The ancient capital of Xi'an, a long history, is the perfect place for ancient Chinese music art. It has gathered teachings and rich music species here. The unique humanistic environment has nurtured the unparalleled Xi'an drum music . It witnessed the history of the development of ancient Chinese music and is known as the "living fossil of ancient Chinese music."
Xi'an drum music originated from the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It has gone through the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has continuously absorbed and integrated a variety of artistic essences in the development of history, integrating folk music , folk music, court music, religious music and literati creation music into one, gradually forming a complete set of large-scale classical music forms, and still retains quite complete repertoire, score, structure, instrument and performance forms.
Xi'an drum music is an important remains of ancient Chinese music. The repertoire has rich and extensive content, the melody style is flexible and changeable, and the melody structure is huge and complex, which enriches the treasure house of Chinese music culture. Ordinary folk music cannot be compared with it.
In May 2006, Xi'an drum music was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list; in September 2009, Xi'an drum music was approved by UNESCO to be included in the List of Representative Works of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Humanity.
Xi'an drum music is a large ensemble music that organically combines playing instruments , playing string instruments and swaying instruments. The main playing instruments include flute, sheng, pipe, cloud gong , drums, etc. Drums are important rhythmic instruments. As the conductor of the band, they control the rhythm, rhythm, speed, strength, etc. of the music. The drummer is the leader of the band, and the drum sections and drum beats that you beat during the performance form the core of the music. The flute is in the lead role among all instruments. There are many types of cloud gongs, such as Shuangyun gongs, Single Fan Yun gongs, Three Tone Yun gongs, Yingongs, Fangxiaozi, Haikouzi, etc. Among them, Shuangyun gongs are used more frequently in performance. They can be used for solos or in ensembles with other instruments. Although their playing techniques are difficult, they are one of the most popular instruments among listeners. A wide variety of musical instruments form the basis for Xi'an drum music performance, and is also an important means and necessary tool for the expression of Xi'an drum music.
In terms of performance form, Xi'an drum music is divided into two categories: sitting music and walking music.
Sitting music , as the name suggests, refers to artists sitting around the table in order to play indoors or in the courtyard. Most of the playing instruments are large instruments that cannot be moved easily. The music set has the beginning and end echoes, the composition is tight, and the structure of the curve is rigorous. The whole song consists of three parts: the head (hat), the front body and the tail (boot). Therefore, people call this structural form "wearing boots and hats".
The sitting music is rigorous and exquisite, and the expression techniques are diverse. Playing sitting music is often an occasion for artists to compete for their skills, called "fighting music", "opposing", "supporting tables" and "setting open". Competitions are played to promote the performers to learn from their strengths and weaknesses and communicate and learn.
Lingmus , also known as "road music", refers to drums and music played during outdoor streets or in temple fairs. Artists need to carry instruments to play music while marching. Therefore, the instruments are small instruments with lightweight materials and convenient portability. Most of the musical instruments are small scattered music, mainly composed of melodies, with beautiful and delicate melodies, and rhythmic instruments only play the role of hitting and accompaniment.
Xi'an drum music performance groups are mostly drum music clubs organized by villages, towns, temples and temples. The Drum Music Society is an institution for members to rehearse, teach skills, organize performances, and participate in the entertainment activities of the Drum Music Society. It is also a basic group unit on which Xi'an drum music and music works rely for survival, development and dissemination. The members of the traditional music club are mainly composed of the grassroots folk, such as workers, farmers, small merchants, citizens, Taoists, monks and other religious figures. In their spare time, they learn and practice drum music with their strong interest in drum music and their sense of responsibility to protect traditions.
Xi'an drum music monks, Taoism and folk are all formed in the same school, complementing each other.
Xi'an drum music is divided into three schools: monk, Taoism and vulgarity. Each school has different playing styles, complementing each other and forming the whole picture of Xi'an drum music.
Taoist drum music is mainly taught by Taoist priests in Chenghuang Temple . They have skillful skills and emphasize "grinding and adding flowers". The style is gentle and elegant, with a smooth rhythm, like flowing clouds and water, ethereal and mysterious. The City God Temple is located in the west street of the ancient city of Xi'an. It was built in the 20th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1387). It was one of the three major City God Temples in the world at that time. It governed the northwest provinces, so it was called " City God Temple ". For hundreds of years, in addition to reciting morning and evening homework, Taoists in the temple have also insisted on practicing drums and music. At present, the temple preserves 13 music scores during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, with more than 300 songs and plaques, with ancient melody and rich content. The Duchenghuang Temple Drum Music Society is the Taoist Drum Music Society with a long history, the largest number of people and the most prestigious Taoist Drum Music Society in Xi'an.
Monk's Drum Music was passed down by a monk named Yimao. Most of the drum music performers are civilians and monks. The performance style is related to their spread of scriptures and adapting to the habits of the audience. It has a high tone, rough and bright, and has a strong atmosphere of life. The representative music clubs of monks include Dongcang Drum Music Club, Xicang Drum Music Club, Xianmi Temple Drum Music Club, and Dajichang Drum Music Club.
Veinary drum music is because some of the music in the monk's drum music has been in the hands of farmers for a long time and is active in rural areas. Compared with the monks and Taoists, it absorbs more elements of folk music such as opera and Qin Opera, and gradually forms a style with high tone, rough and thick, simple and rural atmosphere. The representative music clubs of folk drum music include the drum music clubs in the east and west villages of Jixian in the south and the drum music club in Chang'an.
Xi'an Drum Music Club is a typical concert club. It mainly provides musical services for the community, village or surrounding villages in temple fairs, praying for rain, incense to the mountains, celebrating harvests, etc. Among them, temple fairs are the main ritual activities for Xi'an Drum Music to participate in.
During the ceremony, drum music not only has aesthetic functions that can be appreciated and entertained by the masses, but also has powerful and practical functions. The simple and profound musical tunes and the pious and simple rhymes are endless. By playing the music, praying for harvest, peace and health, and rewarding God, entertaining others and enjoying oneself, is the most fundamental social function of Xi'an drum music.
