuate much. The melody can be used for love songs or ritual songs. The rhythm of the music is relatively free, and the lyrics are traditional and improvisational. The lyrics are traditional, and some are improvised on different occasions. They are easy to understand and generally rhyme. The melody changes slightly according to the level and tone of the lyrics. Because there are many supporting words, the lyrics are generally four sentences in one song. Influenced by Han culture, the lyrics are mostly in Chinese, and the supporting tunes are a blend of Han and Miao. The accompaniment instrument of the twelve-poem tune is wooden leaves, and the main method is "oral transmission and heart teaching". Well-known inheritors include: Yang Yanmei, Yang Hemei, Hu Chaoliang, Zhu Xianglian, Yang Changlan, Ou Pintao, etc. The twelve-poem tune Miao song is an important part of the oral literature of the Miao cultural heritage. It is a national cultural heritage created by the Miao people in their lives and passed down from generation to generation. The combination of Miao and Han in the supporting words of the song reflects the integration of the Miao area under the influence of Han culture, and also reflects the customs and folk customs of the Miao people, which is of great research value. The Twelve Poems Miao Song is a representative work of Jinping Miao folk songs with high artistic value. Due to the influence of Han culture and the impact of modern music, the Twelve Poems Miao Song has not been well inherited and protected. Most of the people who can sing this tune are middle-aged and elderly people over 40 years old. The singing skills of the Twelve Poems Miao Song are relatively high. Young people generally cannot sing this tune. The tune is in danger of extinction. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)

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