About the history of folk songs at home and abroad

Folk songs (FOLK) originally refer to the traditional songs of each nation. The ancestors of each nation have their own songs since ancient times. Most of these songs do not know who the author is. It was spread by word of mouth, from one person to ten people, and from one generation to the next, and it has been passed down to this day. However, the folk songs (FOLK) we talk about today mostly refer to the folk songs (FOLK) of the pop music era. They refer to the folk songs (FOLK) mainly using wooden guitar as accompaniment, singing in a natural and frank way, and singing out people's simple life feelings. kind of songs. The records of American folk singer WOODY GUTHRIE in the 1950s can be said to be the earliest folk song recordings, so they are generally regarded as the ancestors of modern folk songs (FOLK). After that, PETE SEEGER and THE WEAVERS continued to promote this type of music. During the Vietnam War in the 1960s, anti-war folk singers such as BOB DYLAN, JOAN BAEZ, PETER, PAUL AND MARY, etc. became the voice of the times.

Folk songs, songs of the people. From ancient times to the present, regardless of east, west, north or south, every era, region, nation, and country; under the influence of different geography, climate, language, culture, and religion, a type of human self-entertainment, cultural heritage, or life will inevitably arise A literal catharsis. They will convey their history, civilization and love in different forms, and ballads are also an important part of it, and sociology or popular folk call them folk songs/ballads.

The characteristics of folk songs/ballads lie in whether they can reflect their origin, environment, and cultural characteristics/quality, not just in the number and weight of the instruments used. (Of course, it is undeniable that the musical instruments themselves can often reflect the cultural background of folk songs themselves.) Today, we live in Hong Kong, and the culture of folk music has long been dominated by Western awnings. The folk songs we are talking about today are mostly Most of them are Western (American) folk songs.

Comparatively speaking, the culture of the United States (Chinese, British, European continent, etc.) is relatively short; in addition to listening to some American songs, dance music, and jazz music, when traveling to connect people from central and western countries, Soul, we will hear the heart songs of many second-generation native Americans.

As for what is called American modernity (the sixties called it modern, and we in 2004 were called at the end of postmodernity) the father of folk music is Bob Dylan. The reason why Bob Dylan is called the "Father of Modern Folk Song" is because in the 1960s, he first wrote many songs that represented the contemporary American land and country with his typical rebellion, accusation and poetic lyrics. Culture, the music of the new generation of intellectuals and young people's mentality. And these words and songs can really directly, indirectly and from generation to generation affect the culture of the United States and even around the world (not just music culture).

Cui Yi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem called "Yellow Crane Tower" that has been passed down through the ages. Li Bai, who later climbed the Yellow Crane Tower, was faced with the beautiful scenery in front of him, but he thought, "There is a view in front of me, but Cui Yi can't write it." The poem is above" he sighed.

Of course I am not Li Bai, I am just joking. Originally, I wanted to write about the topic "What are folk songs" from a macro perspective, but unfortunately Brother Mel got there first (laughter). All I have to do here is add some sporadic additions.

The meanings of folk songs and ballads are actually somewhat different. The word "ballad" in ballads means "empty" and "nothing", which are the so-called rumors and rumors. "Folk songs" generally refer to songs that were circulated among the people in ancient times, and the composers are no longer known. We will call these folk songs (of course they can also be called folk songs), so we will call them modern folk "songs" or urban folk "songs". ”, and should not be referred to as modern folk “ballads” or urban folk “ballads”.

In Western operas or Chinese local operas, it is not difficult to find that the music part can fully reflect the color, character, and cultural traditions of an ethnic group. However, we would not call it folk songs, as it is not necessarily the case. It has rich artistic connotation; but this type of traditional music, in the era before phonographs, was a "patented product" of the court nobles, intellectuals or the upper class, and was not popular among the people. Therefore, "spread among the people" became folk songs. The most basic conditions.

Folk songs are one of the "tools" for people to express their thoughts and feelings. Each ethnic group has its own unique cultural traditions and personality, so the styles of folk songs vary from place to place. I believe that the key to playing folk songs well is whether you can play the true nature of the folk songs and the feel of the folk songs. The word "feel" can be understood by folk song fans at a glance; but friends who are unfamiliar with folk songs may not know why. I can't explain specifically what "folk song feel" is. Let me give you two examples to conclude: Back then, a friend said to me: "Luo Dayou is really good at composing music, but he is not very good at singing." After hearing this, I smiled and said, Answer him: "Do you think Luo Wen can sing "Lukang Town" and "Future Master" better than Luo Dayou?"

Types and characteristics of folk songs

< p>Labor songs can be divided into narrow and broad senses. In a narrow sense, it specifically refers to chants, which have a strong sound rhythm that matches labor movements and the function of directly promoting labor as its basic characteristics. In a broad sense, it includes songs sung during labor, such as grassland pastoral songs, tea-picking songs, etc.

Some of the latter type of songs are also sung in conjunction with labor movements. Generally, they can also play a certain role in inspiring and regulating emotions for labor, but there is no obvious strong sound rhythm that matches the labor movements. Labor songs in a broad sense can sometimes be classified as life songs.

Ritual songs are chanted and sung to accompany folk festivals such as praying for good luck, congratulations on disaster relief, ancestor worship and funerals, and other customary activities such as welcoming relatives and seeing off friends. There are roughly three categories: tactic songs, ritual songs, and custom songs. Jueshu songs are folk songs and incantations that are believed to have magical effects. Ritual songs are songs sung in conjunction with festival celebrations, other sacrifices and other rituals. The main content is to offer sacrifices to gods to pray for blessings and a good harvest. Custom songs are used for weddings, births, birthdays, funerals, house building and other weddings and occasions as well as for welcoming guests. This is the most numerous part of the ceremonial songs, with less superstitious color and higher literary value.

Current political songs mainly reflect the people’s understanding and attitude towards certain political events and figures. It has considerable documentary value. Many political ballads in ancient China appeared in the form of nursery rhymes, and their written records are mostly found in the "Five Elements Chronicles", the history books of various dynasties. Current affairs ballads can be roughly divided into three categories: ① ballads that expose and satirize rulers, the largest number of such works; ② ballads that praise honest and patriotic officials; ③ ballads about peasant uprisings in the past dynasties, this type of ballads best reflect the awakening of farmers and political The most intense color.

Life songs reflect all aspects of people’s general social and family life and daily working life, especially the lives of farmers and women. According to the opinions of some scholars, love songs were probably first produced in the alternating period between couple marriage and monogamy in which the husband lived alone. They are the most numerous and popular among folk songs. They have been popular among working people, especially the minority, in the past dynasties. It occupies a very important position in the love life of the national people. It can be roughly divided into the following categories: ① Confessing mutual love and expressing the criteria for choosing a lover ② Expressing feelings of parting and longing. ③To express the steadfast love that will never separate. ④Regretful songs of admonishment and criticism. ⑤ There are a large number of love songs such as "Home flowers are not as fragrant as wild flowers". Although they contain some unhealthy thoughts and emotions, they often express the yearning and pursuit of a happy life by people who are deprived of a normal love life.

In terms of expression techniques: techniques such as metaphor, exaggeration, overlap, and homophony are often used in folk songs. To expose critical political ballads, homophones and argots are often used. Puns are often used in love songs. Personification techniques are more common in children's songs. The Naxi people's "Xianghui Tune" not only uses a large number of homophones, but also uses objects to personify the whole text, such as using bees and flowers, fish and water to meet each other, as a metaphor for the love between men and women. The style of folk songs varies from region to region and nation to nation. The folk songs of the Dai people are bright and beautiful, while the folk songs of the Hezhe people are rough. Among Han folk songs, those in the north tend to be bold and bold, while those in the south are generally more graceful. But both are southern folk songs, and Wu songs are more delicate than Chu songs. They are the same flowers, but different ethnic groups or regions have their own characteristics.