Suona Art

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: suona Art

Applicant: Yuan'an County, Hubei Province

Item No.: 68

Project No.: Ⅱ - 37

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: Traditional Music

Region: Hubei Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Yuan'an County, Hubei Province

Protection unit: Yuan'an Cultural Center

Introduction to suona Art (Yuan'an Music)

Applicant: Yuan'an County, Hubei Province

Suona is a transliteration of "surna" in Arabic. It was widely spread in many countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, and was introduced to China not later than the Jin and Yuan Dynasties. In Chinese folk, it also has copper flute, tin flute, pear flower, sea flute and other names. In addition, the small suona used in Fujian Nanqu performance is called "Aizai" or "Nanai"; the suona used in Puxian opera accompaniment is called "Meihua" or "chubian", and the larger one is called "Dalong" or "Dahai Flute"; the all wood suona of Uygur nationality is called "surnai"; the suona of Tibetan, Miao, Mongolian, Korean and other nationalities also have different shapes.

Suona is composed of whistle, core, air disc, rod, copper bowl and other parts. It is arranged in order according to the seven sound levels according to the sound holes. The distance between each hole is basically equal. It can flip the seven tones, and the range is generally two octaves plus two degrees. Suona has many kinds of playing skills, such as glide, vomit, air arch, air top, purr, circulation (continuous blowing for a long time) and so on. It is a kind of solo instrument with strong expressive force.

Suona is one of the indispensable musical instruments in the percussion band. In ancient times, besides playing military music, it was also used for the accompaniment of Yamen drum blowing, opera, song and dance, etc. in folk daily life, it was mostly used for festivals, weddings and funerals, and drama scenes.

Yuan'an Wuyin, also known as "Wuyin", is one of the folk instrumental music in China, which is popular in Baokang County, Nanzhang County, Yuan'an county and other places in Hubei Province. Yuan'an Wuyin is closely related to Chu culture and has been inherited for more than 200 years. It is mainly played in folk weddings and funerals, temple fairs and other activities.

Wu music classes are generally composed of 6, 9 or 12 people. The instruments used include two wooing (trumpets), two trumpets, two horse gongs, one side drum, one Dong drum, one hook Gong and one Bao Gong. Some music classes are also equipped with erhu, Sanxian and pipa. The trumpet is similar to a suona, but slightly larger. There are only six holes on the pole, and the back hole is generally not used. Yuan'an Wuyin tune is simple and elegant, with great fluctuation in performance, and most of them are jumping in. Suona tube sound sol has a slight rising effect, which can form a variety of different sound series, and has a special interval relationship.

Yuan'an Wuyin has more than 50 music scores. The representative repertoire includes liudiaoyuling and chidiaoyuling. The first "open set" is a complete structure, while the "long tune" (a group of independent tunes) is more rigorous. The performance of whine emphasizes "rhyme in the mouth, flower in the hand", and likes to use flash and whine. The flashing sound is like the sound of a folk song, while the purring sound is like the sound of a flute. In addition, there are also throat playing, playing and thumb changing skills, which has formed a simple and elegant music style in the long-term practice.

Yuan'an Wuyin contains more elements of Chu culture, and preserves some information of ancient Chinese music culture. Its unique musical instrument structure, temperament characteristics and playing methods not only enrich Hubei local opera music and folk activities, but also provide valuable materials for the study of Chinese musicology and Chu culture. At present, many old artists have died one after another, coupled with strict and standardized singing, difficult performance, and few young people are willing to learn. All these make the inheritance and development of singing difficult, showing a declining trend, and need to be protected and rescued.