Tibetan folk songs (Gannan Tibetan folk songs)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Tibetan folk songs (Gannan Tibetan folk songs)

Applicant: Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province

Project No.: 614

Project No.: Ⅱ - 115

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: Traditional Music

Region: Gansu Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province

Protected by: Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Cultural Museum (Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Art Museum)

Introduction to Tibetan folk songs (Gannan Tibetan folk songs)

Applicant: Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province

Tibetan folk songs are the main form of folk music in Tibetan areas, which can be divided into folk songs (pastoral songs), labor songs, love songs, custom songs and chanting sutras. Folk song is called "La Lu" in Weizang area, "Lu" in Kangba area, and "Le" in Anduo area. It is a kind of free singing song in the mountains. Labor songs are called "Le harmony" in Tibetan. There are many kinds of labor songs, and there are specific songs in almost all kinds of labor. Love songs include love songs and tea songs, while custom songs include wine songs, guessing love songs, wedding songs, arrow songs and farewell songs. Chanting tune, also known as "six character Zhenyan song", is a kind of song sung by Buddhist believers when they worship god Buddha in temples.

Gannan Tibetan folk song, called Le in Tibetan, is a popular singing form in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province. The lyrics and music are not passed down by writing, but by artists. The lyrics are both old and new. They are often sung in the way of filling in new words with old tunes. The words and sentences often have a strong mythological color. There is little change in the tune, so there is no instrumental accompaniment when singing.

Gannan Tibetan folk songs can be divided into ode, elegy, antithesis, auspicious songs and so on. When singing in pastoral areas, it often reflects the style of freedom, vast, strong and high pitched, while singing in pastoral areas shows more delicate, lively and fluent characteristics. There are two kinds of singing forms: one person solo and two or more people chorus, and the main singing form is solo. In addition, there are also interesting duels. Gannan Tibetan folk songs generally show the characteristics of nationality, mass and entertainment, which are loved by the majority of farmers and herdsmen.

"La Yi" is a love song sung when herding, traveling, hunting and working in the field. "La" means "hillside" and "Yi" means "song". It is mainly used to express the love of young men and women. The music is passionate, loud, distant, soft and delicate. It has a unique style in Gannan Tibetan folk songs. Wine songs are called "qiangler" in Tibetan. They are usually sung on occasions such as new year's day, new house building, wedding and so on. They have free rhythm and are full of enthusiasm. They mainly express the meaning of happiness and blessing. Gannan Tibetan folk songs are widely spread in seven counties and one city of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and their representative works include "toast song", "a Xiang Lao Lao", etc.

Gannan Tibetan folk songs reflect the local people's living customs, primitive religious beliefs and aesthetic concepts. They are important reference materials for folklore, sociology, ethnology and musicology. At present, due to the progress of society and the improvement of living standards, most of the young generation are unwilling to accept and learn folk art, which leads to a serious crisis in the inheritance of Gannan Tibetan folk songs. It is urgent to strengthen protection measures to ensure the smooth spread of this excellent national art.