Xingshan folk song

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Xingshan folk song

Applicant: Xingshan County, Hubei Province

Item No.: 40

Project No.: Ⅱ - 9

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Music

Region: Hubei Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Xingshan County, Hubei Province

Protection unit: Xingshan County Cultural Center

Introduction to Xingshan folk songs:

Applicant: Xingshan County, Hubei Province

Xingshan County belonged to Nanjun in Han Dynasty. In the third year of Yong'an (260) of Wu Jingdi in the Three Kingdoms, Xingshan was located in the north of Zigui. Xingshan is located in the north of Xiling Gorge of the Yangtze River, adjacent to Yichang City and Baokang County in the East, Zigui County in the south, Shennongjia forest region in the north and Badong County in the West. Xingshan folk songs are distributed in the towns of Xingshan County and the surrounding areas in the East, South and North.

Xingshan folk songs have a long history and rich resources. Some domestic musicologists regard them as the remains of "Jingchu ancient songs". This theory can be found in the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng, especially in the sound structure of bronze chimes of Shang and Zhou dynasties unearthed in Changyang County.

The peculiar tone of Xingshan folk songs often makes people who have received modern music training mistakenly think that they can't sing. In fact, it contains an interval between the major and minor third in the scale structure, which is named "Xingshan third interval". There are only two kinds of three cavities in Xingshan

↑Do-Mi-Sol　↓la-Do（↓）-Re

350±15　300±15350±15　 180±15

Its pentatonic scale is based on them, also known as "Xingshan scale":

（↑Fa）↓Sol （↓）La　 Do （↓）Re　 Mi　Sol

This unique scale proves that there is an oral culture in Jingchu music culture, which is consistent with the musical instrument system discovered by archaeology. The common repertoire of Xingshan folk songs are "Zhengdong", "Zhengxi", "Xue Gang's anti Tang", "Shisong", "Shixiang", "Wugeng", etc.

Due to the rapid change of society, fewer and fewer people can sing Xingshan folk songs nowadays. If we don't rescue and protect them vigorously, this unique kind of songs will face the danger of losing.