Folk Music Affection -- Piano Collection (Includes Disc)

Author: Lin Guangxuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: The term "folk music" is often understood today as referring to ethnic instruments or instrumental folk music. However, in a broader sense, it should mean "music that is nationalized," naturally including both vocal and instrumental folk music. So, what is folk music? China has 56 ethnic groups, and the music of each ethnic group has its own unique characteristics, with entirely different styles. It is not an easy task to provide a comprehensive and complete definition of "Chinese folk music" and identify its commonalities. Authoritative conclusions can be left for scholars and experts to debate and study, while general folk music enthusiasts can for now ignore its definitions and concepts, simply relying on their own feelings to appreciate and enjoy it. At this stage, the music that can resonate with all ethnic groups in China and overseas Chinese, and gain their recognition, is the folk music within the scope of Greater China. The roots of Chinese folk music lie in ancient culture, while its foundation spans across all ethnic groups and local folk traditions. If strong and vigorous rhythms have always been the skeleton of African music, and rich and lush harmonies have once been the flesh of Western music, then beautiful and melodious tunes are the soul of traditional Chinese music. Times are changing, and people's aesthetic concepts and tastes are also changing. Where are they heading? The world has seen the emergence of "serial music" and "atonal music." Some people are exploring and experimenting with "avant-garde" and "unconventional" approaches, whether successful or not, this is all very meaningful. However, so far, it must be admitted that the ears of most Chinese people are still "melody-oriented ears." Renowned composer He Zhanhao advocates that melody should be the mainstay of Chinese folk music. Even the world-class composer Tan Dun has written piano miniatures like "Watching the Opera" and "Listening to Mom Tell Stories," where the tunes of Hunan Flower Drum Opera are clearly discernible, showing that he is not opposed to melody either. It is not impossible for the ears of Chinese people to accept "tone columns," "tone blocks," and disordered sequences of piled sounds, but at least it is not yet the time—this requires a longer process of adaptation. Chinese folk music and Western classical music also share some similarities in terms of formal structure and creative techniques. First, regarding "harmony," in folk instruments, plucked instruments like the pipa, sanxian, and guzheng, as well as wind instruments like the sheng, can all play harmonies individually, but their systems differ. They do not use triadic chord, and instead commonly employ parallel fourths. Next, "variation"—in Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo music, when a melody is repeated, it is embellished, which is similar to variation. Then, "polyphony"—since it emphasizes independent melodies, it is more suitable for expressing folk style characteristics than "harmony," so "counterpoint" is widely used in the composition of instrumental folk music. "Playing and Singing" literally means the combination of playing and singing. It can be self-play and self-sing, or playing while singing, or someone playing while another sings. In fact, the form of playing and singing has long been widely prevalent. The Pingtan of Suzhou, Jiangsu, is playing and singing. The dombra of the Kazakh ethnic group in Xinjiang, and the gayageum of the Korean ethnic group in Northeast China, can also be used for playing and singing. In popular music, there are guitar or keyboard instruments for playing and singing. Piano playing and singing of classical Chinese poetry is a new attempt. This may not resemble vocal pieces and piano pieces in academic textbooks, but it promotes self-appreciation and self-indulgence, and can also move others. It both spreads and promotes the culture of classical Chinese poetry while allowing people to gain self-cultivation. Those interested might as well give it a try.