Taoist music (Qiyunshan Taoist Music)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Taoist music

Applicant: Xiuning County, Anhui Province

Item No.: 638

Project No.: Ⅱ - 139

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: Traditional Music

Region: Anhui Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Xiuning County, Anhui Province

Protection unit: Qiyunshan Taoist Association of Xiuning County

Introduction to Taoist music (Qiyunshan Taoist Music)

Applicant: Xiuning County, Anhui Province

Taoist music, also known as "Daochang music", is the music used in Taoist religious activities. Like Taoism, it originated from the sacrificial songs and dances of ancient witches. Taoist music consists of two parts: instrumental music and vocal music. Instrumental music is mainly composed of bell, chime, drum, wooden fish, cloud Gong and other instruments, with wind, plucking, string pulling and other instruments. Vocal music is mainly composed of chanting, which is composed of Gaogong master's recitation of vows, praise of God, chanting of the table, the confession of all preachers and the chorus of all Taoists.

Qiyun mountain in Xiuning County, Anhui Province is one of the four famous Taoist mountains in China. Its Taoist culture has a long history and has been handed down for more than 1200 years. The Zhengyi Taoist music, which is popular here, complements all kinds of religious activities and becomes an important part of Qiyun mountain Taoist culture.

There are many kinds of Qiyunshan Taoist schools, including 25 kinds of "zhutianke", "compassionate" and "shuihuoliandu". Daochang music performance belongs to "Wenchang", which is composed of instrumental music and vocal music. It is performed with drum, big gong, small Gong, Qing, Muyu, erhu, pipa, Xiao, flute, suona and other musical instruments. After the beginning of the Taoist temple, there were music, dancing, speaking and singing. There were at least seven or eight Taoists and at most fourteen or five Taoists. Gongs, drums, Sheng and Xiao were all in the audience. The sound of chanting sutras was neat and melodious, creating a noisy, lively and solemn atmosphere.

Qiyunshan Taoist music is performed with the seven notes of gongchi (Gong), Chih (chi), Shang (Shang), Yi (b), Shi (SHI), Wu (five) and Liu (six) in the old tune gongchi notation, with beautiful rhythm and profound artistic conception. The performance is accompanied by the chanting of scriptures. Because most Taoists are from Wuyuan, the chanting is mixed with a large number of dialect slang. The chanting is like speaking and singing. There is a special sense of rhythm between priorities, which is solemn, elegant and refined. The main tunes used in Qiyunshan Taoist music performance are "Bu Xu Yun", "Zhu Yun Fei", "Zhen Xiang Chu Xuan", "Da Kai men", etc.

Qiyunshan Taoist music is an important part of Huizhou culture, which has the research value of primitive religion, history and culture. In recent decades, under the influence of the "Cultural Revolution" period and the impact of the economic tide in the new period, the music of Qiyunshan Daochang has been declining day by day. Although it has been revived for a time, with the death of the older generation of Taoists, the heritage is facing a survival crisis, which is in urgent need of protection and inheritance.